Silent black-and-white film The Artist looks unbeatable with the Oscars just weeks away, but it seems not everyone is so enamoured with the French movie. The much hyped ode to Hollywood's golden era has left cinemagoers in Liverpool, England, baffled, with several asking for their money back after realising the film was indeed silent.

Just hours after The Artist picked up 12 BAFTA nominations, a spokesperson for Liverpool's Odeon One cinema confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that the silent film had received complaints. There were suggestions that the combination of the movie being silent and black and white had sent cinemagoers already angered by the small screen size (a tribute to the silent era) over the edge. A statement from Odeon cinemas read, "Odeon Liverpool One can confirm it has issued a small number of refunds to guests who were unaware that The Artist was a silent film.The cinema is happy to offer guests a refund on their film choice if they raise concern with a member of staff within 10 minutes of the film starting". The Artist focuses on a romance between a fading silent star and young actress who rises to the top following the advent of the 'talkies'. On Sunday (15 January, 2012), the film picked up Best Musical or Comedy Film at the Golden Globes, with its lead actor Jean Dujardin taking home the award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

Despite the hype, the movie has only taken $27 million worldwide, according to the UK's Guardian newspaper, although that were surely change if it captures the prestigious Best Film award at the Oscars next month.