Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp, great actors in their own rights, sign along to Paul McCartney’s “My Valentine,” using their hands to express the deep emotion evoked by the song. Even though Portman and Depp are not fluent in signing, I am proud and excited that they signed in this video.
The signs used in this video (which has received over 2.5 million views on Youtube) are in American Sign Language (ASL), which is understood by a large portion of people in the United States. The camera shows close ups of their hands signing the words of this song, relying solely on their hands and facial expressions to convey the sadness and beauty of this song. Their signing perfectly underscores Paul McCartney’s voice, showing that music can be universally understood and considered beautiful by both the hearing and the deaf.
Since Natalie Portman and I share the same homeland, Israel, I feel a connection to her and to my home in Jerusalem when I watch this beautiful video. “My Valentine” is yet another example of the meaning of love and how people can connect to each other from different places in the world. I love seeing and hearing Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp’s hands bring this song to life; it reminds me that sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful.
Does this video mean that signing is entering mainstream pop culture? The recent advent of videos on YouTube in which people sign along to the words of a popular song, like the Sean Berdy version of “Hero,” makes me feel like, finally, the world is beginning to embrace sign language!! I hope that this exposure of sign language to both hearing and deaf individuals can bring people closer together.
