The Artist

The Artist

Throughout 2011, it seemed clear what the year's major Oscar players would be: Hugo, The Ides of March, The Descendants - hell, even J. Edgar was getting a slew of awards buzz.  And as I read my movie news and Oscar buzz online, I kept seeing this cool poster for some random movie called The Artist.  Seemed someone was making a black and white movie about old Hollywood.  Oh, wait, seemed like someone was making a silent film about old Hollywood.  That seemed interesting, but I wasn't going to rush out to see it.  I couldn't see that gimmick going anywhere.  But then something happened...the film started screening, audiences and critics went gaga, and that online poster started showing up everywhere!  I figured this must surely all be hype.  After all, critics probably liked it just because it was different.  It was black and white.  It was evoking the Golden Age of Hollywood back in the 1920s.  And in all probability, it was overrated.

But keeping an open mind, I went to go see the movie.  And sure enough, this is indeed a silent film, produced just like films a hundred years ago.  That doesn't just mean no talking; it means that other than the music, there is absolutely no audio at all.  Sounds we take for granted - the sound of my typing, doors opening and closing, cars driving by...all silent.  For the first ten minutes of the film, this was hard to get used to, and I remember thinking to myself, "I don't know if I can do this."

And then...the magic of filmmaking took over.  Because The Artist isn't all hype.  Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist truly is a terrific film, both an homage to and a commentary on the Silent Era.  I liked it when I saw it, and I like it even more now as I have had time to reflect on it.

The film is about the transition of films to the "talkies," and is told through the eyes of movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin).  As studios stop making silent films, Valentin refuses to change with the times and finds both his career and personal life rapidly falling apart.  Dujardin is joined by a superb cast that includes John Goodman, Berenice Bejo, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller.  This cast jumps into the spirit of the whole experiment - they know that screen acting was different in 1929.  You can't rely on line delivery and subtleness.  You have to gesture, you have to mug for the camera, you have to be BIG.  And the cast delivers performances that would have been perfectly at home in any of D.W. Griffith's movies.

And I do think The Artist is more than a gimmick.  There is some real depth here.  Sound, and by that I mean communication, is the major theme of the film.  The sheer irony that a movie about the "talkies" is silent should tell you that.  George Valentin risks his career because he refuses to talk in films.  His marriage begins to unravel because he refuses to talk about his problems.  With the advent of sound in motion pictures, Valentin is ironically no longer able to communicate with his audience.  But most of all, The Artist proves that even the oldest ways of communicating through film are still effective.  Who needs dialogue?  All you need is some heart.

Not sure what else to say.  The film is full of simple pleasures.  Beautiful cinematography (filmed in a 4:3 aspect ratio, just like the silents), terrific set direction, and wonderful set pieces.  I will not soon forget Peppy Miller's flirtation with Valentin's coat, or the terrific dance sequence where Valentin and Peppy first begin to fall in love.  I am a big fan of this film and it deserves all the lavish praise it has gotten.  I guess it is true that sometimes what is old is new again...

MVP: 
I adore Berenice Bejo, who plays rising star Peppy Miller.  She is just so damn...peppy.  But we all know the true star of this show is French actor Jean Dujardin.  He carries this movie on his back.  With bold facial features, a slim moustache, and a million dollar Fairbacks grin, Dujardin looks like he was born to be silent films.  He understands that overacting does not mean bad acting, and that there can be no room for subtly in a silent performance because the audience might miss what you are doing.  And seeing the emotions Dujardin displays with a cocked eyebrow or even by the way he pets his dog...it's remarkable work.  He is the easy MVP.

TRIVIA: 
So apparently, there are more stupid people in the world than I thought.  With critical support and strong word of mouth, a lot of people have gone to see The Artist, only to come out a few minutes later to tell the theater managers that the film was broken and the audio was missing.

...sigh...

...people...