The first of my 2011 holdovers . . .
The Artist is more than somewhat of an oddity in this day and age - a silent, black and white film that is so authentic to the era that it mimics even the aspect ratio i used during the silent film era. Necessary dialogue is shown through text cards, the use of which is minimal, and everything else the viewer is left to interpret from the actions and reactions of the actors.
In an era where big budgets, big stars and big effects generally dominate the box office, the thought of reverting back to what most would describe as a dead style of filmmaking might seem ill-advised.
Director Michel Hazanavicius is unconcerned with such things. His goal was to create a modern film that recalled all of the aspects that made many silent films stand the test of time. The proverbial, all too often used "love-letter" to past Hollywood, if you will. Premiering at this past Cannes, The Artist immediately began garnering tremendous praise, and star Jean Dujardin was given the best actor award. As it slowly spreads from art-house theaters to major multiplexes, The Artist has become a front runner in the race for the Best Picture Oscar.
Dujardin stars as silent film star George Valentin, who has Hollywood in the palm of his hand in 1927. When studio execs show him the future of cinema, the "talkies," Valentin laughs them off as trivial, and refuses to even consider adapting. As the years progress, silent films become a thing of the past, and Valentin finds himself the odd man out, while rising actress Peppy Miller (a glowing Berenice Bejo) who owed her place in the business to Valentin, finds herself the new toast of the town.
Although set in the past and dealing with actors and actresses, the themes here are universal and timeless. It deals with the curse that personal pride can become. It deals with the ability to adapt to changing surroundings (cue Bob Dylan). And it deals with the fickle nature of stardom.
I think the highest praise anyone can give The Artist is that it is more than just an homage to silent films. The movie completely looks and feels as if it came from the era, and an outsider who knows nothing about it might actually be fooled. In the wrong hands, it may have come off as gimmicky. But it's so well done and the cast is so good that it stands alone, not just as an excellent silent film, but as an excellent film that is vastly different from the type of films being made today. It's something that you just don't see anymore, and yes, that's part of what makes it great.
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The plot of an actor unwilling to accept talking movies is perfectly ironic considering that many modern moviegoers may be unwilling to accept a movie in which there is no talking. I'm not sure they could have cast better actors as the two leads, even though they are unrecognizable to most non-French audiences, as Dujardin and Bejo look, feel, and act their parts to a tee. The rest of the cast is made up of mostly American actors, including a funny John Goodman in the role of the studio exec.
The Artist just about lives up to all the praise it's gotten, although I felt the climax was a bit rushed and anticlimactic. But it makes up for it with an excellent fitting final sequence.
10 out of 11
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