It’s about time that movie-goers from today’s generation are introduced to the silent film era. Unless you’re like me at my age (verging on 21 in a couple months) who appreciates all of Hollywood’s history, especially when it comes to the silent film era, most people wouldn’t even think twice about seeing a silent film these days. The performances in The Artist were beautiful and meaningful, even if there were no actual words spoken out loud. Whether the actors were unknown or well-known, they all did an amazing job with their nonverbal acting, a skill in the industry that has certainly gotten overlooked. As far as the quality of the film is concerned, the black and white coloring felt nostalgic and very welcoming. It wasn’t grainy or off-putting. The music was a central part of the film itself, and the sets looked fantastic.
The Artist takes place in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s when the silent film era started to get overshadowed by the “talkies”. Silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) was at the top of his game, winning applause and hundreds of fans with his very successful films. As his career begins to fade, young starlet Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) makes a name for herself as an up and coming force to be reckoned with in the talking-film industry.
It’s very easy to follow along. It is not as if there are no words at all to understand, the audience just can’t hear them out loud. Just like in classic silent films, we see the characters talking, but often times there are captions that come up on the screen to follow. The fact that it is silent actually makes it easier to present the subject clearly. The audience seems to pay more attention seeing as how they don’t want to miss anything happening. I loved how nostalgic the film felt. It wasn’t a copy cat of silent films. It was a real silent film. It captured a moment in Hollywood’s history when everything seemed so innocent. Times were hard, but they seem so simple. Going to the movies always feels like an escape for movie-goers, and back in the 1920’s-30’s, it wasn’t any different.
I love the fact that the unknown actors from France (Dujardin & Bejo) were the stars of the film, while well-known American actors were in the supporting roles (John Goodman, Missi Pyle, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann-Miller, and Malcolm McDowell).
Another aspect of the film that I loved the most (being a fan of big dance numbers) was in fact the dancing. Again, it brings us back to a time of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the classic dance breaks in movies with an awesome tap number or other types of choreography of some sort. And to be perfectly honest, there was nothing about the film tht I didn’t like or found dull.
It’s really hard having to choose performers I liked the best when really everyone apart of this silent film did an amazing job! But to talk about my favorite moments? Let’s start first with the moment when Peppy & Valentin first meet. After the premiere of his film, he goe soutside to greet the fans and take some pictures with the crowd. A young vibrant fan (Peppy) is trying to get an autograph when her book drops. As she bends down to pick it up, the crowd pushes her into Valentin, causing everyone to gasp. That moment right there is extraordinary. In my head, I can hear the crowd’s gasps, even though all we really hear in the audience is music playing. For a second, it looks as though Valentin is an uptight actor in Hollywood who is upset that someone would dare have the audacity to bump into him. But a few seconds later he starts laughing, giving everyone else in the crowd their cue to continue laughing at the situation. Peppy starts using this as a moment to really get in the cameras viewpoint. There is a split moment on her face when the audience can see that she really just wants to have her picture taken with this famous actor. That to me is the one pivotal moment (and especially since it takes place in the beginning) that sets the tone for the rest of the movie for me.
From there on in, I look at every gesture and movement, seeing as how the audience can’t really pay attention to hearing the actors speak. From Dujardin’s hilarious and very expressive facial expressions, to the remarkable and starlit eyes in Bejo, to the seriousness and big teddy bear quality in Goodman’s stature, even to the hurt and betrayal in Miller’s eyes, everyone in this film was cast for a reason. They each have their own special ability to cpature emotion and portray it on screen through their eyes and their movement. And it’s not just when they are seen by themselves. It is in the moments when they interact with each other. It is true that at times, people can dislike a chracter but admire the performance. For me there wasn’t any one character I didn’t dislike. Missi Pyle’s character as one of Valentin’s co-stars comes close, but her annoying demeanor on screen works for me as an audience member. I love to loathe her for hating her costars for stealing away her moment to shine. You can tell that there had to be strong personal connections between the performers on and off screen in order to establish real chemisty in the film.
The director Michael Hazanavicius had an important job in directing his actors and performers. There is a lot more than just reading lines from a script. All of the directing came from natural body movements, but on a grander scale. The director certainly helped all fo the actors perform convincingly. The actors and actresses do in fact play together as an ensemble. They all have their subtle moments by themselves of course, but it is when they work together as an ensemble that really makes it something special and something so magical to watch on screen. The pace and rhythm seems right. It’s not stretched out and too long. At just about an hour and 40 minutes, it kept my attention the entire time. The editing is clean and precise. The continuity is fluid from start to finish.
The film was definitley worth attending. In a culture today when we’re all about words and sounds, it was refreshing to sit back and really pay attention to body language and facial expressions for a change. And with the Academy Awards coming up so soon, it was definitely worth seeing around this time of year. I would recommend this film to any movie lover who appreciates the history of film, especially when it comes to the silent film era. I can’t see myself referring this to friends of mine who are fans of big action movies and loud noises. You really have to have an appreciation for classic cinema to thoroughly enjoy this film.
The film did affect me emotionally, seeing as how I am so enthralled with anything dealing with Hollywood. The sadness of a fading star and the excitement of a rising one wa something I recognized and could connect easily with. Yes the film was entertaining all in all, but it was more than just entertaining. It was magical, memorable, and beautiful. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say how terrible this movie is. It seems to be on every major critic’s top 10 lists of 2011. It’s collecting almost every major award so far this season. The only criticism I’ve heard was a couple weeks ago when an audience at the movies asked for their money back because they didn’t realize the film was silent or that it was in black in white. Those audience member obviously don’t appreciate a beautiful thing when they see it.
OSCAR PREDICTIONS!
Considering all of the nominations it has received for this upcoming Academy Awards ceremony in a few weeks, I'm expecting it to win Best Director and Best Original Score. I'm still on the fence about a Best Picture win. The Help has always been my favorite, and with their win at The SAG Awards earlier this week, it might just be the top choice over The Artist. We'll just have to wait and see!
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