I finally went to see The Artist, a film that's been garnering a lot of attention, last Friday. It's interesting that it's a film I became interested in seeing without having viewed the trailer beforehand--although I did see previews for it on TV--and I thought for a second that it might be hyped up. It is a film that has already won so many accolades, however, and so I felt I owed it to myself and to the movie to watch it. It originally sparked my interest because of my love of silent movie era films, especially those of Chaplin. One forgets how incredible it is that silent movie actors could convey so much without the use of their vocal chords. Modern-day people might find some of the acting over-emotive for their taste, and you will find such exaggerated acting within The Artist, but it most definitely worked back in those days. And it most certainly was not just about the acting.
As mentioned before, this film has already won several awards and praises. Such accolades include a Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, a Best Picture Golden Globe, a Best Director award from the Critics' Choice Movie Awards (for Michel Hazanavicius), and a Producer's Guild Award. It also happens to be a top contender for an Oscar. Unfortunately, I have not yet seen all of the films nominated for Best Picture this year, so I can't really determine if this particular film deserves it more or less than the others. I didn't get to see Midnight in Paris, although I really wanted to, and I do feel like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close hasn't gotten much press. I honestly hope neither Moneyball nor Tree of Life get the Oscar, because to be honest, I'm pretty tired of the assumption that anything Brad Pitt touches is gold. I mean, did anyone see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? It wasn't horrible, but it was certainly not his best, nor David Fincher's for that matter. But I digress.
I don't want to spend several paragraphs summarizing the plot of The Artist, so I'll keep it short and simple. The story, which reminds me a bit of Singin' in the Rain, takes place during the late 1920s and early 1930s, right around the beginning of the Great Depression, when the silent movie era was reaching its end, with the innovative transition to the talkies taking place. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a beloved silent film star who feels he is on top of the world, until he is faced with the harsh reality of the transitional period Hollywood experiences. He meets Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), a young starstruck woman who also happens to be an aspiring actress with big dreams, while signing autographs on the red carpet. They meet time and time again, and they strike up a strange sort of friendship. Peppy becomes George's biggest sympathizer, and also his biggest rival, as she is replacing George Valentin as the biggest fish in the business, though it is not her intention. Al Zimmer, played by John Goodman, the studio boss, goes from being Valentin's biggest fan to someone who sees change coming and feels that his greatest star just won't do anymore. With George Valentin's fear of fading away into nothing more than a has-been, the plot becomes somewhat dark and morose. The young, fresh-faced Peppy Miller seeks to help her one-time mentor and the audience is touched by this woman's desire to care for a man who no longer has faith in the movie industry or himself.
The movie captures the spirit of the time and some might consider it a sort of hybrid of Singin' in the Rain and A Star is Born because of similar storylines. If one recalls, Singin' in the Rain is about a film production company who has a hard time transitioning from silent movies to talkies, with its highest-paying and most famous actress being the main difficulty (lest we forget her annoying voice). Although The Artist is not strictly a musical, one can clearly see Hazanavicius's vision was partly inspired by Gene Kelly's hit. Hazanivicius has stated that his film is a sort of love letter written for Hollywood, especially Hollywood's Golden Age, with the desire to honor and pay homage to the spirit of making movies. It is essentially a film about filmmaking. And it succeeds in its nostalgia-inducing portrayal of the past. It is humorous at times, and thought-provoking at others. Although the film has its dark, almost heart-wrenching moments, it remains somewhat lighthearted throughout most of it. Overall, it is more of a feel-good movie than other Best Picture nominated films this year, but the entertaining and lively feel of it does not detract from its intelligence. It retains its profound and smart message.
So, if you love films and/or are a film major (or always felt you should be), I recommend this flick. It is not the greatest film ever made, but it is good enough to be essential to watch. The acting is excellent, there's no doubt Dujardin and Bejo will become much more well-known to people in this country with their great performances. The musical score is touching and very complementary to the old-time feel of the movie. Although there is no spoken dialogue, sound is introduced at some point and it is even more intensely effective because of the lack of sound throughout the rest of the time. And of course, the cinematography is beautiful and memorable.
Rating: 4/5
