If you haven’t seen The Artist yet… go see it. Right now. Then come back to this page, and judge for yourself whether or not you agree…. Seriously… Go. Right now… I’ll be waiting.
Back yet? Good.
Now: wasn’t that movie great? Definitely worth the price of a ticket, am I right? Right. Anyway, for those of you who didn’t decide to run to the theater on demand, on to the more formal review:
If you’ve heard any of the Oscar buzz or other praise currently surrounding a little project called The Artist… believe the hype. Many seem to be wary of buying a ticket to a film without either color or spoken dialogue; all I can say in response to that is: rest easy.
The Artist (written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius) has all the charm and ingenuity of the silent film era to which it harkens back; and the “lack” of color and spoken dialogue allow the audience to focus on other, more important components of the mise-en-scène. Rather than having the actors and actresses attempt to enunciate each word properly to evoke the proper emotions and responses from the audience, they are forced to rely purely on their body language and facial expressions to convey what they’re thinking, how they’re feeling, even simply what they might be saying to the other characters (well, that, and a few skillfully used cue cards and some carefully chosen old-school music). Rather than using special effects to hold the audience’s attention and make the film memorable, it relies solely on the story and skills of the actors. While the film is not totally and completely without the noises we have grown to take for granted as part of the film experience, the inclusion of sound at various parts is used so strategically and deliberately that it becomes a very effective and meaningful plot device in and of itself. Much as the inclusion of sound, color, CGI, etc. were respectively used as gimmicks over the decades to bring people to the theater, their exclusion in this modern-day film is used as a gimmick itself. An imaginative, ingenious gimmick, in this author’s humble opinion, but still.
The plot itself is not terribly ground breaking, but it is imaginative and captivating, and manages to hit on all the best emotions one could hope to feel over the course of any film. There is, in turn, humor, intrigue, despair, apprehension, elation… the list goes on. Beyond that, there is skillful editing and clever cinematography which both the lay audience member and most passionate cineaste alike will be able to enjoy.
However, the characters, and actors who portray them, are what truly manage to make The Artist so captivating and appealing. George Valentin (French actor Jean Dujardin) is the main character, an established and wildly popular silent film star faced with more than a few problems to solve and decisions to make upon the arrival of the Talkie revolution in Hollywood in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Dujardin’s acting here is absolutely wonderful, and brilliantly nuanced; the fact he looks like a happy combination of Gene Kelly and Douglas Fairbanks doesn’t hurt matters either. Our heroine, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), is a young starlet on the verge of a big break during the same time period. When they interact, sparks fly. Their actual relationship is a relatively small piece of the story, and used more as a plot device for the merging of what the two characters stand for on a symbolic level, but that doesn’t change the fact that their scenes together are easily the highlight of the film, especially toward the end of the movie (without giving anything away, that part is absolutely delightful… just sayin’.). Other, more familiar faces for American audiences— John Goodman, James Cromwell, and a brief glimpse of Malcolm McDowell, among a few others—only add to the viewing pleasure.
Bottom line: give the film a chance. You’ll quickly find yourself as wrapped up in The Artist as you would in any other modern day film, quite likely more so.
The Artist is currently in wide release, and playing in theaters including:
Camp Hill/Harrisburg area: http://www.fandango.com/cinemacenterofcamphill_aabmi/theaterpage
State College: http://www.fandango.com/college9theatre_aauud/theaterpage
Greencastle area: http://www.fandango.com/regalvalleymallstadium16_aaoty/theaterpage
Erie: http://www.fandango.com/cinemarktinseltownusa_aaipg/theaterpage
Multiple theaters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
Agree? Disagree? Know what you’d like to see a review on in the future? Leave a comment or drop the author an email (cait.embrey@gmail.com).
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