Mat here. I’d been looking forward to seeing The Artist since we saw its trailer before Iron Lady (a movie noticeably absent from this year’s Best Picture nominations). I thought there was no way that the world was ready for The Artist, but I was very wrong.
It almost seems like a movie made in a negative-gearing money making scheme from ‘The Producers’: an old-fashioned, French-made, black & white, silent movie with no bankable lead actors. Where did it go right?
George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent film star at the top. He gives a break to plucky extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) and there’s sparks. But alas, The Talkies are upon us and George declares they’re just a fad and turns his back, while Peppy embraces them and becomes an overnight superstar. George pays for his pride and loses everything, but a few characters look out for him during his fall.
Familiar faces show up here and there: James Cromwell plays George’s loyal driver and assistant and John Goodman is the cranky studio boss. These are almost the only reminders that this film was made today and not 85 years ago.
The real scene-stealer is George’s dog, Jack, who must be the finest canine actor(s) in showbiz. Not only does Jack get a lot of laughs, he is secretly the heart of the film. Without Jack, George would be truly alone as he feels, and having his dog there to react and reflect the audience’s feelings gives the happy scenes a lift and the sad scenes an extra layer of poignancy.
To get the most out of The Artist, you gotta love old movies; Charlie Chaplin, Hitchcock, Fred & Ginger, and especially Gene Kelly. Dujardin even moves a bit like Gene Kelly, that light-as-a-feather glide as he walks. It would make a great double feature with Singin’ in the Rain.
Extra-authenticity points for The Artist as it was not shot in 16:9 widescreen but 1.37:1 (aka Academy ratio), the same as that used for the old silent films. There are also no ‘zoom’ shots in the film, as zoom wasn’t yet invented when the film was set.
Being a silent film, The Artist leans heavily on its soundtrack and it’s another area where this movie really shines. The score perfectly encapsulates every scene, so much so that you’re able to tell what’s happening on-screen even if you can’t see it (I had to duck out of the room in the middle of a scene and I knew a house fire had started on the screen just by the music).
The Artist did very well at the Oscars with Best Film, Best Actor (Dujardin), Director, Costume and Score.
The Artist ranks as one of the finest films I’ve ever seen – not just Best Picture winners – brilliantly conceived and executed, entertaining, charming and touching. I can’t recommend The Artist highly enough.
I gave The Artist 94.5/100 (just shy of equalling Casablanca’s 95/100 from me) and Danielle gave it 89/100.
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