The Artist is a throwback to films made during the Silent Era. I was going to write my review directly after watching the film a few months ago but I knew that the film had to resonate inside of me before I could be honest about what I watched. Or else the review would have easily been a negative one. To truly enjoy The Artist is a difficult task for those who do not have a passion for film. The film has been said to be a film for film lovers and to an extent it is true. However I do not need a silent film to tell me why I love movies. There is a reason why silent films are no longer made.
The film follows the story of George Valentin(Jean Dujardin), a silent film movie star. He is loved by everyone; his studio, his fans, and even the critics. After one of his new movie premieres, he bumps into an adoring fan, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). Peppy is an overlooked actress who wants to become the next star. George, being the kind soul he is decides to take a picture with Peppy. The innocent picture ends up in the newspaper, and Peppy is able to use this to land a job as an extra. As she continues to land gigs, she finally lands one that allows for her to act alongside George. It is a small dance sequence. George is love struck by this dance, however after the scene wraps, a huge bomb is dropped in George's lap. The head of the studio informs George about movies being made with synced sound. The "talkies" are now upon George. Initially George does not want to believe the hype of the talkies and dismisses those types of films as gimmicks.
Later that night George has a nightmare. This is the films best scene. Ironically it is also the films only scene with sound(not including the final moments). After a good half hour of no dialogue or sounds of any sort(besides score) the audience is finally given its first synced sounds. George panics as he can "hear" everything around him except for his own voice. From here the film plays out similar to the 1952 film Singin' In The Rain.
Jean is phenomenal as George Valentin. Without him, the film would not be anything special at all. He truly embodies the role perfectly, and is just like the actors from that era. I have been told that acting in silent films is the hardest of all types of acting due to the fact that everything must be conveyed through facial expressions and physical displays. George utters one line throughout the entire film, but his performance is great because of his ability to display his emotions. I never felt like I did not know what was going on in the characters mind despite the lack of dialogue. To be honest I wish George never said anything throughout the entire film. That way it would always remain a mystery as to what George actually sounded like. Jean's thick French accent stuck out like a sore thumb and felt out of place when he utters his final line.
There are many references to the films of old, from the opening title sequence to the way the film was presented in 22 FPS(Even though true silent films had even lower frame rates due to lack of soundtrack) and in the "Golden Ratio" of 1:33:1. The film was shot in color however and was converted to Black and White in post, however the film gets the feel correctly. I am just curious what audiences from the 20's would think of a film like this.
The film pays homage to a type of film that no longer exists, and there is a perfectly good reason for that. Very few people want to sit in a theater for 90 minutes and not hear people talk. It is very unnatural and to be quite honest, it does not allow for someone to get involved as deeply as a picture with sound. This film works for what is set out to do, but I just hope that Hollywood does not start producing more of these films. Hollywood needs to press forwards not backwards. That means get rid of 3D as well. Stop rebooting things that do not need reboots.
3.5/4 Muffins
An example of Jean's magic as George Valentin:
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