The Artist

Fame can be easily strip from someone and destroy their career if they get used to it. This has happened since the beginning of cinema and is still an issue today with all the child celebrities that have grown up used to this feeling of attention and lose themselves a bit after not receiving that same level of hype as they had in their youth. While still a problem that is slowly being weeded out, one of the first examples of this and one not discussed about often, is the transition from silent film making to the then titled ‘talkies’’ during the late 1920s. A brand new style of film-making that seemed to require fresh new talent, many silent film stars were ruined from this development with components that wouldn’t normally affect them in silent movies like accents or just basic quality of verbal acting, now made them unusable within films and they never returned to the limelight. The 2011 French film, The Artist, brings this interesting part of history to life with a unique enough premise and execution to make an impression on the world, while also being engaging and entertaining enough to keep audiences of the 21^st century invested in a black and white silent movie. Set in the 1920s, famous silent film sensation George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) rules over the entertainment industry with several popular hits year after year. He happens upon an aspiring dancer and actress named Peppy Miller (played by Bérénice Bejo) and inspires her to take the next step in her career and tackle her dream head on. That chance comes with the introduction of talkies, as Peppy becomes the next showstopper and fills the cinemas within only a few years, all the while Valentin (who was originally un-phased by this new idea and thought it would disappear rather quickly) seems out of his area and refuses to meddle in this new form of film-making, despite it costing him everything he has earned. Lost in a new world while his continues to crumble, Valentin must find a way to bring back his fame or realise that he doesn’t belong on the big screen anymore. While it was a risky idea creating an original story focused on a bygone era of Hollywood through the lens of a black and white silent film, it was one worth taking as the film was met with widespread acclaim, did very well at the box office (earning $133 million against its $15 million budget) and swept the Academy Awards with ten nominations (even Winning Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture). The Artist is surprisingly engaging, wonderfully acted, full of some great ideas and visuals, and tackles a foreign issue that is both tragic but also an interesting dive into the beginnings of a new age in the art of film making. Even though it needed to expand more of concepts to keep the audience gripped the whole way through, it did a pretty impressive job from where it was starting.

The main gimmick of this movie is that its all done in a black and white, as well as having all the classic tropes of a black and white silent film, including the speech bubbles, the exaggerated acting, the over-the-top music, and a very direct and obvious form of storytelling. Since the movie itself is based and centered around cinema and the art of creation in general, it allows the film to clearly demonstrate the comparisons it is making and how it can effectively tell a story in this age. The film, despite having no dialogue, is surprisingly engaging for a good chunk of this movie. Despite not having many big films to his name previously, writer and director Michel Hazanavicius really wanted to make a silent film and did a lot of research into movies from the 1920s when creating this picture, managing to command a majority of this film with a clear vision that simultaneously carries homages to a classic era, while including enough modern intrigue and emotional investment to suck people in. Since it has a clear understanding of the older style its emulating, the movie can easily get across its story and character motivations through pure scenery, music and expression without a single word needed to be said. In an age where most films are horrified of trying something that nontraditional, the film deserves merit for attempting and succeeding with a story that conveys its entire purpose and motivation without much dialogue, and also for how it makes a simple story of two individuals and their experiences in Hollywood somehow very interesting and even relatable on both accounts. Both sides ring true to real-life stars in the time period where some easily transitioned to the next stage, while others crashed and were forgotten about. With that said though, despite the film having a brilliant concept that uses its framework of presentation as an extra tool to showcase emotion or the passage of time , it doesn’t go far enough to last out the running time. Although only about 100 mins in length,  the last third of this movie is a major slog to get through because most of the tricks presented earlier are no longer as intriguing anymore. Instead of cleverly evolving the idea to take advantage of this also diegetic manner of visual storytelling (like the side characters evolve into speech, yet the main character keeps the silent speech bubbles to show the separation and isolation), it doesn’t try those ideas and it makes the ending feeling more traditional and not as interesting. While it doesn’t ruin the message of the film as the majority of it still gets its point across and there are still some cool moments shown in its last act, (like a shadow having its own speech bubble to illustrate insanity), it doesn’t go as far as it could with this ingenious set-up.

The characters have that before-era charm and archetypal feel to them, but it also shows the real people behind the screens with their own pros and cons that make them more interesting. Both the main characters do things that some can view as selfish and cruel, but in the situation that both are involved in and considering how much of their lives are tied to this one industry, it comes off as genuine and makes sense in the moment. Jean Dujardin is very clearly a good entertainer and despite an occasional outburst, he doesn’t like that bad of a person, but it shows that its not always easy to readjust to something completely different to what you’ve known your entire life. While the film could have done a better job showing that struggle and fear that he felt as, once again, the final act does get a little lost within itself, it is still evident when watching the movie. On the other hand, Bérénice Bejo clearly wants the spotlight but not for any true selfish reasons and just for the joy of being an entertainer so it makes sense that the two would be able to hit it off, and the eventual switching of roles doesn’t make her selfish or cruel as she still wants to help him once he’s in a bad spot, both work as good leads for this film. The acting in this movie is very good on a different level from most films. Having to perform a full movie without dialogue takes a great deal of effort, and the way each actor emotes their struggles and wants on the screen perfectly illustrates is effective and seems fitting for the presentation, but isn’t too over-the-top to the point that it becomes distracting, everyone handles this balance very well. The two leads are charming and work well off each other, John Goodman is always great, even with the little amount he has, other recognizable faces that pop up like James Cromwell, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Beth Grant, and Bitsie Tulloch are nice additions, and even the dog named Uggie is very well trained, to the point that his great timing in several scenes whether light or even intense, it almost feels too good to be true.

The black and white on the film feels very genuine and not only in just changing the color but also through the other technicals that really make it feel like more than just a gimmick, but rather an active part of the storytelling process. The faded lighting gives the film a less professional look that matches the time period without going too grainy, and the film is filled with the tropes of silent filmmaking, which gives the entire project a unique identity and it works even better when they break during the movie when things start to fall apart. The cinematography by Guillaume Schiffman is very straightforward with middle shots with much establishment but will be altered with crocked angles and more flowing shots when the new style starts to blend into the world. There’s a brilliant scene involving the main character hearing the world around him in sound while he remains silent, which is home to some great sound design with Yannick Boulot as the sound mix technician, Nadine Muse as the sound editor and Pascal Chauvin acting as the foley artist, making the drop of a feather feel like a bomb, some great shots involving said slanted angles that really portray the confusing and surreal situation, and some great mime acting which real exposes the panic and reality of this scene and the whole purpose of the movie in just one scene (you can tell why that was the scene they always showed during the Oscars). The production value by production designer Laurence Bennett and the costume design by Mark Bridges really makes you feel like you’re in this time period and adds a lot to the moments whether in the backstage of shooting a film, or even in their homestead, it all looks very nice. The musical score by Ludovic Bource is in many ways a character in itself, with how impactful and crucial it is within a silent film and it has the bombastic fluttery nature of old timey movies which acts as a nice explainer of the emotions that the characters are going through very well.

The Artist explores an interesting topic with a unique concept and equally well-done execution. The film manages to create a picture with the purpose of emulating as well as slightly tweaking a recognizable style and manner of filmmaking, without going too far as to not remember to make the characters relatable and the plot intriguing. While the film needed to go further with its premise and have more fun with its idea as to not make the final act as dull as it was, the movie still delivered a pretty memorable product. While it may seem to ‘’artsy’’ for the mainstream to get into, it has enough fun visuals and call-backs to the older styles, as well as some very charming actors and bouncy music to keep them invested in something like this. Whether an avid fan of the old who wants to see something that’s ‘’bees’ knees’’ or a fresh newcomer looking for something original, this film is a nice little reminded that in Hollywood, things aren’t always so black and white.