By Rachael Bentley
The release of a black and white, silent film in the 21st century would seem eccentric and perhaps fruitless to most modern day directors, but to Michel Hazanavicius it was just what film lovers and critics needed to see.
After being nominated for 6 Golden Globes, The Artist won Best Motion Picture for Musical/Comedy, Best Actor for Musical/ Comedy and Best Original Score, and was one of only two movies that had multiple wins (The Descendents won Best Picture for Drama, and George Clooney won Best Actor for Drama).
Hazanavicius wrote and directed The Artist to echo the style used in the 1920’s. The movie was shot in the 1.33-33 “Academy Ratio” just as in the silent film era, because Hazanavicus considered it perfect for actors because it gave them “a power, a purpose, and a strength,” so much that they occupy most of the screen.
The Artist is set in the late 1920-1930’s in which Jean Dujardin portrays silent movie star George Valentin and Berenice Bejo plays Peppy Miller. While standing outside of a movie premier, our two lovers meet by chance when Peppy Miller accidentally bumps into Valentin while he is taking photos.
The next day’s papers have headlines reading “Who’s that Girl?” and Miller takes advantage of her 15 minutes of fame by auditioning for a role as a dancer on a movie set, which Valentin just happens to also be working on. They bump into each other again and Valentin insists that Miller have a part in his movie, convincing his boss Al Zimmerv (John Goodman) that she is the next big thing.
Soon afterward, Miller is up and on her way to being a huge star and Zimmer drops a bomb on Valentin. The end of silent films. Valentin finds himself without a job, without any friends and in the middle of the Great Depression.
The Artist is hands down the best on-screen romance I have ever seen (yes, ladies that includes Titanic) and considering its dozens of nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score, the rest of the worlds film critics would agree with me.
Jean Dujardin’s portrayal of George Valentin has been compared to that of Gene Kelly, which would explain why he won a Golden Globe. Kelly’s quality work set the bar for many actors in modern cinema.
Let’s not forget the qwirky and loveable Peppy Miller played by Bejo (who is also married to Hazanavicius). Her role as the up-and-coming competition and love interest for Valentin has a great combination of comedic relief and pure heart-felt moments that make you wish you knew a real guy like George.
Walking into this movie I was worried (as I’m sure most others would be) that the lack of dialogue between characters would bore me. However, I found that using my imagination to fill in the void of the “talkies” kept the movie moving at a comfortable pace, and made me appreciate the cinematography for what the film really was, a work of art.
