nicnic_c (Level 6)

by Nicole · February 2, 2012

Michel Hazanavicius - Romance/Comedy/Drama – France/Belgium

Release Date (Australia): 4th February 2012

On its surface The Artist may seem a light hearted film, but at its core it is something else that runs much deeper; this film is a work of art. This silent film follows a classic story of love and despair and is nothing we have not seen before. The real depth of this film stems from the performance of the actors, the screenplay and the incredibly taut editing as the audience actively engages with the film. This film is full of love and is a beautifully performed tribute to cinema and the age of the peculiar silent actor.

Jean Dujardin is George Valentin, the biggest star of silent cinema who crosses paths with aspiring actress Peppy Mills, who is played by Bérénice Bejo. There is magnetism between the characters as they are propelled in and out of each others lives with Peppy becoming a star as George is falling from grace. The foundation of their performance is a silent era style of mimetic faculty as they mimic reality and perform facial expression in a highly visual and exaggerated way. This is characteristic of the silent era as performers use their bodies to tell stories. This is particularly noticeable in Dujardin who has the most interesting mouth and smile, a high proportion of his story is told with a slight curvature or a wide grin. Bejo acts similarly in the depth of her eyes which often convey innocence, happiness or immense sadness. This method of acting is executed incredibly well and is extenuated by a faultless use of close up shot. Both actors seem extremely well suited to the cinema of the 1920s and 1930s.

This is a riveting story of pride, beauty, desire and passion without ever being undermined by parody in either score or its direction. The incredibly subtle romantic sub plots are also perfectly innocent as was a trait of the age and the score and editing both supplement this perfectly. The pacing of both the music and the editing is fast enough that the viewer is provided with enough time to dwell on the characters and bask in their personality and acting skills. But the viewer is also never left to feel that the film is dull which is important in considering that the audience is not familiar with this style of film, particularly the 4:3 aspect ratio. Initially Hazanavicius attempted to shoot the film entirely in black and white, however, because technology has advanced so much the picture was incredibly sharp and he instead chose to film in colour and then convert to greyscale. Another technical point to notice is the incredible stage direction in which you feel each and every character in the back of every frame has a purpose directly linked to the forefront of the shot. This skill is mesmerising to watch, particularly in the scene where Peppy encounters George on the steps of Kinograph Picture and the shot moves from close up to wider shots that encapsulate the busy crew members rushing around them. You will also notice Dujardin’s phenomenal performance as George has his first interactions with sound that are conveyed with such fear and bewilderment you will almost believe that he is experiencing this for the first time with the viewer almost voyeuristically watching his pain and demise. It is these slight technical and performance based differences that set this film apart from any other as it differentiates itself as a work of art.

The Artist follows the transformation from silent to sound cinema and at points it seems to provide comment on the film industry in general, even though the old studio system was much different, the same supply and demand theories still apply. Particularly as we move towards 3D cinema and there is strong reluctance to embrace this new technology, to some it is almost laughable that it even be considered the next dimension of cinema. It is interesting to note that The Artist will be going head to head as a main Oscar contender against Hugo, Scorsese’s 3D masterpiece that is also a celebration of silent cinema. This film was a long time dream for Hazanavicius and a moving project that many were keen to be involved in, Malcolm Mcdowell even makes an almost unnoticeable appearance as a butler.

The Artist has come from a film nobody thought would be realised to an award winning masterpiece. In Cannes Dujardin won Best Actor and is now a contender for the same at the Academy Awards with Bejo nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The chemistry of Dujardin and Bejo on stage is captivating as they have acted together before in Hazanavicius’ films. This wonderful performance deserves recognition as does the masterful artistic direction, and with 10 Oscar nominations The Artist this recognition is received. Aside from the acting and Best Picture nominations, the film is also nominated for Best Art Direction, Film Editing and Original Score amoungst others. These are all deserving categories and the films success is not doubted with its main competition inHugo and The Descendants.