When silence speaks
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a young dancer set for a big break. (Source: Imdb)
The Artist relates a famous actor’s rise and fall. It leads us straight behind the scene, into a celebrity’s life. How someone could be spoiled and worshipped today then rejected and forgotten tomorrow. When talkies were starting to flourish, George valentin was too proud to switch to modern movie-making. And as the producer Al Zimmer (Goodman) stated, the public is always right, even the arts are adapted to the standard of taste.
The plot is not new but what was incredible with this movie is the way it was made: the black and white, the melodrama, sometimes the silent-talkies alternation. The actors’ exaggerated gestures and mimics totally suffice to convey their messages (special mention to the dog?) and the shots were well-done. I am not familiar with the pre-talkie era but I enjoyed this movie so much that I will put it on my collection. As I am not good enough to criticize any details related to the techniques used: the scores, the intertitles, etc. I woud simply assume what shoud be done has been done.
This is certainly the film of the year and a wonderful tribute to the early 20th century. Obviously it is not meant to hit the box office or even to stay long in theaters. However, if you want to see a real work of art, you should not miss it. Two thumbs up for French director Hazanavicius (OSS 117) and his cast. They can be proud.
The Artist relates a famous actor’s rise and fall. It leads us straight behind the scene, into a celebrity’s life. How someone could be spoiled and worshipped today then rejected and forgotten tomorrow. When talkies were starting to flourish, George valentin was too proud to switch to modern movie-making. And as the producer Al Zimmer (Goodman) stated, the public is always right, even the arts are adapted to the standard of taste.
The plot is not new but what was incredible with this movie is the way it was made: the black and white, the melodrama, sometimes the silent-talkies alternation. The actors’ exaggerated gestures and mimics totally suffice to convey their messages (special mention to the dog?) and the shots were well-done. I am not familiar with the pre-talkie era but I enjoyed this movie so much that I will put it on my collection. As I am not good enough to criticize any details related to the techniques used: the scores, the intertitles, etc. I woud simply assume what shoud be done has been done.
This is certainly the film of the year and a wonderful tribute to the early 20th century. Obviously it is not meant to hit the box office or even to stay long in theaters. However, if you want to see a real work of art, you should not miss it. Two thumbs up for French director Hazanavicius (OSS 117) and his cast. They can be proud.
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