The Artist | Review
The first shot of the film instantly received a smile from me. “I will not speak,” a character says right at the beginning. ‘The Artist’ may be a little startling for most people at first. It’s a modern-age, black and white, silent, French film, yet it’s very bit as entertaining and charming as any great film with sound and color. This is a film that offers a fresh, unique, and crowd-pleasing experience for any moviegoer.
Set in the late 1920’s, the film follows a famed silent actor by the name of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). He’s a handsome and charming fellow who enjoys working in the silent film industry, especially with his adorable acting partner and pet dog, Jack. George soon runs into Peppy Miller (Berenico Bejo), an aspiring dancer and fan of Valentin. Their relationship encourages the career rise of Peppy, who quickly becomes one of the biggest stars of the film industry with her beautiful, winning smile, and her penciled-in beauty mark (at the suggestion of Valentin).
The development and growth of films with sound coincides with Peppy’s stardom; she’s the biggest “sound” actress of the time. As Peppy becomes more famous, George’s career goes downhill with the lack the production of silent films. George’s fall from grace causes problems in both his personal and public life.
Though this all sounds slightly serious, ‘The Artist’ is mostly a lightweight and jolly film. Beautiful tunes help carry the film in place of its lack of dialogue. The actors’ facial and body gestures, as well as their dancing, express the fun and excitement of such a medium. Carefully-placed texts are used to help further the plot when gestures can’t. None of these aspects are ever boring, which is sometimes the case in poorly-written films that do have dialogue. It’s great when you’re forced to rely on a film’s delightful actors and performances.
Like another great film from 2011, ‘Hugo’, ‘The Artist’ is a fantastic film that explores the love and history of cinema. This is a film that allows us to experience one of the first film mediums in cinematic history, one that most people have never been familiar with. It showcases the influence of silent films, as well as the upgrade to sound films. Director Michel Hazanavicius set out to make a great silent film in a time when such a medium is almost never mainstream, and he’s accomplished this goal. ‘The Artist’ is a pleasant and captivating film that’ll leave you smiling at the end.
