France-Drama-French-2010-Director: Micahel Hazanavicius-Cast: Jean Dujardin, Nerenice Bejo
“The Artist”
For the first time in this film festival, I finally felt something for the characters and their story. After hours of standing in the beating sun in a line full of early moviegoers “The Artist” definitely did not disappoint. Perhaps the best story I saw thus far in this festival and I know that is saying a lot. I sat in that theater the entire time and finally felt that I was entering into the world of these characters and genuinely interested in all that they had to show and tell me. I was so captivated by this great storytelling because at the end of the day that was all that it really was for me. A great story to watch and witness on that screen and the surprising part was that it was a modern day silent film.
The film portrayed the onset of “Hollywoodland” in the late 1920’s when silent films and silent movie superstars such as Jean Dujardin’s character “George Valentin” were dominating the big screens. The film follows the life and career of Dujardin’s character as the famous George Valentin beginning from his all time high to his ultimate low. The story gives some insight as to how that transition period from silent films to our present day boisterous films was effective upon actor. We see the demise of one character’s acting career intertwined with the growing of another known as Peppy Miller which was played by Berenice Bejo. The not so sublte name of Bejo’s character served her just well as she was a peppy one bouncing all over that screen with her bubbly personality. The story shows how George actually made way for Peppy to get her first big break playing a small role in one of his films and from then on she was on her way to becoming a superstar. In the mean time, George had to face reality in which the world was ready to not only see film but to hear it and silent films were becoming a think of the past just as the famed George Valentin was fading quickly too. Then the Great Depression hit and George lost it all as he lost his wife, his job, his possessions, his respect, and most of all he lost himself. Therefore the story really takes a turn for the worst for this star but things may look up for George if his pride does not stand in the way.
The acting was spectacular in this film and one would only hope so with the lack of dialogue physically spoken. In fact, there was definitely a nice balance of scenes with sound as well as minor subtitles popping up when it was difficult to read what an actor was saying. Therefore the audience was never left unknowing of what was occurring before them. We always received exactly what we needed to get through a scene and to continue following this story. I thought this was a clever aspect to the film because from the very beginning it begins in silence so no one would ever think there would be a scene with sound. For instance, the scene when George Valentin places down a glass cup on top of his table and it makes a sound shocking not only the audience but George himself. It was unexpected and really threw the audience for a loop because I remember just thinking in that moment what were they going to do next. I was not sure where they were going with this action and it definitely served its purpose as a shock factor wherein we discover that it was all a dream that George was experiencing. The fact that George is having nightmares about the upcoming world of sound in film merging with this actual silent film itself worked rather nicely.
The actors seemed like they were more so enjoying making this film as oppose to aspiring for a critically acclaimed film. It was refreshing to see that these actors made acting look effortless and that they themselves were not taking themselves too seriously. In fact, the entire film was light-hearted yet with very enlightening messages and life lessons. I enjoyed watching Dujardin and Bejo just have fun playing their characters. They were constantly smiling and their charisma shined on that screen putting you in a good mood too. The same went for when they were in a dark place or felt sorrow because a sadden look came across their faces that the audience could not help but feel sympathy for them. It was an emotional rollercoaster watching the downfall of one’s career and their life. I felt heartbroken when it was clear that George was lost and thought he was a failure. The film did a superb job at depicting how George came from the top and was at the highest point in his career with all the praise and glory he received. He was happy and proud to be in the place he was at as he was well respected and admired by all his fans and crew. He was living the high life and with a click of a button his whole world came crashing down. He had to face change, change in the times, change in film, and the arrival of new and upcoming actors ready to take his place. One of the best parts about this film is that this is a story that can be everlasting. The message of the infinite battle between out with the old and in with the new or how pride can do more harm than good. In addition to knowing when to ask for help and how aspects of loyalty, compromise, humbleness all come into play within this film. They are all elements of life that can be identifiable for one watching this film. Furthermore, the fact that they brought these key elements to light within this particular film depicting the lives of actors in Hollywood was brilliant to me.
I love the parallelism between not only Peppy and Goerge’s lives but that of a silent film portraying the downfall of the silent film era in Hollywood. I thought this was a keen take on this forgotten film genre and quite worthy of seeing. It was not only a well-filmed motion picture but a well written one too and it still shocks me that I did enjoy it so much because it is a silent film. The film, “The Artist” was truly a surprising silent treat that I could see people of all ages really enjoying. I believe we all go to the cinema to see a story come to life and to truly feel something heart wrenching that we may not even be able to explain and that is what this film did for me.
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