The Artist (2011)

Being the odds-on favorite to win the Academy award for best picture tomorrow, I wanted to see what all the buzz about The Artist was about before the actual Oscars. So Giulz and I just finished watching the film not more than ten minutes ago, and I don't know where to begin in writing about it. With what I knew about the film and all the hoopla surrounding it, some of my expectations were met, while others were surpassed. It was extremely refreshing to see this kind of a movie in this day of technology and special effects. A film that pays homage to the films that started it all, while adding a touch of modernity and surprising us with lessons about life that go well beyond the silver screen.

Without giving away too much, The Artist is set in 1927 Hollywood when silent films rule all. It revolves around George Valentin, who at the time is the best actor in silent film, and how his career and life change when sound films suddenly emerge, and a younger actress named Peppy Miller usurps his place atop Hollywood. Yes, the film is about silent film, and is also presented to us in that medium. This was actually the first time that I watched a silent film. I guess I subconsciously avoided the films of Chaplin and instead went for the hilarity of The Marx Brothers for my oldies fix. Yet while I was watching, I noticed that the way I was viewing the film was different from the usual. I found myself observing more every single change in the face, action and body language of the actors.

There was one part in the film where Peppy says the audience has grown tired of silent movies and actors "mugging" the screen all the time. This got me thinking of how dependent we have become on dialogue in order to truly understand a film. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying dialogue is not important, but there are so many other parts of a film that we take for granted thanks in large part to dialogue, none more so than the impact a truly impressive acting job can leave on the audience. Just by watching the AMAZING performance of Jean Dujardin and seeing the shift in his mood, it tells so much more than words ever could. The loss of that glimmer in his eyes, the dropping of the shoulder, or the fake smile in order to hide the pain he is feeling at his own failure, all of these leave such a bigger impact and tell so much more to the audience when there is no dialogue. This is something that we can learn from The Artist, even when we are watching more current films, let us not take for granted everything else. Notice the scenery, the music, and the acting that without which, even the greatest of scripts cannot make-up for it.

There were also multiple symbolisms that added depth to certain scenes or to the overall plot of the film. Being a film about a movie star, there are bound to be scenes of films within the film. The timing of when these were shown could not be more perfect in adding a deeper meaning to the scenes. Whether it was meant to make you laugh or make you feel sorry for the actors, the use of film as a metaphor in the film was just outstanding. Also, thanks to Giulz's much more sophisticated eye, I noticed how the change in styling of the two main actors reflected their respective change in status over the course of the film. George goes from tuxedos to wearing suspenders and a white shirt, while Peppy shows of her higher status compared to the start of the film by donning fur. Rarely do we get to notice these things but watching a silent film really expands what you see in the film. Hopefully this habit does not regress and I can bring it with me whenever I watch any film moving forward.

Aside from these lessons in film viewing that I have learned, The Artist also imparts it's share of life lessons for all of us. The overall theme of the film revolves around change and how difficult it is for us to accept it and adjust. We often find ourselves trying to fight the changes in our environment and enforcing our own version of the status quo upon everyone else. And when we, finally realize that this was all an exercise in futility, we start regretting what we have done and wished that we had just adjusted to the world instead of demanding the world adjust to us. It is during this time that we wish for a second chance to make things right again, but I won't tell you if George Valentin got a second chance or not. That's up to you to find out.

So while I wished I could have watched all nine best picture nominees before tomorrow, I unfortunately was only able to watch two. I can't tell based on the two, who would come out the winner but I do now see why The Artist was given all the accolades it has received. Aside from the somewhat sub-par performance of Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller, The Artist is an absolute homage and tribute to its namesake.

9/10