Thursday 19 January 2012

The Artist (2011)

For every ‘coming of sound’ there is an ‘end of an era’. The old has to make way for the new. Technology is constantly evolving and this will continue to happen. Black and White film was vanquished by colour, VHS was eliminated by DVD and DVD is slowly being pushed to the sidelines by Blu-Ray and electronic film in the way mp3s have sidelined CDs. The question now, is will 3D film triumph over 2D? The difference between now and the 1920s and 30s, is that we’re used to the evolution of technology; we see it coming and adapt along with it. The coming of sound was the first real change that cinema had faced, and not everybody was ready for it. Silent actors had never needed to rely on their voices; some of them didn’t have the voices to suit the characters they were meant to play. Technology hadn’t really caught up meaning that scenes had to be placed around objects such as plant-pots in order for the crew to not so subtly hide microphones. The use of language also stopped films from being universal. It was massive learning curve for everybody involved, but did a French film such as The Artist (2011) become as successful as it did due to the adoption of the style of silent film disabling the language barrier?
The future will always be viewed with uncertainty, but we have the power to view the past with hindsight, which makes recurring styles so easy. Fashion constantly brings back old styles, knowing what worked and what didn’t from each time period. Film and television constantly make period dramas or comedies. A period piece is not necessarily a Victorian drama but could be as recent as the 1960s, or even 1980s. Mad Men is a prime example of an incredibly popular period television show, while No Country for Old Men (2007) is a prime example of a popular, critically acclaimed period film set as recently as the 1980s. But The Artist has gone one further. Michael Hazanavicius, the writer and director, did more than make a period film; he made a film in the same style. With films regularly filled with lengthy dialogue, the concept of adding restrictions allows for other elements of the film to flourish. Seeing a well acted, clever and warming silent story is both refreshing and charming.
The Artist is a French film, written and directed by Michael Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo. Dujardin plays George Valentin, a silent film star and face of Kinograph studios. Bejo’s character, Peppy Miller earns her first role as an extra on one of his films, but not before she gets in the paper posing next to him at the premiere of one of Valentin’s previous films (Does this scene elude to reality stars and ‘It’ girls who have little talent but plenty of fame? There’s an argument for it, but probably not). Their short time working together seems full of fun, affection and a real spark.
As time wears on Miller gets larger roles until Kinograph signs her, this happens as the talkies begin to take off. Miller becomes a star and Valentin, the previously arrogantly charming leading man gets hit hard by the lack of work and the economic depression and begins to spiral – For every ‘coming of sound’ there’s an ‘end of an era’.
The Artist uses such a simple idea, the rise of one star parallel to the fall of another, along with what could be seen as a gimmick of such an out-dated style, it succeeds in getting the reactions it wants from the audience. But not just any audience, The Artist seems to suit all demographics from young to old, all seemed to laugh, cheer and even clap.
The film is based at the height of the golden age of Hollywood, during the time of the Hollywood studio system. Due to this a bit of knowledge about the Hollywood studio system might help (for example that stars signed contracts with the studios and not for individual films), but isn’t completely necessary. Hazanavicius does well to avoid the politics and bureaucracy of the studios and stay focussed on the characters.
Having won three awards at the Golden Globes and earned 12 BAFTA nominations, and yet despite this there have still been some unhappy customers. A cinema in Liverpool has had to issue refunds to customers who were unaware that the film was in black and white and was silent. Due to limited release, The Artist has failed to break to the top of the box office charts, but the more praise it gets on the limited releases, the wider the general release will be.
The very simple, yet heart warming story of The Artist is contrasted with the over-the-top acting. With no dialogue to express the feelings of the characters, they rely on their facial features and use them in a way that we as 21st century audiences aren’t used to. We’re forced to read the expressions of the actors’ faces (every part of their faces, including the incredibly excessive use of eyebrows). Audiences are forced to look up from their phones and keep their eyes glued to the screen. The beautiful chemistry between Bejo and Dujardin is complimented with great minor roles from well known faces. John Goodman plays the studio head that goes from powerless in comparison to the star power beheld by Valentin and Miller, to the man holding all the cards due to the forceful hand of the general public. Malcolm McDowell has a small meeting with Peppy Miller at the start of her career and James Cromwell plays Clifton, Valentin’s ever loyal driver and friend. Despite the incredible acting power from the cast, they seem shadowed by the comedy factor brought along by Uggie the dog, doing tricks and proving to be Valentin’s best friend.
The Artist is a truly heart-warming, funny and classy film which, along with its unique selling point, will no doubt win more awards as the season continues. It is worth noting that no matter when a film is set, it will always be a document for the time period that it was made. So after looking back in time, you might want to question, in 80 years will we all be watching a refreshingly two dimensional film about one man’s struggle to stay afloat after James Cameron changed the way that the film industry made films by promising to only make 3D films for the rest of his career?
Written by Edward L. Corrigan on 19/01/2012