The Artist

I saw this several fridays before the Oscar nominations had been released mainly to sate my own personal curiosity regarding a modern silent movie. I have, over the years seen several silent films on the television when there was nothing else on and have determined they are a largely ignored fantastical form of entertainment in our modern world. Needless to say, as with anything in the cinema, some were good, some were bad, some were atrocious but entertaining nonetheless, and regardless of the story, the music was always jaunty and the facial expressions of the main cast constantly amusing.

My other main experience with silent films was during my university years when I had a job in a fine dining restaurant, it was up North in the expanses of Newcastle. Inside the manager had a projector which spewed images onto the larger walls within the restaurant and it used to play old movies from the days gone by in black and white and completely silent whilst the diners ate in the dimly lit class atmosphere. Oh the amount of times people asked me to put the football on... There used to be a selection of black and white movies from days gone by playing silently in the background but the one I remember most clearly was the silent movie, Douglas Fairbank's Robin Hood made in 1922.

Now I know you're wondering where the hell I'm going with this but it's interesting that Douglas Fairbanks would remind me a hell of a lot of the main character, George Valentin in The Artist, played by French actor, Jean Dujardin, that beautiful man. Perhaps it was the moustache or perhaps it was the fact that his career dwindled after the advent of the talkies but I felt a sudden connection between the fictional and real silent film players. These paralells within the film gave me a strong connection to it's story and my personal interest in it. So to begin with, I suppose it's worth admitting, I did genuinely like this film a great deal.

Now that it has been swamped by Oscar buzz, the media, accusations of musical theft and general all around intrigue, this has somewhat dulled the light on something I felt was a personal find, but I'll give, it deserves the good attention it is recieving.

In a 'Singing in the Rain' reminiscence, the film directly handles the advent of the 'talkies' in Hollywood and the silent movie superstar of the day George Valentin finds himself in a losing battle as his whole world falls apart around him as he finds his silent film superstardom is fading. As his star gradually falls another rises, that of the dazzling Peppy Miller, a Valentin fan who is elevated to stardom from the encouragement of the man himself. She harvests roles in smaller films gradually becoming a major movie star herself in the talkies and Valentin, desperately clinging to his silent film legacy falls into obscurity, bankruptcy and inevitably depression. As we follow their intersecting lives and tenuous romance, I found the performance of Jean Dujardin particularly interesting, he managed to convey a joyful level of hubris and a deep state of loss and depression without ever uttering a word. Surely a remarkable performance for any modern actor, regardless of his character's personal pitfalls, Dujardin maintains a strong level of likeability throughout, a delightful revelation.

But I am of course forgetting the star of the film, that would be Uggie the dog, what a star! The most acting I've seen from animals in silent films were monkies and they were incredibly badly behaved. Nothing is more thrilling than seeing a small cheerful looking canine pretend to die from a bullet to the head it would seem, the dog pulls it off with aplomb and should be applauded. Give that dog an Oscar, somebody!

It has to be said the whole film was brimming with nostalgia and wonderful sense of respect and affection for the past. The knowing nudges about the world this film exists is a silent world in itself was a unique play on the silent film itself. The reveal of sound during George Valentin's nightmare and the end sequence were a clever play on the existence of noise within the movie world and particularly entertaining. The whole film had a sense of humour and although this sank with it's the lead character's spirits during the latter sections, it never quite lost it's charm and the brimming sense of joy within.

But what silent film is without a score? The music completely commands throughout this film, as uplifting as it is heart rending it flows through each scene seamlessly, allowing us to enjoy the story laid out in front of us. I have to say the music was the greatest triumph in this film, and well deserving of any accolades it should almost certainly attract.

The film overall was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a labour of love from all involved. The actors slip into their parts perfectly embodying the drama and humour the film provides, and we are granted with an uplifting and frankly magical cinematic experience.