Steve Reviews The Artist

The 1920s were a great time in Hollywoodland (yes, the “land” was still up on the hill). There were tons of movie studios, and they were all booming. In fact, all the studios combined were producing upwards of 800 films a year, which may be the highest in the history of film. Silent films were the standard, and stars like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, and Clara Bow were Gods of the silver screen.

In The Artist, it’s 1927, and George Valentin is one of the biggest names in silent film. Peppy Miller is a young ingénue, who gets her big break in one of Valentin’s films. However, as Peppy’s stardom is on the rise, so is the advent of “talkies,” as in, films where you can actually hear the actors speak. This spells disaster for Valentin’s career when he is dumped by the studio after it changes its marquee stars to change with the technology of the times.

By the mid-1930s, silent films were all but extinct. The wave of the future had taken over. In fact, films were now starting to be produced in color. In the 70 years that have come and gone in between then and now, only a handful of silent films have been made as an homage to the golden age of yesteryear. 2011’s The Artist is perhaps the greatest homage I’ve ever seen.

The film is in black and white. And silent. And brilliant. The two French leads who are unknowns to American audiences, are fantastic. Supporting roles by John Goodman and James Cromwell are touching, and a dog named Uggie steals the show. I know what you’re thinking: How can a black and white silent film be any good in this day and age? The answer is simple. If it was once great, it can be great again. This style was the only style for the first 20 years of cinema. It was the only cinema. Obviously, it worked, or we wouldn’t be discussing it today.

Do yourself a favor. Spent the money and watch this film. It is probably the best film of 2011, and I will go on record as of this writing and say it’s the winner of Best Picture (and probably Best director). It also has a decent shot at upsetting Trent Reznor for Best Score (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. After all, it’s hard to argue against a film that’s all score. Cinematography would be the other category I expect a nomination in. Gone are the days of separate awards for color films and black/white films, but rest assured, The Artist is a winner for both the then and the now.

-Steve
1.4.2012