I love The Artist UltraViolet Digital Copy
Wow! The acting in this movie was amazing. Even though few words were spoken throughout the movie, I felt as though I watched and listened to an entire dialogue. The unspoken and unheard became loud and clear. The actors facial expressions and body motions moved with their lips and created a script that anybody could understand and enjoy.
This movie should be catalogued with the best classics.
What I liked most about the movie:
It was cerebral.
Every actor and every scene combined with great music to bring this movie to life (living color and sound).
It didn't need sophomorish bathroom humor to be funny.
It didn't need sex to be passionate and romantic.
It had many very memorable moments like the old time greats - Here's lookin' at you kid.
It didn't need words or sounds to hear and experience the action, love, tragedy and inspiration.
And, the dog was just as much of a character as any of the human actors in the movie. The dog should be named Oscar.
I watched this alone, and like a good book I couldn't stop watching - even though I was tired and needed to go to bed.
I plan on watching it again, and I am going to insist that my girlfriend watch it with me - I know she'll love it.
If they made silent movies like this back in the beginning, it could have delayed the need for talkies.
From one armchair critic to another - watch it (you'll be glad you did).
ReplyDeleteI respond to hype involving movies in a variety of different ways. If I get all excited about a film months before its release, I often find myself being disappointed with the film's final product. I saw a trailer for "The Artist" months back, and didn't think much of it, because I didn't know much about it. I had seen reviews and award acclaim for Michel Hazanavicius's "The Artist", and wanted to give it a shot. On account of the limited theatrical release that the film got, I found myself venturing toward the bad part of town the night before it happened to win the Golden Globe for best picture, and oh, was it worth it.
ReplyDelete"The Artist" is everything you could possibly want it to be. The story isn't anything revolutionary or surprising, but it really doesn't have to be. In case you have somehow not heard of this film yet, it is a silent film that is set in 1927, at the height of the silent movie era. It follows George Valentin, an actor who has had a great deal of success in silent film. The film follows the years where the film industry is moving into "talkies", where he finds his success is dwindling. He falls hard for Peppy Miller, an actress who is just breaking into the business. This story lasts over the span of maybe ten years.
While up until now, Hollywood has widely forgotten about the silent film era, the style of the film feels kind of experimental to a moviegoer of my generation. The film is a beautiful love letter to this period of film which we all have forgotten about. It makes me think that actors, writers, directors...everybody had to work a lot harder in that generation. It's hard to write a universally appealing story with no dialogue.
Style is a big deal, camera angles, and lighting are critical. I'm glad this one was released after I took my first Film Studies course at college, because there's a good chance a film like this would have slipped through my fingers otherwise. I learned about the silent film era, and found that there were twice as many flops as there were hits, in those days. This film could not have worked in those days, since it is clearly about the silent film era. However, I appreciate the little hidden history lesson that this film offered.
In a film with no dialogue, actors have to have very expressive faces, they have to be able to emote, which is also something that a wide amount of today's actors and actresses have forgotten how to do. Jean Dujardin's George Valentin is wonderful. His infectious smile is a big reason why the film works. It's the same deal with Berenice Bejo. The two actors have phenomenal chemistry, and that's enough to carry this, even if it were a bad film.
Like I said, this film's storyline is nothing new. It's the classic story of the Hollywood big cheese who helps the beautiful young starlet in her rise to fame. The film works because it's a story that can be shown in any country, in any language, and it would still be relevant. It's universal in a way that I didn't expect. The film doesn't use the titles that silent films are known for too much. There are titles, but they are used sparingly, only when they need it. That was a very good thing. For a film that's so strictly about filmmaking technique, being shot in glorious black and white, with a 4x3 aspect ratio, it's quite affecting. I give most of the credit to the actors, the extraordinary musical score by Ludovic Bource, and the direction. This was clearly a labor of love, and it pays off in a big way.
Grade: A