The Artist - IMHO by Shinygoodguy

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

The Artist - IMHO

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POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:11
SHORT URL: http://bit.ly/ypf1GG
VIEWED: 1628
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Saturday, February 18, 2012 1:59 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

I was reluctant to see this film at first. How can a silent film ever keep my attention for 2 hours?, I thought.
People talk about the Golden Age of film and mention such classics as Casablanca, Singing in the Rain, Some Like It Hot and My Man Godfrey.
Well, after seeing The Artist, you can add it to that list.
Maybe it's better said the Silver Age of movies since it deals with movies just before "talkies" became all the rage. I was actually thinking about how it must have been for an audience back in 1931 and what they must have felt when the heard sound, other than the live music playing in the theatre.
The Artist transports you to the Silver era of movies as well as entertains. Written and directed brilliantly by Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist pays tribute to the best that era had to offer. It is filled with sight gags, obviously, but it has some wonderful surprises as well. One is transfixed and never bored, there are no explosions, no 3D glasses are required, but somehow they manage to give the audience something it's never seen before. It has great heart, a good story, solid script and top notch performances by both newcomers and old veteran actors.
Jean DuJardin, who may pull off the Grand Slam if he wins Hollywood's top award, the Oscars, won BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Best Actor awards, is brilliant as the main character George Valentin. Even Berenice Bejo, who plays Peppy Miller, is quietly brilliant in her role. She helps carry the movie's dramatic drive. This is not to say there weren't any laughs, which actually surprised me. There were many sprinkled throughout the film.

You will hear a lot in the coming months about both these actors, as well as the French director (who is married to Bejo by the way). Ah the French!
I never had so much fun and felt as entertained as with this near masterpiece of a movie. Who knows they may create a new category - Classic movies. This one is sure to draw on those comparisons.

As an aside, please, if you can go see it in the theatre, it adds to the experience.

SGG

Tawabawho?

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Monday, February 20, 2012 10:43 AM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

One couldn't pay me to watch a movie where no one talks for an hour and a half. But apparently a lot of other people are going for it, maybe to pretend its the olden days? But it is doing quite well and good for it, I'll just never understand why.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, February 20, 2012 1:14 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I hope this doesn't come across as condescending, Riona, but are you one of those who also hate watching black and white movies? If so, you now have two reasons to avoid it.

Any film, silent or talkie, has to have a strong story and strong characters or else it's not worth our time. Silent films had to tell everything with the visuals, so a lot more attention was paid to composition of shots and lighting. Of course, I'm talking about those films by directors that took the medium as a serious expression of art, not just entertainment.

D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance and Orphans of the Storm should be required viewing by anyone who wants to understand the history of film. The collaboration between director F. W. Murnau and actor Emil Jannings yielded some of the most intense psychological drama ever seen. Science Fiction and Fantasy are exceptionally well represented in many classics, from Metropolis to The Golem, from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to Aelita: Queen of Mars. As many times as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have been filmed, I don't think I've seen a better performance than the 1920 John Barrymore version.

I know none of this is likely to persuade you to change your mind, but The Artist is an excellent film and deserves all the accolades it has received. Unfortunately, I can't give an overall rating for it yet, since when I went to see it this afternoon the projection bulb went out and I was forced to ask for a refund. Not sure how much I missed, but it was at the scene of the premiere of Valentin's latest silent film, which he also directed, with the up and coming talkie star Peppy Miller watching from the balcony. I don't know if I'll get another chance to see it in the theater, and the DVD release has not been announced yet. At this time I'm still leaning towards Hugo as my pick to win the Oscar, but I think The Artist is its major competition. What both have going for them is the nostalgic look at early film-making and the power it had on both audiences and the creators themselves.

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Monday, February 20, 2012 2:16 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I do like some black and white movies. I'm visually impaired, so do all the condescending you want, you'll never change my mind about silent films, they're utterly unfullfilling to me because its hard to figure out what's going on if no one is talking. :)

But that's cool that you liked it.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, February 20, 2012 3:09 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Interesting...

I doubt I'd mind since I pay more attention to how people act than what they say anyhows - besides, I *DO* retro-silent films (in classic B&W and Sepia Wash, whatever they call it) for a friend of mine, and of course I play the Villain, classic style although I draw the line at a mustache.

No shortage of damsels to tie up neither, I tellya, work, work, work...

-Frem

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Monday, February 20, 2012 4:13 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Frem that is so cool, I bet you get to make lots of Mwahahahaha faces. :)

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, February 20, 2012 5:28 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Oh yes, and all the fun, Campy gesticulating - the sly handrubbing, finger snap, elegant sneers, cape twirls (which are tricky to get right with cause you can't SEE the thing if you're on cue properly) chest-thrust, evil gloating....

It's a mostly forgotten part of acting cause today it's all voice tone and delivery, and special effects, but you know who in modern hollywood is good at it ?
Hugo Weaving - cause when he played "V" he didn't have facial expression to work with and had to carry the part with his posture and movements, WHILE wearing a mask, which had to have been both physically and psychologically difficult, since the first guy they shoved into the role couldn't hack it.

-Frem

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 4:50 AM

PIZMOBEACH

... fully loaded, safety off...

Saw this yesterday SGG and have to agree, a charming, funny movie. The leads Jean DuJardin & Berenice Bejo are great (so is the dog Uggie). I think I have a serious movie crush on Ms. Bejo.
Cons: It's not like it broke lots of new ground, more recycled the best of that era really well, and I was not a huge fan of the music - not as inspired as the performances or the movie itself. I also found it hard to laugh like I wanted to since it was so quiet in the theater I saw it in, had to work on my silent laugh.

If you are interested in other silent films (but not silver screen types), you should check our Quest for Fire, and with a French flair for physical sight gags and humor like The Actor; Playtime with Jaques Tahti, one of France's most famous visual actors. They're both great films - the last one is flat out brilliant, and has some of the same charm as The Actor. Ironically, it was shot in color to look like black and white, 'ze French!

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:11 AM

STORYMARK

Ill see it, though likely on video, as it's yet to play anywhere near me.

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