Film Review: The Artist

The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius (La Petite Reine, La Classe Américaine, JD Prod, PG-13, 100 minutes)

Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, and John Goodman.

How Did We Survive Ten Years Ago? 

Do you ever feel like life is passing you by? Do you remember life before a smart phone? Considering the myriad of people daily glued to their iPhone, a smart-phone-less world seems unfathomable. Likewise, what magic innovation will make us look back on 2012 and chuckle at how primitive we used to live? This sense of change surrounds the Academy-Award-nominated film, The Artist.

Set in Hollywood from 1927 to 1932, The Artist portrays the fall of the silent film and the rise of the “talkies”. Using black-and-white techniques and no dialogue, The Artist pays homage to the golden age of cinema.

Silence Is Golden

George Valentin (Jean Dujardin)) is a silent film star. Sharing the screen with his star sidekick and pet dog, Valentin signifies the best of a fledgling industry. Celebrating his latest premier, Valentin bumps into an admiring fan, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), and makes a show of the encounter for the press photographers.

The next day, Peppy and George’s picture appears on the front page of Variety. Encouraged by the uplifting headline, Peppy endeavors to become a movie star and signs up as an extra in the latest film. Smitten by Peppy, George encourages her to find her voice in the business and she begins to work her way up the credits.

After a couple years, the studio head, Al Zimmer (John Goodman), publicizes the end of silent film production and the beginning of talking pictures. Flippantly, George writes off the talking picture trend and begins funding his own silent pictures.

Peppy, on the other hand, signs with Zimmer’s studio as a headlining actress starring in the latest talking pictures. Coincidentally, both actors’ films debut in the wake of the 1929 stock-market crash. Having invested all of his money in his silent picture, George needs a hit in order to maintain financial viability.

In Defense of Acclaim 

On the whole, Michael Hazanavicius’ script breaks no boundaries. An entertaining but well-tread plot, The Artist gains acclaim for its production, cinematography, and acting.

First, the use of silence and black and white is powerful. For the most part, I felt like I was watching a move from the 1920s. From the lack of widescreen to the vintage score, I was caught up in the magic of a “new” medium as a person in the 1920s would have felt.

Yet, I wish they would have cast completely unknown actors. Even though I did not recognize the leads, having John Goodman play a crucial part was distracting. I know him from too many movies to suspend my disbelief.

The use of sound, however, mesmerizes. Without dialogue, the viewer relies on the score and the occasional vintage caption in order to infer the plot. When The Artist chooses to use sound, the effect becomes all the more powerful. Upon learning of the talking picture, George has a nightmare depicted in sound; his glass clanks against the counter, his dog barks, and he hears laughter outside. These simple noises exist in stark contrast to the dreamy score that surrounds the rest of the film.

Second, the cinematography shines. In every scene, it seems like the camera is perfectly placed—not like a modern picture where it’s from an unfathomable angle, but from a classic perspective re-imagined. Whether filming the reflection of an actor or the feet, every shot feels both fresh and classic simultaneously.

Finally, the acting is impeccable. Of course, without sound the actors must over-accentuate in order to convey emotion. Such actions were continuously conveyed perfectly. Having seen George Clooney in The Descendants, Dujardin gets my vote, so far, for the best actor Academy Award. Dujardin’s performance is magical.

A Silent Film in 2012 = Brilliant? 

But I question whether The Artist receives its praise for the quality of the movie or for the idea it conveys. Yes, paying homage to the golden age of cinema by replicating it in modern society carries much to extol. Had this story, cinematography, and acting existed outside of a silent, black-and-white film, I’m not sure that I would have liked it as much.

Exploring change while remaining firm in a sense of nostalgia, The Artist reminisces on the beginning of the film industry. With fantastic production, cinematography, and acting, The Artist clearly deserves critical recognition, but I question whether its use of silence and black and white veils the less spectacular portions of the movie. Nevertheless, The Artist is worth a watch.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Film Review: Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen (Gravier Productions, Mediapro, Televisió de Catalunya, PG-13, 94 minutes)

Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Marion Cotillard.

Why Facebook Causes Covetousness

With the advent of Facebook, a new form of the grass-is-greener mentality flowers from the ever-present news feed. Each day when we access our social media, we observe the seemingly wonderful and sometimes over-the-top lives of our friends, family, and acquaintances.

Acutely aware of our own mundane existence, we see these contacts and covet their lifestyles. This person got promoted; that person bought a house; this family has a child; that family travels Europe; I’m sitting on a couch; woe is me.

In Woody Allen’s new movie, Midnight in Paris, the acclaimed screenwriter and director confronts this grass-is-greener mentality.

Paris: A Golden City, a Golden Era

Set in modern day Paris, Gil (Owen Wilson) and his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), have tagged along with her parents who are in France on business. A prosperous Hollywood screenwriter, Gil carries a privileged life back home but can’t help but be enamored with Paris and its long history of housing fine artists and authors.

As an aspiring literary novelist, Gil is drawn to the idea of moving to Paris and frequenting the bars and cafes that literary giants converged in during the golden era of the 1920s.

During a drunken walk in the Parisian night, Gil finds himself transported through time to the 1920s. After settling from his initial shock, Gil befriends both Fitzgerald and Hemingway, and even finds the opportunity to share his unpublished novel with Gertrude Stein.

Every night at midnight, Gil jumps into an old Puegot and spends the rest of the evening with the many brilliant artists of the 1920s. While with these influential people, Gil befriends Pablo Picasso’s (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo) mistress, Adriana (Marion Cotillard), and falls for her. Struck by the absurdity of his time traveling scenario, Gil thinks nothing of his smitteness until further reflection reveals buried tensions in his relationship with his fiancée.

Why Nostalgia Is Never the Answer

From not wanting to move to Paris, to belittling him amongst friends, Gil finds many reasons for ending the engagement and living in the 1920s. Yet, while spending time with Adrianna, Gil learns that she wishes to live in the 1890s.

This realization, coupled with an understanding that his nostalgia functions as an escape from the mundane job and life he leads in Hollywood, Gil understands that life is a constant coveting other’s situations.

While I enjoyed the writing, acting, and cinematography thoroughly, I found Midnight in Paris lacking in its final conclusions. For the sake of keeping spoilers out of the review, I will not mention the specifics, but suffice to say, given the principle that a realized nostalgia does not equate to a better life, I wish that Gil’s final choices in the movie mimicked this realization.

Life Is Boring, and that’s OK

Likewise, our Facebook browsing never reveals the whole truth. We think that all of our friends are living better lives than we are. But, these people choose to post specific and fun items from their lives. For the most part, we don’t find a friend’s status claiming, “Just finished eating a microwave dinner; can’t wait to watch Jerry Springer tonight!” Such a status is boring. But, you know what? Life is boring. Had Gil permanently time-traveled to 1920s Paris, he would have acclimated and grown frustrated with the mundane.

If you are looking for a well-written movie with an entertaining premise, I recommend Midnight in Paris.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

Check out Biblioklept for another take.

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