The Artist (2011)
The Artist (Fr/BELG) Directed by Michael Hazanavicius Written Michael Hazanavicius Starring Jean Dujardin; Berenice Bejo; John Goodman; James Cromwell; Penelope Anne Miller; Missi Pyle; Malcolm McDowell
A twelve million dollar French silent would not, at least on paper, seem like an obvious formula for success. The Artist, however, manages to defy convention and proves itself an entertaining, and deceptively simple homage to Hollywood’s great silent period, as well as movie-making in general.
Forty Four year old writer/director Michael Hazanavicius (OSS 117 Cairo, Nest of Spies; OSS 117: Lost in Rio) is a unique voice. Through a playful approach that is at once ironic and earnest in its depiction of this bygone era, the director treads a precarious tonal line with impressive adroitness. Taking place in the late 1920s and early 30s as the movies transition from silent to sound, the film is nominally a straight-forward tale about a silent film stars’ fall from grace and the rise of a young ingenue he encounters, but its stylistic handling elevates it in a multitude of ways, ultimately becoming a reflection on the art of film-making itself, and specifically, its ability to mirror reality.
Shot in an aspect ratio of 1:33 to reflect the style of the period, the box-like screen gives the actors center stage. Appealing leads Jean Dujardin as the famous George Valentin and (Hazanavicius’ wife) Berenice Bejo as would be actress Peppy Miller are terrific (both actors have worked for the director before), as is George’s Jack Russell Terrier (played by Uggie, the same dog from Water for Elephants), who has a number of scene stealing moments. The supporting cast includes John Goodman as producer Al Zimmer; James Cromwell as George’s chauffeur Clifton; and Penelope Anne Miller as George’s wife Doris.
What’s most interesting about the performances, particularly in the case of Dujardin and Bejo, is that they play their parts in a modern, emotionally true to life way, while still adopting the overly expressive pantomime of the time when performing in the movies within the movie. The film also includes a long list of out of movie bits and pieces that are clearly paying homage to silents (the stairs sequence; the dressing room mannequin gag), and some fanciful manipulation of sound that help create an interesting ongoing juxtaposition of several worlds.
While Hazavanicius to an extent distances the audience with an ongoing stream of style and a series of literal and figurative winks to the camera, he simultaneously endears by demonstrating his passion for the subject matter throughout. It is both these loving touches - the nods to silent melodrama and physical comedy, to period dress, to the archetypal, A Star is Born plot-line of a young, wide eyed innocent endeavoring to make it big in Hollywood, as well as the real emotions displayed by the leads, that ultimately separates this from mere spoof or satire and keeps us engaged.
Perhaps it’s that very lack of cynicism that punctuates the idea that the film is something different, but like some of the best stuff for kids it’s made all the more attractive because its creator addresses the time we live in and our own consciousness of film history, which means we are in on the joke all along. It’s a bit of benevolent trickery, and one that assists the film in its obvious aim at inclusiveness. While films in various genres endeavoring for wide commercial appeal most often show themselves to be lacking organic authorship, The Artist is open to those of various levels of film experience, accessible to an audience of many ages, without feeling canned or manipulative - or rather, feeling like that only in places where the filmmaker intends it to. One can appreciate the story from a more narrow perspective, and enjoy the fun, but for those with a little more cinematic savvy it never panders.
Because it endeavors to be loved and to share its appreciation for the subject matter it gently spoofs, The Artist opens itself up for criticism for being overly sappy or easy, and ultimately thin. In truth, there is much richness to be mined if one can muster up the imagination and playful spirit to be open to receive it.