Written by Nolan.It's been a mere eighty-three years since a silent film last won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. William Wellman's "Wings" achieved that honor in 1929, and today it remains the only Best Picture winner to not have been made with the benefit of sound. I think its safe to say that in modern America , the vast majority of moviegoers have never seen a silent movie and probably have little desire to do so. Sound has been ingrained into the movies, and into the minds of moviegoers, for nearly a century, and few would wish to go without it.
Enter into this modern world Michael Hazanavicius's "The Artist," a "silent" picture released in 2011, not 1911. In the months after its release, "The Artist" dominated award shows everywhere and earned its place alongside "Wings" as the second silent Best Picture winner. That a picture devoid of sound could garner this level of appreciation so many decades after the end of the silent era is a testament to the strength of Hazanavicius's direction. He infuses his movie with all the charm and wit of modern film, using visual cleverness to keeps things interesting. Yet for all its contemporary touches, "The Artist" is at its core a tribute to silent cinema, a student of the past seeking to emulate its teachers. It doesn't revolutionize the silent film, or even elevate this forgotten subset of movies beyond its origin. Instead, it brings the films of a bygone era to a new audience, hoping to find an appreciative eye, and for the most part it succeeds at this endeavor.
This success is in a large part due to strong lead performances by Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. Dujardin plays George Valentin, a silent film star whose bravado on the screen translates into a large dose of arrogance off of it. After the premiere of his latest blockbuster, he has a chance meeting with Peppy Miller (played by Bejo), an admirer of the star and his films. Upon accidentally being pushed into Valentin by a mob of adoring fans, she has the audacity to plant a kiss on his cheek as photographers flash their cameras. The image makes the front page, and having received a taste of the spotlight, Miller decides to give Hollywood
Miller rises quickly in the business and is soon given starring roles, especially in the increasingly popular "talking" pictures. Valentin is dismissive of this growing trend, and as Miller's career skyrockets, his own fortunes rapidly decline. It is a narrative that presents some fairly obvious themes of change, overconfidence, and redemption. We view the rise of one individual in contrast to the fall of another, tale that has been told many times before. Yet Dujardin and Bejo are so luminous in their portrayals that their respective characters feel fresh and interesting. These actors have been gifted with wonderfully expressive faces and gestures, allowing emotion to be conveyed without the use of dialogue. Without audible conversations, the audience must rely entirely on these expressions to experience the world of these characters, but this type of performance an easily be overdone. Dujardin and Bejo hit the nail on the head, providing the perfect level of colorful acting without falling into the trap of hyperbole.
Of course, the silent nature of the film is a bit of a contrivance, and after watching, you won't feel as if you were transported back to the 1920s. The air of novelty is palpable, but Hazanavicius makes good use of visual techniques to replace the lack of sound. Among these is an effective use of black and white photography. Here too, "The Artist" pays its respects to the past. In one scene, we view the smoke-filled Hollywood screening room, the blinding light of the projectors overhead making black silhouettes of the occupants below. In another, the gloom of a rainstorm shrouds the scene in picturesque darkness, reminiscent of countless black and white classics. The film makes other allusions as well. Witness an early sequence in which George and his wife sit across the breakfast table, ignoring one another, and be reminded of the famous montage from "Citizen Kane." Hazanavicius's film makes its love for Hollywood 's history quite clear, and it though it doesn't quite distinguish itself from the films that it honors, it manages to be a entertaining homage in its own right. "The Artist" ultimately may not create many converts to its medium of storytelling, nor will it usher in a new era of silent films. But it does offer an immensely enjoyable experience while proving that the silent picture can still be a medium for great moviemaking.
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