I know. You
noticed. I’m really, really late with this one. Don’t get mad at me though, I
WANTED to see it, it’s just… Circumstances. You know what I mean, right? Life
happens. I was overjoyed when I finally got round to watching it though. I hope
you’re not too mad at me. I’m a little mad at me to be honest, but come on.
Admit it. I have been better about “keeping up to date” with the big films of
the year so far. One little delay from oh so long ago… Not worth talking about,
right?
Well, it’s
funny you should agree with that, as The Artist doesn’t think anything is
“worth talking about” (haha, see what I did there? You know, it’s a black and
white silent film, no talking and… Oh never mind…). But that doesn’t mean it
doesn’t have anything to say. It is about that historical time in the life of
cinema, when “movies” became “talkies”.
And everything changed. Careers were made and destroyed. But we, the
public, loved it – and there has been no turning back ever since. In Hollywood
– and all around the world – it was adapt or die for the actors. In The Artist,
we follow the story of George Valentin (Jean DuJardin – Do you know something, I
almost admire the man more every time I see him in something. Remember 99
cents? Amazing stuff…). The year is 1927, it is the heyday of the silent movie,
and George Valentin is king. Until, that is, he is asked to speak. A true
old-school star, George refuses to adapt. He is adamant this is just a passing
craze and sticks to his old ways. In the meanwhile however, the ones who choose
to adapt, like the beautiful Peppy Miller ( Berence Bejo) soar past him to the
spotlight… Will George be able to regain his place in the sun – possibly
alongside Peppy, to whom he is secretly attracted? Or will his pride mean that
ultimately, George Valentin loses everything…
There, you
see, I do like romantic films. And just on the level of the romantic – comedy
side of it, the film is adorable. Bojo and Dujardin make a lovely couple. Plus,
their love story rings quite true for modern times as George Valentin is
actually married. So first up, it ticks an important box for me. The one thing
I cannot abide in a film is the heroes being too perfect. I am not, of course,
in anyway advocating that people go out and cheat on their partners and
spouses, but you have to agree it’s more realistic this way. Sometimes,
relationships end while you are still in them; you just have trouble accepting
it. Then new ones begin. And rest assured, Peppy and George are the real deal –
if George can overcome his pride of course. Both George and Peppy are very real, very
realistic and very likable and you get genuinely invested in their futures. I
mean, I did anyway – and judging by the film’s success, so did millions of
other people.
But then of
course, there is the film’s signature move – the fact that it is “silent”. To
be fair, I have not watched enough silent films to be able to compare it to the
originals. I personally liked it a lot though. You may find that you need a bit
more imagination than usually required to follow what is going on, as although
the major dialogue is, of course, intertitled, the minor stuff is not. You just
have to rely on your ability to follow what is going on. The ever- present
music and the lack of sound effects (even minor things like doors closing etc.)
may also prove disconcerting at the beginning, but honestly, I didn’t have
trouble adapting at all – in fact it sucked me right in. It may have been the
reason the film is relatively short at 90 minutes. I mean, I say that because
these days all the “majors” seem to be over 2 hours long. I am beginning to
wonder why to be honest, I mean, I’m not complaining but it’s a strange
phenomenon… Anyhow, mustn’t get side-tracked. The Artist. Darn good film. Watch
it J
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