THERE is a reason silent movies fell by the wayside in the late 1920s.Technology moved forward and the excitement of combining voice acting with screen acting was too much to resist.In the 21st century stuntmen have made way for CGI, motion capture and other digital techniques.It is the way the film industry works. Make something bigger and make it better.
Th e simplicity of The Artist is what makes it so brilliant.George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a Hollywood film star.In the same mould as Errol Flynn, George has a hit with every film and audiences flock to theatres to simply catch a glimpse of him.After a chance encounter with up and coming dancer/actor Peppy Miller, George becomes a little infatuated with her.But this is quickly forgotten as talkies arrive and George refuses to adapt to the changes of the film making world.Meanwhile, Peppy has transitioned from the silent era to talkies and is one of the town’s hottest stars.
The Artist tells the story of George’s battle with his pride and refusal to change as he quickly fades into the background.This film is a throwback to the glory years of silent film and is a delight to watch.But I am bias, I have always taken a liking to silent films such as Buster Keaton’s The General and Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush.
There is something about a film’s ability to have no dialogue, a couple of title cards and some excellent timing, mise-en-scene and acting subtlety.In today’s world, where explosions, car chases and fast-talking stars rule the film world, it was a bold move for the production team to revert back to how cinema was made in the 1920s.
