Modern silent movie, thunderous approval

Issue 12, Kaitlin Cassidy, Movie Review, Silent Movie, The Artist, Entertainment - By Kaitlin Cassidy on Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 00:45

A silent movie in the year 2011? Yes, you read that right. The Artist is a contemporary silent film that has become a favorite amongst critics, garnering many whispers of Oscar nominations. Despite its lack of spoken dialogue, people are packing the limited theaters offering it and leaving the theater talking about it.

The Artist centers around a famous silent movie star named George Valentine, who is at the peak of his career when the infamous “talkies” come into play. Fate brings an aspiring actress, Peppy Miller, onto Valentine’s radar. The two have an instant connection that is severed when Valentine is relinquished from his contract at Kinograph Studios. Coincidently, Miller becomes Kinograph’s “new face” and is propelled into stardom thanks to the introduction of sound in film. Valentine struggles with life outside of the limelight and heads for a downward spiral.

Despite its lack of sound, the musical score makes The Artist arguably more successful at eliciting an emotional response from viewers than its contemporary competition. The music score by Ludovic Bource, a French composer, is essential to conveying emotion and adding another layer to the visual storytelling. Moments when the music swells and when the score is absent are key to matching the actors on screen. However the film would not have been successful without Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, who play Valentine and Miller respectively. Both actors emanate each character so well it’s hard not to become emotionally interested in their struggles. Not to mention how well the director, Michel Hazanavicius, captured the 1920-30s time period and the magic of that early Hollywood era.

The Artist debuted at the Cannes Film Festival this past May, where Dujardin won the “Best Actor Award,” and has since been nominated for “Best Picture” at the Independent Spirit Awards and European Film Awards.

Although The Artist is only playing in select theaters in Los Angeles, I encourage all film lovers to check out this film. Personally, after seeing The Artist it made me wish I could have been a part of the movie and ignited my love for Hollywood and filmmaking. The Artist is the kind of film which viewers fall in love with Hollywood reminding them what a good film and how storytelling should be. The Artist is a breath of fresh air after a summer of sequels, prequels, remakes and superheros adaptations.