The Artist

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a great story, and I love to see a great story told, whether it be on the screen or in a novel. I have been so frustrated over the last few years as lover of film because I have felt that we have gotten away from the heart of cinema.-Telling great stories to escape from the world for a few hours. The Artist was a true reminder of everything that is great about movies, and why I had come to love them. It was a true work of art. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me smile. It had everything. 

The basic story of the movie is about a silent film actor George Valentin at the peak of his career. Once talkies are discovered, his production company stops producing silent films and begins to only produced talkies. George refuses to be a part of this new wave. Peppy Miller becomes the new rising talkie star after a short encounter with George at the beginning of the movie where he offers her some advice that helps her to break out. The film then begins to follow the downward spiral of George and the transformation of Peppy. I loved to watch the character development in the movie. As Peppy took the roles in the talkie films, her character did a lot more "talking" in the movie itself. George always a man of few words relied on his facial expressions for most of his communication. While he does talk, it is not to any great extent. 

Michel Hazanavicius (writer and director) did a wonderful job with taking such an old concept and bringing it into the modern world. It can be quite discerning for many people to hear the words silent and black and white. What is just so amazing is that after about 10 minutes, you forget that you are watching a silent film. The actors do such an amazing job with their facial expressions and their body movements that there is never a question as to what is happening. There is never a moment where one would question the motives of a character. I would even say that it is almost as if you can see more than what the characters are saying. You can almost hear what they are thinking as well. That is an element that I find to be extremely important to any story.  

It also gives such a testament to the musical composers of the film. Now, I am not a music person by any means (this would be my talented composer of a brothers department), but I have an extreme appreciation for music in film. It is just as important, if not more so, than any of the actors. The music becomes another character. It is telling the story. There is no need for words. 

Jean Dujardin (George Valentin) did a fantastic job. with a role that requires not talking, it would have been easy to over din had the perfect balance. One of my favorite scenes is when he is talking to Miss Miller (Bérénice Bejo) on a staircase. She is talking his ear off, and he is watching her in an almost adoring way. You can almost tell what he is thinking. This beautiful young actress who is getting the start of her career. He is happy for her, but sad as the same time. It was such an amazing balance. I thought it was beautiful. After watching the film, he deserved that Oscar. act and over do the facial expressions. Dujar

There are many people who have said that this movie had received its award for best picture because it is a novelty film. After viewing the movie, I feel that this could be father from the truth. This movie brought us back to the birth of film, to our roots. It told a story about how easily one thing in this ever changing and growing industry can be forgotten and tossed to the side without a second thought. I believe that it also showed us how it is possible to bridge the old with the new and in turn create something even more amazing. Forgetting were you come from can be just as dangerous as refusing to adjust and change. The Artist showed us that this is possible and reminded us that sometimes it isn't about who can draw the biggest explosion or what can we 3D next, but about the story behind it all and sharing that. If we forget where we come from, we are just as likely to lose it all. But don't take my word for it..... go see it yourself.