The Film
While it could have been just a gimmicky attempt to parody old Hollywood, The Artist is so much more. It not only recreates the style of the golden age of silent movies but manages to capture the transition to the talkies quite effectively. Unlike Mel Brooks' Silent Movie this isn't just a parody, and unlike The Good German this isn't just designed to imitate the appearance of a film from another era. In fact, this is essentially a film about the late 1920s and early 1930s made using (mostly) the film techniques from the late 1920s and early 1930s.
It really is also two stories - first the downfall of a great silent actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who is unable to transition to the "talkies," and second the rise of bit player Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) as a talking star. They meet when he's on top and she's an extra and their stories intertwine in a way that could only happen in the movies - the silent movies at that!
David Kempler speaks up with another take on The Artist.
The Picture
It isn't just the fact that The Artist is a silent film that makes it interesting. It is in black and white and even more interesting features a 1.33:1 aspect ratio - which is how films from the 1920s and 1930s were filmed. While some props such as Valentin's handgun are post-World War II, so much attention is paid to period details that if it wasn't for some modern day actors showing up you'd likely forget that this film was made in 2011. Of course most old silent films don't look this good, usually the old film stock shows its age and truthfully The Artist is art visually. The image is a little soft on the edges, but so are most 1920s films. Otherwise this is truly the best looking silent film ever made.
The Sound
While this is called a "silent" film that statement isn't fully accurate. First the film is accompanied by a moving score, and even a vocal number for good measure. These come through with crystal clarity and the score even sounds period appropriate almost as if Max Steiner or Bernard Herrmann wrote the parts. More importantly, there are a few moments mid-way where "sound effects" pop in to show the transition to talkies, which spring to life thanks to the 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. These seem a little forced and even disjointed but in a way that period sound effects felt forced and disjointed. And finally there is the end where the silent film becomes a talkie - and simply put you ain't heard nothing yet.
The Extras
Given that The Artist won numerous awards it is no surprise that Sony decided to include a slew of bonus features to make for a special package. These include a short blooper reel, which would be forgettable except that it was set to a period score, which makes it a bit enjoyable. There is an overview featurette titled "The Artist: The Making of an American Romance," which shows how the cast learned to dance, and includes a history of Hollywood in the era in which the film is set. Some of the moments are reused in a second shorter featurette titled "Hollywood as a Character: The Locations of The Artist." There is also a four-part featurette, "The Artisans Behind The Artist" that looks at the production of the film including The Production Design, The Cinematography, The Costumers and The Composer. Finally, there is a Q&A with the filmmakers and cast, and while this is enjoyable it almost breaks the fourth wall as we hear these "silent" actors speak.
Final Thoughts
During the transition from silent films to talkies as the story goes, Harry Warner, head of Warner Bros. Pictures famously said, "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" But the public did want to hear actors talk - and The Artist is actually only the second silent film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Here the silence is truly golden.
Product Details
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