Review of The Artist (2011) by Tremor2005 — 24 Oct 2012

"The Artist" is a comedy-drama set in 1920s Hollywood, following the fortunes of a successful actor moving from the age of silent films to movies with sound.

Upon first watch, this film is an undoubted triumph. Whilst a little difficult to adjust to at first - given our acclimatisation to special effects, colour, and, hell, dialogue - the black and white, mostly speech-lacking layout of "The Artist" is soon both a joy and a pleasure to watch. In terms of character arcs the story is a familiar one, that of a man refusing to adapt to a changing world and risking being left behind because of it. The performances had to be fantastic, and are. Jean Dujardin is immensely likeable as George Valentin, and exuberant performances from co-lead Berenice Bejo and support cast including John Goodman and the wonderful James Cromwell help the story zip along nicely. (The best performance is, of course, that of the dog, who provides the films funniest and, surprisingly, most touching moments.).

Stylistically the film is also superb. The essence of old cinema is captured expertly and the tinkling score is a perfect match. Even the speech cards work well. My personal favourite scene follows George Valentin's first encounter with "talkies" (films with sound): a nightmare where everything around him suddenly makes noise for the first time... except for himself. He tries yelling but ends up being laughed at by a growing group of dancers walking past. The scene ends with a feather touching down lightly on the floor with a sound like a bomb.

It was to my dismay that the film did not held up as well to repeat viewings. Maybe the novelty wore off, or maybe the foreknowledge of the plot was a problem, but "The Artist" lacks the punch it first provided when re-watching it later. Bizarrely, this exact problem is mirrored by another film of the past few years that couldn't be more different in terms of effects and budget: Avatar.

The Artist is a film well worth watching, and should please anyone willing to give it a go with an open mind, but one viewing is probably enough.