November 23

The Artist (opens November 23 in NYC/LA; nationwide December 23)
a black-and-white silent movie from director Michel Hazanavicius

French director Michel Hazanavicius has produced something that will make movie audiences marvel. He has re-created Hollywood of the 1920s, as an homage to film history. Although the director and his stars are French, The Artist was shot in California and has a thoroughly American look and feel. It was shot entirely in black and white as a silent film. Not a typo.

The score plays a major part, and Ludovic Bource (Brussels Philharmonic) makes the most of it by blending original tunes with those of the greats. The film has been eaten up like candy at the many film festival screenings earlier this year.

Jean Dujardin (top photo) stars as a famous silent actor George Valentin, whose life turns upside down with the advent of the talkies. Bérénice Bejo (the wife of the film’s director, shown at right) plays the ingenue Peppy Miller, who leads the way to the motion picture revolution of talking pictures. Handsome, athletic dancer George meets Peppy, a pretty commoner with her own dreams of stardom, through a happy accident, and sparks fly immediately. George is already married, but he helps her get started in the business, not realizing that his own days are numbered. When the sound-era arrives, followed by the Great Depression, his career disintegrates and hers begins to soar, and much of the rest of the film addresses how they handle these changes, while still interacting with each other. American audiences will recognize John Goodman in a supporting role.

This film, of course, channels classic movies such as A Star Is Born (all three versions), Sunset Boulevard and Singin’in the Rain. The latter is about the decline of silent films, whereas The Artist is about the rise of talkies. The director shot the film in real-life Hollywood spots, including Mary Pickford’s home.

Writer/director Hazanavicius managed to shoot this period piece in just 35 days on a budget of $12 million, an amazing accomplishment given the first rate performances, cinematography, editing, costumes, and score. There are just three poignant moments in which sound is briefly heard: (1) a dream sequence in which George finds that everyone and everything around him are capable of making sounds except himself, (2) when George walks out of his studio dressing room and sees a bunch of extras on the lot looking and laughing at him, and at the very end of the film, (3) when George, with Peppy's help, reinvents himself in a way that will allow him to continue to work in the sound era. This glib, almost preposterous happy ending echoes those of silent films of the 1920s.

The Artist should reinvigorate interest in classic silent movies of Hollywood. It’s just odd that the French are the ones who are leading the way.

Dujardin received the award for best actor for his leading role in The Artist at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but a dog nearly steals the show. Have a look at the trailer:



And here's a little more detail:




Can't wait.