The Artist:

Silent honour

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

In an era when audiences are enthralled by modern technology and animations, Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist is a brave attempt to recapture the grandeur of the silent black-and-white film era. Written and directed by Hazanavicius the movie celebrates the period when cinema began its development process.

The French romantic comedy drama goes in the style of a back-and-white silent film. It focuses on cinema during the period when silent films are replaced by talkies. Set between 1927 and 1933 it zeros in on a relationship between a handsome, narcissistic silent film actor who is an established movie star and a pert actress aspiring for stardom. It opens on the premiere of George Valentin’s latest adventure film A Russian Affair. The scenes proceed and we soon realize that not only Valentin’s movie, but even the real-life audience are mute. The outrageously-self regarding actor then goes on stage to bag the limelight leaving his female co-star in the shadows. Later while greeting fans on the sidewalk he encounters the sweet-natured Peppy Miller, a background artiste who makes quite an impression when she is snapped kissing him on the cheek.

Later the tables are turned when talkies are introduced and Valentin is determined to stick by silent films. Normally the audience would not find any sympathy for a stubborn character who is so full of himself but Hazanavicius had constructed Valentin’s character in such a manner that we really feel his suffering and are charmed by him. One of the instances that his generous nature is revealed is when the outraged director of Valentin’s and Miller’s first movie together, tries to fire the young actress from the sets.

Valentin steps in and rescues her from the unpleasant situation, changing the director’s mind about eliminating her from the movie.

Though Miller outdoes Valentin at a later stage, she carries a torch for him. He is her hero and despite the premiere of her maiden movie as a lead actress, we see her shedding tears in the dark as she watches the first show of Tears of Love, Valentine’s own production.

The movie comes with its own side of artistic techniques embedded into the storyline. Once such instance is when Valentin and Miller meet on the stairs of the Bradbury Building. After the meeting she ascends the steps while he descends.

Another such instance is the closing scenes of Valentin’s production. It projects Valentin sinking out of sight into quicksand This forebodes the impeding doom.

The cast is splendid from the lead roles to background artistes. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are brilliant as silent movie idol Valentin and raising star Miller.

Their actions, facial expressions and eyes speak a thousand words. Therefore Hazanavicius only needed to include a few wordings on what is being said by them in his production while leaving the couple to work their magic.

Valentin’s gifted Jack Russell terrier, Jack, is especially interesting and fits superbly into the tale. He is finely trained to suit his role and performs even the most difficult scenes admirably.

The movie is a bold and original piece of work. It even houses some effective jokes which is something that is difficult to master in a movie that does not even include a handful of dialogs. It balances this aspect with the pathos. Hazanavicius also intertwines various sequences from old hits like Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, Douglas Fairbanks’ The Mark of Zorro and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo to pay homage to cinema. It truly is a rare feat not only to win over the audience but the critics as well.

The Artist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won five including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. It is the first silent movie to bag the Best Picture award since 1927’s Wings and the first black-and-white film to win since 1993’s Schindler’s List.

Cleverly presented, The Artist is sans R-rated scenes. Some may wonder if these points act as shortcomings but the surprising fact is that the story flows through suspense and romance, hyping your interest with each passing minute. It is truly a masterpiece and deserves a standing ovation.