The Artist

The success of The Artist at the Academy Awards this year ensured that the film was given a longer run at cinemas in Glasgow. The cinema was pretty full for a 4PM showing, so I was not the only one who benefitted from the pulling power of the Oscars. The novel premise of the film being silent is enough to attract the curious filmgoer and add to that Oscar success and rave reviews then you have a box office hit. The Artist in question is George Valentin, a silent film star at the peak of his popularity. He has a romantic encounter with rising star Peppy Miller on the set of one his films and the film then charts the trajectory of their respective careers; Valentin’s fall and Miller’s rise. The twist in the story is similar to Singin’ In The Rain, as the advent of the ‘talkies’, or talking films, impact the careers of silent film stars. The film company that employs Valentin see talkies as the future of cinema but Valentin refuses to be part of this brave new world and promptly sets about to create a successful silent film in which he is the star. Despite his charisma and good looks he is not a great actor, but he has the soul of an artist and he tries to retain his artistic voice through the dying medium of silent films. Jean Dujardin plays the part of Valentin with great charm and feeling, from the high days to his very low. Berenice Bejo is equally attractive as Peppy Miller, and both manage to give great performances which fully merit their Oscar nominations. The strange irony is that as the film progressed I really wanted to hear their voices. James Cromwell and John Goodman give great supporting roles but maybe Valentin’s faithful dog steals their limelight. The camera work is superb, and at times reminiscent of Citizen Kane and The Third Man, especially in the use of light and dark. The film score is excellent and keeps the visual narrative moving along with imagination and the right depth and sense of feeling. There are some charming touches of visual humour throughout the film and the story, like the cinematography, plays with the effects of light and dark. The Artist is the best film I have seen this year and it is going to very hard to beat. 9/10 P.S. Watch out for the lovely, unexpected twist at the very end.