| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | DCM |
| Categories | Film Focus |
Film of the year? Possibly. A genuinely brilliant cinematic experience? Without question. The Artist is a 100 minute French silent film, which may not sound like the most appealing proposition in 2011 but put aside any preconceptions and prepare yourself for one of the year’s real gems.
The immensely charismatic Jean Dujardin plays George Valentin, a silent movie star in Hollywood in the 1920s. With changing technology and films moving into the realm of the ‘talkies’, Valentin stubbornly refuses to move with the times and before long his audiences are dwindling and his career is in ruins. His fall from grace coincides with Peppy Miller’s rise to stardom (a wonderful Berenice Bejo), a rise Valentin helped instigate.
The story is played out in full silent movie fashion, with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, descriptive inter-titles and a playful jazz score. The performances are absolutely spot-on with Dujardin’s Valentin radiating warmth and charm and Bejo’s Miller matching him scene for scene.
To call the film ‘silent’ is actually a bit of a lie, there are a few instances where sound is used and I guarantee at least one of them will take your breath away. To reveal more would be unfair but rest assured this is a tremendous feel-good film that deserves to be seen at the cinema.
[embed width=550]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7pfLlsUQM[/embed]