Martin Scorsese’s film in theaters now, the 3D “Hugo,” is the director’s love letter to the early days of the art form. He must have enjoyed re-creating some of the silent films that inspired him and so many other artists. Yet “Hugo,” though a lovely film, comes off as too self-indulgent. The viewer learns quite a bit about the beginnings of film — but she doesn’t leave feeling she’s just seen a great one. “The Artist” deals with some of the same subject matter. It was made for a tenth of the cost of “Hugo” — $15 million versus $150 million — by a French director of whom few Americans have heard. There are small parts played by familiar American and British actors, but the leads are also foreigners unknown on these shores. But “The Artist” is the far superior film. And its reception in America — it just received six Golden Globe nominations, the most of any movie — might restore any cynic’s faith in the film industry.
Especially since “The Artist” is a black-and-white silent film about the black-and-white silent film era. That might seem like a painfully, well, artistic gimmick. But “The Artist” could be the most clever — and beautiful — film of the year.
| On Screen |
| ‘The Artist’ |
| 4 out of 4 stars |
| Stars: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman |
| Director: Michel Hazanavicius |
| Rated: PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture |
| Running time: 100 minutes |
“I won’t do it. I won’t say a word,” says George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). He actually says those lines in one of his movies, “A Russian Affair,” in which he’s being tortured for information. But it sums up how he feels about the changes coming to cinema. He laughs when his producer (John Goodman, whose entire being is perfect for the role) shows him a sound test reel.
Valentin’s refusal to betray what he sees as his art is admirable — but it ruins his life. His wife leaves him; he loses his home and all it contains. All is has left is his adorable Jack Russell terrier — and the admiration of Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo).
They meet by accident: She’s a budding actress whose stars, of course, rise with the rise of sound. But she never forgets the man who inspired her love of film. When George has all but given up on the world, she refuses to give up on him — or his art.
Dujardin won the best actor award at Cannes, and rightfully so. He has a great physicality and charm that make this film more emotional than a mere gimmick would be. Peppy tells a reporter that audiences are “tired of old actors mugging at the camera to be understood.” It’s a funny line, because none of the talented people in this movie are anything like that.
There are plenty of influences evident here — a stairway looks like one created by Fritz Lang, Ludovic Bource’s score sounds like that of “Vertigo.” But this film is very much Michel Hazanavicius’ own. You will leave with many thoughts, but this foremost among them: A film like “The Artist” is why movies are made.
