“And God said: so there be light… and there was light”. There was the most complete and achieved film of the past two decades, the Big Bang of the twenty first century – The Artist, by French director Michel Hazanavicius.
Publicized as the new approach of the silent movie style, it reveals to be anything but silent, not only because sound is added to some of the scenes, but also because it shouts its message wide and clear, glamorously.
It has been my belief, long past, that Times of tragedy and crisis produce the finest works of art, the boldest ideas, the deepest feelings. Our time has alienated Man from culture and sensibility. Big achievements pass disregarded. Polite habits, such as people remaining in the exhibition room ‘til the end of the credits, for instance, became ignored, even unknown. Good manners and politeness are not simply rules, they are habits born of passion, from surviving needs, from society balance. Yet, it has remained a mystery how once all those habits are gone and forgotten, they spring again, defying present tendencies. Watching The Artist I got my answer – greatness breeds greatness. As the credits rolled up the screen, none of the spectators moved. They produced no sound. They stayed to the very last line not by choice, but because they could not leave. They were in ecstasy.
The story of a silent movies actor George Valentin who becomes unemployed as sound becomes the new fashion, The Artist is, in fact, and above all, a surrealistic film. That is brought to our attention, by the director, right in the beginning, when the hero goes behind the screen and watches the movie from the other side, inverted like in a mirror. The theme and that small passage are the structure, simple as it should be. All the rest, is the expression of that structure. Every detail serves a purpose, including the billboards of cinema Theatres that are related to the state of mind of the hero in each scene. Valentin’s dog, a remarkable touch, is the stress of that state of mind, mimicking the actor’s gestures in a playful spirit, being also his link to life, even in the worst moment, the hand of Fate. In fact, Destiny is the invisible character who builds a bridge between the past and the future. While still a big star, George Valentin opens way in the film industry for a young striving girl Peggy Miller. When Valentin looses the world, Peggy becomes “the new flesh” in the era of sound, she rescues him, in the same way the Dog does, with love and brightness. And here is where Fate sends a message to Mankind. By helping Peggy in the past, Valentin saves his future self. Here, a subtle homage to Bernard Hermann, composer of Hitchcock’s Vertigo music. As Peggy rushes to save Valentin, realizing he may be about to commit suicide, one can listen to Scene d’Amour. Why the choice? Because Hitchcock's was the story of a women who lived twice and died twice. George Valentin too, lives two lives, one in the era of silent movies and the other when sound fills the screen. But unlike Vertigo, the story of George Valentin has a happy ending. Destiny speaks again, one must let go of the past, though not forgetting it, to build the future.
When Peggy and Valentin winn the challenge, playing a musical, the director shouts “Silence, camera, Action!”the scene is cut, and the movie ends. An ironic choice of expression, since Valentin is shooting his first film with sound.
Aesthetically irreprehensible, with a perfect beat, a brilliant cast, and a flawlessly structured story that encloses both humour and drama, The Artist is the first feature film of director Michel Hazanavivius, a turning point.
Cast and Crew:
Director: Michel Hazanavicius, a director with studies in Fine-Art who started his career directing commercials.
Music Composer: Ludovic Bource
Cast: Jean Dujardin (George Valentin), Bérenice Bejo (Peggy Miller), John Goodman (Al Zimmer), James Cromwell (Clifton), Uggy (the dog)…
