I'm certainly more of a film lover than an expert movie critic, and I know many friends who would never watch half of my favourite motion pictures. I couldn't help but feel strongly enough about Michel Hazanavicius's (needed to look his last name up for its spelling) The Artist to want to pen a few words about it.
It was a Saturday evening and I took a short walk downhill to our only cinema in Durham City to catch the movie with Yan and Georgina. My friend Deborah first alerted me to its existence and I immediately went on YouTube to watch its trailer. The fact that it was an attempt to produce a black-and-white silent film set in one of my favourite American periods heightened its appeal to me. After reading about how well the movie did at the Globes (winning Best Musical/Comedy and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin), I gained affirmation that it was a film I had to watch at all cost. If anything drove my desire to watch it, it was certainly my curiosity. I've seen numerous black-and-white films - Casablanca, Sunset Boulevard, The Hustler and Double Indemnity feature in my all-time favourites list - but I recall having watched just about five silent ones. In an age where colour and actual dialogue are essential criteria in assessing a film's 'watch-ability', I have to admit that movies like Battleship Potemkim and Chaplin's The Gold Rush were not easy to get through on my first viewings. I can assure everyone that it does get easier the more you watch and desire to appreciate these works, to assess them for what they are and according to their own terms. Chaplin's City Lights and Modern Times were thoroughly enjoyable and the lack of colour and dialogue didn't make these films less beautifully-made or any less moving. I may appear to diverge here but I'd like to ask everyone to give The Artist a chance and not be repulsed by its stylistic aberrations from modern film productions. Yes, it is classified as a silent movie but the film's brilliant score serves to support the splendid performances and to evoke audiences' emotions just as capably as the spoken word does. To me, there wasn't a single dull moment in the film and although the plot was simple enough, the film's strengths lie in other areas. Dujardin and Bejo were excellent in their portrayals of movie stars from the Depression era and we appreciate their efforts more when we consider how they had to bring their characters across convincing without any real dialogue. There were several thoughtfully executed scenes (Valentin's descent down the staircase as he converged with others on their way was symbolic and memorable) and the pace of the movie was just right. Unlike the aforementioned silent films I've seen however, The Artist was indubitably made with the modern-day film audience in mind. For those who feel that it may be too 'arty' for them, I cannot help but posit that the film is not actually 'arty'. It was, in a few words, a stylishly-made yet simple film. I urge everyone who have considered watching silent/black-and-white films of the past but have always felt repulsed by the differences they have when compared to the films we're used to to give The Artist a chance. Doing so not only does justice to the clear artistic achievements of the film but may perhaps, move us one level away from our apprehensions and become open to watching films made many decades back. Many of the best films were made before the introduction of colour to film-making and we stand to miss out on so much if we don't move beyond what we're used to. Giving The Artist a chance may be the starting point of a very rewarding journey in film appreciation.
