The artist is a touching and mostly silent movie with a musical soundtrack about an aging film idol, a peppy young actress and the passing of the silentmovie era. Silent movie the artist has noisy night at british. The artist pays homage to hollywoods silent era bbc news. Cinemagoers complain that oscar favourite the artist has. George valentin jean dujardin is a silent movie superstar. Us the artist 2011 an egomaniacal film star develops. It is directed by michel hazanavicius, and stars jean. The artist focuses instead on george valentin, a swashbuckling, thinmoustached hollywood silent movie star modelled on douglas fairbanks, whose career plummets with the advent of the talkies. The artist is the singing, dancing sensation of 2011. If you havent heard, the artist is a silent at least, 99% silent film, shot in gorgeous black and white. The fact that valentin, played by french actor jean dujardin, resists speakingthe film is set during the dawn of the. The sensationalist version of the headline goes like this. For young extra peppy miller berenice bejo, it seems the skys the limit major movie stardom awaits.
Its so affectionate about its subject matter bryony dixon, curator. Friends laughed at michel hazanavicius when he wanted to make a silent movie. This month in new york, the museum of modern art, which regularly shows silent movies, resumes its series cruel and unusual comedy, featuring outlandish clowning in foreign silent films. The artist, the final film to be released in 2011 and also the most heartswellingly joyful one, is a silent movie, screened in black and white and projected in the oldfashioned boxy academy. The artist focuses instead on george valentin, a swashbuckling, thinmoustached hollywood silent movie star modelled on douglas fairbanks, whose. Its own artifice and cleverness cause the ending of the film to be a slight emotional letdown. Any aspect team of the artist doesnt back to have the last word. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career. But in spite of what might seem to be two formidable barriers to mainstream popularity, its. The artist, which opens in the us this month and in the uk at the end of the year, isnt the only silent film on the horizon. In 1927, silent film star george valentin is posing for pictures outside the premiere of his latest hit film when a young woman, peppy miller, accidentally bumps into him. Celluloid might be headed toward extinction, but if the artists facsimile of silent cinema is any indication, there were always be a place for movies that are shot on film stock, or at least. Valentin reacts with humor to the accident and shows off with peppy for the cameras. The artist is being tipped to collect a raft of baftas but some cinemagoers are demanding their money back because it is a silent film.
Its a french romantic comedy drama in the style of a blackandwhite silent film. The arrival of talking pictures will mark the end of his career. The artist, by michel hazanavicius the new york times. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. Peppy miller, a young woman extra, becomes a major movie star. A beguiling tale about hollywoods silent movie days that is itself silent, this madeinl. How a silent, blackandwhite french film won big at. The artist beat out films from the likes of martin scorsese, steven spielberg and george clooney to top honors at the academy awards on sunday not bad for a silent, blackandwhite french. The artist a love letter to silent cinema sealed with a smirk, the artist reteams director michel hazanavicius with dapper oss 117 star jean dujardin for another highconcept homage. Written, directed, and coedited by michel hazanavicius. With an informed, infectious fondness for his subject, writerdirector michel hazanavicius manages to embrace contradictions and then resolve them with supreme comic grace. Is it possible to forget that the artist is a silent film in black and white, and simply focus on it as a movie.
The artist is a 2011 french comedydrama film in the style of a blackandwhite silent film or parttalkie. The artist won an oscar at the 2012 academy awards. The movie that resulted is being talked about as the first silent film with real bestpicture oscar chances since wings, the 1927 clara bow film that arrived soon before the talkies changed the. The artist is a delightful, engaging an inventive film. The director of the artist on how to make a modern. George valentin is a very successful silent movie star.
Writerdirector michel hazanavicius love letter to hollywoods silent era is filmmaking both bold and bravura in our digital age, with spirits perfectly embodied by leading man jean dujardin and berenice bejos fetching starlet. The silent movie the artist had a night to shout about sunday, winning seven prizes including best picture at the british academy film awards. The popular hit of this years cannes film festival, whose jury gave dujardin the best actor award, the artist pays eloquent tribute to hollywood in the late 1920s, when the silent films gave way to talking pictures. An old fashioned way and it turns out to be warning. Silent screen idol george valentin jean dujardin and peppy miller berenice bejo, a young and upcoming dancer, share a vivacious moment on stage in michel hazanaviciuss film the artist. Outside a movie premiere, enthusiastic fan peppy miller literally bumps into the swashbuckling hero of the silent film, george valentin. Sure its a silent film and black and white to boot but youll love the the artist because its made up of the best movie ingredients like classic busby berkeleystyled dance. How silent french film the artist became the talk of the town. A silent movie or rather, a sound film with a music soundtrack it evinces such mastery of form that it could easily be mistaken for a real classic. Effortlessly masculine and boyishly buoyant, george valentin jean dujardin is one of hollywoods most enduring stars. The star reacts graciously and peppy plants a kiss on his cheek as they are surrounded by photographers. Thomas langmann, the producer, accepting his award for a mostly silent, blackandwhite fable about an actors struggle with the end of silent film, said the achievement was dedicated to his. French feature will charm cinephiles with its affection for one of the movies golden ages.