"The Artist"

By Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

Today the norm in Hollywood is for stories to be told with a thick veneer of the latest computer generated graphics, images, and sound effects; an elaborate set and wardrobe; and a smattering of quick shots of actors dodging bullets and diving away from enormous explosions. Well-told, insightful stories aren’t always successful at the box office, but big budget, action extravaganzas usually are. “The Artist” tries to subvert that norm. And its success in doing so is part of what makes the movie so interesting and refreshing.

“The Artist” is a (mostly) silent film about silent films. Of course, “The Artist” is also about an artist—a silent film actor, to be precise. His name is George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), and he is the pinnacle of what Hollywood used to be. He dodges his on-screen enemies, woos the ladies, and helps the less fortunate. He injects excitement, drama, sorrow, and humor into his films, all with a distinctive bravado that makes him a fan favorite. Oh yeah, and he does it all without saying a word.

Valentin is a star, but he’s also an alright guy. Sure, he’s a bit conceited and egotistical. But he’s also loyal and caring. He really enjoys boosting his audiences’ spirits when he can, and, like many of the characters he plays, Valentin is also willing to help out those in need.

A case in point is Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). Miller, who is in fact peppier than peppy, starts out as a nobody. She’s just an average moviegoer who dreams of being a star. She wants to sing, dance, act, perform, or whatever, just so long as it’s on the big screen. But of course wanting an acting gig and getting an acting gig are two very different things.

It is just lucky for Miller that she manages to catch Valentin’s eye. At first Valentin is caught off guard by Miller. He finds her mesmerizing, but he doesn’t know how to react to her subtle yet intoxicating charm. So what Valentin does is help Miller out. He teaches her how to stand out in a crowd of other actresses, he keeps up with her work, and he defends her to his producers.

And it works. Before long, Peppy Miller is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Her movies get rave reviews, sometimes before they are even released. Valentin’s role in Miller’s success cannot be denied; however, another part of her success has to do with her enthusiastic willingness to act in hip, newfangled non-silent movies called “talkies”. People love the silent Peppy Miller, but they love the talking, laughing, singing Peppy Miller even more.

Valentin, on the other hand, is stuck in the past. He refuses to act in talkies. The result is that the guy everyone loves quickly becomes the guy no one cares about. Valentin must adapt or be axed. And Miller has to find a way to remain true to Valentin and her roots while also remaining on the cutting edge of cinema.

“The Artist” has a wonderfully nostalgic feel. Most of us weren’t alive when silent films were still being made, and yet, there is still something familiar about this movie and its subject matter. It evokes a rich historical current that we somehow know about—a current that courses through the movies we watched two decades ago, two years ago, or even just two days ago.

This feel is not just a yen for older, simpler times. What “The Artist” brings out is an intricate interplay between past and present artistic media. This interplay involves values, styles, sensibilities, and tastes that are vastly different, and yet, profoundly bound up together. This thing that “The Artist” does allows us to appreciate the genesis of film while also making us aware of the kinds of choices that make film what it is today.

“The Artist” is also a reminder that there is more to a good movie than computer graphics, blinding action sequences, and forceful one-liners. There is more to good acting than delivering a line, there is more to writing a good screenplay than putting in twists after twist, there is more to good editing than moving the action along as quickly as possible, and there is more to good movies than box office receipts. A movie can be really good without the latest special effects, or indeed, without any special effects. Or, as “The Artist” shows, a movie can be really good without any witty dialogue, or indeed, without any dialogue at all.