‘If only he could talk...’
I didn’t watch Michel Hazanavicius’ Oscar-winning love letter to silent cinema The Artist when it first came out in 2011. And to be frank, I didn’t watch it because I wasn’t interested in silent movies. This may seem like the behaviour of a terrible philistine but do you know what? I was right not to watch it. Coming back to it now in 2023 having seen a slew of silent-era classics was undoubtedly the correct decision. Some might say that a film that requires a certain amount of pre-reading is too much hard work. And I get that. But silent cinema is a cinematic treasure chest and getting to enjoy The Artist afterwards is the reward…
At the dawn of the ‘talkies’ era, silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) contends with his fading stardom as the figurehead of an anachronistic art form. Meanwhile, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) is on the rise as the star of the new wave of sound films. Elsewhere, Valentin’s loyal assistant Clifton (James Cromwell) tries to keep the wolf from the door whilst studio head Al Zimmer (John Goodman) holds the key to Valentin’s redemption.
Shot, performed and staged as if it were a film from the 1920s, The Artist perfectly captures what makes that era so compelling. It’s funny, tragic and heartfelt, featuring the pathos of Chaplin and the melodrama of the historical epics of that period. Ludovic Bource’s era-specific score is breathtaking (incorporating elements of Bernard Hermann’s iconic Vertigo score) and the cast does a great job of reviving an art form that has been long dead. And it will remain dead. Despite The Artist winning five Oscars including Best Picture, there have been precisely zero silent films produced since that have entered the public consciousness. In a way that doesn’t matter. Hazanavicius has made a one-and-done classic that is destined to be the final word on one of the most creative periods in Hollywood’s long and storied history. A wonderful picture.