The Artist
Broad strokes -- that's the way artists in silent films often portrayed emotion and story. Because of the lack of dialogue, they were forced to find another way to get their message across. They did so with bold facial expressions, demonstrative gestures and animated reactions to people and situations. In its time, (pre-1929), the audience accepted what they were given as there was nothing else to compare it to. Film, as an art form, was still extremely young and novel. Today, these techniques are all too often, via broad strokes of judgment, written off as bad acting. I disagree -- and clearly, so do those involved with the making of the beautiful Oscar-Nominated, "The Artist".
The quest for "reality" in films is displayed in two Oscar-Nominated films this year, this one and "Hugo". In both films, historical uses of techniques and period-correct artistry is put on display and, at the same time called into question. Both films are worthy of their nominations. The Artist plays its hand differently than, Hugo, however, in that it forces the audiences perspective into the world it is portraying. The loss of dialogue (not sound, mind you, as the score is nearly omni-present) forces the viewer to consider the images and the people in them differently. The way the audience notices light, set design and physical performance is heightened considerably. The soundtrack, too, is not just there to tie mood from one scene to the next or accentuate a moment. It is a constant companion, loyal and friendly, not unlike Uggie, the fantastic Jack Russel Terrier who is Jean Dujardin's sidekick throughout the film.
The question that comes up, however, is whether or not the story serves the manner in which it's being told, or the manner in which the story is being told is there for the story. Though the film was extremely enjoyable and the performances were a lot of fun throughout (the scene where Bérénice Bejo semi-seduces herself with Dujardin's jacket was a fantastic bit of simple stage/wardrobe play), I Dujardin's defiant pride stretched on for a note or two too long. The finish, with the couple dancing their way into the new film form together is surely a crowd-pleaser, but it was missing a middle note to make it pay off in more than a viscerally satisfying way.
Four films into the nine nominees, Hugo seems to be the clear favorite to me.
Resonance 7/10
The quest for "reality" in films is displayed in two Oscar-Nominated films this year, this one and "Hugo". In both films, historical uses of techniques and period-correct artistry is put on display and, at the same time called into question. Both films are worthy of their nominations. The Artist plays its hand differently than, Hugo, however, in that it forces the audiences perspective into the world it is portraying. The loss of dialogue (not sound, mind you, as the score is nearly omni-present) forces the viewer to consider the images and the people in them differently. The way the audience notices light, set design and physical performance is heightened considerably. The soundtrack, too, is not just there to tie mood from one scene to the next or accentuate a moment. It is a constant companion, loyal and friendly, not unlike Uggie, the fantastic Jack Russel Terrier who is Jean Dujardin's sidekick throughout the film.
The question that comes up, however, is whether or not the story serves the manner in which it's being told, or the manner in which the story is being told is there for the story. Though the film was extremely enjoyable and the performances were a lot of fun throughout (the scene where Bérénice Bejo semi-seduces herself with Dujardin's jacket was a fantastic bit of simple stage/wardrobe play), I Dujardin's defiant pride stretched on for a note or two too long. The finish, with the couple dancing their way into the new film form together is surely a crowd-pleaser, but it was missing a middle note to make it pay off in more than a viscerally satisfying way.
Four films into the nine nominees, Hugo seems to be the clear favorite to me.
Resonance 7/10
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