The Artist (2011)
When you look back at the big films from the decade The Artist stands out on concept alone. Taking the gimmick of being a modern silent black and white film it was obvious that this film would gain attention and find success but to go on and win Best Picture at the Oscars made me have so much more faith in this movie being something special. To win such a big award made me believe that there was more to this movie than just a gimmick and gave me a bit more excitement for the film as the premise alone didn't do much for me. There are hundreds of amazing silent films so the gimmick itself wasn't enough for me to be excited about the movie and the actual plot didn't give me much to look forward to either. Actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who was a household name of the silent film era as he deals with the transition of the film industry going to talkies which is an idea he rejects completely and the feeling of becoming more and more irrelevant as other stars start to rise. Where this plot on its own isn't terrible it is far from new being done multiple other times in movies such as Singin' in the Rain. I went in more interested than anything to see what this movie would end up being past its gimmick and I will say what I found I couldn't deny overall worked for me.
But first speaking on that story and its plot I will say that it is easily the weakest part of the movie. As I mentioned this is a story that has been explored multiple other times and this film does nothing to set itself apart story-wise from those other quality takes on this story. You pretty much know where every story point is going and can easily predict what the film is going to end up doing. They do try to supplement this with it's a gimmick of being a modern-day silent film but that failed to really work for me either. Sure it works and is easy to follow as a silent film but there are multiple times especially towards the beginning of the film where it is clear they want to play into that gimmick and make it obvious like it is something to really celebrate and add to the movie. It got distracting at times and felt out of place but I also think the gimmick starts to add something to the latter half of this film. Sure there are sequences where it feels like a distraction but there are also a few moments where it is handled in really creative ways and it took me by surprise. The lack of sound really did nothing for me but it was how they use certain additions of sound that was one of my biggest positives of the entire film. It's hard for me to really judge the gimmick this movie brings as it is unremarkable except for a few scenes but those few scenes are so good that it almost makes me forgive the rest of the gimmick that felt blander.
Though where the gimmick overall balanced out I think the other aspects of this film were all quite well done. The acting, for example, was really solid, the actors in this movie had to enter this new realm of acting in silent films which is a hard task to do but overall everyone really worked for me. Jean Dujardin comes off as arrogant but also pretty likable as his journey to stay relevant and important leads him down darker and darker roads. Despite her character being a bit underdeveloped Bérénice Bejo is also pretty likable but I must say the dog Uggie was the true standout. Not just is he really well trained but his presence adds an element of quirkiness that you don't often see and really did work with the silent film gimmick. The production design is also really fantastic, where there are so many more resources now than there was in the era of silent films this movie does a great job at visually transporting you back to that era with the only difference being the quality and sharpness of the camera. I also must praise Guillaume Schiffman for the cinematography in this film, it looks really fantastic and has some great visuals.
All things put together sure I can't say the story is new or really even that interesting. But it is a solid telling of that kinda bland story that gets the job done and even has some really creative moments with the editing and use of sound. I don't think this film is must watch by any means or going to be on my final Best of the Decade list, but it is good enough that I also wouldn't say to hide from it. If this sounds interesting then go ahead and check it out, I just don't think I will be seeing it again anytime soon.
All things put together sure I can't say the story is new or really even that interesting. But it is a solid telling of that kinda bland story that gets the job done and even has some really creative moments with the editing and use of sound. I don't think this film is must watch by any means or going to be on my final Best of the Decade list, but it is good enough that I also wouldn't say to hide from it. If this sounds interesting then go ahead and check it out, I just don't think I will be seeing it again anytime soon.