The Artist

            The Artist review      

   By: Olivia Rodríguez Destro

“The Artist” a silent film screened in black and white, falls into the long tradition of films about films. The French director, Michel Hazanavicius focuses on an ingrained film star and an attractive young actress during the rise of the talkies.

In the opening scene we are taken to a premiere, where George Valentin is screening his latest film to an eager audience. He is the silent movie icon and boasts an impeccable appearance. He was socially and economically in an envious position. His mindset was strong, he didn’t believe the future could ruin him.

Following the premiere George is pictured with Peppy Miller, much to his wife’s disappointment. In order to make peace with his wife, he buys her a pearl necklace and as time progresses his wife becomes unhappier, consequently, ending their relationship.

It can be thought that George Valentin is afraid of time progressing. He has a nightmare of discovering sound in his very own dressing room, but the only voice he can’t hear is his own.

The talkies arrive: a modernism that proves to be the building of Peppy but George’s downfall. Both George Valentin and Peppy Miller want to thrive, and, absent-mindedly, both release the premiere of their film on the same date. Peppy has a radio interview in a restaurant and says to the interviewer: “Out with the old and in with the new.” Evidently, she was not aware that George Valentin was sitting behind her, and even though we could not hear anything, the music and George’s countenance made it palpable that time had progressed. 

From the moment they meet each other, it is perceptible that George and Peppy would grow closer. Ironically, their charm is amplified by the silence.

Rather than being a celebration of modern day cinema, The Artist reminds us how much a film can deliver without the need for sound and colour.