The Artist

I have always been fascinated with Classic Hollywood films. Ever since I have seen The Wizard of Oz when I was a kid, I always wonder how they made films during its golden days. Oz became my childhood film, and because of its influence, I also watched Casablanca which was dubbed to be the most romantic film of all time. I saw Casablanca in its rarest form, black and white. When I was done with it, I immediately immersed myself in one of the longest films I have ever seen, Gone With The Wind which starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. As I go through the fastest 3 hours of my life, I was not surprised that Gone With The Wind soared high during its time and hailed as one of the best films of all time by the American Film Institute. It was Schindler's List which was the last contemporary Black and White film that I ever saw. This year, The Artist was released and proved Hollywood, Black and White silent films are not yet considered prehistoric as it won the coveted Best Picture Award in the recently concluded Academy Awards.

The Artist is a french movie that tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a famous movie actor in 1929 who bumped into Peppy Miller. Peppy became a rising star as George's star turned dim when the silent films lost its trend in Hollywood. George produced a film that caused his bankruptcy. A romantic comedy in some sort, The Artist achieved what is almost impossible: to raise a dead genre in film making.

The Artist is a craft that is worth watching. Looking at how they portrayed the era, they have researched well and even studied the way actors and actresses are made of. The production design is a bomb, even topping Peter Jackson's King Kong in terms of portraying a certain era. This proves that with accuracy and simplicity, a film can achieve elegance and class even without trying. Filming the movie in black and white adds glamour to the film.

The Artist should be an interesting addition to any film buff. It adds flair to the flunking quality of Hollywood films. In the midst of over blown special effects films during the summer, The Artist is a breath of fresh air proving Hollywood that it does not need to have a big budget to make a good film, only good film makers and actors with a heart for the craft.

GRADE: A+


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