The Artist
March 28, 2012 at 2:00pm + 7:30pm
(France, 2011 - Rated 14A – 116 min)
Directed by Michel Hazanvicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller
Nominated for 10 Academy Awards and an audience favourite at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival®, Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist is a love letter to 1920s Hollywood that resurrects silent cinema as a powerful and complex storytelling medium. Shot entirely in black and white, without dialogue and utilizing a traditional 1.33 aspect ratio, the film remains faithful to the period it represents, avoiding the trap of pastiche through a sincere appreciation of the cinematic possibilities offered by classic silent film.
The Artist tells a familiar story, reminiscent of classics like Sunset Boulevard and Singing in the Rain, but Hazanavicius and cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman breathe new life into an old tale. Their skilful handling of a style that could easily have turned into camp enables for a newfound appreciation not only for silent cinema, but also for melodrama and the intense emotional effects the genre can deliver. Above all, The Artist offers a joyous look back to a golden age, and will leave audiences nostalgic for a cinematic form that, as Hazanavicius proves, hasn’t lost its resonance.
“Michel Hazanavicius’s black-and-white throwback to cinema’s silent era may seem steeped in fusty nostalgia, but it glitters and gleams with utterly of-the-moment wit and romantic zest.” – Anne Hornaday, The Washington Post
