The Artist
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 7:31 pm
The Artist is a superbly executed revival of the art of silent films. Most people think that the silents were like new films, but lacking something important, so they see no reason to watch them. How much they're missing! Without sound, silent film makers had to use imagery to convey feelings and ideas. The best of them created indelible, deeply moving, images that tell stories. This sometimes happens in talkies today, but there is nothing compelling directors to reach for it.
An example from The Artist - Peppy has romantic feelings for George, so finding herself in his empty dressing room, she embraces his jacket on a hanger, and a man's hand actually emerges from the jacket and returns her embrace. What a romantic moment!
Another example - after George falls on hard times, he sees a man's evening dress in a store window, and stops to watch his reflected face in the store window, just where his head might be were he wearing the clothes. The wistful yearning smile on his face speaks volumes.
Evocative images like these were typical of the silents and are largely a lost art.
For those who cherish great silent films, The Artist is a perfect-in-every-detail revival.
An example from The Artist - Peppy has romantic feelings for George, so finding herself in his empty dressing room, she embraces his jacket on a hanger, and a man's hand actually emerges from the jacket and returns her embrace. What a romantic moment!
Another example - after George falls on hard times, he sees a man's evening dress in a store window, and stops to watch his reflected face in the store window, just where his head might be were he wearing the clothes. The wistful yearning smile on his face speaks volumes.
Evocative images like these were typical of the silents and are largely a lost art.
For those who cherish great silent films, The Artist is a perfect-in-every-detail revival.