THE ARTIST

[CapnHook]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 7:27pm

It was quite the experience to see a silent black and white film. While there was a musical score, the volume level in the theater was comparatively low...being that there were no explosions, no car chases, and no mutant/alien fights like there seems to be in every movie nowadays. It was so quiet you could hear ever sniffle, every grab of popcorn, and every slurp of soda. Still, the concentration of every body in the house looking at the screen and not paying attention to anything else was quite refreshing. This was such an enjoyable moviegoing experience!

The film's score will u be nominated and provably win the Oscar. The male lead may get a nod, too. I hope this movie catches on. I doubt it will. Outside of New York and LA, I don't see mainstream audiences going to see this --is no matter what the hype is.

[algy]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 10:00pm

I am really looking forward to seeing this. I don't think the fact that it won't find an audience outside the major cities will necessarily hold it back - after all the Oscar doesn't always go to a film the masses will love, in fact the years I've seen the majority of the nominees it's never gone to the one I've liked the best!

I'm also really interested to see Jean Dujardin do a proper role. I've seen him a few French films, always doing broadly comedic slapstick fare. He's got a really expressive face, but I would never have imagined him for a film like this.

Here he is in the Brice de Nice trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTz5wT34tLI

It's a bit like Will Ferrell going arthouse..

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 6:14am

The Hurt Locker made four dollars.

I wouldn't worry about it. If the Academy embraces it, it will win awards regardless of it's appeal to general audiences.

Updated On: 11/24/11 at 06:14 AM

[Paulyd]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 9:34am

What a beautiful film. I saw it in Cannes this year, and is still my favourite film of the year so far.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 12:11pm

Knowing the Weinsteins they will push the Oscar buzz to help the film get an audience. The King's Speech was not even being talked about in the Oscar race until they got their hands on it in America and it steadily made a lot more than it ever expected in addition to the Oscar buzz.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 12:56pm

If the article on the film in last week's New York Magazine is accurate, it sounds like they're going to push it hard. Harvey Weinstein was quoted as saying, "I told you I'm going to take you there, and I will."

That said, he also told Tom Ford he'd win him a Best Director Oscar for A SINGLE MAN, and look how that turned out.

I'm seeing the film on Sunday, and very excited about it. It looks magical.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 1:40pm

Harvey's ego is astounding, but he's easily the best "pusher" of Oscar-bait out there now. If he loves a movie, performance, director, etc., he can and will get it noticed by the Academy. He doesn't have a perfect track record for wins, but his batting average is way higher than the big studios.

I personally like his taste more often than not. But he's still kind of a scary dude.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 3:48pm

WOW! Just watched the trailer and am capivated! Seems magical and amazing!

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 4:57pm

It's to Harvey's credit that he admits in advance he has NO idea how to market this film. He loves it and snapped it up right away for distribution, thinks it deserves major awards, and says (basically) this is a "first" for him. He's praying (his word) he can find a way to sell such a unique movie to the current public as well as the various award-voters.

If anyone can find a way, he can (not saying that he'll succeed, but he stands a better chance than most.)

I'll be watching this one to see how it does ... and how he does it.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 9:33pm

My original post was sent from my phone, apologies for misspellings.

It seems I also indicated that I didn't think that THE ARTIST would catch on with the Academy. To the contrary, I think it will be a likely contender in Best Film, Actor, Score, and possibly Directing and Screenplay.

I do not think, however, that the film will catch on with the moviegoing public. That is what my original post was inferring.

[fflagg]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 11:24pm

A remarkable film. If the film does not "take off" with the mainstream public then it is more proof that people are stupid.

The score, the acting, the set and lighting, the costumes, etc. And a dog to break your heart. Bring kleenex.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 11/26/11 at 9:50am

"The Hurt Locker made four dollars."

I'm LOLing all over the place.


I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo insanely excited for "The Artist." It hasn't opened in Pittsburgh yet, but it will very soon. I'll be there the minute it does.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 1:18pm

I saw it last night and was awed. I've thought about its beauty almost non-stop since. The best film I've seen thus far this year, hands down (although that's not really saying much, since this has been a rotten year for the art form). Dujardin is wonderful, but Berenice Bejo gave the performance that I can't get over. He will be nominated; I truly hope she will be too.

The audience where I saw it (at The Paris in NYC) ate it up and gave it an ovation at the end.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 9:08pm

Saw the movie over the weekend and thought it was very well made. It was very engaging even without dialogue. The stars of the film were so charismatic. It makes me wish Jean Dujardin spoke better english and becomes a success in the US, even if doesn't desire it. I'm sure it will be nominated for Best Picture though I'm not sure it will win as the story isn't very complex and it's light-hearted. Still, one should not miss this film in theaters.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 11/29/11 at 8:45am

I've not seen the movie, but with all the buzz for Dujardin and Bejo, it seems there's a conversation to be had about the qualities of these performances, given in a style now almost universally seen as outdated and silly, due to how far film performance has moved into the realm of naturalism. Do the actors garner acclaim and awards and nominations for -- what? -- simply mimicking the style? Surely not, since by many accounts, the performances and the film are also quite moving.

To us theater-type types, many of whom have at least occasionally dipped into theater history and the study of performance, it may come more naturally to appreciate the viability of an acting style that's all but died out. We more readily understand that it's not "bad acting," as, say, my sister, who has no interest in such things, would have it. But for someone like my mother, for example, who takes her entertainment at face value, I wonder... She loves old movies, but still sees most pre-Brando acting as silly, stiff, and campy. I'm not sure I could convince her to sit through a silent movie, let alone expect her to buy into it enough to be moved. But I do wonder what she'd make of this movie and contemporary actors "borrowing" the style. Would it strike a more reasonant chord? And if so, why?

Perhaps it's also a question for how this movie will be received by mainstream audiences once it goes wide. Will audiences to whom the movies of the mid to late '20s feel like relics embrace a movie like this? And again, if so, why might it seem more viable now? Does it serve as proof that the move toward naturalism in contemporary film isn't at all a measure of things having simply gotten "better"? Or is that a given? Might it "vindicate," it some sense, styles that pre-date our notions today of what constitutes "good acting"? And I also wonder about the actors' approach in this movie. On some level it's almost certainly imitative, but from whence do they garner honest, useful motivations for the gestures they must use, the faces they must pull?

I'm just sort of letting this all spill out of my head, so I apologize if it's confusing or if I'm off in my use of terms that have more technical definitions. I welcome the far more educated to offer corrections and suggestions. But I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this. I've often found myself making arguments for styles of acting that are uncommon or un-modern. But I grew up loving (for some unknown reason) movies of the '20s, '30s, and '40s, so maybe it's just something I got used to at an early age.

Updated On: 11/29/11 at 08:45 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/29/11 at 8:58am

I haven't seen the movie yet (and I will as soon as it opens near me), but that shot of him staring into the storefront window as his image fades away inside the tuxedo collar is absolutely haunting.

I also think Dujardin has a terrific "classic movie star" look. Like a combination of Fredric March and John Gilbert. Just perfect.

I really can't wait to see this.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 11/29/11 at 9:02am

Oh, I can definitely see John Gilbert!

My initial reaction was Stanley Tucci crossed with William Powell.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/29/11 at 9:13am

I've always thought Penelope Ann Miller reminded me a lot of Myrna Loy.

So you've basically got the two leads from "The Best Years of Our Lives" (Fredric March and Myrna Loy). The resemblance of both actors is probably no accident.

March in Anna Karenina:



Fredric March:



Myrna Loy:

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/30/11 at 3:44pm

Saw it this afternoon and LOVED it. I walked in skeptical and left on cloud nine. This is a really magical moviegoing experience that any real movie lover should NOT miss. I hope it wins a crapload of Oscars.