Silence is Golden

Image of "The Artist" - The Weinstein Company/Warner Bros.

QUIET ON THE SET!

Ever since talkies began in late-1920’s, we had been aggressively striving in developing the best euphonic audio presentation including state of the art surround sound systems plus high-fidelity sound mixing formats. Overstuffed on technology, who knew we’re subconsciously starving for a silent film? With huge gravitas, Michel Hazanavicius takes whopping leaps backwards into the nostalgic period when the idea of synchronized recorded sound was considered absurd. In this charming tale, about the rise of spoken dialog along with A Star Is Born type plot, Hazanavicius peacefully paints a motion picture displaying actions that speak louder than words. Masterful cinematography and syuzhet narrative allowed The Artist to arrive with big noise here in America.
The opening credit sequence presents a playful illustration of Michel Foucault’s theory, Panoptican, towards the Classical Hollywood Narrative structure. Enveloping our mental state with open arms, the movie begins by provoking disequilibrium. As we sit in a movie theatre, we immediately become engaged of the “central” tower: the movie screen. We, as a viewing audience, see what we think is the beginning of The Artist, however to much to our surprise, the establishing shot comes from a scene in A Russian Affair. “I will not talk!”, stubbornly declares a swashbuckling gentleman. Our journey embarks into a film within a film layout; the intro of our movie forces us to watch an audience watching a film. This is also known as “voyeurism”.  The ideology in viewing habits is instantly discombobulated. As A Russian Affair came to a histrionic end, I found myself leaning forward with anticipation as the audience onscreen took a moment to react. With lighthearted deceitfulness, my ears were given a peppy soundtrack rather than audio feedback of the audiences’ uproarious applause. Off with a witty pun, the main actor of the film, both The Artist and A Russian Affair, is found waiting behind the screen along with a sign announcing, “Please Be Silent”. This certainly sets the mood of what is to be expected in this film. It’s funny, distressing, clever, yet more importantly, a fulfilling tour of pure entertainment.  

On more than one occasion, the cinematic forth wall is smashed. It becomes disorientating in figuring out what moments are suppose to be reality, dream or a film. It’s absurdism at its purest form. For example, George communicates with himself in various appearances – his shadow and a miniature scale of himself. You have to question what is real in life. In order to find clarification, one must see within to find one’s self. With that said, mirrors and windows play a vital role throughout the movie. It not only represents one’s one personal reflections, but also déjà vu of the former society. The Artist is so much more than just toe-tapping musical numbers or heartwarming chemistry between George and Peppy. The Artist reminds us that we can take what once was considered old and use it as an advantage in order to reinvent ourselves.

Part of the movie’s charm is the use of old Hollywood cliques. Cinematography wise, it uses the outdated boxy aspect ratio of 4:3, Panchromatic film stock and intertitle cards. This is united with bygone mise-en-scene such as: Art Deco set designs, surrealism fashion, and melodramatic performances. By referencing iconic moments in former films, we cannot help gain the feeling of adoration. For example, the use of “legs dialog” that was made popular in many American romantic-comedy musicals. Case in point, a jolly tap dance test between George and Peppy. Dance sequences like this hark back to rhythmic banter between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  According to Hazanavicius, “dance in a way is like a love scene, they’re flirting”. Other memorable moments to look for are: a certain scene emulating Citizen Kane’s famous mealtime montage in addition to the use of scores from Vertigo, Pennies From Heaven and After the Thin Man. Hazanavicius employs such iconic expressions to remind us that we must respect the past in order to invent the future.

To me, what ultimately makes this film charming are the actors’ performances and their physical presentation. Jean Dujardin, as George Valentin, inhabits various characteristics seen in most popular actors from both the Silent and Golden Era. Case in point, he has a gentle smile like Gene Kelly with light-footed swagger like Fred Astaire. His onscreen persona has melodramatic flare in the vain of Douglas Fairbanks. He is lovable as Charlie Chaplin while subtle like Buster Keaton, but debonair comparable to Valentino and a broad built resembling to Vincent Price. He is a true man’s man that women can fall deeply in love with. Valentin was the perfect silent film actor. Once the silent film era came to an end, his career too came to a crashing halt. This was the same unfortunate tale that happened to many silent film actors, specifically those with heavy accents. I.e. Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, John Gilbert, Clara Bow, etc. George’s failures is forecast in his latest flop, Tears of Love. As we watch his character dramatically swallowed under quicksand, the same catastrophe happens to his sinking career. To be called an artist, one must ride a rollercoaster of pride, pleasure, and pain and back. George does just so in a matter of an 1hr 40mins.

Though the film is set in the past, the moral of the tale is embracing the future. The Artist is the perfect film to understand what makes you happy. If anything, when life gets you down, just dance. I guarantee that at the end you will be left speechless.

Restaurant Recommendation: Shady Lady Saloon

As you passage through the double doors, shielded by two burly guards, be prepared to be magically transported into an age before prohibition laws and the birth of Jazz. If you’re tired of the same ol’ mug of beer and inferior rated spirits, come to Shady Lady for memorable, artfully crafted cocktails. Every recipe honors the classics while using nothing, but high-quality ingredients. As you sit in one of their red velvet booths, you’ll notice that the atmosphere is lively yet comforting. The streamline interior is accented with dark, rich mahogany, a U-shaped bar and chandelier lighting that is sure to set the mood for a secret rendezvous. For these current bitter cold evenings, I recommend sipping on an affectionate Hot Toddy. This libation is smooth, cozy and will give your soul a hardy hug. As for victuals, they have all kinds of dishes that will make any tummy happy. I personally recommend trying their ham and cheddar hush puppies, duck confit tots or house cured salmon lox to go along with your fancy mixed beverage. Any combination you choose to trek on is a victory. Yum’s the word! Fortunate for us, Shady Lady isn’t an underground speakeasy. You can find this friendly saloon located on 14^th & R Street in Downtown Sacramento.