Reinventing black and white

Long before audiences heard people talk on film, there was a time when movies were silent. This era is long gone, with studios demanding remakes and sequels, but writer/director Michel Hazanavicius' loving homage to the silent era is a different view on what filmmaking once was.

"The Artist" both a breath of fresh air and a film that shows how movies can still entertain even when they are silent, black and white.

The story is this: Hollywood 1927, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a famous, charming and proud silent film star, whom the audience loves, but when a young, talented and beautiful woman named Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) accidentally stumbles upon him at the premiere of his latest film "A Russian Affair." The photographers take many photos of the two together and, by the next day, she is the "talk of the town."

Valentin discovers her at a film audition and decides to include her in his next film "A German Affair." Soon the two develop a strong bond and thanks to Valentin's gesture, Miller begins to get parts as an extra and later, more complex roles. Just as Miller becomes a new actress in Hollywood and begins headlining her own films, Valentin fades away due to the advent of voice in film and his determination to continue acting in silent movies.

At its core, "The Artist" is a love story both in the sense of Valentin and Miller, but also, a love story to that era and its audiences.

Hazanavicius clearly has a passion and affection for this period of film and has a lot of fun putting on extravagant displays of inner emotion.

Whether it's the writing of the subtitles, which are cleverly inserted at just the right moment, or the fantastic score that resembles the grandiose and sentimental, the combination allows for thematic growth between the "Silver Screen" and the characters.

The acting by Dujardin and Bejo is simply great. The film's most basic arch progresses the acting by both become a lot more subtle. The two leads  inthe film act like silent film stars and all their scenes are full of joy, just like the film itself.

Since speaking dialogue is not possible in a such a film the actors have to convey their emotions through reactions and facial expressions; that said, they excel as well. Everyone including supporting roles from James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller to John Goodman to even the charming appearance of Uggie the dog, capture the elegance of old films.

 The movie also is technically impressive due to the little technical touches Hazanavicius applies. The editing and the use of the iris, which was a prominent editing technique during that era, are technical nods to the era, which inspired use of 4:3 aspect ratio (meaning that it's not on widescreen). Then there is the concept of movies within the movies which are subtle tip of the hats to colorless films. Even the mirror usage and how the parallel ideal that Valentin sees signifies the two eras of film that the actor is going through: the silent era and the beginning of the "talkies."

"The Artist" proves to be one of the boldest movies of 2012 and is beautiful and passionate film that reminds audiences of why movies were joyful, funny and moving in the first place.

If The Artist isn't as thematically dense or complex as other films rather its interested in the simple style and storytelling without things we are use to. Hazanavicius recreates the style of silent films in a true representation of what was seen before we could hear voices. It is the type of film that takes audience members back to an era that is almost never seen in theatres now, but one that will never be forgotten. 5 out of 5

Oscar Garza may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.