It could have been a better experience, nevertheless it is a good film

Rating: Null/10 (7 June 2012)

If you want to create something different, irrespective of good or bad you need to experiment. In world of cinema Experiment has been a perennial process thus cinema lovers witness beyond monotonousness of typicality. Hopefully Indian audience will be accepting more such attempts so that young intelligent directors and can experiment and surprise us like their foreign counterparts. Coming to the main topic, "The Artist" is one such exceptionally captivating experiment where by director Michel Hazanavicius recreated the silent era of Hollywood almost successfully. Story-wise it's a simple and linear tale of fall & rise with an overtly positive ending. It tells the story of George Valentin (brilliantly played by Jean Dujardin) ,a fictional reigning star of silent era of Hollywood. The film begins at the genesis of talking era with artist involving the silent era on verge of creative destruction. In such a scenario the pride of George led him to further downfall thus leaving him with his loyal pet (played by now famous dog Uggy) and a chauffeur. While in his peak days he found a talent in form of Peppy Miller (played by Berenice Bejo) who later became a superstar of early talkie cinema. Though Miller tries to help George for a grand comeback it is the ego and self destructing reflection of inner self that protest unnecessarily thus heading to a chaotic dissolution. Michel Hazanavicius story and screenplay is fairly linear and had it's share of cliché parts. The ending is forcefully optimistic which doesn't gel with the mood of the protagonist. Being French himself it is expected that he would avoid the complexities of Hollywood silent films and simply concentrate more on the lead than the surroundings. But Michel Hazanavicius' direction is better than his screenplay with an eye for technical details of the by-gone era from aspect ratio of the picture to the costume of each actor. Schiffman's cinematography is captivating with an elevating musical score by Ludovic Bource. Teaming up with Anne-Sophie Bon, the director did a splendid job in the editing department keeping the film crisp and concise. Mark Bridges' costume and set design set the mood for the period film. When talking about "The artist" one cannot give a full stop until they talk about Durajin and Uggy. In an era of talkies Durjardin gave a superlative performance with his expressions telling thousand words. He has the capability to play with eyes as well as the whole face same time and thus generating basket full of expressions. And there is Uggie- the wonder dog whose expressions were as brilliant as the human actors. The sequence were George plays with the pistol to shoot himself and the way "Uggie" reacts to it biting the trousers of George and helplessly staring to hold him from pulling the trigger, deserves special mention. Bejo as Miller has the charm and aura to be a superstar and she portrayed that with perfection. Her vulnerability in the later reels are well established. John Goodman (one of Coen Brothers favorites) is in full form expectantly as Al Zimmer, the producer of Kinograph Studios. Cromwell as chauffeur Clifton is efficient. During the initial credits I saw Malcom McDowell and was expecting a meaty role but was surprised to see him in a blink-and-you miss appearance. Overall The Artist is an extraordinary experiment with flaws. It could be a path breaking film if director had written the script with reduced clichés and less consciousness on making the juries of award(s) contended. But still it deserves the required applause for the technically effusive attempt. In fact the symbiotic relationship between George and his dog reminded me of another classic Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D.