Hollywood LOVES Hollywood!

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2012)

As I watched the Oscars unfolding through the small hours back in February on Sky, I was both flabbergasted and then rather irritated at the regularity of "the Academy Award goes to....The Artist", mainly because I knew of the real talent that was being consequently going away empty-handed.
Afterwards, finally seeing The Artist with friends in a multiplex, we were all a bit underwhelmed by the whole thing. The Oscar's hype had elevated it way and above that was mortally possible and whilst good, it couldn't weave its golden magic on us.
Out of my friends, I'm the only one who watches Silent movies in any shape or form. Therefore, that novelty was not going to overwhelm me. We all agreed on three positive things, though. 1 - The undeniable charm, charisma and dash of lead actor Jean Dujardin. 2 - The story toward the end and 3- The Dog. The dog, each and every time, every scene he's in were amazing and some really had to have been painstakingly choreographed.
As I said, the story picked up about a third way in and after George Valentin's (Dujardin) fall from fame and his nightmare flashed his situation to us, I could see where this movie was going and it finally 'clicked'. That the story was going to be similar to the essence of 'Singin' in the Rain', charting the dilemma that film-makers and actors of the silent era faced, which, of course, hailed the end for many huge stars, such as Charlie Chaplin.
The thrust is - and a clever one - is that here, with The Artist, we have a French production, with an actor with a heavy and perhaps difficult to follow accent, who by being "silent", could make a surprise Hollywood hit. In every sense, it looks and feels old Hollywood, because you can't hear it. And that's what happened to many silent stars, who couldn't sing or speak eloquently. With the advent of the microphone, they were immediately assigned to the scrapheap. Once we ascertain that Valentin needs to find a new way of making a living and understand how the chorus girl he helped out is now a star, the film, for me, opened up and moved on nicely.
Yes, the production values are impeccable and its relative novelty raise it above the ordinary. As for the Academy and their generosity, well, the previous year they lauded the British 'The King's Speech', which was different and well made enough for them to take it to their hearts. And, of course and maybe above all, Hollywood loves Hollywood!