Edited The Artist

            This past weekend, saw the film The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius. This film was brilliantly done from the beginning to end and was a pleasure to sit through in the movie theater.  At the movie theater I attended they were only showing two films being The Artist and The Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep.  Normally I would go see any Meryl movie because I absolutely love the way she acts because she is so diverse and can truly act in any role, but I went against my normal choice and picked The Artist.  The director was able to capture the essence and magic of what silent films can capture and also what these films were like when they first came out.  From the beginning of the film I got the sense that this was a treat instead of just another movie that I would see any other time.  Sometimes I wish when I watch films like The Artist that I could go back to a time when films were starting out so I could live during the time period when going and seeing a film was an event and the processes of movie making and the stars where the big news in everyday life.  The Artist, I believe, captures what it used to be like for the audience, movie stars, and directors of silent films in this time and what it was like for them when film was changing from silent to talkies.  I believe today that most films rest of the laurels on-sound effect and the spectacular use of digital effects to maintain their audience’s attention.  This however takes away from the message and the shot composition of the film because people who go to the movies today are just looking for the new effect or the new 3D movie which is going to wow them. 

Staircases used in the film

The Artist was able to wow me unlike any other film that I have seen recently because of the shot composition that the director chose because they were all cleverly thought out.  The one scene that sticks into my mind the most is when George Valentin is leaving the production studio offices and heading down the stairs.  The shot reveals the different levels of stairs going up and down and each floor.   Nothing is obstructing your view from seeing what is going on in the building.  It made me think this is what it would look like if you were looking at the stairs through a glass window or wall.  This scene also reminded me of one of my favorite films Rear Window, and its shot composition of the buildings where the main character views all of his neighbors.  In the stair scene the audience sees the stairs as if there were no walls surrounding them and you can see everything that people are doing when they are walking up and down the stairs, talking to people, and doing many other things.  Michel Hazanavicius was able to create a very visually appealing movie that I enjoyed and would recommend anyone to go and see.

Cast of The Artist at the 2012 Oscars

The weekend that I saw the film was very close to the Oscar Awards so it was really interesting at the awards to have seen the film that won most of the awards.  This year it was the 84th Academy Awards and The Artist received an amazing ten nominations.  The film ended up winning five awards: Best Picture, Best Director for Hazanavicius, Best Actor for Dujardin, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.  I totally agree that the film should have won in all of these categories because of it being such a great film.