Now some of you might be asking yourself, "He surely ment to type 'Air Bud', or 'Lassie'. He just wasn't thinking when he put 'The Artist'". Well you would be wrong. Now sit there in your wrongness and read on!
So I saw The Artist today. Now all I've heard about this movie is how it is a love letter to cinema (eat your heart out Hugo!) and how amazing the acting is from everyone involved. I agree with all of that and feel that this movie deserved the Academy Awards it received. It truly is a window to the past when pop culture was just starting to become a part of culture. The silent films were the first attempts at creating new worlds for people to immerse themselves into. The introduction of the 'talkies' however was something many were against. This is where we find George Valentin as this movie begins.
George Valentin is one of the most beloved silent film actors, only rivaled by his dog Uggie. This movie is beautiful in that it gives us one of the most amazing performances in recent memory. Uggie is a powerhouse of talent. He can't be stopped. His performance in this movie is only opposed by his master George Valentin, played by Jean Dujardin. Jean's performance is deserved of his Academy Award without a doubt. His ability to express emotion with his face and minimalist mustache was astounding. Obviously it being a silent movie requires the actors to do most of the acting with their bodies. I believe that all the actors in this film were taught by none other than Uggie himself. As a dog he cannot talk (not sure if you knew that) and his experience as an actor who can't talk obviously was beneficial to the other actors in this film.
Sure this movie is about film history and how the introduction of the 'talkies' rocked the medium to its core. But what was more interesting to me were the characters and how they evolved in tandem with the evolution of the film medium. The two main characters' (George Valentin and Peppy Miller, played by Berenice Bejo) arcs mirrored each other. As one star rose another fell. It isn't a unique storyline by any stretch of the imagination, however the actors and their ability to show their emotion through their facial expressions was what set this movie apart. Even though the two main characters were awe inspiring, neither of them came close to the ability of Uggie. Uggie did not need a voice to express his feelings, nor did he need expressions to show his love, anger, determination, or any of the other countless emotions you feel from Uggie in this film.
George Valentin fell from stardom and spiraled into a self-loathing, depressed man. The joy he felt for life was quickly diminished when people started to look towards this new and intriguing style of film making. It became clear that he was not the everyman, collected person he portrayed in his films. He was rather the opposite. He was a needy, loveless man with a hole in his soul that no amount of idolization could fill. He pushes everyone in his life away, but he knows to keep his rock, the only person who truly loves him for who he is, close to him. He keeps Uggie and Uggie stays with George because he knows how much George needs him. While everyone in this film is changing themselves to be who the world wants them to be (for some it takes longer than others), one character stays true to who they have been and who they know everyone needs. Uggie is the cornerstone that holds this film together. He is the reason George is able to live.
The Artist is a film that many believe captures the essence of what makes a motion picture truly beautiful and captures a tumultuous time in film history. It is all these things but to me this movie is an example of what all humans go through. It is an example of life, of being thrust in a direction you do not expect nor even want sometimes. It is more than just a love letter to film it is a love letter to life and living for what you believe. It reminded me to recognize that things change, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better.
I don't own that picture
But I wouldn't mind owning that awesome dog
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