Artist, The (6/24/2011)

Rated PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture.

Directed by Michael Hazanavicius

Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo and John Goodman

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you went more than an hour without hearing a single spoken word?

At a time when Hollywood is pushing to make every movie bigger, flashier, more action-packed and explosion-filled, director Michael Hazanavicius instead decided to strip everything away and create a black and white, silent film.

That’s right. No color, no sound effects, and no dialogue (not including the couple dozen cards that you have to read). Same $10 ticket price.

In 2011.

The film takes place in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when the technology to create talking pictures abruptly and profoundly changed the film industry. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a popular silent movie star who—like Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain–suddenly finds himself left behind, forgotten. Meanwhile, a young newcomer named Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) finds her big break with the talking films and rises into popularity just as quickly as Valentin fell from it. The plot is simple, but effective. Anyone who has seen Singin’ in the Rain has seen the majority of what happens in this movie.

So what makes The Artist Theatre Worthy?

First off, this film is hilarious. The dog—Uggie in real life, but unnamed in the movie—steals the show, which is impressive considering the performances of Dujardin, Bejo, and Goodman. But since most of the story is portrayed through the characters’ movement, body language, and facial expressions, Uggie really got a chance to stand on equal ground with the human actors. The jokes are simple, good-natured and often silly but never cheap, and the laughs are real and honest.

Which really brings me to my next point: by being as simple as possible, The Artist shows us how powerful film is as a storytelling tool. It made me focus on the little things that I usually don’t pick up on. It made me appreciate what was there: individual movements and expressions, shrugged shoulders and stolen glances. But it also made me appreciate what was not there: not just color and dialogue, but sounds effects. The little things that we just expect to hear like footsteps and door creaks. It’s amazing how easy it is to take things for granted while watching a movie.

And finally, the acting is superb all around; Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo (I have no idea how to pronounce either of their names) are perfect in their roles. They could have exaggerated their parts and we would have ended up with a perfectly good fun and cheesy homage to the silent film era. Instead, they treated their characters with such poise and subtlety that, again, proves how much can be done with very little when treated with thought and care.

I loved The Artist, and I think people should see it if only because it is so very different from the typical movies of today. It might not be what you are used to, and it may require you to change gears, but I think it’s worth it.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The Artist is rated PG-13, so I think if your kid would be capable of sitting through an hour and a half silent film, they would be ok with the content.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
George Valentin is a man who is so stuck in his ways that refuses to change, even when the change is for the better, and even when changing is the easier option.

Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
Change is never easy, especially when it involves giving up things we are attached to. That’s why the story of the Israelites in the wilderness resonates with me so much. When they had finally come to the land that God had promised them, they found it full of giants. Understandably, they were scared; Exodus 14: 3 gives us their words.

Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.

Even with the assurance that God was on their side, the Israelites were afraid. They would rather have returned to slavery (something bad, but familiar), than face uncertainty. Following God’s guidance can be scary, and He may ask us to give up something (or everything) to follow Him, but we can feel safe in the knowledge that He knows what is best for us.

Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
Giving up everything to follow Jesus is much easier said than done, but we can take steps to make it happen. Ask yourself:

• If Jesus asked you to give up everything to follow Him, what would you have trouble giving up?


• What is getting in the way of you following Jesus with everything you have?


• What in your life do you place as a higher priority than your relationship with Christ?