So, as many of you are aware, The Artist took Best Picture and Best Directing this year at the Oscars. I can't say it was a big surprise. Because it's a silent film, it's certainly unique (nowadays), and I have to say, it was very well-done. I'm not so sure it was the best film made all year, but I'm sure it really hit home with the members of the Academy, so they loved it. Don't get me wrong - I really did enjoy it, but largely due to how different it is to what we're used to.
One thing I found quite interesting is how much they are able to convey without words. Some of the time, they follow an utterance with a caption that tells you what they just said, but much of the time, it is left to the audience to surmise from the gestures and facial cues what they are saying. I was surprised how much I was able to pick up without hearing them saying anything.
The story itself was nothing new, really. It was pretty easy to see where it was going, and if I were the type of person who guesses every plot point along the way, I probably could have gotten it pretty close. Put simply, it's about a silent film actor who struggles as the film industry moves on to films with sound.
The story itself was nothing new, really. It was pretty easy to see where it was going, and if I were the type of person who guesses every plot point along the way, I probably could have gotten it pretty close. Put simply, it's about a silent film actor who struggles as the film industry moves on to films with sound.
The acting, on the other hand, was really quite phenomenal. Jean Dujardin earned his Oscar for Best Acting as far as I'm concerned. He was very fun to watch throughout the whole thing. I recommend this to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
