The Artist

First off, let's get one thing straight; 'The Artist' is not going to be everybody's cup of tea. Some cinemas have even been offering refunds to people who have walked out early, not realising it was a silent, black and white homage to the early twentieth century beginnings of the movie industry itself. Whilst that does seem a little short-sighted (and a particularly uneducated film choice for people to have made), I do understand that 'The Artist' will have a very particular audience.

For my part, I really didn't know what to expect from the film. Shot in the 'silent movie standard' aspect ratio, and at a lower frame rate than the current Hollywood norm, even the production methods used demonstrate a genuine love and admiration for the films of the era, let alone the old-fashioned movie making techniques. And in an age where CGI and 3D are king, it is a brave move to make. Indeed, having to appeal to a 21st century audience, whose brains are wired for instant gratification of all the senses at once, makes this concept a tough sell. I, for one, spent the first half an hour just getting used to the story-telling techniques on offer. However, having re-learnt how to watch a film (following the action on inference rather than relying on verbal affirmations of a character's intent), it is difficult not to get completely absorbed in the storyline, with silence actually becoming a more powerful tool in the director's arsenal than anything else.

Regardless of the cinematic style though, the level of attention to detail paid to every single frame becomes painfully obvious at a very early stage of watching. It seems slightly self-evident, but without the need to attend to dialogue, the viewer is free to direct absolute focus towards the actors and their surroundings, making them face even greater scrutiny than normal. Fortunately, the cast are more than up for the challenge, and deliver superb performances all round. Notably though, almost every scene is stolen by a worryingly talented Jack Russell Terrier, who manages to upstage his two legged screen colleagues at pretty much every turn.

All that posing simply wasn't helping to get the crossword done...

Taking it all together then, it becomes pretty easy to understand why 'The Artist' has received so much praise and award hype (including 12 BAFTA and 10 Oscar nominations). And instinctively, it feels particularly deserving, if only to reward the people who had the bravery to make it in the first place. Unfortunately though, it appears that the public at large have not quite been as enthusiastic to give it a go. Box office takings to date do not seem to match with the widespread critical acclaim the film has received. My advice is therefore remarkably simple; despite looking like it would feel more at home in cinemas a century ago, 'The Artist' has been imaginatively and attentively crafted to make it comfortably accessible to even the most hesitant of modern audiences. Full of vintage glamour, class and old-school charm, 'The Artist' truly is deserving of a chance...