Yes, No, Maybe So: "The Artist"
Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 11:31PM Sometimes our Yes No Maybe So series is just formality. Who doesn't want to see this big shiny novelty, a silent movie for 2011!?
Nevertheless let's manage expectations with our patented Yes No Maybe So system. Yes (all the reasons we're on board) No (potential issues the trailer suggests we could have) Maybe So (random introspection that's neither positive nor negative exactly)
Yes That Cannes win for Jean DuJardin is tantalizing, especially since the performance in short trailer form looks so deliciously physical and charismatic rather than a traditional 'Master Thespian!' type deal. But mostly the concept alone, the evidence of joyful dance scenes, clever physical comedy and the a heart that beats with the sincere love of cinema promises a good time.
No Uh.... what to say... what to say... how will any onscreen terrier ever measure up to Skippy who starred in The Thin Man and The Awful Truth?
As you can see I'm failing to come up with a "no" this movie looks so gorgeous and fun. In all seriousness, though there's nothing in any way "turn off" about this brief look, I do wonder how the movie will sustain its gimmick over 100 whole minutes.
Maybe So I've successfully read nothing about the plot of this picture but the trailer suggests A Star is Born style plot yes? I understand that we're dealing with Hollywood homage and archetypes and tropes so it's appropriate and all of that but my god that's been done hundreds of times already.
Here's the trailer...
are you a yes, no or a maybe so? does the trailer justify (for you) the Oscar buzz?
Reader Comments (14)
YES. I'm just thrilled to see something a little unconventional (by our time's standards, anyway) getting a major push. So many of us are huge fans of early cinema so this is way, way welcome.
you know? Maybe so. I know everyone's excited about it, and I am interested in a silent film this day and age, but I just can't warm up completely to the idea of it. I don't know why, I'm not totally sold yet (though the movie poster is beautiful)
Hey Nathaniel. I am glad to've been able to see the movie at the Cannes press premiere this year and walked into the theater without ANY idea of what to expect, like everyone else. And so the movie started and my thoughts went like this:
No dialogue you mean? ("hum....") ---> Gorgeous cinema compositions and references ("nice. but I've seen films students tackle that. Why is THIS playing here?") - "The score is classical but amazing" ---> "What a pretty girl" ---> "what is up with this experiment?" --- "Nice I love joyful cinema dances" ---> possible SPOILERS I dont dare reveal now ----> and then I loose track because I got so caught with such high energy and charisma, and simple joy and beauty that I couldn't help leave the theater with a huge smile in my face and say to my friend: "I loved that".
What carries the movie? Jean Dujardin and Berenice too. But the overall control of the director is astounding. the story is indeed classic, but so well executed that why would you ask anything else? A few fun surprises and a lot for cinema lovers to re-discover and enjoy... yes, this will be a huge hit given time and platform.
So incredibly a "yes!" that I can hardly stand it.
YES! I only hope I get to see it before the end-of-year hype becomes overwhelming (as it surely will once more people see it).
I think Jean DuJardin just might win.
Yes! It looks so beautiful, and DuJardin looks so charismatic silent movie star. (But I like your No point)
Honestly I didn't even need the full trailer to know this was a yes. Hell I didn't need to know the concept. I'd have been sold on that still at the top alone.
I'm afraid I have a big NO to this and it is Berenice. I can only judge by the trailer but, unlike Jean Dujardin and even Penelope Ann Miller who just look period perfect, Berenice's look is so modern that all the magic disapears for me when she's on screen. Maybe it is her type (so thin and angular) or maybe her makeup but everything in her screams 2011. I hope her performance can make you forget that.
Yes! Yes! Oh god, yes! I was intrigued by the concept alone, a slient film, a throwback and hommage to the slient era, particularly now in our day and age, where it seems like every second film coming out is in 3D. The concept alone is incredibly refreshing to me.
After seeing the trailer, I'm completely and 100% sold. I'm interested in seeing a film that still honors the roots of cinema - good storytelling, wonderful images, and good acting. I have no interest in 3D film shite, where it seems like the producers are tying to reproduce an amusement park ride instead of telling a good story.
It's clearly the story of the festival year so far, but there are so many studio heavy-hitters to come so I can't go all in for major nominations yet. Should be a shoe-in for various technical nods, especially cinematography. Strangely however, this seems like a down year in the Lead Actor category, so a nomination for DuJardin is a good prediction.
I admit the trailer won me over and I'm very curious and hopeful. But the snob in my knows that as soon as everyone really starts gushing "What a great and original concept - a modern day silent movie!" I'm going to curl up and sob quietly into my Guy Maddin DVDs.
YES. I liked the interview with the director (on Gold Derby?) where he talked about making the film in LA to get the right atmosphere - how many French films are made in the US? The enthusiastic reception is wonderful, because maybe it'll get shown all over the country.
No. Sometimes it's hard to get people to go with you to something unusual (not want to see a new B&W silent film? I don't get it) so you see other things instead. Then you have to find time to go alone.
Maybe so: Oh, there is no maybe for me either. What joy - a terrific new film.
Yes. It seems deeply felt along with classic, and that's a pretty awesome combination.