'The Artist' isn't the only film celebrating Hollywood's Golden Age this year
Mr. Hazanavicius, meet Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Spielberg
Asa Butterfield (left) and Chloë Grace Moretz in "Hugo"
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Okay, I've been a bit down on "The Artist" since day one. And I took another shot this morning. Well, allow me to take one more.
Really, I don't want to be a wet blanket. I appreciate that people are discovering and loving the movie on the festival circuit. I think it's a thin sort of satisfaction, though, and oddly enough, some of the same people who took "The King's Speech" to task for being (in their view) a trifle against the STAGGERING density of "The Social Network" last year are glomming onto Michel Hazanavicius's film like it were a blast of freshness. It's not. It's novel. And charming. And yes, it celebrates Hollywood's Golden Age, which is delightful.
The thing is, when I see a runaway locomotive narrative getting out of hand like the idea that "we should award 'The Artist' because it celebrates film history" or what have you, I feel like I have to step in. Especially since that narrative isn't at all unique to "The Artist" this season, or even this weekend, for that matter.
So good on Tom Shone at Slate for pointing out that "The Artist" is but one example of a few films harkening back.
He writes:
"Come Nov. 23, cinemagoers will have a choice of two valentines to the silent era: The Artist or Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s 3-D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s best-selling children’s book, whose poster echoes Harold Lloyd’s clock shenanigans in Safety Last (1923) and whose final 25 minutes turn into a loving revivification of the earliest days of cinema... A romance during the time of silent film.
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"Nobody could accuse modern blockbusters of silence, but the aesthetics of silent cinema—its favoring of the visual over the literary, action beats over dialogue, international markets over domestic— is alive and well."
From there Shone spins a thesis around these films recalling, specifically, the aesthetics of silent cinema. And it's a fine note to make on a season that is full of so many interesting trends, many of them already explored in this space.
But I'm only just now really noticing that Hazanavicius and Scorsese's films are both hitting theaters tomorrow, and despite my trepidation on "The Artist," it is a delightful little flick that would make for great holiday viewing this week. Meanwhile, Scorsese's effort is a thorough piece of reverence from one of the only guys in the industry who could have given it that proper care.
So, see both. Come for the puff pastry appetizer, stay for the hearty turkey dinner.
(Two other films that kind of fit the theme, though abstractly: "Midnight in Paris," which reflects on a simpler but invigorating time of creativity in 1920s Paris, and "Super 8," which is a love letter to analog days of yore.)
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupRashad
November 22, 2011 at 1:59PM EST Reply to CommentI wonder if The Artist wasn't silent and in black and white would people take to it as much. I understand that's its charm, but it's like the only way people realize something is an ode to the past is if they make it really obvious.
Hugo fits there too, I guess, but at least it's within the story. Still, I'm choosing Scorsese tomorrow.
red_wine
November 22, 2011 at 2:16PM EST Reply to CommentI agree with you that The Artist is mostly a trifle. And I also think that The King's Speech was definitely more substantial and superior to The Artist. Its pleasant and all but I don't see it winning Best Picture. Neither do I think that it should.
I'll also agree with you on another film that you endorsed - A Separation, which is such a towering masterpiece that it seems really silly to talk about the best in a year without talking about it. The Oscars would only be drab for the exclusion of such a great film.
Matthew Starr
November 22, 2011 at 3:01PM EST Reply to CommentI liked the Artist quite a bit and definitely more so than The King's Speech but neither of those films are top ten films and definitely not close to The Social Network.
Also Kris be careful with all this Artist smashing. Apparently TWC took note of Jeff Wells and Sasha's anti King's Speech entries last year and didn't invite them to Iron Lady.
You might be last in line for Wettest County and Django next year, save yourself!
Kristopher Tapley That actually had nothing to do with them not inviting Jeff and Sasha. It was a 10-seat room and they were actually bummed they couldn't get them in for that screening. Another one happened yesterday, though, and Jeff was there.
November 22, 2011 at 3:11PM ESTMatthew Starr Why would a distrib even have a screening in a ten seat room? Anyways I was just playing off of what Jeff and Sasha themselves wrote on Jeff's blog.
November 22, 2011 at 3:50PM ESTKristopher Tapley I think they're paranoid.
November 22, 2011 at 5:28PM ESTAnyway, it was a small room and what they had available (at TWC here in LA) and they wanted to show it asap.
Ohh Finally understand the staggering hatred Stone had for The King's Speech. I get why people may not like it as much as The Social Network but reading that site makes you think it's the worst film ever made in the last decade.
November 23, 2011 at 10:59AM ESTJack
November 22, 2011 at 3:04PM EST Reply to CommentMidnight in Paris doesn't do that strictly in the cinematic sense but it fits along a theme this year of harking back on nostalgia for a bygone time. In that, Artist and Hugo, all three (George Valentin, Owen Wilson's character and George Melies) all come to terms with their present ahead of what's already happened in the past and start to work with it. In all three cases I frankly found them to be rather light; perhaps Scosese played the most interestingly on Hollywood's fears of 3D and the looming digital age by incorporating his own 3D as a cyclical demonstration of film as an ever-evolving medium of art, but I still think The Artist did best (through Dujardin's performance) at capturing the worry and stubborn resistance of it all.
Brock Landers
November 22, 2011 at 3:51PM EST Reply to CommentWe are definitely on the same page Kris. The Artist is a perfectly enjoyable film the first time around, but the plot is so fucking paper thin that on a re-watch when all of the novelty has worn off, it becomes almost a chore to sit through.
Hugo, on the other hand, I find comes dangerously close to being a masterpiece. I was thoroughly engaged for the entire film and thought the orphan survival stuff was incredibly well done. It has so much more going on under the surface than The Artist does. I really hope that these absolute raves that it is getting (it is absolutely killing it on RT and Metacritic) translate to Best Picture and Best Director nominations.
DylanS
November 22, 2011 at 4:18PM EST Reply to CommentEven though the discussion is currently limited to Artist, Descendants and War Horse, does anybody else get the feeling that something else is going to come in last minute and become the favorite. I'm finding it difficult to imagine any one of them winning, except for site-unseen War Horse, which I'm not expecting a front-runner caliber film there anyway.
Brock Landers I have a feeling Dragon Tattoo is going to blindside everyone.
November 22, 2011 at 5:13PM ESTPaul I get that feeling too. I've saw The Artist and The Descendants at NYFF, and though I genuinely love them both, I don't see either winning Best Picture at the end of the day.
November 22, 2011 at 6:56PM ESTI can see War Horse taking it, but my hopes still secretly rest in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being the big winner. Don't know what it is, but I get that feeling that it's going to make a huge splash in the Oscar race. I also wouldn't mind if some stronger talk started up for the likes of Midnight in Paris, The Help, Moneyball, Hugo, or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. In a year where there's really not a strong frontrunner as of now, why not have it be an all out race between many rather than choosing two or three?
Anyways, on a side note, I was thinking ahead to next year, and just thinking of Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has me stoked for next year's race.
Paul *I saw
November 22, 2011 at 6:57PM ESTJohn-Paul The few notices War Horse has received thus far all suggest pretty much what you said: a good movie, maybe even very good, but not Best Picture good. I don't know if we can trust such a limited amount of early notices, but it matches the gut feeling I've had about it for a while. I think it will be nominated, but I'm not sure if it will be in serious contention for the win. I know this is probably a useless comparison, but if Private Ryan couldn't do it, I doubt War Horse will be able to with (probably) considerably less enthusiastic reviews.
November 22, 2011 at 11:32PM ESTThe Descendants and The Artist look good right now, but I'm not sold on either of them becoming the frontrunner either. I think we may have another year like 2009 in which the eventual frontrunner was a movie that had been around for a while but was never assumed to be a real threat for the win until the very end of the year and early into the following year. The Hurt Locker was predicted for a nomination since it came out, but I don't recall ANYONE suggesting that it could win until it started sweeping the critics' awards. All I'm going to say is this: watch out for The Tree of Life. I don't think it will win Best Picture by any means, but it has a real shot at being the critics' darling this year, and that could at least put it into the frontrunner position for a short time until something "safer" comes along to take its place.
JLPatt One title: "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Best Picture.
November 23, 2011 at 12:52AM ESTDylanS JLPLATT: "EL&IC" makes "War Horse" look edgy, from an oscar bait standpoint. I think it will underwhelm.
November 23, 2011 at 1:15AM ESTTrex
November 22, 2011 at 5:01PM EST Reply to CommentHugo > The Artist
In a decent world, Hugo would get a BP nom and possibly be anointed the frontrunner.
AmericanRequiem
November 22, 2011 at 5:19PM EST Reply to Commentif this week did anything i think it was making hugo an ever growing threat, people seem to really be loving this movie. dante will hopefully make up for that snub on shutter island, and thelma for shutter, but dont even get me started on that snub
Jonnybon Shutter Island was good but not great.
November 22, 2011 at 6:11PM ESTJJ1 Yeah, I'd say HUGO is the story of the week (with MY WEEKEND WITH MARILYN's stellar reviews coming in a close second). 6 100s for HUGO on metacritic already. And Roeper just gave it an A+ (I believe his only this year). I've yet to read complaints of Asa Butterfield being blah in the first hour. And the 2nd hour seems to work big time for the critics, as well. Heartfelt nostalgia is the Oscar narrative this season thus far.
November 22, 2011 at 6:13PM ESTBrock Landers Hugo is definitely the story of the week. It will probably end up being the best reviewed film of the year.
November 22, 2011 at 6:20PM ESTTrex Shutter Island was more than good, it was pretty fantastic.
November 22, 2011 at 6:48PM EST@JJ1- While I agree with you, The Muppets are at a solid 100% on RT, so we shall see.
JJ1 Trex, oh yeah, MUPPETS at 100% is fantastic. I'm happy. I'm just reading more "raves" for HUGO. And since this is an Oscar site, I think HUGO is more in the conversation. That's all. :)
November 22, 2011 at 7:18PM ESTAlso, I agree, SHUTTER ISLAND was fantastic; and so overlooked.
Matthew Starr Saw Hugo tonight, absolutely friggin loved it. This despite the most obnoxious person ever sitting in the row behind me who would not stop talking.
November 23, 2011 at 12:02AM ESTJLPatt JJ1: Roeper gave A+ to "Harry Potter" also this year.
November 23, 2011 at 12:54AM ESTJJ1 Ahh, I stand corrected. Thanks :)
November 23, 2011 at 10:33AM ESTMik2kin
November 22, 2011 at 5:58PM EST Reply to CommentYes, "The Artist" is not alone, its main competitor is American silent movie "Silent Life" with Isabella Rossallini that will be released in December 2011.
Linda
November 22, 2011 at 6:08PM EST Reply to CommentTrue, this buzz is based on it being silent and black-and-white. However, I read even that is not an original idea. They forgot to mention "Silent Life", another silent film (in color!) to come out this year.
Aden
November 22, 2011 at 6:09PM EST Reply to CommentYou must really dislike MWWM because it fits the theme as well.
Kristopher Tapley I don't think it does. It's not a movie expressly about that. It's a character study, first and only.
November 23, 2011 at 3:34AM ESTLinda
November 22, 2011 at 6:11PM EST Reply to CommentTrue, this buzz is based on it being silent. But even that isn't original, I read there's another silent film coming out this year (in color) - "Silent Life".
Guest Guesto I think the word you are looking for isn't "original" but "unique".
November 22, 2011 at 7:09PM ESTGuest Guesto
November 22, 2011 at 6:26PM EST Reply to CommentI am yet to see the Artist and I probably will (because, really, why not?) but I just want to say that from afar, Woody Allen's "Purple Rose of Cairo" seems to have covered some of the same ground in the way that was full, multi-layered, satisfying and, ultimately incredibly balanced. It was both a tribute and a very level-headed analysis of the characters on both sides of the screen and the actors behind those characters, their flaws and dependence on one another. And they place movies have in our lives both good and potentially dangerous. And what a great ending.
"Purple Rose of Cairo" didn't even get nominated for Best Picture.
"Midnight in Paris" by the way is also a pretty dissilutioned picture though. It's still, ultimately uplifting and hopeful but it is a movie that looks FORWARD not backward.
Did people catch that at all?
Rufus
November 22, 2011 at 6:46PM EST Reply to CommentKris, is it true that the Midnight in Paris screeners were sent out w/out Woody Allen's name on the FYC section? Any idea why?
/3rt He wants nothing to do with awards. He's only been to the Oscars once to tell Hollywood after 9-11 to still shot in NY.
November 23, 2011 at 12:16AM ESTKristopher Tapley ^
November 23, 2011 at 3:34AM ESTThat.
Graysmith
November 22, 2011 at 6:52PM EST Reply to CommentIt's kind of a shame that they have Hugo opening up against two other family films this week, especially when the other two are also getting glowing reviews. It's hard to see how Hugo can compete against The Muppets and an animated Christmas movie. They should've either gotten it out sooner or just before Christmas.
All three of them having 90%+ on Rotten Tomatoes has to be some kind of unprecedented record though. Add The Artist to it and you have four 90%+ films opening the same week.
Laura Stewart
November 22, 2011 at 7:41PM EST Reply to CommentWow, The Muppets is at 100% on RT. Let the Oscar campaign commence!
SamuelM
November 22, 2011 at 8:38PM EST Reply to CommentI, too, recently had the thought that a lot of the same people going all out against The King's Speech because of it's perceived simplicity and emotionalism are now going in hard for The Artist for pretty much the same reasons. I'm glad you've called them on it. The flagrant Social Network fanboy/girlism drove me insane last year (even though I happen to think The Social Network is a better film), I'm glad this site didn't buy into it.
Anyway, that was last year, probably should let it go.
Frustratingly, we in Australia won't get Hugo until the second week of January. After the string of great reviews that have emerged in the last week, i'm pretty excited for it.
forg We in the Philippines have to wait in February :( It was supposed to be November 30 but they pushed it back, I was really looking forward to this one and I usually abhor 3D but after reviews I'm dying to see this on on that format
November 22, 2011 at 11:35PM ESTEvan
November 22, 2011 at 8:53PM EST Reply to CommentNot to parse your words, but if we're going to rebut awards season narratives, let's pick the right narratives.
I've yet to seen anyone argue that we should award The Artist because it celebrates film history. You yourself point out the fallacy in that claim-- if it were the case, backers of that philosophy would have their pick of films to choose from.
People are saying that we should honor The Artist because they really liked the film and responded to it. Love for cinema may play into that response, but it's peoples' enjoyment of the film that makes them want to give it awards, not the cause of that response. It's the same as any other year.
Kristopher Tapley Yeah. Parsing is a good word for what you're doing here. The point is that a narrative is used to sell a product to an audience. The audience is awards voters, via the press. And the narrative is "remember the good ole' days." I'm not insinuating that love for the film isn't legitimate. That's a completely separate issue.
November 23, 2011 at 3:37AM ESTMike
November 22, 2011 at 10:49PM EST Reply to CommentYeah, Super 8 & Hugo sprang to mind with the love of moviemaking theme, I guess that's what this year's all about in the end. Spielberg's War Horse, while not about filmmaking itself does look like it pays homage to the war films of David Lean.
forg I can say Winnie The Pooh fits in as well as it was like a homage to traditional animation
November 23, 2011 at 12:38AM EST