Tweet The Artist (2011) a contemporary silent

:? If the right films were available there would be a good deal more appreciation. By and large they are not. Allot of the best stuff that is available is not that easy to find either. You have to know where to look.

... Or know the right people or have been proactive enough to record things back in the days off (the old and good) AMC and TCM. Why heck, I have to own a region free DVD/Blu Ray player and I still have a Laserdisc player (though I've backed most up to DVD-R) and a VCR.

I also need to be willing to shell out money for Burn-on-demand (glorified DVD-R copies) and when I do, I feel lucky to own them! I order films from the UK and France as well as here in the US and whenever Criterion, BFI, Masters of Cinema, Flicker Alley, Kino or one of the other major players releases another silent I quickly add it to my wishlist.

I feel really lucky that we have available what we have but it's kind of like the anime fandom circa 1997 where you had to mail order practically everything and pay premium prices as well. There are worse habits, I suppose.

My 90 year old mother went to see THE ARTIST last week. She liked it, she said the story was familiar and it reminded her of lots of old movies. What did surprise her was the in the beginning at the movie premiere, was the appearance of the orchestra in the movie house.

Her experience with silent film was of a lone piano, and in some larger theaters, an organ. I told her that the large fancy theaters in large cities would have the orchestras. She was born in 1922 in a spit of very rural Kansas farm town where the theater was only open on Saturday and she said, played "mostly cowboy stuff." I asked her if they ever played Chaplin or Keaton and she said no, just cowboy stuff.

In the Napoleon thread robcat2075 describes THE ARTIST as "a warm campfire" and I think that's a good description. It seemed to be a nice warm movie for my mother. At her age her hearing is shot, so following dialog is difficult, but reading the intertitles was not a problem and she enjoyed the music too.

I enjoyed "The Artist" and would have loved it had I not been to "Napoleon" the week before.

I like that it's not a joke about silent films like Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie" was, although I enjoyed that too in its time.

I like how the play of expression across their faces was able to convey bits of dialog and shifts in mood, something even real silent actors were not always good at.

I don't begrudge them for quoting, copying, mimicking, or homaging moments in previous films. Noticing those is part of the fun.

If you like Jean DuJardin you ought to see his two "OSS 117" movies in which he plays a spectacularly clueless French version of a James Bond.

My 90 year old mother went to see THE ARTIST last week. She liked it, she said the story was familiar and it reminded her of lots of old movies. What did surprise her was the in the beginning at the movie premiere, was the appearance of the orchestra in the movie house.

The situation at the "Napoleon" screening in Oakland was very much like that opening scene in "The Artist". Huge hall, packed with people, gigantic screen, larg(er) orchestra. I had read of such things but, like your mother, had mostly only experienced solo keyboardists at silent movie presentations.

One exception was when the Mont Alto Orchestra (8 players) came to town to do "Quality Street"

If you like Jean DuJardin you ought to see his two "OSS 117" movies in which he plays a spectacularly clueless French version of a James Bond.

I did see one of the OSS 117 movies and did like it. However, since I'm not much of a James Bond fan and don't speak French or know anything about the OSS 117 that the film was also satirizing, I knew alot of the jokes and humor were over my head. Still got a few laughs from it though!

Actually, the OSS 117 novels began in the 1940s, so they pre-date 007. However, anyone who saw the two spoofs knew right away that this crew really understands vintage filmmaking and that THE ARTIST would be a delight.

It's now pretty much played out, and the final domestic gross is just under $45 million, which is about what THE HUNGER GAMES did in its first 45 minutes. However, for a B&W, silent, foreign film it ain't bad at all, and ends up the fourth-largest-grossing "subtitled" film to date (behind two martial-arts films and the Benigni atrocity). One positive is that it might make it a bit easier for American directors to make movies in B&W...though I wouldn't hold my breath.

Mike S.

My suspicion is that a prominent instance like this reduces the chances for a same-element film for several years.

We won't see anyone rushing to do a silent film soon; they don't want to be endlessly compared to "The Artist".

Likewise with black and white. We get about one major B&W film per decade and I can't recall what the one before "Schindler's List" might have been.

"Young Frankenstein"?

My suspicion is that a prominent instance like this reduces the chances for a same-element film for several years.

We won't see anyone rushing to do a silent film soon; they don't want to be endlessly compared to "The Artist".

Likewise with black and white. We get about one major B&W film per decade and I can't recall what the one before "Schindler's List" might have been.

"Young Frankenstein"?

"Elephant Man"

[Christopher Jacobs]

My suspicion is that a prominent instance like this reduces the chances for a same-element film for several years.

We won't see anyone rushing to do a silent film soon; they don't want to be endlessly compared to "The Artist".

Likewise with black and white. We get about one major B&W film per decade and I can't recall what the one before "Schindler's List" might have been.

"Young Frankenstein"?

"Elephant Man"

Well, in the 2000's we got THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, THE WHITE RIBBON, and probably a few more I can't recall off the top of my head (besides indies like THE CALL OF CTHULHU and THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVERA, etc.). And for the Blu-ray edition of THE MIST, Frank Darabont had them put his preferred (and gorgeous-looking) black-and-white version on a separate disc included with the color theatrical release. Maybe black-and-white actually is starting to come back!

Well, in the 2000's we got THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK...

You're right, there are a surprisingly significant number. i recall the press for each of them spent a large proportion of time preparing people for the shock of seeing black and white.

Hopefully I will be wrong also about "the Artist" dimming prospects for more silent films.

[silentfilm]

There was also Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1983) with Steve Martin.

RUMBLE FISH(1983) - Mr Coppola

[Danny Burk]

I don't think anyone has mentioned MANHATTAN (1977), and at least two other Woody Allen films, ZELIG and SHADOWS AND FOG.

I don't think anyone has mentioned MANHATTAN (1977), and at least two other Woody Allen films, ZELIG and SHADOWS AND FOG.

...ever so slightly more on topic, the prologue to OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (with the same star and director as The Artist) has a reasonably long world-war II adventure flashback filmed in black and white.

[Mike Gebert]

The Woman Chaser, although it was shot color and may be on home video that way.



Control, about the ill-fated lead singer of Joy Division:



Le Dernier Combat, Luc Besson's first feature, is not only b&w but has no dialogue, only natural sound (and grunting).

A few more black & white films: Clerks, Ed Wood, Raging Bull, Schindler's List, Sin City

A few more black & white films: Clerks, Ed Wood, Raging Bull, Schindler's List, Sin City

The animated film PERSEPOLIS (2007) was in black and white 99% of the time -- sort of like WINGS, it just had some color in the explosions (it originated in a graphic novel, so the choice made sense). Nominated for the Academy Award, so not just your average indy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_black-and-white_films_produced_since_1970

Mike S.

OK, there are lots of modern B&W movies!

How about modern silents?

Aside from Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie"...

Jaques Tati's films of the 40's 50's and 60's are are pretty close to silents.

Guy Maddin has made three, "Dracula Pages from a Virgin's Diary", Cowards Bend the Knee" and "Brand upon the Brain". I saw the first and then took the other two off my Netflix Queue.

I suppose any film of a ballet could qualify as a "silent".

"Fantasia 2000" had spoken introductions but all the animation segments were all without dialog or even dialog cards.

Any others?

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm



The artist was shot in color film stock, as sais the director: "Modern B&W it's too sharp.

I would like to see some color scenes as extras, just for curiosity.

I finally watched this tonight.

Beautiful photography; Berenice Bejo was wonderful; otherwise...bloody laborious. I'm afraid it did nothing else for me.

I'm going to have to be more specific in future and tell people I like films from the silent era instead of "I like silent films"

I finally watched this tonight.

Beautiful photography; Berenice Bejo was wonderful; otherwise...bloody laborious. I'm afraid it did nothing else for me.

That's ok, I'll forgive you, just this once.

[Christopher Jacobs]

Aw, come on. It was cute. And the fact of its being heavily derivative and obvious aside, it certainly captured the spirit of the era with an overall sense of affection and admiration. I'm glad I got to see it in a real theatre on real film before I got the Blu-ray. My students are always complaining that I don't show enough recent movies, so this year they're going to have to watch THE ARTIST! Some of them may actually notice its similarities to SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, which they had to watch last week. I suppose I should also make them watch the 1937 A STAR IS BORN but that might be just too painful.

Well, I'm glad that our contemporary filmmakers paid homage to the filmmakers and actors & actresses of the silent era.

"a contemporary silent"??? Other than the fact that it had no dialogue it's not a silent film, as we here know them - silent films were made during the silent era.

THE ARTIST is a novelty, nothing more or less.

However, having slept on it, I do again want to praise Berenice Bejo - she really did capture something special in her portrayal which we only see in films of that era. I'm not quite able to define what it was...for instance that scene on the stairs when she's 'going up' as George is 'on the way down' and she asks him to call her. That final flick of her arm before she goes off with her boys is pure silent era acting. Lovely.

"a contemporary silent"??? Other than the fact that it had no dialogue it's not a silent film, as we here know them - silent films were made during the silent era.

THE ARTIST is a novelty, nothing more or less.

Nonsense. It's a silent film (mostly, and there are silent films of the silent era that are only mostly silent), made using silent film stylistics (mostly), and it's contemporary, so it's a contemporary silent film. And, whether you like the film or not, the adoration of this film was such that it's hardly only a novelty; fer chrissakes, it was the most critically-acclaimed film of last year.

As for Berenice Bejo being the only worthwhile thing in it, I guess you missed the crackerjack performance of Jean Dujardin and the extremely fine support of John Goodman and James Cromwell, not to mention the most darling canine star ever. Actually, it was Bejo that took me longest to warm up to, but after repeated viewings, I now love her in the part.

I'm willing to bet that, had it not received such widespread acclaim, this little film that made good wouldn't be judged quite so harshly by us silent film snobs.

"a contemporary silent"??? Other than the fact that it had no dialogue it's not a silent film, as we here know them - silent films were made during the silent era.

THE ARTIST is a novelty, nothing more or less.

Nonsense.

Obviously I beg to differ with you.

[Snip] My students are always complaining that I don't show enough recent movies, so this year they're going to have to watch THE ARTIST! Some of them may actually notice its similarities to SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, which they had to watch last week. I suppose I should also make them watch the 1937 A STAR IS BORN but that might be just too painful.

I'd be very interested to hear what they thought of Singin' In The Rain. What age range are they, and how many had seen it before (or even knew about it, other than maybe being familiar with the title song scene)? I've always found that film to be a VERY accessible film that goes over very well with people new to and/or wary of classic films.

The Artist is one of the best Silent films I've ever seen.

I thought it was brilliant and refreshing.

File it next to Mel Brooks' Silent Movie.