“The Artist” has become the first silent picture to win the Oscar for Best Picture (2011) since “Wings” took the same award in 1927-1928, the first year of the Academy Awards. (It won a total of five Oscars out of ten nominations.) The film is primarily a French product, produced by Thomas Langmann, directed and written by Michael Hazanavicius, and starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, Frenchmen all.
Hazanavicius deservedly took home the Best Director Oscar, creating this highly entertaining salute to silent pictures. The other three statues went to Best Costume Design, Best Musical Score, and Best Actor to Jean Dujardin. Bejo was also nominated, for Best Supporting Actress. Dujardin and Bejo have tremendous chemistry on the big screen, the former as George Valentin, the older silent star whose career is fading, giving way to talkies, and the later as newcomer Peppy Miller. Shades of “A Star is Born.”
The supporting cast includes John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Bitsie Tulloch, Ed Lauter, and Jennifer Lilley. “The Artist” was successful at the box office for Le Petite Reine, Studio 37, France 3 Cinema, U Film, and Warner Bros. France. It was filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio of early movies, proving true our saying that the best movies Hollywood makes are movies about Hollywood!
The Artist (2011)
cinema
My Review
“The Artist” has become the first silent picture to win the Oscar for Best Picture (2011) since “Wings” took the same award in 1927-1928, the first year of the Academy Awards. (It won a total of five Oscars out of ten nominations.) The film is primarily a French product, produced by Thomas Langmann, directed and written by Michael Hazanavicius, and starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, Frenchmen all.
Hazanavicius deservedly took home the Best Director Oscar, creating this highly entertaining salute to silent pictures. The other three statues went to Best Costume Design, Best Musical Score, and Best Actor to Jean Dujardin. Bejo was also nominated, for Best Supporting Actress. Dujardin and Bejo have tremendous chemistry on the big screen, the former as George Valentin, the older silent star whose career is fading, giving way to talkies, and the later as newcomer Peppy Miller. Shades of “A Star is Born.”
The supporting cast includes John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Bitsie Tulloch, Ed Lauter, and Jennifer Lilley. “The Artist” was successful at the box office for Le Petite Reine, Studio 37, France 3 Cinema, U Film, and Warner Bros. France. It was filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio of early movies, proving true our saying that the best movies Hollywood makes are movies about Hollywood!