Sunday 22 January 2012 at 5:28 pm
Haruko and I saw The Artist yesterday.The move plot is not extraordinary, but the telling of the story is what makes is excellent. A star of the silent film, George Valentin, refuses to do talkies, but a starlet he help goes on to become a big star. He goes down into drink and deterioration, selling everything, but she looks out for him. In his pride, he refuses her help, but eventually acquiesces and goes on to make a movie with her.
The film is entirely in black and white, and his no dialog except for the last 30 seconds, when it shows a take of the talkie the stars are putting together. Expression and movement were the only way to tell the story, and the actors and actresses did a really good job.
The actress, who was French, said that she had to learn to act like an American actress - be louder, talk with her hands, occupy more space. Gloria Swanson was her model.
Douglas Fairbanks, whose popularity declined as talkies came out, was the model for Valentin. The directory used some subtle techniques to portray Valentin's decline, dressing him in suits that were a little too big, and making him wear heavy boots.
Interestingly, they shot the film on color stock because black and white film was not grainy enough.
Although the film is Fench, they shot in Hollywood for realistic locations. Sites included various theaters around town where silent films premiered, and Mary Pickford's residence as the startlet's house.
I recommend seeing it.
Monday 31 January 2011 at 12:44 am
Haruko and I saw The King's Speech today. Excellent acting, especially by Colin Firth, and a compelling story. We have no idea why the international press thought The Social Network was better. The King's Speech is a movie that will last, but The Social Network is a cartoon of a startup.
Monday 22 December 2008 at 10:20 am
The movie bears only a passing resemblance to the book, having been simplified to make it accessible to 5 year olds. The characters are they, but the story is quite different. Unfortunately, it was made cartoonish. The mice and rats, instead of living like mice and rats, have their own worlds, with houses, stores, etc. There are no prisoners in the dungeon. The king never knows his daughter is missing. The jailer, instead of wandering in the dark with only a rope to tell him the way, has plenty of cheery light. Basically, all the real darkness was removed from the story because the darkness would make it too scary for small children.
In a way, that guts the whole story. One of the important themes was the contrast between dark and light, but when the dark is made bright and the harshness removed, then the theme looses it power.
On a technical level, the animation is great. The animals are rendered realistically, with every hair in place. The humans are flatter, more cartoonish. And when Despereaux imagines scenes from the book, the style is even flatter, looking much like children's book illustrations that move.
Overall, I would give it 2/5. It is not so bad by itself, but I am disappointed it is not what it could have been.
Sunday 06 January 2008 at 11:04 am
It is unbelievable, really, how a Congressman from Texas can defeat the Soviet Army, but it is true. Just goes to show you what a little action in the right places can do. And it is a shame the short-sighted US just left a problem spot to fester as soon as the Soviets pulled out.
Both Haruko and I liked the movie. Excellent acting and an interesting story. However, I don't think I would be all that interested in seeing it again. I guess political thrillers aren't my cup of tea.
Monday 31 January 2005 at 4:17 pm
4 stars. A very good film. It is amazing to see Clint working all these years, and he does a fine job. I thought his performance was more realistic than the plot line of a 31-year-old waitress coming out of nowhere to knock everybody out and go for the title. Apparently Clint's daughter or granddaughter does a bit part as a little girl in a truck, and both Clint and another Eastwood, Kent, composed some of the music. Film making gets to be a family affair.
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