At the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) last night, "The Artist" was featured as one of the Spotlight films for the closing night.
Once or twice in a lifetime, you will go to the movies and find that when the lights have been turned down low, you are transported to another place or time, one you don't want to leave until you absolutely must. That was the experience I had in East Hampton last night. "The Artist" is a 2011 romance film directed by French auteur Michel Hazanavicius, starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The story starts in 1927 and is about a leading man in silent films who balks at the idea, let alone the reality, of talking films, and a young star-wanabe woman who falls for the charismatic leading man unwittingly. Not only is this striking film about the era of black and white silent films, but it is one!
"The Artist" is beautifully made. Everything about this film is magical. The acting, the directing, the art, the characters, and especially the music. You can't take your eyes off the screen nor do you want to. I can honestly say I have not enjoyed a festival film this much since the "Stand-ins" which was shown at the HIFF in 1997 and is a beautifully done period piece about stand-in actresses in the 1930s.
If and when you have an opportunity to see "The Artist" I highly recommend that you do. I believe you'll find yourself feasting on everything you see and hear, and wanting more, just as the audiences here did when they awarded "The Artist" with the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. You might also be interested in knowing that Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
P.S. If you're in or near East Hampton today, Monday October 17, 2011, "The Artist" will be shown again in Theater 2 at 2:00 p.m.
You had me at 'The Artist', but then I checked out the trailer and I will now be on the lookout for this wonderful film. You are truly a woman after my own heart. AND apparently they're both pr-r-e-tty mushy ones at that...
Posted by: BAFA Studio | Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:43 AM