The Artist
Short description
Set in Hollywood in 1927, The Artist follows George Valentin, a celebrated star of silent cinema whose career is thrown into doubt by the arrival of talking pictures. As sound transforms the industry, Valentin resists the change, while Peppy Miller, a young dancer he helps early on, rises rapidly in the new era. Their paths cross as one career fades and another takes off.
Michel Hazanavicius wrote and directed the film, his third feature after OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies and OSS 117: Lost in Rio. Jean Dujardin plays Valentin and Bérénice Bejo plays Peppy Miller, with supporting turns from John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller and Missi Pyle. Thomas Langmann, Dujardin and Frédérique Dumas-Zajdela produced the Belgian-French co-production, made for about 15 million USD.
Released in 2011, the film proved a substantial commercial success, earning roughly 133 million USD worldwide against its budget. On TMDB it holds a 7.4 rating from over 3,600 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 8.8 from 321 reviews, indicating stronger approval among reviewers than among general audiences. Its 100-minute runtime, black-and-white photography and largely wordless style place it among the director's most formally distinctive works to that point.
What's left behind the scenes
- John Goodman needed only four minutes to agree to the role in the film, as he liked the director's idea so much.
- At the Cannes Film Festival, the audience gave a standing ovation for ten minutes after the film screening.
- At the 56th minute of the film, before laying down his tailcoat, the protagonist finishes a bottle of gin. He also gets drunk after the auction. In this episode, George drinks “genuine American whiskey.” However, Prohibition was in effect in the United States from 1920 to 1933, so it is unlikely he would have been able to acquire such a product, let alone freely get drunk in a bar.
- Due to the excessive sharpness and lack of grain in modern black and white film, the film was shot on color film. However, special filters were used to make the black and white more vibrant or faded depending on the mood of the scene.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
