In a generation with so many gadgets, electronics and smart phones, it is nearly unfathomable to think that there could be a movie made without any sound, and that people would actually want to see it.
However, the Oscar nominated picture The Artist is the first major motion picture silent film created in many years, and it’s causing quite a buzz with the Academy!
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Set in Old Hollywood in the 1920s, movie star George Valentin, played by Jean Dujardin, struggles with the idea of talking motion pictures. He feels this newfound trend will take away from his role in the industry and ultimately end his career.
In the midst of this story, George Valentin falls for young, beautiful dancer Peppy Miller, played by Bérénice Bejo, who is waiting for her big break.
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A wonderful film, The Artist proves the true talent of acting using facial expressions, hand gestures and body behaviors to convey all the emotions that would normally be solidified through words.
The cast of the new movie sat down to chat with GlobalGrind about what it was like making The Artist, their relationship with onscreen co-star and dog pal Uggie, and how they felt people would respond to the silent film.
Check out the exclusive interview with the cast below!
The great mystery of this movie: are Pepper and George in love or is it just a flirtation?
Bérénice Bejo: We are in love.
Michel Hazanavicius: They are in love in their old Hollywood style. No kids, no sex, no nudity, just old-fashioned love, that’s my interpretation.
What was the secret to helping your actors go back in time to that golden era in Hollywood? What was the most important thing you had on your mind every single day?
Michel Hazanavicius: To hire the best actors possible, that was the best thing I did I think.
Were there inspirations of great directors like Murnau and others who inspired you?
Oh yeah, sure of course. Great directors of Hollywood inspired me. And not just the silent movie directors, of course Murnau, Von Sternberg, Hitchcock, Lang, John Ford. But also Billy Wilder, Lou Beach…
Were you concerned about James Cromwell and making a film where people said, ‘Wait, this is the guy from Babe.’ Were you worried about recognizable character actors?
It’s much more than the guy from Babe, he is a great actor and for us, he is an iconic actor of Hollywood and he really gives some credibility to the movie being in Hollywood. I didn’t say old Hollywood, I just said Hollywood.
Can you talk about Uggie and your relationship with him?
I worked with Uggie two weeks before the shooting and it was very easy because it’s not a dog, he’s a star. And sometimes I followed him and sometimes he followed me. I think Uggie was in London yesterday for the TV show, he’s a big, big star really. There was a lot of improvisation together, and the treats, lots of treats in my pocket during the shooting, sausages.
What was your thinking of making a black and white film, silent movie in today’s day and age? Did you expect people to respond to it in the way that they have?
Nobody expected that kind of response and the fact is, that we didn’t calculate nothing. I think really it was a stupid idea, but the trick was it was not an idea, it was a desire and I really wanted to make that movie and I found the right people. They all wanted to make that movie and to see that movie and that’s exactly why everyone joined us; and nobody, believe me, made that movie for the money.
I think we made it for passion with our hearts and we worked the best we could, we made the best movie we could, but that doesn’t mean that it will be good. Even when it’s good it doesn’t mean it will have success. That kind of success is just unbelievable and unexpected.
