After the announcement of 19 Competition titles at last month’s Cannes press conference, some insiders suggested that as many as three films could be added to the lineup before the festival kicks off — and through a kind of online Chinese-whispers game, that number became accepted as truth, without any such promise from Thierry Frémaux himself.
As it turns out, we should have been wary. Just one film was added to the Competition this afternoon, bringing the total to a nice round 20, and that’s all she wrote. Forget any lingering hopes you had for Yorgos Lanthimos or Brillante Mendoza: the latecomer to the party is “The Artist.”
The director: Michel Hazanavicius (France)
The talent: Ever thought you’d see Missi Pyle ascending the Palais steps at a Cannes Competition premiere? Me neither, but she’s just one of the unexpected names attached to French farceur Hazanavicius’ fourth feature film.
John Goodman, James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller (someone I was, weirdly, having “whatever happened to…” thoughts only the other day) also feature; less surprisingly, the film is headlined by funnyman Jean Dujardin, star of Hazanavicius’ hit “OSS 117” films. Below the line, one American name I’m pleased to see involved in the French production is ace costume designer Mark Bridges, fresh off his Guild-nominated work on “The Fighter.”
The pitch: As befits such a last-minute addition, details on the film are sketchy. The ones we do have, however, are intriguing: a silent, black-and-white comedy-drama set in Hollywood at the dawn of the talkie era, it follows the career slide of outmoded silent movie star Georges Valentin (Dujardin) as he sinks into alcoholism; his story is counterpointed by that of a young, fame-hungry extra. Hazanavicius’ “OSS 117” films are witty, affectionate parodies of the spy genre; his latest could find him applying his knack for pastiche to a different cinematic era.
The pedigree: Not only is Hazanavicius a Cannes virgin, but “The Artist” is the first of his four features to premiere at any major festival. Not that he’ll be an unfamiliar name on the Croisette, you understand: the “OSS 117” films were commercial smashes in France.
The buzz: Right now, the general reaction to “The Artist”‘s appearance in Competition is still one of surprise; most haven’t yet progressed to speculating about the film itself. The surprise appears to be a pleasant one, however: at the very least, the tonal variation it brings to the lineup is something to be welcomed. The film was initially slated to premiere out of competition, which could be read one of two ways: that it isn’t really Competition material, but a hasty substitute for loftier titles that weren’t ready in time, or that Frémaux thinks it sufficiently special to be promoted.
The odds: Long. Even if it weren’t a late arrival in the contest, neither the film’s semi-comic, showbizzy premise nor its comparatively lightweight director would scream “Palme d’Or” winner. But’s it’s an exciting wild card all the same; at this stage, looking unlike anything else in Competition is the best thing it has going for it.
[Photos: uMedia]
Comments
10 responses to “CANNES CHECK: ‘The Artist’”
of the films you’ve covered so far, and give or take Almodovar’s, this is probably the one i’m most looking forward.
“first english language feature” is sometimes the trickiest thing though, especially when the director hasn’t made any crossover hits, but for some reason, i’m still really intrigued to see this.
Just thought I’d fill you in on the most important aspect of the film: it’s silent !
This one sounds like it could be fun (and, perhaps, more than that).
It’s got me thinking: have any comedies won the Palme d’Or? Looking back through the list, the most recent winner that, to me, seems to have any chance of raising a laugh is Pulp Fiction, and one wouldn’t exactly call that a comedy. Before that, it looks like we have to go all the way back to MASH (1970), Signore e signori (1966) and The Knack… (1965). Don’t get me wrong – I think the Palme d’Or is, on the whole, an impressive roster of winners – but perhaps it’s time for a good laugh (if, indeed, this one is funny)?
Julien: Thanks! I was initially confused, since some sources described it as silent while others described it as the director’s first English-language feature. But “silent” seems to be the operative word, so I’ve added it. (I’m interested to see how that fits with a story about the transition to talkie cinema.)
Edward L: Indeed. It’s one respect in which Cannes is more like the Oscars than one might think.
VERY happy for Missi Pyle. ;)
No seriously, she’s a brilliant comic actress! This film looks very interesting as well. Could be fresh and generically complex – or a gimmick (the director did the OSS 117 films, after all).
@Guy: The plot sounds suspiciously like a mix between A Star is Born and Singin’ in the Rain.
Wow. Missi Pyle. Glad to see this happen for her. She was always kind of the Other Elaine Hendrix.
The OSS 117 films are so funny. I look forward to this one.
The Cannes site has a clips but only Drive is working, not we need to talk about kevin or skin that I inhabit.
Cliff Martinez’s score in Drive sounds cool.