#kendavitian

If you haven’t seen The Artist, you’re missing out. While some of the numerous awards it won may be tied to its veneration of old Hollywood, this could easily be your new favorite. Yes it’s in black-and-white, yes it’s silent and features artists you probably haven’t heard of, but this is no vanity project and neither is it artsy for art’s sake. This picture is a glowing example of the way limitations breed creativity. When it comes to its visuals, storyline, acting, and writing, it stuns.

Beginning in 1927, the story follows silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and his faithful dog Jack. George is on top of the world when suddenly, a new innovation in technology threatens his stardom: sound. As he struggles to adjust to a changing world, a young actress, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) rises through the Hollywood ranks.

I have tremendous admiration for this film. Not only because it’s gutsy to make a silent, black-and-white picture. I respect it for the clever way it shapes its story, how it takes what should be a handicap and makes it a strength. What better way to immerse you in the setting than to make a film that looks and feels authentic to the period?

Director Michel Hazanavicius (who also wrote the film) makes The Artist so much more than the sum of its parts. The picture’s intertitles (the cards that appear with the dialogue being spoken) are a great example. Modern cinematic techniques mean there are very few but what's happening is unmissable due to the performances, uses of music, zooms, the way the shots are framed. What percentage of conversation do experts say is non-verbal again? So it makes sense that you don't really need to hear or read the words said; you just need to see how it impacts the characters. This film is about the performances and the story, not the dialogue.

When we get intertitles, they're cleverly used. Think about any mystery novel. How often does the author deliberately leave information out to enhance the story? You’ll read something akin to “Through the ventilation grate, he heard a voice say ‘Your day has come now Johnny’ and then, a gunshot”. In a movie, that scene wouldn’t work. The killer's voice would give their identity away. In a silent picture, that kind of trick works. The Artist takes full advantage of its medium in a way other films wish they could.

Most importantly, this is a terrific comedy, a poignant drama, and a romance that makes you fall in love with the characters. The actors have so much charisma they don’t need to say anything. As soon as you see Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo together, you know there’s something special there. It may be in black-and-white but there’s a full color wheel of emotions to savor.

It’s a story that gets better upon repeat viewings. After the conclusion, you reconsider a slew of the other scenes before them, giving you a whole new insight into the characters. I remember working at the video store when The Artist was released on home video. I recommended it to everyone looking for a love story, a comedy, or something different. I remember my heart breaking when someone who couldn’t have been more than 10 years my senior said “it’s probably a movie my dad would like, but not me”. It breaks my heart even more, having just re-watched it. There’s not one element of The Artist that makes it for a niche audience. This is a universal film anyone can enjoy. (On Blu-ray, September 23, 2016)

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (or simply Borat) is as audacious now as it was in 2006. You can’t believe Sacha Baron Cohen put himself out there - quite literally - the way he did. It’s packed with memorable lines from a character you cannot forget. It even manages to educate you by surreptitiously inserting a couple of smart observations made here and there. They raise eyebrows even more than the comedian’s antics. Sometimes it goes too far but in a picture like this, that’s preferable to not going far enough.

Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is tasked by his government to make a documentary about what makes the “US and A” the “Greatest Country in the World”. With the help of producer Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), the clueless, jew-hating, misogynist foreigner does his best to navigate the country.

I'd like to think everyone would realize there's something amiss about this portrayal of Kazakhstan instantly. This mockumentary fills it with children who play with AK-47s, the town rapist is little more than an annoyance, pubic hair is a form of currency, women are kept in cages and scientifically proven to be less intelligent than men, and so on. Then again, most people have probably never even heard of Kazakhstan, which is why Cohen gets away with everything he says so matter-of-factly. “Against animal cruelty?!” might be one of my favorite lines from the film.

Borat is convincing as he interacts with people because there's nothing the actor won’t do. Some of it you might even believe from a foreigner unaccustomed to our customs. He slowly leads to his outrageous comments or slips them in so quickly that people are either too taken aback to confront him about it or don’t react at all. His demeanor makes everyone let their guards down. He'll throw in a jingoistic remark. Did it spark outrage? No? Better go a little further. All the non-actors either show superhuman patience, which makes their bamboozled reactions hilarious, or they incriminate and embarrass themselves so thoroughly you laugh at their expense. As cringe turns to hilarity, you wonder, "Did no one remember they were on camera?"

I first saw Borat in 2006. Its iconic lines have never left my memory. "Very Nice!" indeed. What shocked me this time around was that many of the people I initially categorized as victims of the prankster's filmmaking... kind of deserved what they got. The scenes in the deep south gave me a twisted smile where before - when I didn't understand what was actually being said - I saw innocent bystanders being taken advantage of. Seeing these wretches exposed is a pure delight.

Borat is deceptively intelligent and also works as an outlandish "put it all out there" comedy. It's nasty, vulgar, outrageous, and bold. The fact that it sparked controversy and multiple lawsuits shouldn't be a surprise. While the plot itself is only so-so, the end results make it a must-see comedy. (October 27, 2020)