"The Artist" for Ordinary People

The first news of "The Artist" after its domestic release was neither about box office nor word of mouth, but about some interesting anecdotes: it is reported that in some theaters, when black and white silent films appeared on the screen, some screened The staff mistakenly thought that the projection equipment was faulty, and some audiences even asked for refunds because the theater was showing "old movies". The ridiculous news at least shows that on the one hand, "The Artist" has "imitation" silent films to the extent that it can almost be fake, and on the other hand, it may also just show that our ordinary movie audiences are too far away from such movies.

The pictures are getting more and more refined, the sound effects are getting more and more shocking, 2D is not enough, 3D and 4D are needed, and the development of film technology is so fast that we feel that these should be "for granted". This kind of film is accustomed to, so it is easy to be labeled as a form of focus. But no matter what you say, it does not prevent this from being a good-looking movie. Its good-looking lies precisely in its "different" - the old black and white pictures, the dialogue displayed by the subtitles on the card, the actors' slightly exaggerated actions and circles Circled and other traditional special effects, the beauty of "The Artist" is not in the story itself, but in the tribute and memory of the movie it does, but in the fact that after we get used to the magnificent visual blockbuster, we can go to taste the rough and simple rice. Take it easy. So in this sense, "The Artist" should be seen by ordinary audiences the most.

Apart from the formal gimmicks and tricks, "The Artist" at the story level still won't let us down. Traditional behind-the-scenes stories about dreams, love and success. Just like "Singing in the Rain", which has become a classic now, in the era of the transition between silent films and sound films, too many people made a fortune from it, made a profit, and entered the upper class. Basic life is difficult. This is a topic that will never be out of date for anyone at any age. In "The Artist", love has become their new hope. It has to be said that this is actually just the subjective arrangement of the creator of the story, but we are willing to believe in the moving of this happy ending. For movie fans, the bigger move is to find the classic tribute from the clues of the film, from "A Star Is Born" to "Sunset Boulevard", and the last paragraph imitating the Hollywood golden combination Ginger and Frey De's dance, in "The Artist", we have seen too many familiar movies. In the end, it tells everyone with a story that has experienced twists and turns, love will always go on, life will always go on, and movies will always go on.

In the final analysis, "The Artist" is not just for artists who are high and low. Under the cover of an elite title and a seemingly "literary" form, it is still about the joys and sorrows of the world, it is for us to see Yes, it's for ordinary people.

Originally published in "Yangcheng Evening News" January 18, 2013 A28 edition

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