http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-artist-leads-in-84th-annual-academy-award-nominations-20120124
Hugo and The Artist lead the nominations for best field. It is interesting
that Altman talks about how each generation must use the films of the past to
meet its own needs and the film The Artist went back in time to 1927. The use
of black and white in a film in our day and age where technology and special
effects are thriving in the industry shows how the romantic comedy genre is
still successful to the producers. On the contrary the nomination of Hugo also shows how the advancement in
technology and special effects for animations is improving the popularity of
the animated film genre.
2 comments:
But the Rolling Stone piece doesn't make the genre designations that you do. Is the Artist a romantic comedy? By whose account? Rom-coms have been critical disasters for the past decade. Isn't the Artist marketed more as art house fare. Certainly it's use of films of the past actually borrows more from sound films, specifically Singin' in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard with some good Citizen Kane jokes.
Hugo's not an animated film so I'm not entirely clear what you are saying on that one. It is interesting though to speculate whether or not you could say it was based on a graphic novel. I think the book falls under that category, rather than simply prose with illustrations. Has anyone read the book?
I haven't read the book, but with The Artist I find the black-and-white issue interesting. I had a rather heated debate with my brother not too long ago about whether or not color was "better" than black and white. He insisted it was. I was getting pretty riled up actually. Haha! Anyway, I think there is a certain trend in the arts (as well as politics, food, fashion and more) among many people at the moment, for the retro and/or the organic. A really well done black and white doesn't surprise me with its success. If anything, I think it's a reaffirmation of my theory. Maybe advancements like those in special effects or cinematography have become excessive? Too complicated? Too difficult to appreciate or understand? Maybe people want something more recognizable.
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