One Shot: A look back at Cannes premiere and Oscar winner ‘The Artist’

When Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” premiered at Cannes 15 years ago, it quickly became a critical darling, sweeping every major award and becoming the first silent film to win the best picture Oscar since 1929. Its charm lies in the meet-cute chemistry between George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), two movie stars mirroring Hollywood’s shift to sound: George embodies the past, Peppy the future. When the pair reunite for the film’s climactic tap dance, French cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman “had ideas about how I wanted it to look but I really didn’t know how to do it,” he recalls, comparing the characters to Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in “Singin’ in the Rain.” Working with gaffer Jim Plannette, Schiffman referenced classic films while adding his own interpretation, capturing the sequence on 35mm color film stock and converting it to black and white. “Michel always said the most important thing was the emotion you get from the framing and lighting. I’m very instinctive, but we had to be careful with the depth of field and everything else so it looked like an old-time movie.” Looking back, the Oscar nominee calls “The Artist” a career highlight. “I grew up loving musicals. And it was a dream come true, especially in Los Angeles, to do a movie like my American father showed me from when he was young. It’s my souvenir.”