How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Artist.
Quote #1
ACTOR: May I have my chair?
CREW MEMBER: Hey, You're not Napoleon. You're just an extra!
Sometimes it's hard to separate reality from fantasy…especially for an actor.
Quote #2
SCENE DESCRIPTION: George puts down his glass on the tabletop and it makes a noise. The dog barks, the phone rings and the chorus girls outside on the lot are laughing, but George can't make a sound. He yells and yells into the mirror, but nothing comes out of his mouth.
Why should hearing sounds bother George so much? It's not like he's deaf in his daily life. This is one of those meta moments, in which life imitates art for George. It's like he's trapped in a talkie and can't participate. Even though the scene turns out to be a nightmare, it's not so different from his waking life.
Quote #3
SCENE DESCRIPTION: George is in the bar, getting pretty drunk, when a miniature version of him strolls up the bar (along with a tribe of warriors) to yell and shoot at him with his rifle. George tries to smush them with his hand, but they're un-smushable—they're an illusion.
Most of us know what it feels like to be haunted by our past mistakes. Some George's past mistakes just happen to be versions of himself.