The Artist (2011)
Rating: 5/5
Christmas Day, BBC2 - 2.25pm
Synopsis
In Hollywood, as the ‘talkies’ arrive, silent film star George Valentin (Dujardin) is at the height of his fame. On her way up is Peppy Miller (Bejo), an extra whom he helps onto the first rung of the entertainment ladder.
They share a brief, but deep, romantic flirtation. Valentin scoffs at the talkies and breaks with his home studio to make his own independent silent film. Coinciding with the Wall Street crash, Valentin loses everything. But for Peppy, success begets only success.
Review, by Jason Day
Silent cinema was resurrected masterfully by director Michel Hazanavicius' glowingly beautiful homage to a long dead, but not entirely forgotten, art form.
The mighty haul of Oscars it received, including Best Picture (only the second silent film to win one.
Wings was the first at the first ceremony) is testament to the quality of the film.
The acting style is decidedly modern, but with the zip of the Jazz Age mixed in, which benefits the film. Jean Dujardin (who won the Best Actor Oscar) and Berenice Bejo (who was nominated) perform with style and pizzaz the respective roles of the matinee idol on his way down and the dancer starlet on her way up as Hollywood shifts from silent to sound movie production.
Its entirely fitting that this very American movie was made as a silent, given the French cast and crew, the Argentinian leaving lady and the plethora of US accents in the supporting roles.
For those uninitiated with the simple pleasure of letting the images in a film speak for themselves, settle down and let them wash over you with The Artist.
For the full review and some information about silent cinema click here
