The Artist (2011)

Every once in a while (usually a very long while), a movie comes along that has it all: it's entertaining and enlightening and it has an important comment to make on the world around us. Even more rarely a movie will come along that has all that and has something important to say about the very industry in which it was made. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's official, The Artist is that one in a million.

This quiet (both literally and figuratively) French film from director Michel Hazanavicius delves into the world of 1920s Hollywood at a time when synchronized sound was just becoming the next big thing in movies. George Valentin, Hollywood's brightest silent film star, rebels against the studios who are pushing him to make talkies. He takes his fortunes and begins work on his own silent masterpiece until suddenly the stock market crashes and George loses everything. All this happens while George develops a flirty relationship with talkie starlet Peppy Miller, who credits George himself with giving her her first big break. While Peppy's career flourishes, George grows ever more impoverished, yet all the while holding his ground about not doing sound pictures.

The Artist is saturated with so much acting talent that it's difficult to know where to begin. Jean Dujardin takes on the impressive lead role of George Valentin, a role for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Not since the good old days of silent film has an actor unabashedly displayed so much emotion on his face. With only one line of dialogue in the entire film, Dujardin relies upon his physical means of expression to get his point across to the audience, and boy, does he do it with style.

Berenice Bejo plays the spunky, darling Peppy Miller with a presence that is not often seen on the big screen these days. So full of life and so energetic, there is simply no way to give Bejo all the credit she deserves for this role, although the Academy Award nomination is not a bad way to start.

The other highlight of The Artist's cast is studio head Al Zimmer played by American John Goodman, who continues his career resurgence with this role. Laugh-inducing, silly and above all entertaining through and through, Goodman deserves praise for being a true entertainer.

The Artist is a silent film, an homage to the time period during which the film is set. Not a gimmick in any way, the silence of the film adds strength to its heartbreaking story. On a deeper level, The Artist explores the deep-seated fears on moving into a new era of filmmaking and it certainly has a very strong opinion about what it means to be an artist in an industry driven by money.

Lovers of cinema, fans of classic Hollywood and anyone who is sick of all the in-your-face special effects-ridden flicks that the studios continue to churn out, go and watch The Artist the first chance you get!

Rating: 5 out of 5