Review of The Artist (2011) by Four Star F — 31 Mar 2013
With a cast of all nationalities and backgrounds, this film is a breath of fresh air for many reasons. Ironically, this freshness comes in a contemporary age thanks to a look back at a former age. In black and white and almost completely silent, the movie begins in 1927.
George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a Hollywood star of the silent era. Quite by accident he makes an up and coming star out of Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). Soon she makes the transition to stardom and talkies as Valentin slowly fades away.
However, Peppy never truly forgets him and in different ways she tries to help him. Eventually her kindness pays off and George is no longer forgotten. All the cast including including John Goodman and James Cromwell do a wonderful job at expressing emotion since this film is so different.
There are also many devices used by the director Michael Hazanavicius that help convey the story without a need for words. Furthermore, he draws great influence from films like Sunset Boulevard and Singin' in the Rain to give this new film a touch of nostalgia.
In a world that is often loud and busy this film was a nice respite.
This review of The Artist (2011) was written by Four Star F on 31 Mar 2013.
The Artist has generally received very positive reviews.
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