Review of The Artist (2011) by Halfwelshman — 24 Jul 2012

Even when you ignore the astounding fact that The Artist is a silent film that has made a real impact on audiences in the modern world, the film is a good old-fashioned, incredibly sweet love story, and also an insightful comment on a key point in film history - the point where the modern idea of filmmaking was born, where the industry and the art form changed forever with the invention of synchronised sound.

The casting is great - Jean Dujardin's Best Actor Oscar was undeniably well-deserved, and he fits the part of George Valentin, a washed-up silent film star perfectly, and embodies the showmanship-dependent acting style of the period.

Berenice Bejo is captivating as Peppy Miller, an actress whose star is rapidly on the rise, and has the classical poise and beauty of a 30s film actress. James Cromwell also leaves his mark, playing the most pivotal and sympathetic of the film's supporting roles, that of Valentin's loyal valet Clifton.

It is true what you've heard, however, Uggie the dog threatens to steal the show from his bipedal fellow cast members - he is an obscenely talented and transfixing little canine. The film is a breath of fresh air not only in the way it appropriates a long out-dated aesthetic and musical style and lack of synchronised sound, but also in the way in which writer/director Michel Hazanavicius experiments with mainstream film conventions and keeps the divide between the film world and the real world playfully permeable (most amusingly in one scene, Valentin discovers his studio has pledged to only produce talkies from then on, he has a nightmare which is accompanied by synchronised sound, though he himself remains mute - a clever comment on silent film actors failing to make the transition to talkies).

It's a film that warmly pays tribute to silent cinema, but which also uses modern moviemaking techniques and has a definite sense of post-modern self-awareness, resulting in an incredibly satisfying, layered viewing experience.

The Artist is creatively refreshing, engaging and well-performed, funny and endearing, a real feel-good movie, and will hopefully drive filmmakers to take more risks with their projects in the next few years.