A wonderful homage to silent cinema

Rating: 9/10 (9 September 2016)

Made as a homage to the era of silent cinema The Artist was a huge critical high back in 2011 and won a number of awards including the Academy Awards for Best Picture (making it the first French film to win the award), Best Director and Best Actor, six César and BAFTA Awards each and the covered Palm Dog Award.
In 1927 George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie star of swashbuckling adventures like Douglas Fairbanks was and by chance he meets an aspiring actress and dancer, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a woman who admires the actor. However George's career and life as a whole takes a downward spiral after the advent of sound. As George star falls and Peppy is on the raise.
The Artist was a film that made by people who had affection for the silent era, it is not just a gimmick to get awards and critical attention. Director Michel Hazanavicius and his team replicate the style and techniques used for during the period - it was shot in the 1:33 ratio instead of widescreen, they is a constant score throughout the film especially a soft piano track and uses editing techniques that were popular like wipes and transitions. It could have been a film back at the time.
Though The Artist is classical in its approach some modern techniques were used, but this is done for dramatic effect. The best example being a dream sequence where George starts hear sounds, indicting his type of film is dead.
The Artist was marketed as a romance and there is an indication there's a spark between George and Peppy during the first act. In reality The Artist is a tale about film making and Hollywood like Chaplin, Sunset Boulevard, Ed Wood and Hail Caesar just to made a few. Like the Tim Burton classic Ed Wood The Artist is made to look like the films that it is about while the likes of Chaplin and Sunset Boulevard reference the changing time and nature of cinema and like Singin' in the Rain The Artist is about the risk the invention of sound in film has on actors who don't have the voice for talkies. Although Hazanavicius tries to inject some commentary about the filmmaking world of the late noughies/early 10s where the use of 3D was increasing with the George character saying you make popular films, I'll make great ones.
Dujardin won the Oscar for best actor for his performance and he has darker, more interesting role as a riches to rags story, a man who tries to keep his fame and wealth and fails miserably. It takes a lot for a actor to express themselves and Durjardin was able to manage it. Bejo was also deserving of praise, her wide smile and expressive eyes being perfect for silent film. Bejo portrayed as a upbeat, kindhearted person and was a wonderful beam of sunshine in the film. She should have won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Durjardin and Bejo also had wonderful chemistry together, whether it was meeting outside a premise, dancing during a film shoot or Peppy looking in George's dressing room.
The Artist is a unique film in this era of cinema, a nice throwback to silent cinema. Running at a brisk 93 minutes it is a simple story well told and a delight for anyone interested in classic Hollywood.