Brilliant rendition of a silent film story

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2012)

"The Artist" is an amazing film in so many ways. In an age of color films with lots of noise and special effects, "The Artist" is a silent film in black and white with few effects. And it is brilliant, almost certainly the best film of the year. It is entirely original, taking advantage of modern technologies and techniques that could not have been used when silent movies were on offer. The story is almost entirely visual, with very few dialogue placards -- and the visuals are stunning. But the most creative thing about the film is the use of sound conveyed at times by orchestra, at times by ensembles and at times by single instruments. And the most stunning thing of all is the use of total silence at a climactic moment of the film This is like no silent movie I've ever seen -- for that matter, like no other movie I've ever seen. Go see it in a movie theatre, not on your television.