At last...Somebody Gets It!

Rating: 10/10 (11 October 2012)

Somebody cares. Somebody understands. We need art. We need movies that move us, not send us to the devil. That's what TV talk shows are for. "The Artiste" is a fantasy come true for those of us tired of devil possession movies, too many computer generated special effects and horrendous acting by amateurs who think that film stardom is an adequate replacement for therapy. What this gem of celluloid is can be best described as payback for the audiences who have stayed away until a movie came along with them in mind: a Mondt in a museum full of stick figurines. Silent movies were not meant to dominate the screen for eternity, yet this film is more than about that. It is a combination of familiar stories, most obviously "Singing in the Rain" and "A Star is Born".
It was also a movie about the refusal to change with the times. Sometimes it is necessary, yet sometimes it comes with a price. Hollywood was young, if far from innocent, but its goals certainly were simpler. Make a buck, entertain and enlighten, but don't upset the censors. This film reminds us of simpler values, like helping others, which the silent film actor does for the future movie musical star who will be there for him when he hits his inevitable decline. The silent and early talkies are lovingly re-created, and the clunky dancing (and sets) in the finale are right out of "Broadway Melody".