'The Artist' is a flawless masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2012)

'The Artist' is a pretty daring film. It has appeared almost out of nowhere with a relatively unknown cast and director and has taken the world by storm... And did I mention it was a silent movie? It's already tipped to be the big winner at the Oscars after taking best picture at the Golden Globes earlier this year. But amidst all the hype, is it actually any good? And can it possibly be as good as everybody says? It turns out that it is. After a few viewings, the joy felt when watching 'The Artist' still remains. You find yourself sat watching the film with a big grin on your face that will last for most of it's running time.
Jean Dujardin plays George Valentin, the biggest movie star of the silent period. The film follows his success in the mid-20's and how it turns on him and his life with the introduction of talking pictures in 1929. That is the film in a nutshell. But really, it is about the nature of fame, ambition and the inevitable moments of reality that face everybody in life. Jean Dujardin is perfect in his role. He is smooth, charming, reflective and incredibly human without even saying a word. Rather than dialogue, his facial expressions do the talking and it's very easy to see why he has an Oscar nomination for this role. Watch for moments of subtle humanity beneath his celebrity exterior when he is preparing for his roles or in a beautiful scene towards the end of the picture which I won't spoil for you. All the other performances are predictably superb with Berenice Bejo and John Goodman supplying the charm expected in old silent movies.
Another reason the film is so captivating is in the attention to detail with all the technical aspects. Firstly, the film is presented in the aspect ratio all old movies were screened in, to not only capture the essence of the time but to put greater focus on the performances of the actors. It works. The audience will feel every bit of emotion in this film because of it. Additionally, the music is one of the best original soundtracks I've heard in a long time. The 80 plus minutes of music from this film is almost like a character itself; a scene can be viewed as serious or comedic just by the use of a few notes. A final factor worth noting is the cinematography, which makes this film look like it could have come from 1927. It is shot in beautiful black and white which gives the film an extra texture and depth that today's digitally shot coloured films cannot capture.
It is possible to write for days about 'The Artist' but all that needs to be said is how moving, beautiful, joyful and brilliant it is. For a film to come out as daring as 'The Artist' in 2012 and be only half decent is a good result. However, it does much more than that. It captures the essence of cinema itself with it's ability to entertain, surprise and engage audiences all over the world, myself included.
A Classic.