Warm, entertaining homage to silent cinema

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2014)

This French made homage to silent movies is a bit of a gimmick, being a silent movie itself, but is extremely well made. It would be easy to dismiss it as an amusing stunt, but director Michel Hazanavicius's hand is so sure and his actors so engaging that the movie deservedly won an Oscar for best picture. We are in 1927 and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), the artist of the title, is a leading man of the silent cinema who is about to hit it tough when talking movies arrive. Bérénice Bejo (an Argentine born actress who is married to Hazanavicius in real life) is the perky, spunky Peppy, an irresistible starlet who rises to fame at the same time that Valentin falls. Also costarring are John Goodman as a Hollywood mogul and James Cromwell as George Valentin's butler (they are all very fine). The authentic Los Angeles locations, the reconstruction of the 1920s and the extraordinary photography help a lot. My only complaint, is that the happy ending seems quite weak, a bit of a concession to the public, given what went on before, though, of course, a sad ending would probably be even more disappointing.