A Beautifully Modern Classic Silent Movie

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2014)

The Artist tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a silent film star who happens to bump into one of his fans, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), inspiring her to audition for a minor role as a dancer at the studio where he works. However the world of film is changing, moving away from silent films into talking-pictures, and while Peppy rises to fame quickly George is set in his ways and refuses to believe that silent film is dead.
I have never seen a feature film in the silent movie style, and I loved this. Black and white films always look classy and this one had a beautiful authentic 1920's feel that completely disguised the fact that it is a modern film. The musical score set the scenes perfectly, creating atmosphere to replace the words that would normally tell the story, which flowed wonderfully and was consistently entertaining. Dujardin and Bejo brought their characters to life through charming (and not overdone to compensate for the lack of dialogue) acting and sweep you up in their heart-warming tale of forbidden romance. There's also an incredibly well-trained dog that adds to the overall sweet nature of the film. The story is initially fairly simplistic but that really adds to the overall charm, and once the plot has been set up we see the complex nature of George's life and how he struggles to cope in a changing world, something that no doubt many people can relate to. Peppy on the other hand is embracing the new age and all of the opportunities coming her way, which again is very relatable, and the clash of these two character's personalities adds the complexity to the plot.
The Artist is classic and beautifully well-done, with highly relatable characters and an authentic silent movie styling that is captivating and rare nowadays. It's a heart-warming and romantic story guaranteed to make you smile (and a little nostalgic), I highly recommend it!