breathtaking stuff.....

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2012)

Outside a movie premier, enthusiastic fan Peppy Miller literally bumps into the swashbuckling hero of the silent film, George Valentin.
The star reacts graciously and Peppy plants a kiss on his cheek as they are surrounded by photographers.
Headlines read "Who's That Girl?" and Peppy is inspired to audition for a dancing bit-part at the studio.
However as Peppy slowly rises through the industry, the introduction of talking-pictures turns Valentin's world upside-down....
What makes this movie so ironic is the fact that it feels so fresh, despite the fact hat this has gone back to when cinema began.
What we have here is two flawless performances from the leads, and their actions say everything we need to know, and body language rules the narrative.
The story is very depressing though, and at times you really want to shout 'swallow your pride!' to the stubborn Valentin. But he's a dinosaur, claiming that the talking movie is just a fad, and will not catch on.
Much like 3D in present day.
The late twenties and early thirties are captured excellently, and the use of natural sound at two points in the film is stunning and a healthy inclusion.
It's a story about finding love, but losing everything, and finally coming back with a vengeance. It's also a love-in to a by gone era in cinema, and films many will unfortunately never see, or would have never heard of the stars of yesteryear.
A great movie to watch with this would be Scorceses Hugo.