A Triumph

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2012)

I have fallen in love with this film. It is touching, sad, yet witty and enigmatic. It is quirky. In short, it is one of the best films I have seen. The last time I said such a thing, it was about Inception, which is in itself a truly wonderful film, but if I tell you that this film beats it into the ground, then you are halfway there to understanding how brilliant a piece of cinema this is.
From seemingly nowhere come a triumphant lead, Jean Dujardin, and a truly astonishing talent in Berenice Bejo. They play their characters with such belief, such conviction, and such sensitivity that it is simply a pleasure to watch. In fact, the whole cast produce something very special and I doubt if they will ever make such a film again.
The camera-work was exceptional, and deserving of the BAFTA it won last night. Indeed, all the BAFTAs the cast and crew won yesterday were truly deserved, and they probably should have got more besides. Even the dog should have been rewarded for some truly heroic work! In what is essentially homage to something no-one really remembers, Hazanavicius creates a world which we can see, enjoy, even take part in, and there is no cheesy symbolism or anything like that, it is all very subtle. Not so subtle that only a select few will get them, but in a way that makes you impressed that you noticed.
The black and white was illuminating, and at times was so bright it almost felt like colour. All of the awards and praise it has received has deserved. The film is also clever, and the dialogue, which you would rightly expect to be minimal, is only transcribed when absolutely necessary, which is surprisingly not often. The beauty of the film is that we know what everybody is saying, we know what they are feeling, which is also the true beauty of the silent film.
I can honestly say that there was only one thing that I did not like about the film, and I will not spoil it by telling what it might be, but I will say that stylistically, it is perfect for the moment, and merely a technique that I personally do not like. That said, overall, this film exceeded all expectation. This is a film which is both beautiful and funny. And I applaud it.