The artful artist.

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2017)

Despite finding her sparkling in Populaire and magnificent in The Past since first catching a glimpse in the mutant monster pigs Horror flick Proie,I've never seen Bérénice Bejo in her most famous film. Looking at the Christmas listings,I was pleased to spot the BBC airing the Oscar winner,which led to me listening in on the silence.
The plot:
1927:
At the unveiling of his new blockbuster.movie star auteur George Valentin bumps into Peppy Miller,who he poses with for the press.Seeing her face on the front page,Miller pushes forward to become a star in Hollywood,with a studio soon teaming her up with Valentin. Being the icon of Silent cinema, Valentin can hear nothing on the horizon, until a studio head catches Valentin off- guard with the air-raid siren of the "talkies."
View on the film:
Tap dancing onto the screen,the beautiful Bérénice Bejo gives a magnetic performance as Miller,thanks to Bejo juggling a sweet empathy towards Valentin to stay on the billboard,with a pure,classic Hollywood glamour Bejo shakes out during the stylish movie-within a movie sequences.Becoming the biggest name in cinema with his grand visions, Jean Dujardin gives a wondrous performance as Valentin, brimming with the near-mythical confidence of the Hollywood legends,which Dujardin impressively threads with a fragility of Valentin's star fading. Whilst James Cromwell & John Goodman make snappy appearances,the late, adorable Uggie runs rings round the feet of the mere humans as the scene-stealing dog.
Reuniting with his wife Bejo after bringing the OSS series back,writer/director Michel Hazanavicius lovingly presents a sweet tribute to the Silent era,that can also proudly stand as its own creation. Offering tantalising glimpses to the power Valentin reels, Hazanavicius places Miller and Valentin on the dividing lines of cinema,via Valentin seeing his Silent cinema as (popular) art,and Miller's "talkies" as a plaything for the studios. Hearing the tide begin to turn, Hazanavicius brings the change smartly in focus for Valentin,but keeps a light flicking in the darkness to deliver a shimmering,toe-tapping final,as the artist re-discovers his art.