Very creative, a truly 'artistic' movie

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2012)

I was initially reluctant to see this movie because it is in Black & White and is silent, but I could not resist seeing it because it received such high acclaim from so many. I finally saw it, and was not disappointed, but my expectations had reached sky high, so the movie came up just a little short. I may have to see it again, minus the expectations to truly appreciate it.
I will not go into the story, since it has been told already. The B&W cinematography is absolutely brilliant. The sets are excellent, and the whole atmosphere really captures the era. They could have made it in color, with dialogs, and it could have been a very good film, but not an extraordinary one. It took great creativity and skills to make this a success. It also took great courage to make it in this format, in today's technology driven movie market.
The acting was top notch by the main characters and the little dog was adorable. There was humor and sadness. I could not help feeling nervous for the actor who had lost everything and was in such despair as to try to kill himself. 'The artist' and 'Hugo' both deal with the old era of movie making, and the old actors having to deal with a fall from grace. What a great coincidence that they both came out in the same year! Ironically Hugo used today's technology (3D) and 'The artist' went all the way back to the 1920's. They were both excellent in their own way, which tells us that a movie can be excellent regardless of what technology (or lack of) is used to make it. The most important thing is the story and how it is told.
Jean Dujardin and Berenice are brilliant in their roles that require them to use their faces and bodies, without the help of dialogs, to portray the characters. That is so hard to do! The music is wonderful and without it, the movie might not have been successful. The final dance number is outstanding. This movie has so many subtleties and details that I may have missed some, so I will have to see it again.
The artist is definitely worth seeing. I am not convinced it is the best movie of this year, but it is one of the best, and most certainly the bravest one.