As one actor becomes a name, the other loses his

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2012)

The Artist is more than just a simple homage to the early silent Hollywood movies. Yes it does know that is working in a medium of film that had long since been dead, but the comedy and story of The Artist almost makes you forget that you are watching a silent film. And the great musical score also helps with that of course. The film is about how films got rid of the silence and began to talk as seen through the eyes of one of the great actors of that time, the fictional actor of George Valentin, who resembles a great actor of that time like Douglas Fairbanks, Valentin makes similar films. The film starts in 1927 as Valentin is at the top of his game it seems and as he helps out a young up and coming actress named Peppy Miller break in. Peppy slowly builds from an extra to a maid into a being good supporting actress. And as she is slowly climbing the Hollywood ladder, this new thing called talkies is being introduced that may jeopardize his career. He vows not to make the transition. As he declines, young Peppy accepts the opportunity. Peppy, with the invent of the talkies, becomes the talk of the town as Valentin slowly loses his audience and as the Great Depression hits, he loses everything forcing him to sell his belongings and fire one of his only other humans companions, his driver played by James Cromwell. James Cromwell, the farmer from the film Babe, John Goodman, and Malcolm McDowell really were the only people in the film that i recognized. Most of the people in the film, the writer/director and the two main actors are all french, interesting to note that the french are making a film about the early Hollywood scene. Overall I think that this was a great film and if you have never seen a silent film before or are a great lover of the medium, i think you will enjoy it just for its comedy and story alone.