Silence is its strongest power

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2012)

This is the first film that I chose to review during my Oscar Marathon 2012 and already I can tell this is the contender to beat.
Knowing a thing or two about black and white films, I am already amazed by how much The Artist manages to preserve all the classic characteristics and techniques of the films from the era it supposedly represents...for instance the static shots on a typical set of a staircase that you can only see in old films.
Acting is flawless (All lead actors nailed their roles throughout) and some scenes are very cleverly shot using the essence of silent movements in the movie. But above all, this film has in its entirety paid homage to a very important history in movie-making (change from silent to talkies), and even though it utilizes musical score synonymous to a typical orchestra accompanying silent movies of those era, the visual appeal and body language alone are its strongest communication tool.