Movie Review - "The Artist"

Good Monday morning to all of you, hope you had an enjoyable weekend. Saturday night I was scrolling through some of the movies that Netflix allows you to watch instantly and I was surprised and intrigued to see "The Artist" starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, and a cute little Jack Russell.

In case you have no knowledge of this film, it's a black and white silent film and it's the reigning winner of Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Wait....did I just say this was a silent film? Indeed, if you're looking to hear the same old cliché dialogue that seems to be used over and over again in romantic comedies you won't find it here. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Set in the late 1920's out in Hollywoodland California, the story revolves around the life of a silent film actor named George Valentin (Dujardin). At the top of his game, George is the leading man in movies and is loved by all. While at a premier for a film, a young woman named Peppy Miller (Bejo) gets shoved from behind in the crowd and accidentally bumps into George. There is an immediate connection between the two and Peppy soon finds herself working alongside George on a movie set. 

George Valentin loves the movies he makes and wouldn't change a thing. However, the studio and the rest of Hollywoodland don’t feel the same way as the technology arrives which will allow actors to record their speech on film.Talkies are the new crave of the industry and the studio no longer sees the point to make films where the audience can't hear the actors speak. When George refuses to make talkies, he is soon forgotten and Peppy Miller becomes the face of the films. Though Peppy urges him to take on new talkie roles with her, George will risk everything he has to continue to make the kind movies he loves. The Artist is a touching love story not just between a man and a woman - but between a man and film making.

In a day when movies are far too often filled with computer generated scenes and endless over the top special effects, it's easy to lose sight that movie making is an art form. I have to say I was a skeptic of this film when I first heard of it. I didn't think it was possible to sit through a full length movie and never hear a word of dialogue until the final thirty seconds. The use of music, camera angels, and top notch acting makes this film the incredible experience that it is. I cannot urge you strongly enough to watch this movie no matter what your thoughts about it might be. "The Artist" is cinema magic and it's a prime example of whythe world fell in love with motion pictures nearly 100 years ago.