The Artis is a mostly silent film from Michael Hazanavicius – shot in beautiful black & white – that tells a simple story: when silent movie star George Valentin [Jean Dujardin] falls on hard times after talkies become big, Peppy Miller [Bereniece Bejo]the new big star goes out of her way to help the man who turned a moment of clumsiness into her entry into the business.
Despite its being a mostly silent film, it’s easy to follow even without the occasional dialogue cards. The simplicity of the story allows Hazanavicius [who also wrote the script] to swing for the fences when it comes to emotion and character.
Dujardin and Bejo are stellar in the lead roles, but they have an incredible supporting cast – including John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Malcolm McDowell, Bitsie Tulloch, Bill Fagerbakke, Nina Siemaszko and on and on – who nail every single second of their performances.
There are behind-the-scene scenes showing how the movies of the time [1927-1931] were made – and the scenes from A Georgian Affair [starring Valentin as a kind Saint/Raffles/Toff debonair hero] had me wanting to see the entire movie.
There a two sequences that employ sound, but I’ll let you discover them for themselves. They are both ingeniously staged and perfectly punctuate the story.
The Artist will be one of the top five in my Favorite Fifteen Films for 2011.
Final Grade: A+