The Artist
2011
****
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Bitchie Tulloch
This delightful black and white (mostly) silent film set in the late 1920s Hollywood pays loving homage to the history of cinema. George Valentin is a proud and cocky star of the silent era, and Peppy Miller is a bright young talent waiting for her break. Sparks fly between them as her star is on the up and his is on the down with the introduction of sound. Their sweet but slow burning romance forms the backbone of the story, but this is also very much a movie about movies. The attention to detail is incredible and Hazanavicius references numerous silent and more recent classics like Citizen Kane and Singin' in the Rain. Dujardin is excellent whether he plays a suave charmer or a suicidal wreck, and Bejo is absolutely lovely as a lady with the biggest of hearts. A winner of five Academy Awards, which include best film, director and actor.
