The Artist (2011)

In 1927 the first motion picture featuring sequences with sound (that came not from a separate noise source) was released. Silent films have not been "silent" either as you know but at the end of the 1920s the "talkies" rapidly took over the film industry. It was "The jazz singer" that marked the beginning of the end of an era. An era that "The Artist" gloriously reminds us of today.
But a (95%) silent film in 2011? Does this even work? Considering the enthusiastic critical acclaim all over the world and 10 Oscar nominations it obviously seems like it does.
Or is it just the old-aged movie buffs raving in nostalgia?

I am not seeing silent movies very often. I have not seen a lot of them either. But I can tell you that - so far - "The Artist" is probably the best film I've seen this year. The technical aspect alone transports you back in the past and is so interesting and exciting to see. I felt like this was something fresh - though it was of course just something you haven't seen in 80 years and that is in fact not new at all. Even the picture size is reduced to the old format not filling today's wide screens and I couldn't stop smiling when I had to READ the first lines of dialog.

The film begins introducing the artist, a silent-film star named George Valentine played fantastically in an overwinning performance by Jean Dujardin who won the 'Best Actor' award at Cannes. He is a tall and proud, even narcissistic man with a charismatic smile and enjoys his fame. At the premiere of his latest film he coincidentally gets in contact with a young female admirer. On a picture with him this unknown woman makes it into the newspapers.

Soon she is on the set of his next film as an extra. George feels a strange affection for her and even though he is married to another woman he convinces the producer (John Goodman) to offer her a role. With her rise comes his fall while the talking pictures start to eliminate the old age of silent movies.

To all the (supposedly younger) sceptics: please don't back down because it is a silent movie. Don't back down because it is black and white. Don't back down because it is a musical. It is more than that. It is also a drama, a comedy, a romance.
Michel Hazanavicius created a film that is pure love for cinema. I think anyone who is just a little bit interested in this art form will be able to enjoy it. It has a certain charme and elegance that is irresistable. But not only the details and its careful construction is what makes it so much fun.
Aside the technical qualities and some wonderful narrative ideas when they are playing with the scheme of sound and silence, "The Artist" also has a surprisingly affecting story.

That is when the film really topped my expectations. I really got involved in this story. I really started to care for the characters and at the end I was really moved.

There is a shot in this film where you see an audience sitting in the theater being delighted by a movie. "The Artist" is a return to this early excitement for the magic of cinema and evidently succeeds in enthusing current movie-goers.

The film won various awards in critic's circuits in addition to countless nominations.
It is the clear frontrunner for the 'Best Picture'- Oscar this year. One or two weeks ago it won the Director's Guild Award, often an indicator for the winner of the Oscars' director's category and usually 'Best Director' and 'Best Picture' go hand in hand.

It would be the first black and white "silent" film to win the trophy since the first oscar ceremony in 1929.