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| Photo credit: The Weinstein Company |
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| Rating: 5 out of 5 popcorn bags! |
The Pitch: A fading silent film era actor who doesn’t want to be part of the “talking” motion pictures ignores the coming change in technology and opts to soldier on making silent films as his peers find success.
Plot Summary: The leading man starts the movie at the very pinnacle of his career just as "the talkies" start, and he happens to notice the spunky Ingenue playing bit parts and is completely smitten (it's mutual). While he refuses to have anything to do with sound pictures (this film is NOT entirely silent!) She embraces them wholeheartedly and her star rises. His does not fall, it plummets.
What Shines: The wonderfully vintage look. The glorious cinematography and the lead actors' (Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo) performances burst with energy. So very many little set pieces, borrowing from Vaudeville, Chaplin, Keaton, Sennet, it boggles the mind. The score is by turns bouncy, exciting and heartbreakingly evocative. Just when you think all is lost, the movie pulls of a "classic" Hollywood ending!
What Sucks: The film employs every single Hollywood cliche ever imagined. The thing of it is, that it doesn't detract one bit from the movie!
Summary: The Artist is pure joy. Set in Hollywood in 1927 it’s got everything – comedy, drama, dancing, romance, tension, redemption, a dog for a sidekick, a handsome lead, and a beautiful starlet.
Watch For: Berenice Bejo's dance with the jacket on the coat rack (classic Chaplin!), plus many many cameos!
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