The Artist Reviews

Our Review

Modern classic brings back old Hollywood

Adam Bub, MovieFix

Throw any reservations about seeing a dusty old silent film out the door: The Artist is a toe-tapping, heart-tugging, laugh-inducing spectacle, both an ode to old Hollywood and a beguiling love story with a knowing wink at 21st century audiences.

French director Michel Hazanivicius uses the conventions of silent cinema to tell a story about its last hurrah with the advent of talking pictures in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Pencil-moustached debonair movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) can do no wrong in the public's eyes, much to the ire of his spiteful wife Doris (Penelope Anne Miller) and studio boss Al Zimmer (John Goodman). Rising starlet Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) makes an impression on Valentin, but as her career in talking films takes off, Valentin struggles to keep up. Can the artist return to greatness and win the girl he really loves?

Hazanivicius approaches the topic with infectious glee and incredible detail. His love for classic Hollywood beams off the screen – film buffs will have a lot of fun picking references, while casual filmgoers will appreciate the quaint charm of yesteryear.

In luminous black and white, The Artist displays a lot more colour than any of your CGI-on-steroids blockbusters. The brilliant score highlights the power music has to insinuate emotion in place of language, and the actors' expressions are nuanced without being ridiculous, so you easily forget about the need for dialogue.

The actors are having such a ball you can't help but go along for the ride. Dujardin, a dead-ringer for Douglas Fairbanks or Gene Kelly, is a revelation; Bejo is equally enchanting, while Uggi the Jack Russell terrier almost steals the movie.

The only gripe I have with The Artist is that it doesn't say anything new about the silent-to-talkie transition. Everything has already been said in the funnier Singin' in the Rain. Plus, the plot is ripped straight from A Star is Born ... but you could say it's all part of the 'homage'.

Even so, it's rare to see a movie worthy of being called a 'modern classic' the moment it hits cinemas.

Your Reviews

Carrie

I found this movie on the whole tedious, with occasional good moments. I didn't enjoy it - I went to see what all the fuss was about, and I really don't understand why it got an Oscar. However, the dog was great!

Deb

A shocker. This got an Academy Award...what were they thinking???????????????

Ian Ross Vayro

Negative—Save the admission price. If you really must see it, be certain to go gold class...trust me you'll need a lot of alcohol to get through this stinker. The story could have been (and probably was) written by a kindergarden class. George Clooney and Brad Pitt were seriously robbed. I don't know what the Academy saw but it certainly wasn't this piece of CRAP. It fouls up the whole Cinema Complex. This must be a sign of the times if any thinking person sees any merit in the storyline or the lead male acting....you have got to be joking.

Robin

boring from go to woe.....sorry cant understand the hype...not Oscar material....

JOLES

A wonderfull couple of hours surrounded by superb acting talent. A little slow in the middle but it soon got going again. As a bonus, the ladies fashions reminded us of what pure bliss they were in thr 1920's, so feminine. And that little dog!! Most enjoyable.

Troy Campbell

The talk of Tinseltown right now is critical darling The Artist – a black and white silent film charting a black and white silent film star’s struggle with the ‘talkie’ phase that hits Hollywood in 1929. It’s a lovingly made picture by French writer-director Michel Hazanavicius and is unsurprisingly attracting huge Oscar buzz. However, putting aside the undeniable nostalgic value it holds for cineastes, is it actually entertaining? Well, yes, although not quite as much as the rumour mill would have you believe. The opening act is breathlessly exciting and the middle segment holds its own – a nightmare sequence which features some sound design is a highlight – but the laboriously repetitive final 30-40 minutes is a real slog. Jean Dujardin is fantastic in the title role that will surely see the flood gates open for his career and, like the audiences within the movie, I was awestruck by Berenice Bejo’s young starlet Peppy Miller. A must see for film buffs.

Simon

The novelty wore off after half an hour, and what remained was very pedestrian.........I love movies, and respect the makers and participants of the movie........but I found this overacted and turgid, please forgive me!

Sara

Don't let the fact that it's a silent film turn you off. It's thoroughly enjoyable and made beautifully - very entertaining and captivating. Great acting, great music. My pick for the Oscars.

Wendy

Saw The Artist last night and WOW! What a cracker of a film. B&W, almost silent....the most fascinating and enjoyable film I've seen in years. Fantastic acting (by the dog too!), very interesting storyline, great effects and a fab dancing sequence at the end. ECLECTIC!

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