Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell

Running time: 100 minutes

Certificate: PG

Synopsis: When the arrival of sound threatens to change cinema forever, silent star George Valentin (Dujardin) must decide to either compromise his artistic integrity or resign himself to obscurity and lose his fortune. Whilst Valentin strives to maintain the magic of silent film, his fame is overshadowed by ‘talkie’ actress Peppy Miller (Bejo), the girl for whom the downtrodden Valentin has fallen…

Movies talk too much. At least, that’s what Michel Hazanavicius seems to be telling us. And with THE ARTIST, the writer-director has more than proved his point. He has succeeded where a generation of filmmakers have repeatedly failed with CGI and 3D trickery: he tells a story in pictures alone, reminding us that film is fundamentally a visual medium, and that snappy dialogue, thumping scores, and explosive sound effects are often surplus to requirements. And how reassuring that – whilst 2011 was packed with effects-heavy fare such as GREEN LANTERN and THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN – Hazanavicius has produced perhaps the film of the year.

At its most basic level, THE ARTIST is a love letter to the silent era. In the opening scene – which sees the premiere of George Valentin’s latest silent masterpiece – Hazanavicius is concerned not with the film itself but the event: it’s the responsive audience, the accompanying orchestra, and Valentin’s post-show comedy routine on which we he focuses. Indeed, it’s about the grandeur, the spectacle, and what is essentially a lost art form. However, there is another, more human aspect within THE ARTIST’s thematic core. It’s as much about dealing with loss as anything else, accepting internal and external change. Regardless of the film’s setting, its themes of loss and acceptance of change are as relevant as ever, and echo current concerns over changes in technology and how this might affect the art forms with which we are accustomed.

The main thrust of the film’s narrative is the relationship between Jean Dujardin’s Valentin and Bérénice Bejo’s Peppy Miller. Valentin is the fading star of the old era, swept away to near-obscurity with the emergence of the ‘talkies’; as he clings to the art form he so dearly loves and fights to maintain, Peppy becomes a rising star, a glamorous figurehead of cinema’s new craze. Respectively stubborn and arrogant, Valentin and Peppy push and pull each other in equal measure, and prove themselves as one of modern cinema’s most engaging pairings.

This relationship – and indeed, the entire film – is carried by stunning performances from both Dujardin and Bejo, who both perfectly mimic the exaggerated mannerisms of the silent era’s stars. However, neither is overblown, and both should be commended on the varying levels of subtlety they demonstrate. Dujardin is particularly striking, displaying a range of acting prowess in physicality alone. Whether it’s moments of comedy and melodrama, Dujardin’s expressions and body language are pitch-perfect, showing that a touching story can be told without the need of verbal exchanges.

Dujardin and Bejo are not alone in achieving this: they lead an impressive cast, including the excellent James Cromwell and John Goodman (trading off his role in MATINEE to some degree). Special mention must also go to Ludovic Bource, whose original score plays along brilliantly with the action, peaking and fading with precision, and, much like the original silent films, becomes one of stars in the process.

The real star, of course, is Hazanavicius himself. His vision for THE ARTIST is equally ambitious and economic, and he balances the film’s impressive aesthetic qualities with an emotional depth absent from so much modern cinema. As such, THE ARTIST has integrity far beyond most of what we’ve seen in theatres this year, and whilst not all viewers will agree it’s the best film, there’s no denying it’s 2011’s most effective piece of storytelling.

THE ARTIST arrives in UK cinemas 30th December.