BFI London Film Festival 2011 - THE ARTIST
It's frequently bemoaned that 'they don't make 'em like they used to'. Well, 'they' do now! It doesn't seem enough to describe The Artist simply as a 'homage' to silent Hollywood film; it's a committed, knowing celebration of 1920s Tinseltown that amounts to much more than a post-modern in-joke. It's 1927, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a movie megastar, whose fame is threatened by the advent of talkies. He dismisses the advances of technology as a fad, pigheadedly progressing with directing the film he considers will be his masterpiece, a tale of 'romance and adventure in darkest Africa' titled Tears of Love. Meanwhile, perky Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a dancer and actress who Valentin had a hand in discovering, is being presented by the studio as The 'It' Girl for a new era. With reverential nods to celebrated Hollywood insider stories such as Singin' in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard, and to other classics such as Citizen Kane, period details that are lovingly recreated, and perfectly pitched performances (Dujardin was given the Best Actor gong at Cannes this year), The Artist is a pure delight, irresistible for anyone interested in Hollywood filmmaking. Shot in black and white and wordless for the most part, The Artist is not a silent film itself; sound is hugely important here, a big part of the fun. And what fun it is! It is in the Festival's remit to celebrate cinema; it's hugely gratifying to acknowledge a film that does just that all on its own.