The Artist (2011): This Silent Is Golden

The Artist is a charming little film, featuring beautiful, evocative and quite funny performances by costars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. It also benefits from its novelty: it is made to resemble a silent movie from the late 1920’s and is, in fact (mostly) silent. The story is a bit trite, in the “A Star is Born” mode (male mentor’s career declines as female mentee’s star is rising). But, the picture is so well made and the actors shine so brightly, that little things like a slim plot don’t really matter. Somehow, the absence of spoken dialogue does not matter either. There are occasional slides with brief dialogue quotes, just like in the old silents; but the acting is more naturalistic and the cinematography far more sophisticated than those antique films.

Dujardin is not well known in the U.S., but is reputedly a pretty big deal in France. I can see why. He’s handsome, for one thing, and he has the most winning smile, which he trots out pretty much at will, to signify a wide range of emotions: shyness, surprise, pleasure, irony, wonder, self-satisfaction, lust, etc.  And expressive eyes.  And he can dance. He is the whole package. As silent movie star George Valentin, threatened by the advent of the talkies, Dujardin is, by turns, charismatic, mulishly stubborn and endearingly pathetic.

Bejo, an Argentine-French beauty, who happens to be married to the film’s writer/director Michel Hazanavicius, plays a young ingénue, self-styled as  "Peppy Miller", who is initially helped by Valentin, then quickly eclipses him in fame and fortune, all the while carrying a torch for him. She, too, has a brilliant, engaging light-up-the room and melt-your-heart smile. She also possesses wide set expressive eyes - very useful in a silent film – high cheekbones, sensual lips. Did I mention she was beautiful? On the basis of this picture alone, Berenice has landed a coveted place on the ‘girlfriend list’.

Both Bejo and Dujardin are potential Oscar nominees for best actress and best actor, and that may be reason enough to run out and see The Artist. The supporting cast, including John Goodman , James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller, are fine as well.  However, my vote for best performer in this movie would go to Uggie, a Jack Russell Terrier, who plays Valentin’s fabulous pooch as a clown, a buddy, and a hero.

If you feel you need a trial run to see if this silent movie is your thing, here’s a little clip.

The Artist may be the most charming nostalgia film since Midnight in Paris. Check it out.

In theaters.