The artist

I chose this film as I thought it would be and interesting one for us all to review. A modern take on the silent film. I watched it about 6 years earlier and it always stuck with me. However I haven’t seen it since and thought it would make a good choice for the film review. It’s my 3rd pick and my second black and white movie. No I don’t have a massive thing for black and white films but sometimes they just suit the genre.

Admittedly it’s not the finest silent film ever made but I do think it’s a good homage to the whole genre. It’s a tale of redemption loyalty and a warning to those looking for fame that it’s a fickle mistress.

Plot with spoilers. Skip this bit if you want!

The beginning is set in 1927. We meet our hero George Valentin. Silent movie star at the premier for his new hit movie A Russian Affair. Outside he meets Peppy Miller a young aspiring actress. She kiss’s him on the cheek and the next day it’s all over the front page. Much to George’s wife’s annoyance. They meet again on set that day she falls for him.

Peppy’s career starts to take off and George is doing well still but then the talkie movie comes along. George laughs it of and says if that’s the future you can keep it. He decides to produce his own silent film as his studio won’t make silent movies anymore. At the same time Peppy signs her big contract with George’s old studio. Both there films come out the same day and George’s flops and leaves him bankrupt. His wife leaves him and he is kicked out of his house.

3 years later 1931. George is Penniless and after not being able to pay his butler for a year he fires him and tells him to take his car and find a new job. His butler doesn’t want to leave him and stays close to him anyway. He’s forced to auction off his stuff. Peppy is still doing well and hasn’t forgotten about George. One year later George is drinking heavily and pass’s out in a bar. His former butler comes to his aid and takes him home to bed.

George sets fire to his old films in his apartment almost dies but is saved by his dog. Peppy reads about this in the paper and decides to take care of George at her home. She gets George a part in a movie he doesn’t like it as it’s a talkie and the discovers that Peppy brought all his stuff in the auction. He freaks out and try’s to kill himself. Peppy saves him and then they decide to to a tap dancing movie together. The studio loves it and for the first time at the end of the film we hear talking.

My favourite scenes are the dream sequence where George can’t talk but every think else is making noise, the scene in the bar where his loyal butler comes to his aid and any scene with the dog!

I found this film cleaver and moving. What better way to to make a film about the end of the silent movie era than with a silent movie. I enjoyed the scoring of the music it worked well with the film I felt. Juan Dujardin did a brilliant job of portraying George and his chemistry with the dog was adorable. Bérénice Bejo did an admiral job as Peppy as well.

I loved how the butler stayed loyal to to George all the way though the film even when George tried to push him away. I think George’s redemption however was glossed over to fast but I also understand why it was done.

3 dancing dogs out of 5