Movie Review: "The Artist"

"The Artist": A. I realize that in my last post I promised to write next about CD laddering. That is in the works, I swear. But, I saw "The Artist" yesterday, and wanted to write my thoughts before they evaporated from my little brain.

The time is 1926, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a mega star of silent movies. Theaters are packed to see this dashing Valentino-like actor make his smooth moves across the screen with his little four-legged canine friend. The men in the audience are attired in suits and ties, the ladies are accessorized with their finest jewels. A live orchestra provides the only soundtrack, and when the film ends, Valentin steps out from behind the curtain to take a bow and bask in the glow of a standing O. Likewise, later outside the theater, members of the press push and shove with the public to get a close-up view of the larger-than-life Valentin. One of those in the madhouse scene is an extremely cute young thang, Peppy Miller (the lovable Berenice Bejo), who accidentally bumps into Valentin when she stoops to fetch her dropped purse off the sidewalk. George is smitten when he sees who's bumped him, and they momentarily give each other an impromptu smile and a hug. The newspaper photographers capture that fleeting moment, and the picture of the embrace is all over the Hollywood papers the next day under the headline, "Who Was That Girl?"

Peppy is an aspiring actress, and realizing this might be her only "fifteen seconds of fame," she maneuvers in certain circles to let the powers-that-be know that it is she, Peppy, who was the girl in the widespread photo. Sure, you might call her conniving, but she is so darn cute that we, instead, are going to say she's savvy. It also doesn't hurt that she is a terrific dancer. She gets a few bit parts in movies, and before long she has worked her way up the list of credits to the point that she becomes a leading lady. She and George have kept in contact, but he is married, albeit unhappily, and she is busy becoming a new celebrity.

Flash forward two years, and the age of silent films is on the wane. Valentin doesn't want to believe it, and turns up his nose when producer Al Zimmer (John Goodman) advises him of that fact. Meanwhile, Peppy embraces the chance to get in on the cutting edge of this new technology, talkies! Her career is on the fast track, while George's is in a free fall, both in terms of his work and his personal life. Can the relationship between George and Peppy, however you want to label it, survive this disparity? What will become of George? He was Peppy's mentor; now he's a has-been. Is this melodrama headed for an unhappy ending?

There is not much to quibble with when evaluating this movie. Dujardin is absolutely outstanding with his ability to use facial expressions and body language to convey his thoughts without the aid of dialogue. That is acting in its purest form. He is old enough to portray a Hollywood icon, yet young enough to be believable as a potential romantic interest of Peppy. Bejo is perfect for her part as well. When she is on the screen it's hard to look elsewhere. The role calls for her to show a wide range of emotions, and she is able to do just that seemingly effortlessly. I loved the musical score which, as you might expect for a film with almost no dialogue, is a key ingredient. The worst thing I can say about "The Artist" is that it is a little too schmaltzy, particularly in the last reel, but that minor beef is not enough to keep me from giving it an A.