Movie Recommendation: The Artist

Back in November, I read the following review of The Artist in Entertainment Weekly:

READ THIS REVIEW!!

I wanted to see the movie IMMEDIATELY!!!  However, it wasn't showing anywhere in Colorado.  I started hearing a lot of buzz about the movie, but I never could find where it was showing.  It was finally about 2 weeks ago that I saw it was showing at a theater in Boulder.  Well, FINALLY it made it to the Cinemark in Fort Collins, so Shauna and I went to see it this past Monday.  (I would say I was dying to see the movie, but I'm trying not to make any more bad-taste jokes about people dying in the restroom at the Cinemark.)

It's interesting to see Silent Movies.  The actors have to do so much more acting then when they can speak their lines.  It's all about facial expressions and movement.  When there's a line you need to know, they put up a dialogue card.  Any actor can give a good performance with a great script.  Meryl Streep can give a great performance with a bad script.  But what about when there is no dialogue?  What are you going to hide behind then?  Nothing!  The ability to convey a story without any talking and still have the audience know what the heck is going on....well, that's simply amazing!

I really loved this movie.  It shows you exactly what it was like as Hollywood transitioned from Silent Movies to Talkies.  There were a lot of actors who got left behind, mainly because they couldn't handle the dialogue required.  My friend Jonathan told me about an actor named Fatty Arbuckle, who couldn't make it in the Talkies because his voice sounded weird compared to his looks.  He was great as a Silent Actor, but that all went away with the advent of Sound.  This is what happens in The Artist.  George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) his a mega-star in the Silent Movies.  But when he finds out about Talkies, he laughs.  He says no one wants to hear him talk.  He tries to make one last grand silent film and finances it himself.  However, the movie tanks (no thanks to the Talkie opening down the street, not to mention the Stock Market Crash of 1929) and George loses everything.  While he is losing his career, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) is shooting to stardom.  She ultimately saves Georges life and helps him regain his career.  I won't tell you what happens at the very end, because you need to see this movie for yourself, but in the very last moment we find out exactly why George didn't think he had a chance in Talkies.  It really took me by surprise!

This really is a fantastic movie about the history of Hollywood.  The only way this story could be told is as a silent movie, as that increases the impact of the ending.  And it's not totally silent.  There's a scene with some sound effects...and talking at the end.  This movie is an homage to Old Hollywood and should not be missed!