Review of The Artist

As the movie started and the projected picture shortened to half the screen, became black and white, and did away with dialog, my biggest concern was if this is just a gimmick that would wear really really thin over the one and half hour movie runtime. Modern audiences are used to widescreen pictures, vibrant colors and booming sounds; could a hundred year old movie experience still captivate modern audiences? In short, yes.

We are transported to the 20s Hollywood, pretty girls and dashing leading men filming stories of adventure and action. But, without sound and dialog, the actors use elaborate facial and physical cues to inform the audience of what's going on. And, throughout the movie that is all the actors use. With great skill, the actors take use through the gamut of emotions, happiness to personal hell, triumph to despair, love to heartbreak. Valentin, a star in the silent movie era, laughs at the advancement of technology of talkies at his own peril. His pride, his fall, his despair and his love are all communicated poignantly through this medium.

The only major criticism that I have for the movie is the soundtrack. Rather than ebbing and flowing with the movie, the orchestral soundtrack feels somewhat robotic and dull.

If you're intrigued by the idea of the movie, then I highly recommend you see the movie.