The Artist
Academy Award × 5
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.
What critics thought
The Artist was met with near-universal critical enthusiasm at the time of its release, with most reviewers swept up by its charm, its playful command of silent-film grammar, and the performances of Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The minority who resisted argued that the film skated on surface nostalgia rather than genuine engagement with the era it mimics — warmly crowd-pleasing to believers, a clever but shallow exercise to skeptics.
“one of the most entertaining films in many a moon, a film that charms because of its story, its performances and because of the sly way it plays with being silent and black and white.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“uses old technology to dazzling effect to illustrate the insistent conquest of a new technology.”
Rick Groen·The Globe and Mail
“accomplished and witty entertainment”
David Thomson·The New Republic
“everything that's fascinating and memorable about the era, focusing instead on a patchwork of general knowledge, so eroded of inconvenient facts that it doesn't even qualify as a roman à clef.”
Jaime N. Christley·Slant Magazine
“The film does feel a little sluggish towards the end of the first third as the music is a little repetitive and the intertitles are infrequent, but Hazanavicius manages to give the film a real sense of charm and warmth, and film fans will be competing to spot visual and musical references.”
Mark Adams·Screen Daily
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Cast & Crew
DirectorMichel Hazanavicius
StarringJean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller
ComposerLudovic Bource
The Artist
Academy Award × 5
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.
What critics thought
The Artist was met with near-universal critical enthusiasm at the time of its release, with most reviewers swept up by its charm, its playful command of silent-film grammar, and the performances of Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The minority who resisted argued that the film skated on surface nostalgia rather than genuine engagement with the era it mimics — warmly crowd-pleasing to believers, a clever but shallow exercise to skeptics.
“one of the most entertaining films in many a moon, a film that charms because of its story, its performances and because of the sly way it plays with being silent and black and white.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“uses old technology to dazzling effect to illustrate the insistent conquest of a new technology.”
Rick Groen·The Globe and Mail
“accomplished and witty entertainment”
David Thomson·The New Republic
“everything that's fascinating and memorable about the era, focusing instead on a patchwork of general knowledge, so eroded of inconvenient facts that it doesn't even qualify as a roman à clef.”
Jaime N. Christley·Slant Magazine
“The film does feel a little sluggish towards the end of the first third as the music is a little repetitive and the intertitles are infrequent, but Hazanavicius manages to give the film a real sense of charm and warmth, and film fans will be competing to spot visual and musical references.”
Mark Adams·Screen Daily
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Cast & Crew
DirectorMichel Hazanavicius
StarringJean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller
ComposerLudovic Bource