The Artist
Click to viewI was waiting to this movie for so long. The team behind this is the same than the one which made the recent OSS 117 movies (Cairo, Nest of Spies and Lost in Rio). These movies are spy movies spoofs, very stupid and very well-made in the same time: they are directed and played as movies from the 50's or 60's.
The director, Michel Hazanavicius wanted to push a little farther: this time it's a silent movie. The story isn't original: George Valentin is a silent movie star, Peppy Miller is a young woman who isn't a star yet. But when the talking movies arrive Valentin falls from grace while Peppy becomes famous. Remember Singing in The Rain? Morever, Valentin's disgrace is a bit too long in my opinion.
But the direction is very good. It isn't a simple stylistic composition which tires when the surprise or the nostalgia is spent. The actors are great too. I don't know why people were so surprised by Jean Dujardin around me: tap-dancing aside, he does the same thing as in the OSS 117 movies: great work concerning the body movements and the facial expressions to imitate old-fashioned acting. However Berenice Bejo was a surprise for me. She isn't bad in Cairo, Nest of Spies but her character wasn't very funny. In The Artist she's radiant. John Goodman and James Cromwell are there too and Uggy the dog is very funny.