Review- The Artist (Directed by Michel Hazanavicius)

The modern ardent cinema-goer has every right to feel a little jaded in these current times of film with the multiplexes full of cheap knock off sequels and remakes and with 3D being trumpeted as the shiny new saviour when really it needs to be quiet and stop being overused. Even the independent market (in the UK at least) is in danger of becoming morbidly more mainstream if dynamic David Cameron gets his way (perhaps he is a distant relative of James if you look at his film sensibilities?). So in these uninspiring doldrums time we need a film to make us fall in love with cinema all over again. Step forward The Artist.

The Artist is the little French film that could, written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, it was produced with a modest budget and featured both French and American cast and crew members. When it arrived at the Cannes film festival in May 2011, the film was initially an out of competition entry but was moved to the competition a week before the festival opened and its leading man Jean Dujardin went on to win the best actor award. This came to the attention of the Weinsteins who snapped up the distribution rights and catapulted The Artist to wider audiences and universal critical acclaim.

The film starts in 1927 and George Valentin is the biggest star of the silent movie scene (accompanied by his four legged on screen sidekick Uggie the Jack Russell), he oozes charm and has a flair for comedic timing, a combination of Valentino mixed with Buster Keaton. When Valentin is posing for the press at his latest premiere, budding starlet Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) by way of accident, ends up being photographed with her matinee idol, much to the delight of the press who run with headlines asking 'Who's that girl?' Valentin, becoming a kind of mentor, helps the young actress get a part in one of his films and from there on, she begins to get more roles, her star rising each time she appears. Two years later and the advent of sound heralds a new beginning in the age of cinema, one which Valentin dismisses, even when the head of the Studio Al Zimmer (John Goodman) announces that they will no longer be producing silent films and the actor decides to go it alone, financing his own film. But Valentin's star has faded, his film is poorly received and with the stock market's great crash of 1929, he is bankrupt. In contrast Peppy Miller becomes the biggest new star of the talkies, the It pin up girl and the face of a thousand posters, she represents the star that Valentin once was but also in a way that he could never be.

For a film that is bringing feel-good back to audiences, there is much to The Artist that is bittersweet, highlighting the downward spiral many silent stars faced at the hands of the talkies, the cruel fate that stardom can take in a blink of an eye, thematically it could be a companion piece to A Star is born (1954). However it is the fresh nature and the lightness of touch that director Michel Hazanavicius brings to the material that makes the film so joyous, his love for the early silent period of cinema is evident in the detailed construction of the square framing of scenes and the old fashioned effects utilised such as jump cuts and the use of irises.

The Artist feels like a film from a bygone era yet brings something new to modern day film-making, it has an infectious cross-over potential to reach new audiences that may have previously shuddered at the thought of watching a black and white silent movie. French actor Jean Dujardin gives an irresistible performance as George Valentin, he emotes every expression with charisma, comic timing but also moments of brooding sadness and hidden depths, bringing old style acting back into the frame that doesn't feel out dated but refreshingly real, using every scene to his acting potential. Berenice Bejo meanwhile lights up the screen with fizzy enchantment, a cute as a button enthusiastic actress but one with her heart in the right place. Special mention should also go to Uggie the dog who provides comic foil and moments of pure canine glee. The score that is used throughout is bold, beautiful and entrancing, lifting the film when it needs to be light and pulling the emotional heartstrings when it needs to (Just don't mention the use of the Vertigo score to Kim Novak).

This is a film for film buffs, who will revel in the passion that is portrayed for the birth and illusion of cinema but it also is a film that could and should push over to the mainstream, Yes it is a tough sell for many and it may suffer an inevitable backlash by some in time for the Oscars (though the Weinsteins still hold a lot of clout in this area), but The Artist is the most purely enjoyable, smile on your face, tapping your feet experience you will have at the cinema this year. If given the chance, It will work its way into your heart and fill you with the magic of the silver screen, one that is impossible to resist.