The Artist (4 Stars)

And the 1927 best picture winner is- Oh wait! Oops... The Artist is the 2012 best picture winner! A silent film has created the most noise out of any of the films released in 2011 and taken home the most coveted prize at the academy awards. How can this be?! With all the colors in the rainbow routinely utilized in modern motion pictures and dialogue a key component of nearly every film (minus most action flicks), The Artist has defied the odds and reigns king.

This mime-filled masterpiece captures the humor, drama, and sense of adventure of the silent era of cinema. Throughout its entirety, I was captivated by a story that centered on a fictional movie star, George Valentin, at the peak of his career and his downfall juxtaposed against the height of the silent era of movies and their transition into talkies. The absence of dialogue was barely noticed after I was immediately transported into the realm of yesteryear.

Comedic skits with a lovable dog reminded me of Charlie Chaplin and how simple little moments could be incredibly funny. Comedy doesn't necessarily need to go hand in hand with raunchy humor or gross out noises. Basic, clever comedy still works. I immensely enjoyed George's wife throughout the film. The minuscule things she did to express her hatred towards her husband were done in a funny way that effectively lightened the darkness of the reality within the movie.

Also, the type of cutesy love at first sight moments between the stars of the film took me back to a simpler time in movies where bashfulness and suavity were all the rage. The scene where Peppy Miller is pretending that George is touching her by putting her arm through his jacket is innocently fun. As is the tap dancing scene when George only sees Peppy's legs and they mimic each other dancing. Jean Dujardin brought so much charisma to the character of George that it elevated these simple scenes to a level of sheer joy.

Perhaps one of my favorite moments came towards the end of the film when George was severely depressed. The brilliant use of a title card  with the word "Bang!" added unique tension and was a scene that would have been impossible to recreate in a film filled with sound.

The Artist took the advantages of modern technology and applied them to an era that I'm willing to bet that most people in the world don't even think twice about, let alone have ever seen a silent motion picture. Being deprived of such greats as Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, or Buster Keaton's The General is a shame. The Artist reminded me of all the great silent films that exist and can still be enjoyed, even though they are 80+ years old. Now, another film can be added to that list of great silent films. The Artist truly is a work of art.

The Breakdown: The lack of speech quite literally became a moot point. The humor and drama within the film took over and I found myself wanting more by the time the credits rolled. Don't let a film honoring a unique era in cinema scare you away. This movie may be different by today's standards however, it's fascinating to witness how movies once were viewed and enjoy one made in the modern world. The Artist proves that there still is a place for these types of films. That being said, there probably won't be another one made in a very long time, if ever again. So enjoy this unexpected addition to the silent film club!