The Artist (Movieland)

The Artist

France 2011 | Michel Hazanavicius | intertitres DE stEN | 100’ | 35mm | Cast : Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman ► 5 Oscars 2012, including Best Picture & Best Director

At the end of the silent era, actor George Valentin is a bona fide matinee idol. While working on his latest film, George finds himself falling in love with an ingenue named Peppy Miller and, what's more, it seems Peppy feels the same way. But George is reluctant to cheat on his wife with the beautiful young actress. The growing popularity of sound in movies further separates the potential lovers, as George's career begins to fade while Peppy's star rises.

« It isn’t easy to get modern audiences to engage with a film that looks like it was made a century prior. Yet, that’s precisely what director Michel Hazanavicius manages to do. » (Next Best Picture)

« It's a gentle, wistful tale, but with an ending so joyous and movie-magical that you just might dance out of the theater. (I did.) » (Seattle Times)