Okay, let's be honest, was this beautiful project ever going to be anything other than a huge success? The Artist had 'winner' stamped all over it. A genuinely lovely film anyway, it has originality and style bleeding from every frame. As with all the best ideas, something comes along and you wonder why this hadn't been done before now. Okay, you may not have wondered it eighty or ninety years ago, but you get the drift. In an industry that forever seems to be helplessly entrenched in murder, torture, the ugly pursuit of wealth, crime, anger, horror, terror and lust, along comes a film that displays none of these qualities. It is honest, sweet and beguiling, a classically framed reminder of a better time when values were somehow richer, simpler and more innocent.
And this is no mean feat either. The film mesmerises and dazzles the viewer even only in black and white. It cajoles the viewer into a state of positivity and good vibes, it respect its audience, never dragging them to where it wants them, but instead leads them playfully by the hand.
Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are absolutely delightful and impossible to ignore after their performances here. Given the obvious limitations, their acting is sublime, never cliched or overbearing, funny but never comic. The casting is exquisite here and I simply cannot imagine another two leads in Hollywood that would have been able to do this without it appearing staged and a little bit contrived.
The score comes under closer scrutiny than normal. but it is up to the task with bags of it to spare. Never too twee nor too raucous. It aided the film like so few others do. This was less background and much like the dog, more of a supporting role.
See this film if you get the chance, it will delight you and you will leave the cinema a happier person for having seen it, this much I can guarantee.