The Artist is a love letter to Hollywood’s golden age of silent cinema.

Hollywood, in 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is the most famous silent film star in the world. His films draw full houses. He’s falling in love with a young dancer called Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) whom he gives her first break in movies.  

But sound is coming to all the film studios – and he’s soon out of a job. Matters are made worse when Peppy becomes a star of the talkies. Nothing can pull him out of his downward spiral, not even his co-star, a show stealing dog.

I grew up watching silent films on TV. Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Lillian Gish. The first talkie I remember watching was Singin’ in the Rain, a musical about silent film actors struggling to adapt to movies after The Jazz Singer (released in 1927).

The Artist inhabits very similar territory – but takes it a step further by being entirely in black and white, almost completely free of dialogue, and shot in 4:3 ratio. The DNA of Singin’ in the Rain runs through the entire film: the lead character George Valentin feels like a splicing of Singin’ in the Rain’s Don Lockwood, John Gilbert and Tyrone Power; there’s a glimpse of the Dancing Cavalier here, a microphone joke there… and by the time the final scene rolls around there isn’t a dry eye in the house.

Hazanavicius made his name with two pitch perfect 60s spy spoof films, both starring Dujardin. With this he takes it to the next level. Besides Singin’ in the Rain’s obvious influence, every single frame of this film is dripping with monochrome beauty. The music is beautiful – but there are also lovely uses of sound effects, and one heartbreaking scene which is completely silent. 

Dujardin and Bejo deserve to become huge stars off the back of this film, for the final scene alone if nothing else.

It’ll warm your heart and have your cheeks wet with tears. If it doesn’t, then you are a black hearted monster and you should probably watch Zookeeper or Piranha 3DD instead, because there is no hope for you.