The Magnificent Silence

I have go to admit, even I was skeptical about the whole concept of "The Artist." A silent movie in this day and age? I thought to myself, will I even understand the plot? But seconds into the movie, I even forgot that it was silent, because it was not *completely* silent of course, there was the grand score of Ludovic Bource, who borrows a lot from Bernard Hermann's score of Vertigo. The score perfectly envelopes each scene, and the effect is that it is that your senses are more highlighted. The whole movie is a celebration of classic filmmaking, and you feel the love. Jean Dujardin (who is much deserving of his Golden Globe from last evening) shines as George Valentin, a silent film superstar who refuses to cross-over  to talkies. He and Berenice Bejo, as Peppy Miller, "meet cute." She is a fan of his, she gets pushed in a mob while asking for an autograph. There is  bit of both "A Star Is Born" and "Sunset Boulevard" in the plot, and of course "Singing In The Rain." I even sense a lot of "French" in it, it's unique and kinda weird in the most vivacious way. The film doesn't take it's being a silent film too seriously, there is a wink in there, and the audience is in on all the jokes. It is old-fashioned without seeing dated, as a matter of fact somethign about it feels very contemporary, and as I had stateds, it has such infectious joy that it makes me want to take tap-dance lessons. The characters are quite memorable that they stay with you. As I was watching Berenice Bejo on the E! Red Carpet being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest, I even almost thought that he was interviewing Peppy Miller! "The Artost" is my favorite movie of 2011, and in my opinion, lacks the heavy hand of "the Tree OF Life," the other front-runner.