The Artist

George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) was the main character in The Artist. In the 1920s, he was a bona fide theatrical idol with a legion of devoted followers. George found himself slowly falling head-over-heels in love with Peppy Miller (by Bérénice Bejo) while filming his newest project, and it seems that Peppy felt the same way. However, George feels hesitant to cheat behind his wife's back with the lovely young actress. George's career started to decline as Peppy's continued to soar, as a result of the increasing prominence of sounds in motion pictures.

Positive, heartwarming, and amusing are not typically the descriptive words you would associate with a typical black-and-white silent French picture. Nevertheless, The Artist is not a typical film. It is a life-affirming ode to the history and pleasures of cinema that tells the narrative of a silent film star in Hollywood. It imitates the appearance and atmosphere of classic silent films to utmost perfection, replete with jazzy music and vintage title cards.

Year of Release: 2011

Stars: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%