Go to see The Artist. Michel Hazanavicius' black-and-white romantic comedy-drama - set in Hollywood in 1927 just as sound was coming to the movies - is outstanding.
It's won many prizes, including five Oscars for best film, director, actor, original score and costume design.
The French film tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a charming star of silent films, as 'talking' pictures arrive.
Just like George's films, The Artist is (almost) totally silent - relying on music, a few sound effects and surtitles, or captions for dialogue. Yet you hardly notice the lack of spoken words.
At the premiere of George's new film, he bumps into a cute, aspiring actress, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). She kisses him for the cameras, and the photo is all over next day's front pages. Later, filming a dance scene, they fall in love, yet do not declare their feelings. Peppy soon rockets to stardom as George, afraid to 'talk' in films, sees his own star fade.
One scene serves as a superb symbol for their reversal of fortunes: Peppy climbing up a staircase as George walks down. This exhilarating and passionate film will make you laugh and cry - and leave you wondering why no one made a silent film before ... But of course, in the 1920s, they did. Don't miss it.
