Best of 2011: “The Artist”

What a great film and my choice for best picture oscar. It took a lot of will power and gusto to get this film made in an age where no one wants to see a black and white film, especially one that is silent.

The leads are extraordinary in their only slightly histrionic performances and all too curious in their uncanny ability to mimic their silent counterparts of years long since past.

Parts of the story reminded me a bit of Gilbert and Garbo and their struggle to stay together in the turbulence of sound. The creation of the mole on Bérénice Bejo’s cheek really got to me in how something so small could have such a huge impact on the story. So poignant.

Recommended Viewing: Flesh and the Devil – The Passion of Joan of Arc – 3-Iron

Robert Ryan Scale: Objective: 9.5   –   Subjective: 9.0
MetaCritic: 89
Rotten Tomatoes: 97
IMDB: 8.5

Robert Ryan is a local cinema enthusiast with a film collection exceeding 8,000 titles. Robert fled his rural roots due to the church’s censorship of film. His passion and labor of love came with a price he never regrets paying. Before becoming affiliated with Rockland Lifestyle, Robert worked as a freelance film critic and professor at Nyack College, teaching digital film production.