HIGH DEF UNIVERSE

Peppy tries to capitalize on her new-found fame by taking the paper with her to an audition where she discovers that her charm is more effective than the newspaper and she is soon hired to be a dancer. When George spots her at the studio again, he demands that she be hired as an extra in his new film. The studio chief Al Zimmer (John Goodman) is unhappy about it but agrees to it to keep George happy. During the filming of a dancing scene between George and Peppy, George forgets he's in a scene and keeps messing up because he's so entranced with her. Later, when George discovers Peppy in his dressing room caressing his jacket while imagining it was him, he offers to help her by setting her apart from other actresses by drawing a beauty spot on her (which later becomes her trademark).

Years pass and the tables have turned as Peppy is now a big star while George's fortunes have dimmed. The movie industry has moved on to "talkies" including Zimmer's studio and silent movies are becoming obsolete. George tries to buck the trend by financing a new silent movie called Bitter Tears with his own money, which he also writes and directs as well. Despite his belief that movies with sound are just a fad, deep down he's afraid that's not the case and he starts having nightmares where he can hear everything but his own voice. Bitter Tears ends up opening the same day as Peppy's latest film and also the same day as the 1929 Stock Market Crash, which wipes George out financially. His only chance to remain solvent is if his film is a big hit which unfortunately doesn't happen and he's ruined. His estranged wife Doris (Penelope Ann Miller) kicks him out of the house, Peppy's film is a major success, and George is forced to move into an apartment with his chauffeur/servant Clifton (James Cromwell). George's life continues to spiral out of control and all he has is the loyalty of Uggie, Clifton, and a former protege who wants to help him if only his pride would allow it.

The Artist won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor and it's easy to see why. The film is meticulously crafted by director Michel Hazanavicius who obviously studied many silent pictures before making this film and he managed to capture the feel and the time period from them. Jean Dujardin does an incredible job as George and it's amazing to watch just how expressive he is. He easily could have been a major silent film star as he has the good looks, the fluid body movements, and he can do just about anything required. We see snippets of the films that he starred in and in that brief window we see him as a spy, an adventurer, a Zorro Douglas Fairbanks kind of role, and more. In each one of them, not only does he bring life to them, but I found myself wishing that those short films were actually made and that I could see them as part of the bonus features on this disc. That would have been really cool. I hadn't seen Dujardin in a movie before this one but I will correct that mistake right away.

Bérénice Bejo also does a fantastic job as the young ingenue that rises to the top without forgetting the man who gave her her first big break. Bejo winning personality seems to be a mix of Clara Bow, Mary Pickford, and her own incandescent joy. In fact, the whole film is basically joy that's been somehow bottled up for all of us to enjoy. Whether it's watching Dujardin react to Bejo's character while she's cheering him up or seeing Bejo do an impromptu dance on a staircase for George, or their final number together in perfect sync, this movie is incredibly uplifting despite a few dramatic scenes. The rest of the cast is just as good with John Goodman as the irate studio boss, James Cromwell as the loyal servant, and Missi Pyle and Malcom McDowell are great in their small roles too. I can't say enough good things about this movie and I really hope that there might be a sequel to it however unlikely that may be.

Video (4 1/2 out of 5 stars)

This 1080p (1.33:1) transfer is absolutely gorgeous to see! The black and white images look crisp and clean with impressive detail and clarity throughout the film. The level of detail in this transfer is astounding, as you can see every texture, every face clearly in the crowd, and every bit of detail on display. The contrast is spot on and the black levels are perfectly solid and dark. Fans of the movie will love this transfer as it looks incredible on Blu-ray!

Extras (4 out of 5 stars)

While I would have liked a director's commentary included on this disc, I have to say that I really liked the extras that were added as they cover most of the areas I wanted to hear about. All of them are also in high definition too!

• Blooper Reel - Bloopers as they would have been if done in the 20s - silent, funny, and accompanied by music.

• The Artist: The Making of an American Romance - At twenty-two minutes, this featurette covers the usual making of material and it does it well. We hear from the cast and crew talking about the movie, the characters, the music, the dancing, and more. It's very interesting and I recommend watching it.

• Q&A with the Filmmakers and Cast - Despite being almost forty-five minutes long, there isn't much information gained about the movie from watching this but it's still enjoyable. Matt Holzman moderates the panel that includes: Missi Pyle, James Cromwell, Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, Director Michel Hazanavicius, and Producer Thomas Langmann. This is mostly anecdotes from James Cromwell and Missi Pyle since the rest of the cast is French and some like Jean Dujardin can't speak English too well. Cromwell makes some very intelligent comments about the film and the movie industry and all of them are fun to listen to.

• Hollywood as a Character: The Locations of The Artist - A look at the Los Angeles locations used in the film including a visit to the Bradbury building where the staircase shot was filmed as well as other films like Blade Runner. There's some recycled footage from the making of featurette too which I never like to see.

• The Artisans Behind The Artist - A featurette that's been broken into four parts including: The Production Design, The Cinematography, The Costumes, and The Composer. More recycled footage here too.

• UV Digital Copy