I believe in being honest in my reviews. And honestly, I simply do not enjoy silent films as much as those with talking. It's harder to get immersed in the story when all you've got to work with are some extremely expressive faces. However, I could not in good conscience skip this one and continue to call myself a cinephile, for it did win 5 Oscars including best picture so I kinda had to see it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard to sit through as I thought and actually is very charming and entertaining if you let it work it's magic on you. Half about the death of silent films and the rise of talkies, half about a blossoming love story, the plot is simple enough. The acting, considering the constraints, is excellent. Best actor winner and star Jean Dujardin has the hardest task but he absolutely delivers and Berenice Bejo may have the most beautifully photogenic face I've seen on screen in quite some time. Would I watch it again? Sadly no. Would I have voted it best picture? Again no. But in an age of super-hero movies, sequels and remakes, it is something of a miracle that a black and white silent film was made at all. Credit to Harvey Weinstein and the film's Oscar winning director Michel Hazanavicius for their guts and wisdom to make something a little different.
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