ROMANCE; PG, 1hr 40min

STARRING: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo

In 1927, motion pictures are filmed in black-and-white and screened with live orchestras to enthralled and glamorous crowds. Hollywood is still known as Hollywoodland and George Valentin (Dujardin) is a gen-u-ine, Clark Gable–style silent-movie star. Peppy Miller (Bejo), on the other hand, is just an ingénue but her flirty ways cause quite a splash when she encounters George at a premiere...

Shooting in classic, chic black-and-white with an orchestral soundtrack and title cards to set the mood, writer-director Michel Hazanavicius brings a whimsical, modern spin to a scenario as old as showbiz itself: in 1929, George is washed up on the influx of the talkies, and Peppy—by name and unsinkable nature—is the toast of the town. Combine that reversal of fortune with the Great Depression and George’s wife leaving him, and George is in a pitiable place eloquently and wordlessly conveyed by the debonair Dujardin. He has a long way to fall but with protective Peppy watching over him, he also has everything to regain. For what is an Old Hollywood love story without a fabulous, light-footed finale?

Andiee's Rating: ****

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