THE ARTIST Galas

Silence is golden in director Michel Hazanavicius’ delightful block-and-white feature set in 1920s Hollywood. Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his charming portrayal of George Valentin, a vain, preening silent film star of swashbuckling romances . Equally beguiling is Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller, a star-struck young dancer who fatefully encounters Valentin at a lavish premiere. THE ARTIST also features winning turns by James Cromwell, John Goodmon, Penelope Ann Miller and a scene·stealing Jock Russell terrier named Uggy. Lovingly evoking such classics as A STAR IS BORN and SUNSET BLVD., THE ARTIST tells its tale of Hollywood’s bumpy transition from silent films to “talkies” with gorgeous cinematography by Guillaume Schiffman, a buoyant score by Ludovic Bource, and not a single word of dialogue. Reviving the spirit of silent film, Hazanavicius has penned a joyous love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood .