The Artist

The Artist (2011) is a nearly silent black-and-white drama from director Michel Hazanavicius that you can watch online on iFILM. Hollywood, 1927: silent-film star George Valentin is at the top of his game just as sound arrives on the studio lot.

Jean Dujardin plays Valentin and Bérénice Bejo plays Peppy Miller, an aspiring dancer. They cross paths by chance on a red carpet, and from there life pulls them in opposite directions. Talking pictures turn Peppy into the next big name, while George stubbornly clings to silent film and quickly finds himself shut out. Around them are a producer played by John Goodman, a loyal chauffeur, and a dog that all but rescues the hero in a few scenes. Almost everything is told without dialogue: gestures, music, and faces do the work.

The picture plays with the grammar of silent cinema yet reads easily for a modern viewer. At the 2012 ceremony it took the top Academy Award for best film, with a second statuette going to Dujardin for the lead role. It's a love letter to old Hollywood made without a single spoken line. Stream The Artist (2011) online on iFILM.