At Miramax, Harvey Weinstein justifiably gained a reputation as something of an Oscar kingmaker, very effectively earning Academy Awards for often unlikely or unexpected features.  Last year, The Weinstein Company, the professional home of the brothers Weinstein, campaigned well on behlaf of The King's Speech, and it's looking increasingly likely that the distributor can do it again this year with The Artist.  See, French helmer Michel Hazanavicius just won the feature film award at the 2012 Director's Guild of America Awards.

The Artist, writer-director Michel Hazanavicius's loving homage to silent film, is a fizzy little concoction that's insubstantial but joyous, leaving audiences sort of giddy and smirky when its over.  Similarly, outtake reels are infectious bursts of goofy energy that we can all agree offer some meaningless yucks, often moreso than the film or television show they accompany.  You see where I'm going here.  The blooper reel from The Artist is now online, and it is just as light, happy, and entertaining as you'd expect.

Synopsis:  Hollywood 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. THE ARTIST tells the story of their interlinked destinies.

Opening in theaters on November 25th is a experimental new film from French director Michel Hazanavicius (OSS 117: Cario, Nest of Spies) called The Artist, which is already an early Oscar front-runner. The movie takes place in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932 and focuses on a declining male film star and a rising actress, as silent cinema grows out of fashion and is replaced by the talkies. The film is itself a silent movie and is in black-and-white.

The Artist features an impressive cast of American and French actors including Jean Dujardin (OSS 117: Lost in Rio), Berenice Bejo (A Knight's Tale), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential), Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito's Way), and Missi Pyle (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). 

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had an opportunity to sit down with the cast of The Artist, including Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, and Missi Pyle to discuss the acclaimed new film. The cast spoke honestly about the project, their initial reactions to making a silent black-and-white film, working with Michel Hazanavicius, learning to dance, and how Hollywood has changed (or hasn't changed) since the golden age of film.