[9][10][11][12] It was written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, produced by Thomas Langmann and stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo.

In France it was nominated for ten César Awards,[17] winning six, including Best Film, Best Director for Hazanavicius, and Best Actress for Bejo.

With a little guidance from Valentin, who draws a beauty spot on her cheek, Peppy rises through the industry, earning more prominent starring roles.

Two years later, Zimmer announces plans to cease production of silent films at Kinograph Studios, but Valentin is dismissive, insisting that sound is just a fad.

He decides to leave the studio for the chance to produce, finance, and direct his own silent film, Tears of Love.

Later, the bankrupt Valentin is forced to auction his personal effects, and after realizing he has not paid the loyal Clifton in over a year, gives him his car before firing him.

Now the audience hears sound for the second time, as the film starts rolling for a dance scene with Peppy and Valentin and their tap-dancing can be heard.

The forming of the film's narrative started with Hazanavicius' desire to work again with actors Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, who had both starred in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.

He did extensive research about 1920s Hollywood, and studied silent films to find the right techniques to make the story comprehensible without having to use too many intertitles.

[22][23] Principal photography on The Artist began in November 2010,[24] taking place over the course of thirty-five days,[25] made in the 1.33:1 screen ratio commonly used in the silent film era.

[26] All the technical details, including lenses, lighting and camera moves, were calibrated to aesthetically match silent films of the period.

[20] The film was produced by La Petite Reine and ARP Sélection for 13.47 million euro, including co-production support from Studio 37 and France 3 Cinéma, and pre-sales investment from StudioCanal and CinéCinéma.

[20] All the scenes were shot in Los Angeles, primarily in Hollywood, but also in downtown theaters, restaurants and houses, including the one in which Mary Pickford lived.

[38] Following its wins at the 69th Golden Globe Awards, it was announced Warner Bros. would re-release the film in France in 362 theaters on 25 January 2012.

[2] After its success at the Academy Awards, the film saw a moderate boost the following week on the box office in North America.

The website's critical consensus states, "A crowd-pleasing tribute to the magic of silent cinema, The Artist is a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare.

[47] Mark Adams of Screen Daily called the film "a real pleasure"; "propelled elegantly forward by delightful performances from Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo it is the most unlikely of feel-good movies."

"[48] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described how the film "had me on my feet cheering throughout the final credits" and stated "I can't wait to see it again".

[52] David Thomson of The New Republic called The Artist an "accomplished and witty entertainment" and went on to write, "Whether Hazanavicius can do more things as elegant and touching, without the gimmick of silence, remains to be seen (and heard).

"[54] Writing for Slant Magazine, Jaime N. Christley gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars, explaining Michel Hazanavicius ignores "everything that's fascinating and memorable about the era, focusing instead on a patchwork of general knowledge, so eroded of inconvenient facts that it doesn't even qualify as a roman à clef.

The final portion of The Artist is accompanied not by original music, but by a 1992 recording of the Herrmann composition Scene d'Amour, conducted by Elmer Bernstein.

"[57] "This film should've been able to stand on its own without depending on Bernard Herrmann's score from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo to provide more drama" and that "It is morally wrong for the artistry of our industry to use and abuse famous pieces of work to gain attention and applause for other than what they were intended", ending her comments with "Shame on them!

In response, director Hazanavicius released a statement:The Artist was made as a love letter to cinema, and grew out of my (and all of my cast and crew's) admiration and respect for movies throughout history.

"[58] In May 2011, when the film was first shown at the Cannes Festival, Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter mentioned the use of Herrmann's music, "Hazanavicius and Bource daringly choose to explicitly employ Bernard Herrmann's love theme from Vertigo, which is dramatically effective in its own right but is so well known that it yanks you out of one film and places you in the mind-set of another.