Review: 'The Artist'

Last night, I saw 'The Artist', and came away with the following conclusions:

• The opening scene was genius: German soldiers demand that George Valentin, Jean DuJardin's character, speak, to which he refuses, which was an inspired way of dispelling the audience's anxiety about there being no sound;

• Eyebrows have far more personality that ordinarily utilised on screen;

• The dog, Uggie, is one of the most perfect things ever to exist in cinema;

• A film can be both self-aware and utterly joyous at once, as illustrated by the scene where the dog goes to get a policeman and he looks immensely embarrassed about the fact that he's going to follow a yapping dog;

• I would like everyone to call me Peppy henceforth;

• Never have I known an audience be so aware of each other - it's curiously bonding to hear when other people laugh/cry/giggle so clearly;

• This film seems to have total cross-generational appeal (at least, in my cinema), which is just as it should be;

• A little sound is far more powerful than a lot;

• It is one of the most entertaining, charming, funny and romantic films I have ever seen;

• Berenice Bejo and Jean DuJardin need never do anything else as their performances in this film have assured their places in the history of film;

• There is so much that can be done with film that the average film just doesn't do;

• If this is the film that led into my birthday, maybe this year won't be so bad...