Plot summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/plotsummary
It was Rated PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture and I rated the movie overall as a 4.5/5. I really liked the story, plot, camera shots and the gradual ascension from silent to sound. Also, being a guy who really likes black and white movies and has seen several silent movies I think that this movie portrays, at least my view, of what I liked about the 1920's and 30's movies and what I think of when I go to see/expect from a 20's or 30's flick. The deduction was only because I don't know if I would put this on my top 100 list but that's the only reason I didn't give it a 5/5.
This movie starts out with a silent movie star, George Valentine (Juan Dujardin), who has just watched and seen the reaction from the audience of his latest film. Being the star he is, he spends many moments going back and forth on the stage and even has his dog do tricks on stage (I liked the playing dead trick). He also teases his co-star (wife in the movie) by not allowing her to be on stage until the very last moment.
Outside of the theater where fans are at, Valentine poses and talks with the paparazzi and by accident, trying to get her dropped item, an unknown girl (Peppy Miller played by Berenice Bejo) happens to run into Valentine and share a photo with him. This starts headlines and controversy that allows her to go from extra on one of Valentine's movies to Hollywood starlet in a very short period of time (1-3 years). But during this uprising she grows a fondness for Valentine that is there even at later parts of the movie.
Later in the movie (several years), Valentine is shown into a screen room where he is shown a screen test involving the first makings of a talkie movie. Valentine's manager (played by John Goodman) tells Valentine that the studio wants to invest in those types of movies but Valentine doesn't want to do a talkie movie. This soon causes uproar and the eventual firing and decline of Valentine as a film star.
Although he has been fired and has been told that no one wants to see a silent movie anymore, Valentine decides to make and direct his own movie called Tears of Love. In the movie, the stock market has crashed the day before the movie comes out meaning he has lost everything he owns. So he must rely on the movie being a big hit if he has any chance of living the lifestyle he is used to. But his movie debuts on the same day as Peppy Miller's, former unknown star who still has fondness for Valentine, movie. His movie is a complete flop but Peppy Miller decided to see Valentine's movie instead of her own because she wanted to support his film and be able to catch another glimpse of Valentine. To complicate things, his wife leaves him since he has become depressed and has stopped talking to her altogether, due to his recent film flop and the stock market crash.
Despite through all the depression and financial woes Valentine goes through over the next 2 years, his butler (played by James Cromwell) and Peppy Miller stick by and try to care for him even when he doesn't want anyone to help him. This leads to Valentine firing his own butler, due to not being able to pay him for over a year, partly due to his alcoholism; the butler decides to work for Peppy Miller. During this period, Valentine sells all his possessions, that he hasn't already sold for alcohol, at a local auction where Peppy Miller uses her domestic workers (maid and I think butler [before James Cromwell]) to buy all of his possessions, which he finds out about later.
After all this has taken place, he burns all his film, except one (accidentally burning down the whole house), ends up passing out and being saved by his dog, and then transported to Peppy Miller's house after she discovers that the film that the only film he saved from the fire was the first movie they ever were together in. Awakening after resting a long time in Peppy Miller's house, Valentine discovers that Peppy Miller has taken the liberty to have him cared for at her house and has even vouched for him to be in a talkie movie (which he refuses to talk in any movie), while being glad to discover that his former butler now works for Peppy Miller.
While walking around in the house, Valentine discovers that she has bought all his possessions and that she is the one who has been trying to help him all along. But being overrun with loss of pride and jealousy, he runs away to his burnt down house and decides to kill himself.
Peppy Miller discovers this and tries to drive (she drives as if she has not driven for a long time due to always having here butler drive her everywhere) and reach the house where she knows he is and tries to stop him from killing himself.
This scene leads to a part of the movie where a "BANG!" flashes across the screen and the relationship between Peppy Miller and Valentine on/off the screen changes forever.
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