Film: Revelling in the sound of silence

Reviewed this week: The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Rating: 5/5. The Iron Lady directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Rating: 3/5.

Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in The Artist.
Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in The Artist.

Reviewed: The Artist

**Directed by Michel Hazanavicius**

**Selected cinemas, cert PG**

**Rating:** 5/5

I can't think of a better way to start the new year than by seeing **The Artist**, Michel Hazanavicius's charming homage to the early days of cinema. It's a near-silent, black and white film which demonstrates such meticulous mastery of the form that it could be mistaken for a rediscovered lost masterpiece.

The film ...