The Artist is a 2011 French black-and-white film that is an homage to the silent movies of the 1920s. It opens with the premiere of a movie starring silent-film idol George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), an adoring fan, kisses George, and the photo makes the newspaper. Peppy auditions as a dancer, and George insists that she be cast in his next movie. As Peppy’s career takes off, talkies take hold, and George is fired.
George produces a silent picture, but it fails. His wife leaves him, and he auctions off his belongings. After a suicide attempt, Peppy saves him and offers him a part in her next movie. In the final scene, Peppy and George are tap-dancing together while making a musical.