Of all the films nominated for Best Picture (2012), The Artist was the only one filmed entirely in Hollywood. It's also the only (mostly) silent film to win the Best Picture Oscar since Wings in 1927. The Artist is essentially director Michel Hazanvicius's love letter to the movies, and it draws on a wide variety of sources. We recommend some of the film's influences:
42nd Street (1933): Romance and show business
The Jazz Singer: Al Jolson makes the transition from silent to talkie
Singin' in the Rain: Gene Kelly makes the transition from silent to talkie
Some Like It Hot (1959): Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag, with Marilyn Monroe; Directed by Billy Wilder
City Lights: Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece
A Star Is Born (1954): A movie star helps a young actress launch her career, even as his declines.
Michel Hazanavicius listed these directors as influences on The Artist: Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, John Ford, Ernst Lubitsch, F.W. Murnau and Billy Wilder.
This post was written by LR Simon and Howard Allen as part of our ongoing series on the 84th Academy Awards.
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