BAFTA Awards: 'The Artist' Surely Unstoppable Now For Oscar, After Collecting Seven More Gongs

The Artist 'Not So Stupid'

The Artist is looking all but unstoppable for Oscar now, after collecting seven BAFTA gongs to add to its already impressive tally of industry Awards.

The combination of romance, a deceptively simple photographic touch, not to forget the presence of a very involved dog, has proved torchpaper to the hearts of those given a vote during Awards Season.

The black and white, silent ode to a bygone era of cinema may not have looked like an obvious choice for either box office success or critics' attention when it was first mooted by its French creative team.

But as they received Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Music, Cinematography and Costume Design at London's Royal Opera House last night, their onlookers in the audience may have been left wondering why they didn't think of something so visually appealing and evocative.

Even in the highly-contended category of Best Leading Actor, against an incredibly strong field including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Michael Fassbender and Gary Oldman, Jean Dujardin proved more than a match for any other comers, and must surely be a strong favourite to repeat this feat at the Oscars in two weeks' time.

After he collected his award for Best Director, Michel Hazanavicius explained he would not be making a silent film again anytime soon - "this is too special to me" - and joked that his creative partner Thomas Langmann was "stupid" - an in-joke, who knows?

Langmann looked placidly down at the award in his hand, and answered, "I've got a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, so I don't feel so stupid."

Both men shrugged off Oscar talk, but after tonight's showing, they may be the only ones not already mentally etching their names on another set of statuettes in a fortnight's time.

BAFTA Winners in pictures:

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