The French-directed black-and-white movie beat eight rivals for the top Oscars prize, including Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and hit civil rights drama "The Help." Earlier, the movie’s lead, Jean Dujardin won the Oscar for best actor, becoming the first Frenchman to win an acting Oscar.
The Gallic actor beat four fellow nominees including Hollywood A-listers George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who had been nominated for "The Descendants" and "Moneyball," respectively.
"I love your country," Dujardin told the Oscars audience as he took the stage for his acceptance speech, the latest of many awards shows at which he has triumphed over the last few months.
After thanking the film's cast and crew, adding "my wife, I love you," he broke into French, using an expletive and then saying, "Great, thank you."
Dujardin, who has won a string of awards in the United States and elsewhere over the last few months, also beat Britain's Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and Mexico's Demian Bichir in "A Better Life."
"The Artist" started the evening with nominations in 10 categories at the Oscars, second only to veteran director Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," which had 11.
Meryl Streep won the Oscar for best actress for her scintillating portrayal of former British premier Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."
It was the third Oscar for the 62-year-old Streep and her first in three decades, underscoring her status as the pre-eminent actress of her generation.
"Oh, come on!" she said as she was given a standing ovation by the star-studded Hollywood audience.
When her name was called out, she said, "I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, 'Oh no ... her, again'," she added.
Streep defeated a deep field including Viola Davis, who was widely praised for her work in "The Help," and a cross-dressing Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs."
Rooney Mara, who plays damaged hacker Lisbeth Salander in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was also in the running for the best actress prize, as was Michelle Williams for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn."
source: interaksyon.com
