The film by Michel Hazanavicius stole the show at the 69th Golden Globes ceremony, winning three awards including Best Film and Best Actor in the Comedy/Musical category.
Leading the pack with six nominations, The Artist made big noise at this year's Golden Globes, scooping up the awards for Best Comedy or Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in the Comedy or Musical category, and Best Original Music for Ludovic Bource. This is the first time that a French film has won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy!
Speaking to journalists with his trophy in hand, Michel Hazanavicius declared, "We thought this was a festival film, a film that the critics could appreciate, but we certainly didn't expect this!"
The film's producer Thomas Langmann(from the production company La Petite Reine) accepted the Best Film award, surrounded by crew members including the canine star of the film, Uggie. Langmann paid tribute to his father, the producer, director, and actor Claude Berri, who won an Academy Award in 1966 for the short film Le Poulet.
Just a few minutes earlier, Jean Dujardin picked up his award for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical, adding to his Best Actor honors from this year's Cannes Film Festival. Dujardin follows in the footsteps of Gérard Depardieu, who received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in 1991 for Green Card. Drawing applause from the audience, Dujardin read his acceptance speech in English, explaining that he had been told he would never be able to make films because his face was "too expressive, too big." He continued, laughing, "It's not my fault, my eyebrows are independent... But seriously, I have always followed my instincts and fought for my dreams. So I would like to thank you tonight for proving them wrong."
The Artist also won the award for Best Original Music by Ludovic Bource, but missed out in the Best Direction, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress categories. Nevertheless, the film is well on its way to making its mark at the upcoming Academy Awards.
