'The Artist' wins Britain's best picture

Silent movie "The Artist" had a night to shout about Sunday, winning seven prizes including best picture at the British Academy Film Awards, The Associated Press reports.

Britain's equivalent of the Oscars rewarded the French homage to old Hollywood over a homegrown favorite, spy thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." "The Artist," a black-and-white picture that has charmed audiences around the world since its Cannes debut in May, was named best picture, and its rubber-limbed star Jean Dujardin took the male acting prize. Its filmmaker, Michel Hazanavicius, won prizes for directing and his original screenplay.

Dujardin said it was "incroyable" -- incredible -- to win a prize in the homeland of acting titan Laurence Olivier, rugby inventor William Webb Ellis "and Benny Hill." Hazanavicius thanked presenter Brad Pitt for pronouncing his name correctly -- and academy voters for recognizing that his silent film even had a screenplay.

"So many people thought there was no script because there was no dialogue," he said.

Another homage to early cinema, Martin Scorsese's Parisian fantasy "Hugo," took prizes for sound and production design.

John le Carre adaptation "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" went into the ceremony with 11 nominations compared to 12 for "The Artist," but won just two prizes, for British film and for adapted screenplay.

"The Artist" also won prizes for cinematography, costume design and for Ludovic Bource's sprightly musical score.

The British prizes, known as BAFTAs, are considered a strong indicator of likely success at Hollywood's Academy Awards, to be held on Feb. 26.