Top 10 Post-Black-and-White-Era Black-and-White Movies

An ode to silent cinema, The Artist was a hit at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is being positioned by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein as a serious contender for a Best Picture Oscar nomination. There’s no way a 1920s-set dialogue-free black-and-white film will win the top prize, you say? Stranger things have happened (Shakespeare in Love, anyone?). The film appeals to nostalgic, film-loving Academy voters and nostalgic film-loving critics, both groups that have massive influence over the rise and fall of a film’s Oscar fortunes. On top of that, it’s plain delightful. TIME’s Mary Corliss raved about the film, writing, “The Artist is not just for geriatric cinephiles but for anyone of any age who wonders what happened to the cinema’s old gift for creating pure joy.” On top of that, it’s a gorgeous black-and-white film — bright and well-lit at the start, as protagonist George Valentin rides high in Hollywood, and increasingly dark as his luck goes south. Incredibly, the film was actually shot in color and then monochromed in postproduction. Well, you fooled us!

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