I think "The Artist" is a combination of "A Star Is Born" and "Singin' in the Rain."
In both cases it's told from the other perspective. In the Star-is-Born scenes, the story is told from "his" POV, not hers. In the Singin-in-the-Rain scenes, it's told from the silent star's POV, not the up-and-coming Talkie star.
There are elements of a few other classic films in there as well, but I don't believe "The Artist" is a retelling of any single film or single plot line.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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