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55th Cannes Film Festival unspools
The final touches were being put on the French Riviera town as festival-goers anticipated appearances from their favorite stars and filmmakers
By Yu Sen-lun
STAFF REPORTER, IN CANNES, FRANCE
Thursday, May 16, 2002, Page 11
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A technician checks a camera in front of the Palais des Festivals on the eve of the opening ceremony of the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Twenty-two films are in competition for the Palm d'Or.
PHOTO: AFP
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One day before the opening ceremony at the Palais de Festival, the red carpet was being rolled out, the workers were busy painting and preparing flowers, and journalists from around the world were busy getting their badges at the press counter. But on the streets all was nearly ready.
Posters of this year's 22 competing films were flying along the sidewalks and giant advertisements of films from Hollywood studios were hung near the five-star hotels such as the Majestic and the Carlton. The stand outs were a long Spider-Man flung up high, a posh sportscar parked in front of the poster for the new 007 film, Die Another Day, and of course a huge signboard for Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, the film being released worldwide this weekend, which will have a special screening in Cannes.
A few people were scattered on the beach and there were only a few paparazzi preying on stars. But in just a day this quietness will all change. Filmmakers and stars are sure to line the Riviera for the coming 12 days.
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US director Woody Allen loves the attention from US actresses Tiffani Thiessen, left, and Debra Messing on a terrace of the Palais des Festivals during the photo call for his film Hollywood Ending. Woody Allen's most recent film will open the festival out of competition.
PHOTO: AFP
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Woody Allen, Mike Leigh, David Cronenberg and Roman Polanski are among the filmmakers competing. And movie fans may well spot Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Emily Watson, Adam Sandler, Matt Damon, Sandra Bullock and Ralph Fiennes.
Woody Allen yesterday started things off by presenting his latest feature, Hollywood Ending. The New York-based filmmaker, known for his long-time contempt for Hollywood, was embraced by French movie fans -- just as happens in his autobiographical comedy -- a true "Hollywood ending."
Joining Allen to open the festival was US director David Lynch, winner of last year's Best Director honors for Mulholland Drive. Lynch is presiding over the Feature Film Jury which will also have actresses Sharon Stone, Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) and Christine Hakim from India.
Martin Scorcese will preside over the short film fare as well as Cinefoundation, covering works from film schools. Scorcese will also bring his latest film Gangs of New York for a 20-minute special screening.
Two Taiwanese films are also joining the festival, the same number as last year. Chen Kuo-fu (陳國富) and Yee Chih-yen (易智言) will take the place of Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) and Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), who brought their works last year.
Chen's psycho-thriller Double Vision (雙瞳) was selected for the Un Certain Regard section and Yee's lament about Taiwan's troubled youth, Blue Gate Crossing (藍色大門) will screen in the Director's Fortnight section.
Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending mocks stereotypical Hollywood crassness. In the film, Allen portrays a filmmaker whose creativity has dried up and who is suffering from depression. He is offered the chance to shoot a US$60 million 1940s-style noir film by his ex-wife, who left him for a Hollywood studio boss. He accepts the job apprehensively as he has still not overcome his feelings for her.
His anxiety about making a comeback makes him increasingly nervous and after suffering huge stress on the set -- hiring a Chinese cinematographer who doesn't speak English, spending huge sums of money on the production and constantly quarreling with his ex-wife -- a real disaster occurs when he goes blind. Thanks to a clueless Chinese translator and his ex-wife's help, Allen finishes the film and keeps the secret about his blindness.
The picture is of course an absolute mess, the studio boss hates it, and he loses his actress girlfriend in the fiasco, but the French love it and he's invited to Paris. He wins back his ex-wife and takes her to live in Paris -- a typical Hollywood ending.
"It's amusing and endearing that the French always find artists before we do, in literature, cinema and jazz, from a long time ago. This situation is always amusing to me," Allen said. He said his bringing the self-parodying French-connected film to debut at Cannes was purely coincidental. "But when I wrote the ending of the film, I did think it would be a good one to bring here," he said.
"I'm suppressing panic," said the well-known hypochondriac, talking about his feelings attending the giant film party. Allen said the reason he said yes to Cannes was as a reciprocal gesture to the French, who have welcomed and appreciated his films for many years.
Following his appearance at the Oscars two months ago, Allen seems to be changing his public profile, previously refusing to attend the Oscars or film festivals. "It's not a religion-changing gesture. ... In fact, I'm back in [Manhattan] in a few hours," he said.
A few of the films
Twenty-two films are vying for the Palme d'Or. Among them are three features from directors from the US, three from Britain and four from France.
The US films are:
-- Punchdrunk Knuckle Love, by 32-year-old US director Paul Thomas Anderson (who made Magnolia and Boogie Nights) and starring Adam Sandler.
-- About Schmidt, by Alexander Payne and starring Jack Nicholson.
-- Bowling for Columbine, by Michael Moore -- a documentary about gun violence in the US. The title refers to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in which 12 people died.
The British films are:
-- All or Nothing, by Mike Leigh (who made Secrets and Lies and Naked).
-- 24 Hour Party People, by Michael Winterbottom (Welcome to Sarajevo).
-- Sweet Sixteen, by Ken Loach (The Navigators, My Name is Joe, and Land and Freedom).
The French films are:
-- L'adversaire (The Adversary), by Nicole Garcia.
-- Marie-Jo et ses deux amours, (Marie-Jo and Her Two Loves), by Robert Guediguian.
-- Demonlover, by Olivier Assayas.
-- Irreversible, by Argentinian-born French director Gaspard Noe.
Source: AFP
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