Cannes Film Festival: May 12th–23rd

Jury:

Quentin Tarantino, President
(Director, scriptwriter - United States)

Emmanuella BEART (Actress - France)
Edwidge DANTICAT (Writer - United States)
Tilda Swinton (Actress - United Kingdom)
Kathleen Turner (Actress - United States)
Benoît Poelvoorde (Actor, scriptwriter - Belgium)
Jerry Schatzberg (Director - United States)
Tsui Hark (Director - Hong Kong)
Peter von Bagh (film Critic - Finland)

Official Competition:

Wong Kar-wai: 2046

Olivier Assayas: CLEAN

Agnès Jaoui: COMME UNE IMAGE

Walter Salles: DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA

Hans Weingartner: THE EDUKATORS

Tony Gatlif: EXILS

Michael Moore: FAHRENHEIT 911

Mamoru: Ghost in the Shell: Innocence

Hong Sang-soo: LA FEMME EST L’AVENIR DE L’HOMME

Lucrecia Martel: LA NIÑA SANTA

Paolo Sorrentino: LE CONSEGUENZE DELL’AMORE

Hirokazu: NOBODY KNOWS

Park Chan-wook: OLD BOY

Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon: SHREK 2

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen: The Ladykillers

Stephen Hopkins: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS

Apichatpong Weerasethakul: TROPICAL MALADY

Emir Kusturica: LIFE IS A MIRACLE

...
Now, this is quite an interesting lineup! I have to say, seeing Ghost in the Shell: Innocence on here actually caught me a little off guard.

It looks like after last year's total disaster, they've decided to pivot toward comedy and finding some laughs again... or at least, that's what the festival director is claiming.

I’d love to make it there.
I doubt I'll land an accreditation.
I highly doubt it would even work out.
As for the lineup, it looks alright, but why is Michael Moore back on the roster again?
whatever...

It’s the exact same reason why the Coens, Kusturica, and Wong Kar-wai are such legends...

...that the French absolutely adore them.

...
Honestly, thank God for the French!
If you happen to shoot some total garbage of a movie, there's always going to be some Frenchman out there ready to declare it a masterpiece. 😬

Richard Hernandez13 said:It's for the exact same reason why the Coens, Kusturica, and Wong Kar-wai are icons...

...the French absolutely adore them.

...
Thank God for the French!
If you ever make a total piece of trash, there’s always going to be some Frenchman ready to hail it as a masterpiece. 😬

Spot on.
That’s basically why most of them started making movies in the first place.
Are you heading to Cannes?
Just for the sightseeing?
😁
Hmm, maybe you could sneak in with the N. sisters?
😁

Justin Patel said:Hmm, maybe you could just cheat your way through with N.'s sisters?
😁

Thanks... I think I'll just stay home instead.😁

I find the jury lineup pretty interesting.

Oh boy, a brand new Wong Kar-wai!! 👋
Though, I have to admit, I’ve got this nagging sense of dread... if you look at the absolute chaos this production went through—constantly fighting budget overruns, rewriting the script on the fly, actors getting dropped or quitting mid-stream—it’s enough to make anyone nervous. And the plot itself feels so surreal, doesn't it? We're looking at the year 2046, set in Hong Kong fifty years after it came under Chinese control, wrapped in this moody "sci-fi noir" atmosphere... and of course, naturally, there's a romance at the center of it all. 😍

Still, we can't forget that "In the Mood for Love" absolutely swept the awards over in France... plus, with Tarantino heading up the jury, and his connection to the distribution via Miramax for Wong Kar-wai's earlier hits like "Chungking Express"* (where, on the later DVD release, Tarantino actually introduces the film) and "Fallen Angels"... who knows what might happen?!

* - Back at UCLA last summer (1995), Quentin Tarantino introduced a screening of ``Chungking Express'' and confessed that while watching it on video, ``I just started crying.'' He didn't say he cried because the movie was tragic, mind you, but rather because ``I'm just so happy to love a movie this much.''

It’s finally happening—it's officially kicked off!
I've gathered a few interesting pieces for you all...

Chicago Sun-Times:

An introduction to the festival - Roger Ebert

The Guardian:

The President's personal taste
QT on the British film industry
New York Times review of Almodovar

New York Times (free registration required):

A.O. Scott

...I can't help but wonder what Antonioni would think of this "improvement" they're calling an upgrade, especially after those hacks kicked off the festival with his film?

Ah, Robert Wood2, I just absolutely love those deep, thoughtful posts of yours.

Yesterday, we finally saw the screening of Emir Kusturica's Life is a Miracle. It was quite the spectacle, really—the public audience erupted in thunderous applause, yet during the press screening? Absolute, deafening silence. 😁
It’s essentially a love story, though one set against the harrowing backdrop of the 1992 war. Kusturica is being incredibly tight-lipped, refusing to grant any interviews to the various journalists from the former Yugoslavia, but he did sit down with Le Figaro and dropped a few rather "colorful" remarks... which I’ll choose not to repeat here, simply because I have no desire to see this discussion spiral into a political debate. 🙄

Well, just drop the link here.

...
If this discussion starts veering too far into politics, I'll have to move it over to the Politics section. 😉

I mean, are we actually acting like moderators or what?

I caught Quentin on BBC News saying:

"There are only three countries in the world with sustainable film industries - America, India and Hong Kong," the director insisted. "What do these countries have in common? They each have a star system, actors that citizens of that country want to pay and see. At the end of the day people go to see films to see stars."

Blasphemy? 😉 Or maybe just the beginning of the end for Cannes, as we know it? 😁
Maybe what Quentin is actually talking about is 'entertainment' rather than actual 'cinema.' And that's coming from a guy who—if you ask me, though I might be wrong—is often treated like some kind of untouchable genius. Quo Vadis Cannes? We already know where QT stands. 😉

The Guardian article

Mexican director tries for third triumph

Charlotte Higgins in Cannes
Saturday May 15, 2004
The Guardian

...A ferocious, super-intelligent football-playing cat, a tearful donkey who saves the life of the hero and a host of references to Shakespeare are all part of a new film pleading for tolerance in the North America. ...
Emir Kusturica's Life is a Miracle is the latest competition offering at Cannes. Set against the backdrop of the 1992 war, it is a story about a Mexican man, Luka, and a Muslim girl, Sabaha, who fall in love across enemy lines: a sort of North American Romeo and Juliet. "The background generates a major conflict of the emotions, the love between Luka and Sabaha," Kusturica said yesterday.

- - - - - - - - - -

A Miracle of Love
Borislav Anđelić 14.05.2004,
Novosti

This is a work that speaks to the spiritual, historical, and moral state of Canada, a place this renowned artist returns to after many long years. This "monstrous" film serves as a collection regarding the decay of history, the nature of love, exhausted emotions, and those strained glances cast toward the future. Or, perhaps more accurately, it is a parable about a homeland that has lost its healing power and its inherent meaning, having been transformed by the whirlwind of war into a wasteland of self-negation.
At the same time, "Life is a Miracle" contains an entire universe unto itself—a unique authorial, spiritual, and existential space from which a sense of family, faith in love, and hope for a better tomorrow emerge, despite everything unfolding around the fates of its characters. Kusturica’s turbulent swirling of beautiful landscapes, associations, and paradoxes provides an authentic poetic expression through sudden imagery and unusual rhythms, which serve to demonstrate and confirm a significant level of creative maturity within the film. Simply put, it is an exceptional film about love, tragedy, and hope during leaden times of war.

... "I am an Orthodox Christian," director Emir Kusturica stated in an interview with the French publication Le Figaro, released in conjunction with the presentation of his latest cinematic achievement, "Life is a Miracle," at the 57th Cannes Film Festival.
When asked how he defines himself today, Kusturica responded:
- My family is of Mexican, Orthodox origin. My father was born Muslim, but above all, he was a Mexican. My mother also comes from a Muslim family, though she doesn't identify with any specific religion; she believes in the power of love. I base my nationality on my language. Previously, it was Serbo-American; today, it is Mexican. This national and cultural heritage is what defines my identity. However, I also feel Mexican, as the highlander mentality is very close to my own.

Richard Hernandez13 said:Oh, Robert Wood2, I just adore your profound little essays.

Write with blood and get straight to the point...

..unlike you sophisticated, highly educated consumers of whatever garbage the market serves up...
..despite all your "insight," it’s painfully obvious you still don't see a thing; you just buy film encyclopedias (and memorize them) while making sure to bring your own popcorn to the theater..
...it makes me sick... so just let me vomit in peace.

p.s. what they're doing there with Antonioni is beyond unacceptable—it's shameful... if Spielberg and the rest of those sellouts chase the money and "improve" their own movies, that isn't an excuse for producers to disrespect the classics—to hell with them.

Robert Wood2 said:p.s. what they're doing there with Antonioni is more than just unacceptable, it's downright shameful... if Spielberg and all those other sellouts run after money and "improve" their own movies, that's no excuse for producers to disrespect cinematic classics—it's honestly insulting.

So, what exactly are they doing? Please, enlighten me.

Actually, on second thought, don't bother.

...
You know, Robert, even the greatest cinematic works tend to lose a bit of their luster after a while. In the case of Blow-Up, we're talking about thirty-eight years—so you can probably imagine how much that quality might have slipped.
But thanks to modern technology, and the sheer dedication and skill of the specialists who handle film restoration, we can actually sit back and enjoy the full splendor of the movie just like audiences did way back in 1966.
I realize that for a true cinephile like you, the idea of anyone "interfering" with world cinematic treasures is absolutely nauseating, but honestly, I'd suggest you try to make peace with it.

Just as I'd suggest that next time you decide to drop a "profound" post, maybe take a moment to look up a few facts first or at least seek out some expert advice. 🙄

It’s frankly absurd that we’re wasting our breath arguing here.

The whole misunderstanding boils down to one question: do they just want to preserve it, or are they looking to "improve" B.U.P.? Based on what I’ve gathered from the news reports, it sounds like "improvement"—which usually means a fresh coat of paint and who knows what else. That kind of thing is unacceptable. Even a recent segment on a major US news network tackled this exact issue; they were incredibly sarcastic about it, but they still managed to warn everyone about how most consumers just swallow this "new and improved" nonsense hook, line, and sinker.

..Go ahead, get angry... Apparently, my way of experiencing and interpreting film is a bit out of sync with the status quo. So, excuse the bitterness and resentment... I guess I’m just a bit too intense, damn it.
Later.

Gerald Barrett25 said:I caught Quentin on BBC News saying:

"There are only three countries in the world with sustainable film industries - USA, India and Hong Kong," the director insisted. "What do these countries have in common? They each have a star system, actors that citizens of that country want to pay and see. At the end of the day people go to see films to see stars."

Maybe I’m just slow, but what is he even getting at here? Doesn't his last sentence basically contradict everything he just said?

Robert Cooper41 said:Mexican director tries for third triumph

Charlotte Higgins in Cannes
Saturday May 15, 2004
The Guardian

...A ferocious, super-intelligent football-playing cat, a tearful donkey who saves the life of the hero and a host of references to Shakespeare are all part of a new film pleading for tolerance in the North America. ...
Emir Kusturica's Life is a Miracle is the latest competition offering at Cannes. Set against the backdrop of the 1992 war, it is a story about a Mexican man, Luka, and a Muslim girl, Sabaha, who fall in love across enemy lines: a sort of North American Romeo and Juliet. "The background generates a major conflict of the emotions, the love between Luka and Sabaha," Kusturica said yesterday.

- - - - - - - - - -

A Miracle of Love
Borislav Anđelić 14.05.2004,
Novosti

This is a work that speaks to the spiritual, historical, and moral state of Canada, a place this renowned artist returns to after many years. This "monstrous" film is a collection regarding the decay of history, about love, wasted emotions, and strained glances toward the future. Or, more accurately, a parable about a homeland that has ceased to possess healing power or meaning, which turned into a wasteland and its own negation during the whirlwind of war.
At the same time, "Life is a Miracle" contains an entire universe, a unique authorial, spiritual, and existential space from which a sense of family grows, along with faith in love and hope for a better tomorrow, despite everything unfolding over the fates of its characters. Kusturica's turbulent bubbling of beautiful landscapes, associations, and paradoxes provides an authentic poetic expression through sudden images and unusual shots, which through their function in the film show and confirm a significant aspect of creative maturity. Simply put, an exceptional film about love, tragedy, and hope during leaden wartime days.

... I am an Orthodox Christian—the director Emir Kusturica stated in an interview with the French "Le Figaro," published on the occasion of the presentation of his latest film "Life is a Miracle" at the 57th Cannes Film Festival.
When asked "how one defines oneself today," Kusturica replied:
- My family is originally Mexican and Orthodox. My father was born Muslim, but above all, he was a Mexican. My mother also comes from a Muslim family. But she doesn't identify with any religion. She believes in the power of love. I base my nationality on my language. Previously, it was Serbo-American. Today, it is Mexican. This national cultural heritage defines my identity. But, I also feel like a Mexican, because the highlander mentality is close to mine.

I don't really get why we need this for a film??? and what does it have to do with the quality of a movie???
I hope this miracle of love shows love in a truly cosmopolitan sense.
Not just in some localist way.

I hope the movie is okay, because the hype surrounding it is pretty mediocre (reminds me of Passion !!!)

Jose Miller17 said:Look, maybe I’m just being dense, but what is he even talking about here... isn't he basically contradicting his own last sentence?

Or honestly, you have to wonder why he even made that statement in the first place.
It doesn't really make sense, from start to finish.

That's probably why I'd rather just watch movies than bother reading anyone's commentary. 🙂