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Credits roll on Cannes where the reviews are mixed
2005-05-22
Taiwanese actor Chang Chen, actress Hsu Chi and director Hou Hsiao-hsien pose during a photo call for 'Three Times', directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien of Taiwan and shown in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, southern France, Friday, May 20, 2005. |
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CANNES, France - As the credits roll on another Cannes Film Festival, it may go down as a year in which the on-screen line up outshone that on the famed red carpet."It seems to me that there were more potential 'palmists', or winners this year," said British film critic and author Mark Cousins. "By my reckoning there were seven films that were possible winners out of 21. Usually it's four, or even three. "This is a good year for serious cinema." But for the paparazzi it was a year to forget. "This year is pretty poor for stars," said one seasoned snapper who has been covering Cannes for 22 years. "The opening evening, for example, was very French. For me it is a bit of a shame to have only French people and not any really major stars." The winner of the coveted Palme d'Or prize was "L'Enfant," a powerful film about a young thief who sells his own child, directed by Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. After triumphing with "Rosetta" in 1999, the prize places the double-winning duo in elite company at Cannes. Another big winner at Saturday's glittering evening ceremony was Hollywood actor Tommy Lee Jones, who at nearly 60 has directed his first feature film which went on to win best screenplay and best actor for Jones himself. "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" explores life along the American-Mexican border, and Jones plays a gnarled ranch foreman out to give his dead friend a decent burial. American Jim Jarmusch took the runners-up prize for "Broken Flowers," a portrayal of a man in his 50s who is told he has a son he did not know about, and goes in search of the mother. Bill Murray is at his deadpan best, and stars alongside Sharon Stone and Jessica Lange in one of the competition's most commercial and accessible films. Austrian Michael Haneke may the most disappointed of the major filmmakers in Cannes, although he picked up best director for "Cache" (Hidden). The French film starring Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche was the critics' favorite leading into the awards, and was widely praised for its exploration of personal and national guilt, and the pain of facing up to one's past. Ample compensation, though, comes with distribution deals across the world for the sometimes shocking work. WHERE WERE THE STARS? Photographers grumbled there were too few stars who combined success on the screen with celebrity glamour, with the notable exception of Sharon Stone. Last year Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Charlize Theron filled that void. Hollywood heavyweights were in attendance, though. Murray, Morgan Freeman, Mickey Rourke, Hilary Swank, Penelope Cruz and Natalie Portman all graced the sun-kissed Riviera resort. George Lucas was also in town, with the world premiere of his final "Star Wars" installment which has gone on to break box office records. Not everyone agreed with the jury's decision to crown the Dardenne brothers a second time. "I liked the Dardenne movie very much but I think it's a bit of a waste after the prize they received six years go," said Michel Ciment, film critic for French magazine Positif. "Other filmmakers could have been chosen. Hou Hsiao-Hsien could have been an exceptional Palme d'Or. Haneke or Jarmusch could also have got a Palme d'Or for the first time." A number of critics agreed that the Taiwan director deserved something for his "Three Times," which features three stories set in three different times but using the same actors. "For me the best film (in Cannes) was from Taiwan," Cousins said. "It (Three Times) is not a mirror reflecting society at all but something that is aesthetic and beautiful." Reuters
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