Cannes Film Festival Update #4 - Let Them Eat Cake
Here are a few words about some more films that are in competition.
Marie Antionette
Sofia Coppola's modernist take on the story of Marie Antoinette was one of the most anticipated films of the Festival. Some people, who had never even seen the film, claimed that it was one of the greatest masterpieces in cinematic history. All of that hype hurt the film rather than helped it. From the way the film was described I always thought that it would be beautiful to look at but a bit shallow when it came to the story. Most of the critics agreed with that assessment. I also didn't care for the fact that Ms. Coppola used punk rock as the soundtrack. But the critics liked Kirsten Dunst in the role of a ditzy Marie. This film can probably be enjoyed if one wants to have a bit of fun - a guilty pleasure if you will. But if someone is looking for a serious history of France and the revolution then I think that they will be disappointed. Right now I don't see this film winning any major awards but Cannes is an unpredictable place so one never knows.
Days of Glory (Indigenes)
Rachid Bouchareb directed this tale of several men from French North Africa who fought in World War II in order to help liberate their mother country from the Nazis. They are fighting for a country that they have never even seen. The men are Moslems (indigenous) and are sometimes treated like second class citizens by their French commanders. This film focuses on how these men deal with not only fighting the war but being different from most of the people who are fighting for the cause. This film has gotten some great reviews and there has been talk of it getting an award. Some people have mentioned a screenplay award but only time will tell. But it looks like this one has a good chance of winning something.
The Family Friend
Paulo Sorrentino's film focuses on an unhappy moneylender. He has many unpleasant habits that turn people off. He thinks that he is alone because of this but he isn't alone. He represents everyone as we all have some of his unpleasant habits. This film seems to be more of a character study than a plot driven film. I have seen some words of praise for this film and I have also seen a bad review. I understand that the critics applauded wildly for the film so maybe it has a chance to win something. I think that its best shot would be for Giacomo Rizzo who plays the lead. Perhaps he will win for best actor. We shall see.
Colossal Youth
In Pedro Costa's film a laborer from Cape Verde has been living in a rundown home on the outskirts of Lisbon for 34 years. After his wife abandons him he moves into a low cost housing development. He meets many poor lost souls and somehow they all become his adopted children. This film sounds very special. It deals with some real life lessons. The images that I saw were just beautiful. Colossal Youth has gotten some very good feedback and it just might win something at the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
Marie Antionette
Sofia Coppola's modernist take on the story of Marie Antoinette was one of the most anticipated films of the Festival. Some people, who had never even seen the film, claimed that it was one of the greatest masterpieces in cinematic history. All of that hype hurt the film rather than helped it. From the way the film was described I always thought that it would be beautiful to look at but a bit shallow when it came to the story. Most of the critics agreed with that assessment. I also didn't care for the fact that Ms. Coppola used punk rock as the soundtrack. But the critics liked Kirsten Dunst in the role of a ditzy Marie. This film can probably be enjoyed if one wants to have a bit of fun - a guilty pleasure if you will. But if someone is looking for a serious history of France and the revolution then I think that they will be disappointed. Right now I don't see this film winning any major awards but Cannes is an unpredictable place so one never knows.
Days of Glory (Indigenes)
Rachid Bouchareb directed this tale of several men from French North Africa who fought in World War II in order to help liberate their mother country from the Nazis. They are fighting for a country that they have never even seen. The men are Moslems (indigenous) and are sometimes treated like second class citizens by their French commanders. This film focuses on how these men deal with not only fighting the war but being different from most of the people who are fighting for the cause. This film has gotten some great reviews and there has been talk of it getting an award. Some people have mentioned a screenplay award but only time will tell. But it looks like this one has a good chance of winning something.
The Family Friend
Paulo Sorrentino's film focuses on an unhappy moneylender. He has many unpleasant habits that turn people off. He thinks that he is alone because of this but he isn't alone. He represents everyone as we all have some of his unpleasant habits. This film seems to be more of a character study than a plot driven film. I have seen some words of praise for this film and I have also seen a bad review. I understand that the critics applauded wildly for the film so maybe it has a chance to win something. I think that its best shot would be for Giacomo Rizzo who plays the lead. Perhaps he will win for best actor. We shall see.
Colossal Youth
In Pedro Costa's film a laborer from Cape Verde has been living in a rundown home on the outskirts of Lisbon for 34 years. After his wife abandons him he moves into a low cost housing development. He meets many poor lost souls and somehow they all become his adopted children. This film sounds very special. It deals with some real life lessons. The images that I saw were just beautiful. Colossal Youth has gotten some very good feedback and it just might win something at the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
posted by Film Fanatic | 8:28 PM
1 Comments:
No one in their right mind would go to Coppola's modernist take on "Marie Antoinertte" (with a punk rock soundtrack yet!)thinking that they were going to see a factual recreation of the French Revolution. Those seeking historical "accuracy" would be better off seeing the 1938 film version starring Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power. There are fairly obvious reasons why Coppola cast Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman (!) as Marie A. And Louis XVI. And verisimilitude is not one of them.
The Cinema Kid
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