Cannes in 60 Seconds: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Filed under: Cannes, Festival Reports, Cinematical Indie
Sacre bleu, say it isn't true! The Cannes Film Festival may be "the gorilla of the film world," in the words of Geoff Gilmore of Tribeca Film Enterprises (quoted at indieWIRE), but it's feeling economic pains that are similar to every other fest. Advance bookings are down about 15 percent, according to Bloomberg, while the number of films on offer at the concurrent Cannes Market are about the same. That doesn't mean the glamour level is down for the major Hollywood productions that are debuting, yet it seems that more people are willing to question the importance of the festival itself.
Key Screening. Disney Pixar's Up, directed by Pete Doctor, got things started off on the right foot, earning rave reviews as the first animated film to open the fest -- and in 3-D, to boot. A 40-foot tall replica of Carl's house was constructed on the nearby Carlton Pier for the event; initially, there were thoughts of floating the house up in the air with hundreds of attached helium balloons, but that idea was abandoned when conditions became too windy, reports USA Today. Carl, by the way, is the cranky old balloon salesman voiced by Ed Asner, who was not invited to attend.
Films Sold. Veteran distribution executive Bob Berney and his partner Bill Polhad announced a deal for Jane Campion's Bright Star, which is screening in competition at Cannes. It's a 19th Century romance drama about the love affair between two poets, played by Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. Variety has the details.
After the jump: More distribution news, plus critical reaction to Up goes through the roof!
Celebrities at Cannes
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Robin Wright-Penn attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Robin Wright-Penn
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CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Asia Argento attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Asia Argento
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CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
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CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 13: Isabelle Huppert attends the Jury Presentation Photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isabelle Huppert
Getty Images
Tales From the Golden Age was picked up by IFC Films, according to indieWIRE. Described as "a collection of Romanian urban legends from the communist era," the film was written by Christian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) and "collectively" directed by five people, including Mungiu. IFC plans a 2010 release.
As covered by Jenni Miller earlier tonight, Sony Pictures Classics made two more distribution deals.
Critical Reaction. While the red carpet, tuxedo and gown premieres are held at night, the press screenings start in the morning, so a thick file of reviews for Up have already been compiled. A few choice quotes:
"The quality of writing, its delicious sound design, and the emotional punch it packs all make this one of Pixar's finest achievements to date." (The Telegraph)
"It really is a lovely film: smart, funny, high-spirited and sweet-natured." (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian)
"Up has got the most heart of any Pixar movie; it may be the first Pixar film about actual people." (James Rocchi, Redbox)
"A marvel of a movie which will enchant cinemagoers around the world and remain a family favourite for decades to come." (Mike Goodridge, Screen International)
Finally, Roger Ebert doesn't arrive at Cannes until tomorrow, but he saw the film in advance and observed: "This is a story as tickling to the imagination as the magical animated films of my childhood." By the way, he saw the film in 2-D, which didn't preclude him from including strongly-worded opinions about 3-D in the article.
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