Allen's 'Midnight' romance, De Niro's jury open Cannes
Source: Agencies |
May 12, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
STARGAZERS were already catching sight of some of Hollywood's biggest stars at the Cannes Film Festival well before "Midnight in Paris," the Woody Allen romance that opened the glamorous event with an evening premiere yesterday.
On hand to meet reporters and festival-goers earlier in the day were Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, along with director Allen and some of his cast, which includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Adrien Brody.
Capitalizing on the horde of international press at Cannes, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures brought in Banderas and Hayek for a photo event and interviews before the festival opened to promote their upcoming animated adventure "Puss in Boots," a "Shrek" spin-off.
Banderas and Hayek posed on a pier along the Mediterranean atop a giant pair of boots bearing the movie's title and discussed the film. The 3D movie prompted Banderas to put on his special glasses and give Hayek a once-over. "Now we are in three dimensions. If Salma was beautiful in two dimensions, imagine her in three dimensions," Banderas said.
Also outside the festival proper, Black, Jolie and Hoffman came to Cannes for interviews on opening day, along with a news conference a day later, for their DreamWorks animated sequel "Kung Fu Panda 2."
Allen's romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris" stars Wilson as a Hollywood screenwriter and wannabe novelist who pines nostalgically for the 1920s Paris of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. On a series of midnight strolls, he's transported back to the city in the time of his dreams, where he learns lessons from his idols about finding your place - and time - in life.
It was the first film shot in France by Allen, a frequent Cannes guest. Allen said he aimed to show the city with the sort of glow he recalled from past big-screen takes on Paris.
"I wanted to show the city emotionally, the way I felt about it," Allen said. "It didn't matter to me how real it was or what it reflected. I just wanted it to be the way I saw Paris. Paris through my eyes."
"Midnight in Paris" also features France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who has a small role as a guide at the Rodin museum who helps Wilson's character translate a French diary that is key to his journeys into the past.
De Niro, heads the jury that will award prizes among the 20 films in the Cannes main competition. Thurman and Law join him on the nine-member jury, which also includes Argentine actress Martina Gusman, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.
De Niro said he was keeping an open mind about what would make a winner. "I'm not sure what I'm looking for," said De Niro, who has been visiting Cannes since his first trip in 1976 as the star of "Taxi Driver."
"I'm sitting there watching the movies and we'll figure it out."
Other stars on hand before the festival closes on May 22 include Brad Pitt and Sean Penn for Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life;" and Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
"It's in Cannes' DNA to attract stars. It's important that our red carpet be 'scarlet,'" said festival managing director Thierry Fremaux.
On hand to meet reporters and festival-goers earlier in the day were Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, along with director Allen and some of his cast, which includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Adrien Brody.
Capitalizing on the horde of international press at Cannes, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures brought in Banderas and Hayek for a photo event and interviews before the festival opened to promote their upcoming animated adventure "Puss in Boots," a "Shrek" spin-off.
Banderas and Hayek posed on a pier along the Mediterranean atop a giant pair of boots bearing the movie's title and discussed the film. The 3D movie prompted Banderas to put on his special glasses and give Hayek a once-over. "Now we are in three dimensions. If Salma was beautiful in two dimensions, imagine her in three dimensions," Banderas said.
Also outside the festival proper, Black, Jolie and Hoffman came to Cannes for interviews on opening day, along with a news conference a day later, for their DreamWorks animated sequel "Kung Fu Panda 2."
Allen's romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris" stars Wilson as a Hollywood screenwriter and wannabe novelist who pines nostalgically for the 1920s Paris of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. On a series of midnight strolls, he's transported back to the city in the time of his dreams, where he learns lessons from his idols about finding your place - and time - in life.
It was the first film shot in France by Allen, a frequent Cannes guest. Allen said he aimed to show the city with the sort of glow he recalled from past big-screen takes on Paris.
"I wanted to show the city emotionally, the way I felt about it," Allen said. "It didn't matter to me how real it was or what it reflected. I just wanted it to be the way I saw Paris. Paris through my eyes."
"Midnight in Paris" also features France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who has a small role as a guide at the Rodin museum who helps Wilson's character translate a French diary that is key to his journeys into the past.
De Niro, heads the jury that will award prizes among the 20 films in the Cannes main competition. Thurman and Law join him on the nine-member jury, which also includes Argentine actress Martina Gusman, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.
De Niro said he was keeping an open mind about what would make a winner. "I'm not sure what I'm looking for," said De Niro, who has been visiting Cannes since his first trip in 1976 as the star of "Taxi Driver."
"I'm sitting there watching the movies and we'll figure it out."
Other stars on hand before the festival closes on May 22 include Brad Pitt and Sean Penn for Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life;" and Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
"It's in Cannes' DNA to attract stars. It's important that our red carpet be 'scarlet,'" said festival managing director Thierry Fremaux.
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