No clear favorite yet at Cannes
Source: Agencies |
May 26, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
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AFTER two weeks, 20 films and parade after parade down the red carpet, the Cannes Film Festival has not produced a clear-cut frontrunner for the Palme d'Or.
The prestigious award, given to the best film in competition, will be handed out tonight, decided upon by a jury headed by Steven Spielberg. And while this year's festival has boasted a cinematic feast, no single film is believed to have set itself apart.
A number of films seem to have a realistic chance of winning Cannes' top prize, including the Coen brothers' 1960s folk tale "Inside Llewyn Davis," Paolo Sorrentino's rollicking Roman party "The Great Beauty," Asghar Farhadi's domestic drama "The Past," James Gray's 1920s Ellis Island melodrama "The Immigrant" and Abdellatif Kechiche's lesbian coming-of-age tale "Blue is the Warmest Color."
Consensus is always hard to come by in Cannes, but it does happen. Last year, Michael Haneke's "Amour" was the far-and-away favorite, and went on to win best foreign language film at the Oscars.
Palme d'Or oddsmaker Neil Young currently has Farhadi in the lead with 5-to-2 odds to win. The Iranian director, whose film is in French, was honored as the best foreign language film two years ago at the Academy Awards for "A Separation."
But some found his latest film, with its succession of reveals of past misdeeds, more a feat of mystery novel-like plotting than revealing drama.
Its star, Berenice Bejo, as a single mother balancing an ex-husband and a new fiance, is a possible best actress winner.
So, too, is the star of "Blue is the Warmest Color," Adele Exarchopoulos. The 19-year-old actress was a breakout star of the festival in the three-hour French film.
But the American entries have been very strong. Perhaps no film was better received at Cannes than "Inside Llewyn Davis," along with its newcomer star, Oscar Isaac. The Coens won the Palme in 1991 for "Barton Fink."
Gray's "The Immigrant," a handsomely photographed, finely acted New York period piece, starring Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix, may have played well with Spielberg's jury.
One of the boldest, most ambitious films in competition is Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty," which stars Toni Servillo as a Rome journalist who begins to question a lifetime of late nights. Wildly stylistic but also emotionally personal, it was one of the biggest critical hits at Cannes.
On the first day of the festival, jury member Ang Lee said he was praying the jury would be overwhelmed by a self-evident winner. But most likely, Lee's prayers went unanswered.
The prestigious award, given to the best film in competition, will be handed out tonight, decided upon by a jury headed by Steven Spielberg. And while this year's festival has boasted a cinematic feast, no single film is believed to have set itself apart.
A number of films seem to have a realistic chance of winning Cannes' top prize, including the Coen brothers' 1960s folk tale "Inside Llewyn Davis," Paolo Sorrentino's rollicking Roman party "The Great Beauty," Asghar Farhadi's domestic drama "The Past," James Gray's 1920s Ellis Island melodrama "The Immigrant" and Abdellatif Kechiche's lesbian coming-of-age tale "Blue is the Warmest Color."
Consensus is always hard to come by in Cannes, but it does happen. Last year, Michael Haneke's "Amour" was the far-and-away favorite, and went on to win best foreign language film at the Oscars.
Palme d'Or oddsmaker Neil Young currently has Farhadi in the lead with 5-to-2 odds to win. The Iranian director, whose film is in French, was honored as the best foreign language film two years ago at the Academy Awards for "A Separation."
But some found his latest film, with its succession of reveals of past misdeeds, more a feat of mystery novel-like plotting than revealing drama.
Its star, Berenice Bejo, as a single mother balancing an ex-husband and a new fiance, is a possible best actress winner.
So, too, is the star of "Blue is the Warmest Color," Adele Exarchopoulos. The 19-year-old actress was a breakout star of the festival in the three-hour French film.
But the American entries have been very strong. Perhaps no film was better received at Cannes than "Inside Llewyn Davis," along with its newcomer star, Oscar Isaac. The Coens won the Palme in 1991 for "Barton Fink."
Gray's "The Immigrant," a handsomely photographed, finely acted New York period piece, starring Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix, may have played well with Spielberg's jury.
One of the boldest, most ambitious films in competition is Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty," which stars Toni Servillo as a Rome journalist who begins to question a lifetime of late nights. Wildly stylistic but also emotionally personal, it was one of the biggest critical hits at Cannes.
On the first day of the festival, jury member Ang Lee said he was praying the jury would be overwhelmed by a self-evident winner. But most likely, Lee's prayers went unanswered.
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