The 74th Cannes Film Festival has been declared open. The Jury has given its first press conference, the red carpet has been christened by the cast and crew of the opening film, Annette, and Jodie Foster has told the press in flawless French how wonderful it is to be back to celebrate the magic of cinema.
Andy Warhol wanted everyone to get fifteen minutes of fame. In Cannes, you generally get ten minutes. That’s because press reps have to find a spot for the avalanche of interview requests and the day is only so long.
Which explains why the opening Jury press conference is such a special moment, because you actually spend an hour in a room with nine celebrities at the same time!
Jury president Spike Lee lead the charge, dressed in a black and white shirt and black baseball cap, followed by the five women and three men who make up the Jury, kitted out in their matching dark blue Cannes facemasks.
The MC introduced everyone and began by asking the members how they had reacted to the invitation to participate in Cannes.
The thoughtful words of Korean actor Kang Ho Song summed up the mood.
He said it was a “miracle” that after cinemas being closed for so long the festival could actually go ahead.
Lee politely answered a question about his connection to Cannes which goes back to 1986 with She’s Gotta Have it.
Race relations in the United States
The first question from a young black woman touched on race relations in the United States, a topic close to Lee’s heart. We heard our first expletive at that point from Lee who commented that it’s been more than thirty years since his film about police violence Do the Right Thing (1989) came out and ”black people are still being hunted like animals”.
Then we were treated to a speech-cum-question from a young woman activist from Georgia who wanted to draw attention to a brutal government crackdown on journalists and attendees at a recent LGBTQ rally in Tbilisi. She wondered how the filmmakers would react to this.
Spike Lee calmly and graciously thanked her for speaking out.
“The world is run by gangsters,” he said simply, emphatically, indicating to the journalists in the room that it was now their duty to research the story and bring it to the world.
The American actrice and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Franco-Senegalese Mati Diop joined in and reaffirmed how powerful cinema can be to pass on a message, the move people to action.
There were questions about the presence of women, and about the environment, handled deftly by Gyllenhaal, Diop and Melanie Laurent, the French actress and campaigner, who said gender equality and protecting the planet were one and the same battle and that it was no cooincidence that this first Cannes of a new era should combine these two themes.
Then the jury left, but Spike held back and signed a few autographs, and took a few selfies.
You can leave your hat on
The opening ceremony was a further reflection of the international scope of the Cannes festival. After seeing the cast and director of Annette cross the red carpet, it was time for a touching introductory speech in French by Jodie Foster, a spot of Korean from Bong Joon Ho, and some lovely lilting English spoken by Spanish director Pedro Amoldovar who presented Jodie with her Honorary Palme d’or.
Spike Lee in his bright pink suit said he wished he spoke French like Jodie Foster. To prove his point he said “Champs Elysées” in a way that no-one in the audience could catch and that got him some laughs.
After a presentation of the films in competition, it was time for the very first screening to begin.
The voice of truth
Annette, by French director Leos Carax was a whirlwind, surreal and epic journey into the deep recesses of a hyperactive imagination. A universe full of sharp colours, especially green – the colour of envy perhaps?
Each actor sings their lines for the entire film, which at first is disconcerting, and then we get used to it. It lends the film an old-fashioned, carnival flavour, and the presence of the baby Annette in her unusual form is a cross between creepy and cute.
Adam Driver’s character has a dark and violent side, he is sinking as his wife’s celebrity is rising, but his voice is high and fragile, he is a fragmented soul. We don’t want to believe he’s capable of what he ends up doing.
Opposite him is French actress Marion Cotillard in full-blown drama queen mode, which is normal as she plays a successful opera singer. She is relatively convincing with her voice, and has a calm, sensual aura that contrasts with Driver.
We are constantly surprised by where the film takes us, and it holds its suspense as it lurches through stormy seas (literally) and climbs to its haunting conclusion.
However, it is far too long. It gets bogged down in its repetitive refrains. It might remind some of another epic musical film by Lars von Trier, starring the Icelandic singer Bjork, playing a woman on death row who makes music out of objects around her.
Before we jump to any conclusions about Annette’s chances on the podium, we might do well to remember that Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark ended up winning the Golden Palm at Cannes in 2000.
