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North American grumbling in Cannes
Lots of grumbling from North American critics this year in Cannes.
The reason? Only one movie from the U.S. is in the official competition. It’s Doug Liman’s “Fair Game,” starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. For those who are wondering, that puts the U.S. on the same level with Chad, which also has a movie in competition.
The Chad movie is called “Un Homme Qui Crie.” In English, that translates to “A Screaming Man.” I’m not in the mood for screaming men.
Don’t get me wrong. Cannes is all about world cinema. And the movie from Chad, directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, might be wonderful. But the esoteric nature of this year’s competition films leaves a lot of question marks for critics who want to write about movies that will actually play in the States.
That’s led to an increased interest this year in the Directors Fortnight and Critics Week screenings. They have more U.S. films. And they include stars that you actually might have heard of. So there’s a bit of concern about relevance if critics focus only on competition films, as usual.
More than one critic approached me this year, welcoming me like a survivor of the national newspaper economic crisis. And to a person, they said the same thing. “This might be my last year.” These weren’t minor critics. They include major Canadian and U.S. representatives as well as some of the most respected writers about film who teach at the world’s top-flight universities.
To make matters worse, nearly every North American who has shown up this year had a travel nightmare. Some crossed the North Pole to avoid the ash cloud. Some arrived via a route over Africa’s Congo. But missed connections were the norm. Kate Beckinsale, one of the jurors for the Palme d’Or, even said she missed the traditional jury dinner last night because her flight was delayed.
Various trade publications, meanwhile, are reporting a notable drop in companies showing their films at the official market, where wheeler dealers congregate.
We’ll see what happens. Cannes always has naysayers. But the fact is this: Everyone who is here should be grateful. It might not be the best situation. But whining is verboten.
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By sleeping nights awake
May 12, 2010 7:27 PM | Link to this
You should probably consider editing this story so that the reference to Cannes is before the FOURTH PARAGRAPH. I had no idea what you were even talking about….