By Cole Smithey
Cannes — During a moment away from his responsibilities as Jury President of the Un Certain Regard award category, Alexander Payne struts down a Cannes backstreet wearing large black sunglasses and his head cocked back like a tall bobblehead doll lost in a reverie of self adulation. Payne’s immodest attitude is symptomatic of Cannes’ circus-like atmosphere where every film professional has his or her reciprocal collaborator waiting with baited breath to fulfill their part of the roundelay film festival game. Celebrities have their greedy fans and photographers, film distributors have their buyers, actors have their directors, but watching films is one activity that unites them all.
In recent days, the red carpet stairs leading into the Palais’ Grand Theatre Lumiere have been awash in the glow of celebrity charm with actresses like Catherine Denueve, Sharon Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Scarlett Johansson, and Natalie Portman keeping their composure amid an army of shouting paparazzi. French superstar actress Sophie Marceau inadvertently spiced up her red carpet occasion when the dress she was wearing fell from her shoulder revealing a bare breast. No one was offended as Ms. Marceau diffused all embarrassment with gentle laughter from her infectious smile.
The rumor mill in Cannes is inescapable. Public conversations, about opinions of movies, have immediate effect on screenings to be favored or avoided. Woody Allen’s new movie "Match Point" played outside of competition, but has received unanimous praise.
The inside bet for this year’s Cannes Palme d’Or award veers towards Lars Von Trier’s "Manderlay," the second installment in his scathing trilogy on America. Since making "Dogville," Von Trier has polished the stylistic sticking points of that film’s inaccessible delivery to reveal "Manderlay" as a powerful cinematic parable about slavery in America. It’s a stunner.
