SHOWING TODAY
Nils Malmros had to take some unusual precautions while filming his 18th-century melodrama Barbara (screening today in competition) on location in the Faroe Islands. According to local superstition, all the stones by the side of the road are inhabited by mischievous trolls. Unless you say good morning to them in the politest possible way, these sprites will cause you every manner of misfortune. Judging by the success of the film in the Faroe Islands, Malmros must have been on his best behaviour. Barbara, which at one stage occupied both the Islands' two cinemas, has attracted around 50,000 paying customers - not bad when one considers that the entire population of the Faroe Islands is only 48,000.
Alain Resnais acknowledges that his new film On connaît la chanson (screening today in competition) owes an enormous debt to Dennis Potter, the British writer behind Pennies From Heaven and The Singing Detective. Just as in Potter's celebrated TV dramas, characters don't simply communicate in dialogue but periodically burst into song. If you like Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour, you're in for a real treat. Geoffrey Macnab
UPDATE
In Forum today at 12.30, right after the screening of Hanyo (start: 11.00) at the Delphi, there will be a discussion on Film in Korea. Korean filmmakers and representatives of the Pusan
Film Festival will attend. Director Kim Ki-Young, who passed away recently, honoured by this year's Forum homage, will be represented by his son Kim Dong-Yang.There will be an additional screening of Mandragora, 16 February, Olympia am Zoo at midnight.
Extra market screenings:16 FebruaryBednaja Sasha (Poor Sasha) at 19.00, Studio 10
Danish short films at 14.30. Studio 3Perdita Durango 20.30, at Studio 2 De poolse bruid (The Polish Bride) at 20.30, Studio 5
The screening of Rossini at the Royal, 13.30, will be of an English-language version
Sus ojos se cerraron y el mundo sigue andando (Tangos Are for Two) at 19.30, Royal 4
Uncut at 19.30, Studio 1
Screening changes:D#1 at 13.00, Studio 3 Mob Law at 13.30, Studio 1 Shalosh Ahayot at 18.15, Studio 1
The Big Lebowski meets the press
Quips all round at The Big Lebowski press conference yesterday. Star John Goodman explained the 'typecasting' of German nihilists, in response to an earnest query from a hack: "I only have to fight them ma'am, I don't care where they came from." When questioned about his dramatic range, Goodman noted: "What you see, is pretty much what you get."
Meanwhile, the Coen brothers were justifying the central issue of bowling in the film. "It's one of the few sports you can do when you smoke, drink and make inane conversation at the same time," remarked a sardonic Joel. Ouch. HB
Berlin gets sexy
Ever since its inception in 1950, Berlin has been revered for the quality of its programming. Unfortunately, Germany's bleak February has inevitably lost the glam-war to the summery charms of Cannes and Venice.
Over the last few years though, Berlin has been on the up. No doubt a nervousness in some quarters at the unholy clutter of Cannes, the importance attached to the German-speaking film market and the attraction of Berlin as the gateway to Eastern Europe's secret charms have all been factors.
Aline Perry, president of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (PFE) confirms that, "The perception in Hollywood [concerning Berlin] is much stronger now than a couple of years ago. Talent and agents are now asking about Berlin; it's definitely on the agenda," she says. The star quotient, never slack in Berlin, (Julia Roberts, Robert Downey Jr, Robert Rodriguez, Salma Hayek and Oliver Stone all pitched up last year) thus appears to be shining brighter than ever in 98. The Coen brothers signalled their preference for a Berlin premiere this year for The Big Lebowski. Also confirmed to attend this year are the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Toni Collette, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Altman. And just who is more glamorous than Catherine Deneuve?
While it's true that British tabloids won't be busting a gut to cover this year's event (it would be no easy task to persuade anyone to pose topless along the Budapesterstrasse in February), Berlin is still playing host to over 3,000 journalists from around 80 countries this year. The media focus remains on Berlin's real selling point: the calibre of the films, but celebrity-chasers like Hello!, E! Entertainment and MTV are getting their money's worth.
MTV withdrew its Berlin coverage in the early 90s, supposedly due to a paucity of hype and 'star' material. But over the last few years, the trend for film companies (notably the majors) to secure stronger contractual publicity obligations from their stars, and also the increase in actor-led production companies have increased both star attendance and media exposure. Tellingly, MTV now produces a 30-minute special on the festival. HB
IN BRIEF
For all those feminist cineastes out there the Women's Filmworkers Association has put together a flyer entitled "Have You Seen a Film By a Woman Today?" which is available at festival venues and lists all films directed by women.
Panorama comes up best with 25 entries, from some 86 films; hot on its tail is Forum with 24. Both the Competition and New German Films come up with five each. And the Siodmak brothers, it seems, liked their women, with 15 films showing in the Siodmak Retrospective benefiting from the female touch. LF
Swedish-born Marika Krook obviously has a multitude of talents. Not only has she just made her screen debut in Finnish director Claes Olsson's Underbara kvinnor vid vatten (Amazing Women by the Sea), screening in the EFM, but on Saturday night, she beat off some tough opposition for the honour of representing Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in London. She performed Aava (Widths) with her group, Edea. JRJ
The Butcher Boy star Eamonn Owens was greeted with whoops of appreciation at the film's press conference, but young Eamonn was the picture of humility. "Neil [Jordan] and I got on grand," he blushed. Meanwhile, director Jordan explained the casting of singer Sinead O'Connor in the role of the Virgin Mary. "I was going to cast Marilyn Monroe," he said, "but she was dead, so then I thought of Sinead." Fair enough… HB
The Festival would like to apologise to the Warner Bros team in Berlin for the poor quality of sound at the Zoo Palast Cinema during the competition screening of Neil Jordan's The Butcher Boy. Problems with the UCI equipment meant that the sound switched from digital to analogue processing halfway through the projection causing some distortion. Everything is being done by the festival technicians to make sure that the Zoo Palast's sound equipment is now in order.
With the growing number of child stars dominating the acting talent in this year's competition section, the Festival is thinking about investing in some special equipment: built-up chairs so that the young stars can be seen at press conferences.
IN TOWN
Andy Bausch, Giles Bones, Angela Bosch, Paulo Branco, Pierre Deleau, Michel Demopoulos, Solrun Hoaas, Amy Kaufman, Rhys Kelly, Gunnar Johan Lövvik, Graeme Mason, Dieter Menz, Richard Peña, Aline Perry, Henri-George Sluizer, Bob Swaim, Perrine Tézé, Marc Tessier, Daniel Toscan du Plantier, Jonathan Ulsberg, Vojislav Vucinic, Kim Dong-Yang, Marc Wehrlin, Yang Jung-Wha…
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
The Berlinale opens a window to the world and takes a look at how the German and international media view the festival and the surrounding goings-on
Vive la short film, which, sandwiched between commercials and the main attraction, between the joy of smoking and star gazing, doesn't have much of a chance. At least ten small gems are competing in this year's festival for gold and silver. Everything seen to date has been impressive… When will these dainty delicacies finally have a regular slot in cinemas? At least they're shown at the festival. And welcomed heartily by the audience.
Berliner Morgenpost
Of course it is much too early halfway through the competition's programme of the 48th Berlinale to distinguish any trend… The films screened already appear not to have a common denominator, until you see the final scenes. In each film a world collapses - but in the last minutes the directors shy away from the abyss. The hope principle overcomes probability.
Die Welt
What André Bazin once wrote is probably true: you cannot depict death on screen. But sometimes you have to try. Like Nikolas Geyrhalter (The Year after Dayton): carefully, precisely, struggling for high professional standards. taz
Why, one asks, can't all major productions be as relaxed and matter-of-fact as this one?
Der Tagesspiegel (on Guerra de Canudos)
Gwisdek (Das Mambospiel) bravely went up to the plate in Berlin, under the motto: We have nothing to lose. The movie, which cleverly weaves in a film-within-a-film, was warmly received and is not without chances in a regular theatrical run.
Berliner Morgenpost
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