SHOWING TODAY
Last time legendary Spanish auteur Vicente Aranda was at the Berlinale, his leading actress and muse Victoria Abril won a Silver Bear for her peformance in Amantes. He is back in town with a new film, La mirada del otro (screening today in competition), and a new star, 34-year-old Italian-born ex-Armani model, Laura Morante. The film, loosely adapted from Fernando Delgado's novel of the same name, might best be described as an erotic psycho-thriller. It is a modern sexual parable about a young woman who keeps a video diary charting her amorous exploits.
Also screening today is Michael Winterbottom's I Want You, a brooding, psychological drama about an obsessive relationship which ends in tragedy. Two of of the actresses featured in Berlin's Shooting Stars promotion earlier this week, Labina Mitevska and Rachel Weisz, take leading roles.
The Catherine Deneuve homage continues with a screening of one of the French star's most unsettling films, Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965) in which Deneuve stars as a tormented young woman left all alone in a London flat. GM
Bagging the best
For all of those bagaholics out there, or for those who just need something to carry the day's collection of press releases, brochures or the latest Moving Pictures Berlinale daily, our advice is to be selective…
A quick trip round the CineCenter yielded a bumper crop of bags. Back in the office, scuffles broke out as the colourful carrier from China Film, and a little off-the-shoulder number from the Austrian Film Commission became the objects of desire for a number of greedy hacks. Another popular choice was the heavy-duty offering courtesy of the Danish Film Institute…
Reports have also filtered in from outside of other favourites - including the tale of one Australian journalist getting caught red-handed while trying to lift a pile of Arte's black shoppers. Meanwhile, market regulars from Hollywood Classics observed that the Holland Film bag was the one to watch, with many a marketeer sporting the snazzy black and green logoed number. Liza Foreman
STOPPRESS
Last night buzz was that Miramax Films has closed on at least North American domestic distribution and probably select deals for Joseph Vilsmaier's German pic Comedian Harmonists. Miramax is also said to be in negotiations with Bavaria Film Int'l to acquire overseas territories on Caroline Link's Oscar-nominated Beyond Silence. Rick Sands, chairman, Worldwide Distribution, Miramax Films, could not be reached for comment before going to press. JH
IN TOWN
Vicente Aranda, Steve Bickel, Joan Chen, Toni Collette, Douglas Cummins, Catherine Deneuve, Richard Dindo, Andrew Eaton, Giuliano Gemma, Jacques Gibout, Naum Klejman, Anton Langhammer, Felice Laudadio, Boris Lehman, Victor Loewy, Charles McDonald, Liz Miller, Laura Morante, Vincenzo Natali, Jonathan Rutter, Pantelis Voulgaris, Michael Winterbottom, Michael J Werner, David Williams, Masashi Yamamoto…
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
The Berlinale takes a look at how the media view the festival.
Once again, Scandanavia seems to consist of a lot of nature, marriage and marital problems. Barbara is the most beautiful love story in Scandinavian literature, says director Nils Malmros.
Berliner Zeitung
How would the Coens have turned out, if they hadn't chosen a cinematic career? Ethan becomes pale: "It's too horrible to think about."
Berliner Zeitung
The way Pam Grier dances on the volcano without forgetting her next step does imbue Tarantino's film with an aura. The lady is no longer a vamp, but fights as a tramp.
Der Tagesspiegel
"Fame is like a match - it glows a bit, but then that's it."
(Curt Siodmak, Berliner Morgenpost)
It's very reminiscent of films like The Sting, except the words "ass" and "motherfucker" weren't used that often. But even in Hollywood, the times, the films and the directors are a-changin'
(Berliner Morgenpost about Jackie Brown)
The erstwhile Nouvelle Vague innovator (Hiroshima, mon amour, Last Year At Marienbad) has grappled enough with the meaning of life. Now, the 75-year-old has turned towards the meaninglessness of everyday life.
(Berliner Morgenpost about Alain Resnais)
A unique scent - to continue our fragrance festival -is the "Delphi lobby in the evening". The mixture of bodily odours, alcohol and many hip designer perfumes spills over all the way into the Quasimodo café.
(taz)
I have never understood the ongoing discussion about violence in the movies. The more interesting question is: How do you shoot a good sex scene? When is it good? What should the scene evoke? Park Ki-Yong's episodic film Motel Cactus gives some excellent answers.(taz)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Action Jackson
Samuel L Jackson had a few choice words in response to Spike Lee's criticisms of the word 'nigga' in Jackie Brown at yesterday's press conference. "Spike Lee won a landslide majority in the election to be spokesperson for our race - but I didn't vote for him," he quipped. "It's not our problem, it's a Spike Lee problem. If you look at Jackie Brown it's a pretty good black film. Now I don't think Spike's done one of those in a couple of years!"
Meanwhile, producer Lawrence Bender found himself fielding a direct attack. One hack wanted to know why Jackie Brown was "so drawn out and so indulgent". Bender finally managed to mutter that, well, ahem, actually, he didn't agree with that summary… HB
UPDATE
* Journo-chaos at the Zoo-Palast left over 50 angry scribblers outside the screening room at the press screening of Jackie Brown yesterday. The message from the festival is simple - first come, first served. "Now people will realise why we have to restrict the number of accreditations, there is simply not enough space," says festival director Moritz de Hadeln.
*The screen of the Zoo-Palast has just had a major clean following the realisation that the new curtain sheds its colour. The material had left a film of dark dust across the screen which was made worse by its magnetic qualities. All is now, we are pleased to say, ship shape and Bristol fashion. Other technical news: the problem that ruined the sound during the screening of The Butcher Boy has now been sorted out - the timing switch was out by several seconds.
* Italian enthusiasm for this year's Berlinale is unsurpassed… The festival would like to point out that the Italian focus is a success and that an average of 20-50 people have been attending the screenings - not the full houses that have been suggested by some Pinnocchio-like professionals. The Italian press were interested to hear from the festival director, however, about the time when Prime Minister Andreotti intervened personally with him to stop the screening of Casa novo.
*Talk about popular. The Berlin Brandenburg Party on Sunday drew such crowds, that instead of going in, the festival director simply made two regal drives past to mark his presence at the event. Maybe a new technique has been discovered to fit in more official appointments?
* Star Icelandic director/actor/comedian Oskar Jonasson (aka Skari Skribo) is back on stage at the Berlinale, not only to present his Panorama entry Pearls and Swine, but also to reprise highlights from his sell-out comedy show that rocked Reykjavik audiences for months. Jonasson is not just a great comic actor, he's a brilliant magician - but not the kind that pulls rabbits out of hats: more one who whips condoms out through his nasal passage… The
screening is on Thursday at 14.00 at the International Cinema and Oskar will be taking the stage before the film. Miss it at your peril!
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