Not exactly a fanfare....It was rather 50 African drums that provided the entertainment for the opening ceremony. Presented by the radiant French actress Jeanne Moreau, the ceremony opened graciously and without gaffes. Each of the jury members came forward to take a bow marking their vow to silence for 12 days until the bestowing of the awards.
Quite unusual for the onset of a festival: One Golden Palm was given. Michelangelo Antonioni's prize for Blow-Up in 1967 was stolen last year and the festival committee decided to replace it. Appropriately, Venessa Redgrave was their to help with the honors.
Chiara Mastroianni with Bruce Willis at her side announced the festival officially open...Chiara in English and Bruce in French.
The opening film slot was given to Luc Besson's The Fifth Element(Out of Competition) starring Bruce Willis - the good guy, and Gary Oldman - the bad guy. This "Spielberg galois" director takes us on a ride with a taxi driver in the 23rd century. To be ready for Cannes, Besson spent nine months and 500 million francs on this sci-fi film that he began writing when he was 16 years old.
The film also opened in French movie theatres today (accept for Cannes as stated in the festival rules) and more than 12,000 movie-goers were accounted for way before the sun even set. Those interviewed at the movie exits represented a mixed bag of reflections...from a great comic book and well done to noisy and lacking a story line.
Bruce Willis was not only part of the opening ceremony and starring in the opening film, but also one of the shareholders inaugurating today's opening of Planet Hollywood under the Splendid Hotel and in front of the Festival Palace. Several of the Cannes soirées are to be held there. Each of these cinema memorabilia restaurants contains a myriad of objects from Cyrano de Bergerac's nose to Rocky's boxing shorts. Word has it that the next one to open is in Prague.
More than 5000 invigorated fans huddled around the red-carpeted steps leading up to the Festival entrance. They caught a glimpse of such stars as Tony Curtis and his wife who was dressed to kill, Dennis Hopper, the jury members, Luc Besson and his crew, Bruce Willis and his wife Demi Moore, and Jean-Paul Gaultier who did the costumes for The Fifth Element. Tomorrow, the star attraction will be Michael Jackson for the film Ghosts by Stan Winston.
Tomorrow's line-up
Official Selection :
Nil by Mouth by Gary Oldman( UK, Camera d'or)
Il Principe di Hombourg by Marco Bellocchio (Italy)
Ghosts by Sam Winston (US,Out of Competition)
A Certain Regard:
Marius et Jeannette by Robert Guediguian (France)
Inside/Out by Rob Tregenza (US)
Directors Fortnight
The Perfect Circle by Ademir Kenovic (Bosnia)
Critics Week
Budbringeren by Pal Sletaune ( Norway, Camera d'or)
