There was a mix of surprise and confirmed predictions at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival this evening. The event unfurls in a mélange of pageantry, prestige and serious art with many of the winners anticipating their honors (they are told to be present but not for what) and there’s also a sense of un-scriptedness to the proceedings.

One of the best moments came when a shocked Christoph Waltz - Quentin Tarantino’s Col. Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds” - took the best acting award. In keeping (mercifully only somewhat) with his character, he gave an acceptance speech in French, English and German and thanked Tarantino for reviving his career.

Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” has won the Palme d’Or for best film in Cannes. The director, who now has three major Cannes prizes under his belt, warmly hugged jury president Isabelle Huppert when he mounted the stage.

The moment also marked the only time Huppert smiled (on camera at least) during the entire ceremony (as I noted in an earlier post, Huppert won her second acting Palme for Haneke’s “La Pianiste” in 2001).

Continue reading for the rest of the winners

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Posted by Nancy at 2:50 pm

Posted by Nancy at 8:05 am

Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon"

The prizes are starting to roll in for the various Cannes sections while the Croisette sits on tenterhooks in anticipation of tonight’s big awards.

I keep getting text messages from folks with something at stake asking if I know anything about tonight’s potential Palme d’Or outcome. I don’t, at least not anymore than the general consensus that Jacques Audiard’s “A Prophet” and Michael Haneke’s “White Ribbon” are strong contenders. Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” could be poised for a recompense as could 87-year-old director Alain Resnais‘ “Wild Grass.”

Just now, I received a text message telling me that Lou Ye’s “Spring Fever” is now a frontrunner. The controversial director was banned from filming in China after his last film, “Summer Palace,” was shown in competition in 2006 without the approval of the Chinese censors. He made “Spring Fever” completely under the radar in the country and is now said to be leaving China for good.

There are always surprises at the final awards ceremony; it’s a given. This year, however, there could be more than usual. Scuttlebutt around town has been that jury president Isabelle Huppert - best known to non-arthouse/non-foreign audiences for a role in David O. Russell’s “I Heart Huckabees” - is a taskmaster of a leader.

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Posted by Nancy at 7:04 am

Prizes began being announced on Friday in Cannes. Here’s a round-up of who has what so far:

Un Certain Regard:

Main prize to “Dogtooth” by Yorgos Lanthimos

Jury prize to “Police, Adjective” by Corneliu Porumboiu

Special prizes to “No One Know About Persian Cats” by Bahman Ghobadi and “Father of My Children” by Mia Hansen-Love

Critics’ Week:

Grand prize to “Adieu Gary” by Nassim Amaouche

Other prizes to  “Lost Persons Area” by Caroline Strubbe and “Whisper With the Wind” by Shahram Alidi

Directors’ Fortnight:

Three major prizes to “I Killed My Mother” by (19-year-old!) Xavier Dolan

Other nods to “La Merditude Des Choses” by Felix van Groeningen and “La Pivellina” by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel

Keep reading for the “Antichrist” anti-award

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Posted by Nancy at 7:03 am

Tireless movie reviewer Lisa Nesselson is back with a mid-point look at how the competition is shaping up:

There’s an occupational hazard heading into the final weekend at Cannes: Radio reporters with microphones and TV reporters with cameras surge up out of nowhere demanding to know “What do you think will win?”

If the running tally of critical opinions in the trades can be trusted (which, of course, it can’t), then Jacques Audiard’s entrepreneurial prison primer “A Prophet” is the front runner and Jane Campion’s affecting account of a  doomed 19th century romance, “Bright Star,” is a close second.

Jacques Audiard's "A Prophet"

Quentin Tarantino’s WWII revenge fantasy-cum-Western “Inglourious Basterds” took Cannes by storm on Wednesday. It’s a relatively straightforward but creative re-writing of history involving high ranking Nazis and very tough Jews.

Skeptics say that despite the trademark Tarantino humor, the fact that German and French-speaking characters are subtitled will be a commercial stumbling block.  To this, on behalf of all Americans, I say “Yes we can!”  Read subtitles, that is.  The rest of the planet does when watching Hollywood fare.

Are we, like, stupider than the rest of the planet?  Case closed.

Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” made headlines when reporters took some of its more violent imagery out of context. Although it can’t be denied that the film is a squirm-inducing experience, it should be acknowledged as an intense portrait of grief. IFC has picked it up for the U.S. along with Ken Loach’s working class comedy “Looking for Eric.”

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Posted by Nancy at 12:16 pm

You could tell that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle...

Few people do a red carpet quite like Quentin Tarantino. The manic director shimmied with his “Inglourious Basterds” star Melanie Laurent at the bottom of the Palais steps last night as they waited for the rest of their international cast to show up.

All the “Basterds” were there: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Mike Myers and company. Preceding them up the steps were the likes of Robert Pattinson, Sharon Stone (in a headline-grabbing dress) and Dita von Teese.

Having done my own red carpet stroll a few minutes before the big arrivals, I watched them on a big screen inside the Palais’ Salle Lumiere where the film would be shown.

When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie turned, up the crowd inside the Palais made a collective “ooohhhh.”

Just before they joined QT, et al, you could read Brad’s lips saying to his partner, “Do you want to sign?” and off they went to sign autographs for the thousands of fans who had been lined up in front of the Palais for days hoping for just such a chance.

Then it was the “Basterds’” turn to pose for the photographers on the red carpet while a forlorn (annoyed? bored?) looking Angelina hung back and waited.

After several minutes of photo ops with the team, Pitt hustled back to the bottom of the carpet and picked up Angie for their spin. The crowd inside the Palais then sighed a collective, “Awwww.”

Before you knew it, everyone was in the house - I was just about 6 rows behind them all in fact - and we settled in for the flick.

Our friend Lisa Nesselson has a great take on QT’s “Basterd” brain without giving too much away.

Posted by Nancy at 6:06 am

Pandemonium reportedly reigned at the “Inglourious Basterds” press screening this morning as an overabundance of journalists jockeyed for access. Ultimately, festival organizers had to move the film to another screening room to accomodate as many as possible.

Thus far, it looks like some may regret all that jostling: The first reviews are not all that glorious.

And voilà, just as I was writing that, I was handed my ticket for the red carpet tonight. So, I’ll have my own opinion in a few hours but in the meantime, here’s what folks are saying:

“An intermittently-inspired World War II epic which illustrates both Quentin Tarantino’s brilliance and his tendency towards indulgence, Inglourious Basterds is composed of a series of long-running vignettes strung together by a slender story thread. The problem is that no one character or set of characters runs through the entire two-and-a-half hour running time, and, with some of the scenes running up to half an hour each, the thread of the drama is left disjointed and the focus ever-changing.” (Screen)

“History will not repeat itself for Quentin Tarantino. While his 
”Pulp Fiction” arrived late at the Festival de Cannes and swept away the
 Palme d’Or in 1994, his World War II action movie “Inglourious Basterds”
 merely continues the string of disappointments in this year’s Competition.” (The Hollywood Reporter)

Posted by Nancy at 8:48 am

A bloody good red carpet in store

Robert Pattinson arrived in town yesterday to screen footage of “Twilight” sequel, “New Moon” and talk up another new film, “Remember Me.”  The footage was a huge secret so no one is talking about what was actually in it but it certainly sent shivers down the Croisette.

Ladies all over town were enthusiastic to say the least. And that goes for the youngest festival-goer as well as the hardened old hands.

Meanwhile, he confirmed to the press that there will be a fourth installment of the”Twilight”  franchise based on the book “Breaking Dawn.”

Pattinson will surely walk the red carpet tonight for the screening of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.” The hottest ticket in town is now even hotter.

Posted by Nancy at 8:23 am

In between racing from screening to screening, intrepid critic (and Hollywood.com contributor), Lisa Nesselson*, has honored us with a quick round-up of some of the films she’s seen thus far. Here’s what she had to say:

Since 1800 film critics shouting out how many stars they’d give the film they’ve just seen is awkward. In Cannes, it’s a press screening tradition to applaud or boo if so moved.

Both means of expression got their biggest workout so far on Sunday night after Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist.” What Von Trier describes as, “the most important film of my entire career!” has explicit sex, talking animals and the most grisly use of old tools likely to grace any screen this year. It’s running in official competition.

Meanwhile, two films in the official line-up offer wonderful roles to excellent actresses as real-life heroines born WAY before their time: Abbie Cornish excells as poet John Keats’ muse in Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” and Rachel Weisz is radiantly convincing as 4th century astronomer and teacher, Hypatia, in Alejandro Amenabar’s “Agora” set in ancient Alexandria, Egypt.

Jacques Audiard’s riveting prison drama “A Prophet” follows a 19-year-old juvenile delinquent as he gets a criminal education thorough enough to start a Corleone’s Jr. franchise.

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Posted by Nancy at 2:49 am

Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” debuted in the Cannes competition last night. By and large, it has received warm reviews even if it isn’t the typical sort of film to leave the Riviera with a major prize.

I spoke with “Woodstock” writer and producer James Schamus - who’s also the CEO of Focus Features - about a week before Cannes. My full interview with him will appear tomorrow over on www.HollywoodWiretap.com. For now, though, here’s Schamus’ take on the prospects:

“It didn’t feel like we were making an important work of world cinema,” he said. “We really made the movie in a state of real joy and happiness and modesty and as an antidote to the last few depressing movies Ang made. Unless they hand out a prize for most joy, I’m not really expecting much.”

Stranger things have happened in Cannes - last year James Toback’s “Tyson,” a documentary about the legendary boxer, was awarded a special ‘knock out’ prize.

“Woodstock” is based on Elliot Tiber’s book about 1969’s three-day peace, love and music fest and stars Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber. It opens in the US on August 14.

Posted by Nancy at 10:45 am