CANNES -- Elbowed my way into the "Trainspotting" screening
(not quite
"Clockwork Orange", thank you), then into the party. The whole cast was
there, as well as half of Cannes and most of the music people that happened
to be in the area. Actor Martin Landau, of Bela Lugosi-"Ed Wood" fame, was
seen chatting with Mick Jagger, whom the French referred to as "Michel
Jajay"--"to respect his privacy"... Saw the sun rise on the Mediterranean,
quick breakfast, on with the day.
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Joel (and Ethan) Coen's "Fargo" a major hit with the Europeans.
"Welcome back
to the nose-picking brats" is the general tone of the reviews. At the press
conference, actress Frances McDormand recalls the last time she came to
Cannes with Ken Loach's "Hidden Agenda" (she played an American investigating
covert operations in Ireland) and the fight that erupted *among*
journalists--Brits vs. Irish, left-wing vs. right. "That was *fun*," she
muses.
Steve Buscemi is asked about his character which most, in the film, describe
as "funny-looking, in a general sort of way."
"When Joel approached me to play the role, I asked him whether he wanted me
to, you know, have a funny hairdo, or a crooked nose, or something. It soon
became obvious he wanted me just as I was. What can you do? I just did a
photo session with Helmut Newton; he said he loved my vampire teeth. What can
you do? You *embrace* it!"
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But today is Al Pacino Day. More than 600 journalists, and no less than 35
television crew have gathered in the cavernous Salon des Ambassadeurs. It's
standing room only and that is if you manage to squeeze into the room (about
200 people are left outside). At the Festival to show "Looking For
Richard,"
his first film as a director, Pacino is staying at the prestigious Hotel du
Cap, in Cap d'Antibes (10 minutes by boat, 45 by car, what with traffic jams
and all). That, I'll never understand. If you come to Cannes, why not enjoy
the Cannes experience fully? Why stay in a (glorious, mind you) place where
all you see is studio executives, lawyers, agents, venture capitalists and
the like? Might as well stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel and satellite
yourself in.
Anyway, the "Richard" Pacino is "Looking for" is Shakespeare's Richard III.
The Bard has always been Pacino's passion, he never understood why American
actors were paralyzed by him, never understood why American audiences
resisted it. He himself played Richard-the-hump ("My kingdom for a horse")
off- and on-Broadway. So he had the idea to gather a bunch of American actors
to discuss, rehearse, play "Richard III", lacing it all with interviews on
the street, conversations with Vanessa Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud and a slew
of "experts" and historians. In a strange way, it's as free-wheeling as the
Lets-put-on-a-show movies produced by the MGM of yore. Embarking for the
adventure are such people as Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, F. Murray Abraham
and Kevin Spacey. The film is funny, deep, hammy, incredibly but not
threateningly intelligent.
Pacino walks into the press conference room surrounded by an army of
humongous bodyguards. He is relieved the film was finally shown, delighted it
was well-received. He plays the crowd like an elderly statesman. The first
question elicits a twelve-minute response in which he tells of his love of
Shakespeare, how he always thought the Bard talked to *us* in no uncertain
terms, that there was no such thing as "too many words". Then without missing
a beat, he says to the moderator, "Stop me or I'll keep talking till I drop."
The press meet lasted twice as long as usual, it could have lasted longer.
Somehow, at the end of the press conference, I was embarked in the group that
rushed Pacino to the elevator. Embarked? More like lifted by a bodyguard
twice the size of the Chrysler Building and literally flown to the elevator.
If you've never experienced watching your feet kicking a mile above the
ground, you don't know what spooky is.
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