I got up very early to see "Secrets and Lies," Mike
Leigh's film
about the parent-quest. It was compelling and exciting and one of those
movies that makes you glad you flew Air France, quickly becoming known as
Air Jamais.
Then I went to see Dustin Hoffman, who was holding a press conference in
order to tell us that Cannes is just a market. Of course, he hadn't seen
any films. He'd just arrived and in his limo on the way to hold court with
panting journalists, his driver had told him that Cannes has been going
downhill ever since the advent of television.
So Dustin stood up in front of some 500 papparazzi and took a photo of them
with his brownie. I guess that was a blow for art.
We poised our pencils waiting to see what tidbit of news Dustin was bringing
from out there. He had no film here, he wasn't even one of the many thesps
trying out the directing game.
No, Dustin wanted us to know that he has a production company called Punch
- do they have a film at Cannes? No.
Anyway, Punch has cut a deal with a bunch of Aussies called Village Road
Show that gives Punch the right to make 6 films - in which Dustin neither
stars nor directs - as long as they cost less than $10 million. This contributed
a great deal to the artistic ambience at Cannes, and we would like to thank
Mr. Hoffman. On with the buck!
It was fun to see Dustin stand up and defend art. Then I walked along the
beach worrying about the artistic monopoly of yore at Cannes and guess who
I met? Fred Stipes. You don't know Fred. Everyone will soon know Fred.
He's a New Yorker at Cannes for the first time who was sitting at the American
pavilion saying he was looking for screenplays.
I had a mental image of screenplays flying through the air at his head.
Then I had an image of dollar bills flying through the air at Dustin's
head. It must be jet lag.
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