Film Scouts on the Riviera 1999

1999 Cannes Film Festival Diaries
A Festival Wine Diary, Part 6

by Amy Reiley

Film Scouts on the Riviera 1999 is brought to you by:



Some of the biggest buzz at Cannes this year has been generated by The Blair Witch Project, which delivered like a full-bodied glass of young, American cabernet sauvignon. Packed with excitement and intensity, Blair Witch managed to stay fresh, not to mention reasonably priced. (Shot on 16mm and digital video, the movie was one of the cheapest works to screen at the Festival.)

A bargain at any price, Blair Witch conveys a spooky tale of three documentarians lost in the forest haunted by the "Blair Witch." As unpredictable as a fresh cab, the story unfolds improvisationally while the three actors, who really were deserted in the woods with a video camera and broken compass, try to find their way to safety.

I'm not sure I believe in such guerrilla warfare styles of filmmaking, however the end product is edgy and complex, covering an entire palate of emotional levels. Like a dry red wine, it is rough around the edges with a "tannic" finish. Perhaps if the filmmakers had given their actors more time to breathe, as often a winemaker should give a cabernet made from quality grapes, the film would have ended on a more mellow and memorable note.


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