The Cannes Cannes

Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart

It may be 60 years old, but the Cannes Film Festival is still young at heart. Vera Brozzoni reports.

It's the most glamorous film festival in Europe, yet retains its arty . It's a hell of a madding crowd, yet exclusive and, let's face it, classist. It's famous both for its uber-chic, haute-coutured red carpet and for the trashy Troma demonstrations a few yards away. This is Cannes, and this year it is sixty years old. As President Gilles Jacob summarized, this is the right occasion to place the Festival "Under the sign of modernity and renewal"; in fact, this year's programme is astonishingly varied and vibrant and as usual it boasts talents from all over the world.

It's not easy to mention just a few titles, especially as this Festival looks like the best in years. But since the space is limited, let's just say that the Opening Night, on Wednesday 16th, was blessed by Wong Kar-wai's first English language work, My Blueberry Nights starring Norah Jones (of course it stirred mixed reactions, but both Wong and the assembled press expected it).

The Official Competition counts the new highly anticipated works of two Korean masters - Kim Ki-duk with Breathe and Lee Chang-dong with Secret Sunshine.

On the Western front is the great Brothers Coen comeback, No Coutry For Old Men, Paranoid Park by Gus Van Sant and Cannes' teacher's pet Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.

Europe showcases uber-cynical Urlich Seidl's Import Export, Denys Arcand's The Age Of Darkness and Emir Kusturica's allegedly joyous and brass-band-scored Promise Me This. If you've never heard of these, be assured that are all great directors and a full feature could be dedicated to each of them.

It isn't any easier to find onme standout movie from The Out Of Competition program.

Britain (hurray!) offers Micheal Winterbottom's civil drama A Mighty Heart strangely starring Angelina Jolie.

The usual Ocean's 13 by the usual Soderbergh and, the latest rant bearing the Michael Moore Corp. logo, Sicko.

But the Far East counter-attacks with Triangle, a gem of action cinema sprung out of the sacred triad Johnnie To - Ringo Lam - Tsui Hark: a real treat for the lovers of this genre.

In the past, Cannes has often been accused of partisanship towards either the USA or the Far East (or both). And rightly or wrongly, the Festival is still a trendsetter in worldwide film aesthetics and poetics - and a bastion of cool to boot.

To tell the truth, this year doesn't shimmer with many European sparks; but mighty Blighty is there! This is not only thanks to Winterbottom's film, but also to Anton Corbijn's Control: the former music video director makes his fiction debut with a biopic about Ian Curtis's short life.

And, importanly, superstar Stephen Frears has been appointed President of the Jury and will have to tame the fiery spirits of actors Maggie Cheung (Hong Kong), Michel Piccoli (France), Maria De Medeiros (Portugal), and cult Italian director Marco Bellocchio (Good Morning, Night) among the others.

As usual, we can't expect such a diversified Jury to award the Palme D'Or to the objectively best film (if this concept means anything). But at least this year there is no politically charged film that could sweep prizes away just because of its engagé subject. Last year controversy arose around The Wind That Shakes The Barley by our veteran Ken Loach, but that was nothing compared to the intellectual turmoil caused in 2004 by Fahrenheit 9/11, an undoubtedly important film from a social point of view but artistically not worth any prize.

Next week, when the sixtieth Festival has played all its cards, it will be possible to say if Jacob's wish of "modernity and renewal" has come true. For now, let's enjoy the show!

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