FRANCE: THE 51ST CANNES FILM FESTIVAL DRAWS TO AN END

Record ID: 693335

  • Title: FRANCE: THE 51ST CANNES FILM FESTIVAL DRAWS TO AN END
  • Date: 24th May 1998
  • Summary: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 24, 1998) (REUTERS) (NIGHTSHOTS) ARRIVALS AT PARTY JURY MEMBER WINONA RYDER TENT WHERE CELEBRATION DINNER HELD JURY PRESIDENT MARTIN SCORSESE AT JURY TABLE BEST SCREENPLAY WINNER HAL HATLEY SAYING, "EXTREMELY HAPPY, IT'S NICE TO BE INCLUDED AMONGST FILMMAKERS I ADMIRE SO MUCH - AND A JURY I ADMIRE SO MUCH TO SEE MY WORK AND ARGUE, IT'S AS GOOD AS
  • Embargoed: 8th June 1998 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CANNES, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVA6V7A6XCGGCKTIV9O4G9NW1QIV
  • Story Text: Greek director Theo Angelopoulos's poetic, melancholy film "Eternity and a Day" won the Golden Palm for best film at the 51st Cannes film festival.
    "Life is Beautiful" by Italy's Roberto Benigni was awarded the runner-up Grand Jury Prize, while the accolade for Best Director went to Ireland's John Boorman for his film "The General".
    The U.S.movie maestro Scorsese lavished praise on the 22 films competing at Cannes this year but said his jury, made up of directors, actors, actresses and a rap singer, had been unanimous in giving Angelopoulos the top honours.
    Angelopoulos said he was delighted to win but was even happier by the response of the audience after the screening of "Eternity and a Day".
    "Last night I learned something.The showing of this film was extraordinary.At the end of the showing I had the best reward that exists.Prizes are great but the other is even better," he said.
    The jury spread the various awards across a wide range of films, and created a special category for Best Artistic Contribution, which went to U.S.director Todd Haynes for his movie "Velvet Goldmine".
    Britain's Peter Mullan was voted best actor for his performance in Ken Loach's gritty working-class tale "My Name is Joe" and France's Elodie Bouchez and Belgium's Natacha Regnier took a joint best actress award for their roles in Erick Zonca's "The Dreamed Life of Angels".
    The Jury Prize was also shared, split between two films which looked at the sensitive issue of child abuse -- French director Claude Miller's "The Class Trip" and Dane Thomas Vinterberg's "The Celebration".
    Incest, paedophilia, prostitution and general debauchery were the hot topics of this year's Cannes festival, which was widely praised by critics for its overall quality.
    However "Eternity and a Day", the last film to be shown in the competition, was a much more mellow picture than most of the other offerings.
    Set in fog and rain, an Angelopoulos trademark, the film charts a writer's quest on the eve of his death to find memories of happier days with his late wife Anna.
    As he drives through the streets of the northern Greek city of Thessalonika, Alexander, played by Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, crosses the path of an Albanian boy who has fled his country and earns a few cents cleaning windshields.
    With little dialogue, long gloomy scenes of icy landscape and the writer's efforts to return the boy to his country, this 11th feature film by Angelopoulos is shown rather than told.
    Angelopoulos is no stranger to Cannes, nor to film festival awards.Three years ago, his "Ulysses' Gaze" came home from the Riviera resort with two prizes, although not the top one.
    His other films have picked up awards at festivals in Berlin, Venice, Chicago and Japan.
    The biggest cheer at the closing ceremony however was reserved for Italy's Benigni, who received a standing ovation as he fell to the floor of the stage and began kissing Scorsese's feet.
    His film, "Life is Beautiful", a touching comedy about the Holocaust, has won plaudits from cinema-goers but also drawn fire from some critics who condemned the use of humour for such a tragic subject.
    While finding time to praise Angelopoulos on Sunday Benigni was evidently thrilled to win his prize.
    "I feel great because you know, you see it's a miracle to be here.It's like the movies, it is a film, it is a dream, I'm so happy I want to dance a tango on the table," he said.
    Director John Boorman on accepting his award for Best Director, expressed his views on Hollywood blockbusters and praised the Cannes film festival for its screening of quality original movies.
    After the 12 days of hard work, photo opportunities, film screenings and parties, the 51st Cannes International Film festival was drawn to a close with a gala dinner.
    The crowd was in an ebullient mood after the showing of "Godzilla", the festival's closing film.
    Arriving for dinner, winners expressed their appreciation for the awards and most people said they were happy the craziness and chaos of the festival was coming to an end.
    The jury, its job done, was for the most part silent about the selection of "Eternity and a Day" as the winner of the Palme d'Or.
    One jury member, Sigourney Weaver, said she thought they had done a good job and hoped the filmmakers were pleased as well, adding that it had been a great experience to work with the other jury members.
    Award winners Peter Mullan (Best Actor) and Elodie Bouchez and Natacha Regnier (Best Actress co-winners), said they were overwhelmed by the experience."I feel like I'm in the clouds," Bouchez said.
    Whatever the festival decides as the Palme d'Or winner, it's the cinema-goers around the world who decide the financial fate of the films.
    Difficult as it is for the purists of the film world to swallow, it's likely to remain the case that the Hollywood blockbusters like "Godzilla" will resonate.
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