King of Cannes, Haneke could get record third Palme d'Or with 'Happy End"'

Record ID: 901004

  • Title: King of Cannes, Haneke could get record third Palme d'Or with 'Happy End"'
  • Date: 22nd May 2017
  • Summary: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 22, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH ACTOR JEAN-LOUIS TRINTIGNANT SAYING: "I asked the producer: If I do this scene without giving anyone any trouble, will you let me skip Cannes. She said 'yes', and later, 'we'll see... Cannes is very important'." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLISH ACTOR TOBY JONES SAYING: "Before reading the script I said yes, it doesn't matter if its one line, of course I will do anything for Michael Haneke, like most of the people here, he's one the great masters of cinema so it doesn't really matter how big the part is, you're aware you're going to go on a very interesting journey." VARIOUS OF END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 5th June 2017 16:16
  • Keywords: Isabelle Huppert Happy End film movie Michael Haneke
  • Location: CANNES, FRANCE/ VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • City: CANNES, FRANCE/ VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA0036HX87D9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Austrian director Michael Haneke could take a record third Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival where "Happy End" screened on Monday (May 22).
    Known for his uncompromising and often cruel stories such as "Funny Games" and "Cache", critics were right to assume that the title of Haneke's latest film was ironic.
    It stars French film royalty Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
    Several critics complained that Haneke, 75, whose last Palme d'Or was for "Amour", also starring Trintignant as a character facing the end of life, was retreading old ground.
    "A curious, disconcerting and sometimes insidiously effective greatest hits tableau," was The Telegraph's Tim Robey's summary.
    The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw hailed "Happy End" as "a black comedy of pure sociopathy ... as gripping as a satanically inspired soap opera, a dynasty of lost souls".
    While co-star Isabelle Huppert has now made four films with Haneke, for British actor Toby Jones, it was a first.
    "Before reading the script I said yes, it doesn't matter if it's one line, of course I will do anything for Michael Haneke," Jones, who plays Huppert's fiance, said.
    All the actors spoke of Haneke's demanding, precise direction, not allowing them any room to diverge from his vision of the characters.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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