The 71st Cannes Film Festival finally came to an end, last night. The Palme d’Or for Year 2018, was awarded to 万引き家族 Manbiki Kazoku (2018) a.k.a. Shoplifters, to film director, Hirokazu Kore-eda, by Jury President Cate Blanchett. Like the previous two lazed Cannes posts, for this year, let the pictures do the talking.
Palme d’Or Winner for 2018: Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda (seen here with Cate Blanchett)
Caméra d’Or Winner: Lukas Dhont
Grand Prix: Spike Lee (Benicio del Toro looks on, as Lee gives his speech)
Lebanese director Nadine Labaki speaks after winning the Cannes Jury Award for Capernaum (2018); as her husband, Khaled Mouzanar, and actor Gary Oldman, look on
Special Palme d’Or was awarded to the legendary Jean-Luc Godard, for Le Livre d’Image (2018) a.k.a. The Image Book
Actress Cate Blanchett seen here holding the Golden Palm
Congratulations to all the winners (including the ones not mentioned here) of the Cannes Film Festival for 2018!!!
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Nuwan Sen (NSFS)
Today afternoon, I watched an interview on FRANCE24, with Aishwarya Rai, who is in Cannes, for the screening of her latest movie, Sarbjit (2016); which is a commercial Bollywood film, based on a true story.
The 69th Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to start today evening, and shall run till the 22nd of May, 2016. The festival has a really interesting selection of movies, by reputed directors, from around the globe, in store. Am really keen on checking out the highlights of the show, especially on FRANCE24, and to listen to Film-Critic, Lisa Nesselson’s insight into this year’s selection. Plus hopefully, sometime soon, I’ll get to check out the movies, being released, at this year’s, Cannes Film Festival.
My all time favourite piece of French cinema. Directed by François Truffaut, and starring Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, and Henri Serre, this French New Wave classic, is also among my TOP-10 all time favourite movies. An epic saga spanning over 3 decades, happens to be one of my favourite tragic romances ever. Truffaut was a genius. An excellent love triangle, involving two best friends (an Austrian & a Frenchman), both of whom fall for the same French beauty, with a serene looking smile.
One of the most beautiful epics ever made. Les Enfants du Paradis, directed by Marcel Carné, made with great difficulty during the second World War, and set in the backdrop of the French Theatre during the 19th century, is France’s answer to America’s Gone with the Wind (1939).
One of my favourite musicals ever. Directed by Jacques Demy, this romantic 60’s movie, set in the late 50’s, is about a young unmarried pregnant girl, separated from her lover (who’s gone to fight for the French, during the Algerian war), having no news of his whereabouts, she has to come to a crucial decision for the wellbeing of her unborn child. Love this classic. Love Catherine Deneuve!!!!
Been a fan of hers, since like ever. This 71 year old actress is no doubt my all time favourite French celebrity. Having started her cinematic journey in the late 50’s, Deneuve had two film releases this year, and has no plans of retiring from the film industry, any time soon.
I first discovered the existence of Alain Delon, at the turn of the century. Since then have seen quite a lot of, this 79 year old star’s, great movies; and have loved him, in everything I’ve seen him in. But I haven’t really watched any of his movies, he’s acted in, in his old age. His last film appearance, so far, was in 2012.
Back in 2007, whilst living in Sydney, I watched the film Love Me If You Dare (2003), when it was shown on a local channel there. I thought she looked beautiful, and she was a good actress, and the film was really good as well, and that was that. Then mid-2007, the Édith Piaf bio-pic, La Vie en Rose (2007), starring Marion Cotillard, in the lead, as Piaf, was released, in Australia. I went to watch it, ‘cause I’ve been a fan of Édith Piaf’s beautiful song, ever since I watched Audrey Hepburn’s rendition of Piaf’s La Vie en Rose in Sabrina (1954), when I was a teenager, back in 1994, whilst living in New Delhi, India. By the turn of this century, I was aware who Édith Piaf was. Thus Piaf was my motivation behind watching La Vie en Rose, and not Cotillard. But Cotillard did such a brilliant job, she was Piaf incarnate. I was instantly hooked by her brilliant performance, and Cotillard became my favourite French movie star from 21st century. Born in 1975, she’s my age, practically (she’ll turn 40 later, in September, this year). At the Oscars, in 2008, she bagged the ‘Best Actress’ trophy for her role in La Vie en Rose. Returning home from work, I just managed to switch on the television to see her name being announced as that year’s winner. I was delighted. And since then I’ve see quite a few of her movies, both from France and Hollywood. Am really keen on checking out her most recent, British venture, Macbeth (2015), where she plays Lady Macbeth, and which was released at the Cannes Festival a couple of months ago (
A Quick Synopsis
Il Compleanno (2009), is a visually stunning movie, capturing the beauty of the ocean. With it’s purple hues in twilight, to the midnight blues, sizzling and sexual, and the golden waters under the setting sun. There is no real significance, as such, of the representation of the ocean, to go into deep analysis, here; but the picturisation, the cinematography, how the seascape is filmed, is just breathtaking.
A beautiful Italian movie, set in an equally beautiful Italian beach resort.
Il Compleanno, might not be the best gay themed movie ever, but it definitely is still a brilliant piece of the cinema. I watched it some years ago, online. And I didn’t really get a chance to see it again. But the excellent shots of the sea, remained in my memory, enough to work on this post.
A Big Thank you, once again, to Ruth and Kristina, for letting me be part of this interesting Blogathon. Enjoyed it to the utmost.
The Beach, the Ocean and the vast Seascape 
The film begins, as does the novel, with the famous du Maurier line, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”, which is now in ruins. And then the film flashes back, and we are in the French Riviera, with the sea waters beating up on the rocks, where a middle-aged man is standing on the edge of a cliff, staring, with lost look on his face, down at the ocean below, as if ready to jump. And a young woman, at once shouts, “Don’t!! Stop!!”. This is the first encounter of Mr. de Winter, and his future/second wife. So the couple’s first meeting itself is at a Beach resort, in Monaco. Soon the two start enjoying each other’s company, travelling around the beautiful costal stretch, of the Côte d’Azur. Yet, there are times he seems lost, especially when he speaks of Manderley. Once, she tries to change the subject, by speaking how warm and lovely the waters in the French Riviera are, and that in England it’s hard to imagine going for a swim, until June. Then, she mentions a man drowned once, unaware that Rebecca, Maxim de Winter’s first wife, supposedly was killed in a drowning accident, whilst sailing; which obviously only further agitates Mr. de Winter. In the beginning of the movie itself, we see how the sea is represented positively, as beautiful, breathtaking, scenic, warm and inviting; yet also in a negative light, associated with death, drowning and destruction.
After a quick civil marriage at the registrar’s office, we see them in Cornwall, post honeymoon, venturing towards Manderley. The young new Mrs. de Winter suddenly gets a chill, as if of impending doom. Once they enter the stone edifice/mansion, there is feeling of something very bleak and unpleasant within, and the entrance of the stoic housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, has the young bride’s nerves on edge.
Just like the oceans ferocious waves, the roaring fires engulfing the beautiful mansion of Manderley; with the figure of Mrs. Danvers in the west wing, and the burning monogrammed ‘R’ (for Rebecca), on the silky satin négligée case; are beautifully captured. There is some excellent cinematography here, especially the way the beautiful interiors, of Manderley, are filmed. A masterwork of cinema, by a mastermind of aesthetics, suspense and intrigue.
Thank you Ruth and Kristina, for letting me be part of this interesting Blogathon. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
No Nonsense with Nuwan Sen 