Two good things from Cannes
Though I find news from the Cannes film festival is almost entirely uninterrupted dross (“Venice Holidayin was today promoting her new film about impoverished farmers in depression-era USA. ‘I felt I really got to understand these poor, poor, people,’ she cooed, standing in a $6,000 gold-chiffon Frederique de Vide dress, ‘For example, my character is afflicted with the most terrible dental work, yet she’s really a very nice person…’”) I found two things today to be very happy about.
First, Terry Gilliam is releasing a new film. Following the gloriously disastrous Lost in La Mancha it was always going to be difficult to recover - most notably financially. Apparently he’s even filmed the most expensive scene in the film, and then cut it. So it’ll be up to the usual standards of his wonderful extravagances.
Second, the reason Natalie Portman is walking around as a skinhead is that she’s filming one of my favourite comic books, V for Vendetta.
Well, obviously there’s a grey lining to this silver cloud (ahem). Such as: surely Terry Gilliam should be directing V for Vendetta. And: Oh, no, this must mean they’re keeping in the segment about spiritual growth through imprisonment in a concentration camp. And: Can Natalie Portman act better than her “incorrigibly clunky” appearances in the Star Wars adverts - sorry - films? And: So when are we going to get the film of The Watchmen, anyway? Oops, sorry, mustn’t mention The Watchmen.
