American Optimism Takes on French Realism at Cannes
Cannes, FRANCE May 22, 2006 — -- In Cannes, beauty manifests itself in two distinct ways. One is the organic beauty -- bold colors of the bougainvillea against a backdrop of sparking blue water of the crescent beaches lining the Cote d'Azur. The other is manufactured -- polished, transient, and fueled by ambition.
Once a simple fishing village, Cannes has been home -- for 59 years -- to an event that demands more attention, press and pomp than any other event in the world, except perhaps the Olympics and the World Cup, which occur only every four years.
During the 11 days of the Cannes Film Festival, 200,000 people -- 9,000 of whom are journalists -- crowd the city while cruising along the Croisette, repeatedly making their way back and forth between the Hotel Martinez and the Palais des Festivals et des Congres.
Cannes serves an important function within the world of film, bestowing the prestigious Palme d'Or award to a work recognized as brilliant. At its core, however, the festival exists to promote, sell, coerce, entice, and impress.
I saw two films this weekend, seemingly different in every way except for one. Each was a human story with characters having to confront their own reality, cognizant of the choices they had made and the paths that led them to their current state of existence, however fulfilling or disappointing it may be.
This led me to wonder, does original thought exist anymore?
Perhaps the answer is yes and no. While the essence of a story can be singular and un-original, the approach to which the story is told can be unique.
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