ANALOG Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson's festival opener, is set in 1965 and features letters in envelopes, books with beautiful covers, and board games. |
Sixty-five is the age at which people think of retiring. Arguably the world's greatest film festival, Cannes — whose 65th edition began the day after beaming Socialist François Hollande was sworn in as President of France — has no such plans. This year it overflows with riches.The Cannes jury has 22 features in the running for the Palme d'Or, to be awarded on May 27th. Jury members, needless to say, always get in to see the movies. But as others have noted, Cannes is like The Hunger Games for film critics: more than 4000 accredited journalists compete for 2000 seats. Torrential rains have, perversely, made tables indoors a sought-after commodity, when terrace dining is usually a sign of status.
Speaking of hunger, wondering what the guests ate at the opening-night dinner?
According to a press release, "Diners enjoyed a feast of 20 kilos of scallops, 12 kilos of truffles, 21 kilos of morelles, and 45 kilos of smoked salmon sides, washed down with 4 kilos of white chocolate and 70 litres of fresh cream." Clearly, France's government-run health coverage for all and funding for the arts has left the cupboard bare. (Can you believe they made those people eat white chocolate? That's worse than cake!)
Meanwhile, on the screen, in Moonrise Kingdom, the 1965-set tale of young love that opened the festival, Wes Anderson celebrates our analog heritage: letters in envelopes with stamps! Books with terrific cover art! Board games! As a famous French poet once asked: "Où sont les coonskin caps d'antan?" An important note: when you, dear reader, go to Moonrise Kingdom, you must remain seated through the closing credits. They're like finding a silver dollar on the sidewalk.
