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FESTIVAL IN CANNES

Independent director Henry Jaglom has the gift of making films reminiscent of more gifted directors. He draws on Robert Altman’s The Player for Festival in Cannes, which, largely because of his charming and charmless cast, proves one of his more entertaining and memorable efforts.

Shot during the actual 1999 festival, the story is a sun-drenched la ronde of ambition, deception, and idealism as filmmakers, actors, producers, and other con artists vie to seduce and betray one another along La Croisette. These include Greta Scacchi, tough and vulnerable as an aging actress pushing an indie feature; Anouk Aimée, melancholy and sly as an aging actress pushing her career; Maximilian Schell, melancholy and obtuse as a has-been director and Aimée’s former flame; and Ron Silver and Zack Norman, lubricious and touching as a pair of conniving producers who are more — or less — than they seem. Festival in Cannes is valuable not so much for its insights into the industry (news flash: the film business is corrupt) as for its variations on the old romantic comedy pattern in which, for better or worse, everyone ends up with the partner he or she deserves.

BY PETER KEOUGH

Issue Date: March 28 - April 4, 2002
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