CANNES: Halfway With Major Contenders

Harvey Weinstein's little gamble may just pay off. After this morning's very warmly received 8:30 AM press screening of The Artist, a black-and-white silent movie from French director Michel Hazanavicius, some in the media here were starting to predict Palme d'Or. I wouldn't get into that game, but it is true this little gem that The Weinstein Company recently announced it will be distributing this fall in the U.S. (Warner Bros has it in France) is the fest's big charmer so far, although the big prize here usually goes to films with more weight. It won very�nice applause during and after its press unveiling from normally jaded journalists�who haven't been applauding much at all so far this fest�and got an impressive �10-minute-ish standing ovation after Sunday night's gala premiere.�Standing ovations aren't uncommon�at Cannes' black-tie galas. Just about every movie gets one. The real trick to seeing how loved your movie is comes to down to how many�minutes they clap for you. The whole thing is a ritual. I remember one year, after the official screening of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911, Weinstein clocked it at over 20 minutes and said it was a record. The film went on to win the Palme d'Or. When I� coincidentally ran into the tuxedo-clad Harvey at the Majestic just after Artist finished, he was keeping it low key, especially�when I asked ... Read More »

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