‘Blindness’ Clip
‘Blindness,’ based on the bestselling 1998 novel by Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese writer José Saramago is an allegory about the fragile state of civil society and the human spirit.
“Blindness” is narrated by Danny Glover, a late addition to the film, Fernando Meirelles said, because the director wanted to weave Saramago’s actual prose and reflections into the action, adapted from the novel to the screen by screenwriter Don McKellar.
Although Saramago’s book was published 10 years ago, it was not for lack of trying that the film adaptation took so long to wend its way to the screen.
By his own account, Saramago declined to sell rights to the book for years, turning away a host of suitors, including the Weinsteins, Whoopi Goldberg and actor García Bernal, who ended up co-starring in the film.
The author has said at various times that he resisted because it’s a violent book about social degradation and rape, and he didn’t want it given the typical Hollywood horror treatment. Read the rest of this entry
Cannes 2008 - Screenings Guide On Line!
Competition:
Cannes 2008 - Un Certain Regard Jury Complete
Fatih Akin will preside the Un Certain Regard Jury at the Festival de Cannes from May 14-25, 2008.
German director, scriptwriter and producer, Fatih Akin was awarded the Best Screenplay Prize at the 60th Festival de Cannes with The Edge of Heaven.
To grant the Un Certain Regard Prize, he will be surround with the Indian journalist Anupama Chopra (New Delhi Television), the Russian journalist Catherine Mtsitouridze (1ère chaîne nationale russe), Egyptian critic Yasser Moheb (Al Ahram Hebdo) and by José Maria Prado, Filmoteca Española Manager.
The Prize is awarded each year by its jury during the Closing of Un Certain Regard which stands at the Debussy theatre, on the eve of the Closing Ceremony. It is offered with the kind collaboration of the Fondation Groupama-Gan pour le cinéma.
Cannes 2008 - ‘Synecdoche, New York’
Many of you will recognize Charlie Kaufman’s name from his unique screenwriting credits: Being John Malkovich, Human Nature, Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind.
The movie stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams and Samantha Morton.
Theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is mounting a new play. Fresh off of a successful production of Death of a Salesman, he has traded in the suburban blue-hairs and regional theater of Schenectady for the cultured audiences and bright footlights of Broadway.
Armed with a MacArthur grant and determined to create a piece of brutal realism and honesty, something into which he can put his whole self, he gathers an ensemble cast into a warehouse in Manhattan’s theater district.
He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a small mockup of the city outside. As the city inside the warehouse grows, Caden’s own life veers wildly off the tracks. The shadow of his ex-wife Adele (Catherine Keener), a celebrated painter who left him years ago for Germany’s art scene, sneers at him from every corner.
Somewhere in Berlin, his daughter Olive is growing up under the questionable guidance of Adele’s friend, Maria (Jennifer Jason Leigh). He’s helplessly driving his marriage to actress Claire (Michelle Williams) into the ground. Sammy Barnathan (Tom Noonan), the actor Caden has hired to play himself within the play, is a bit too perfect for the part, and is making it difficult for Caden to revive his relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel (Samantha Morton).
Read the rest of this entry
Cannes 2008 - Robert de Niro Present the Palme d’or
The following films are to complete the 2008 selection for the Festival de Cannes:
Opening the Festival, and in Competition, on Wednesday May 14th: ‘Blindness‘ by Fernando Mereilles, with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Gael García Bernal.
A third French film in Competition: ‘Entre les murs‘ by Laurent Cantet, with François Begaudeau.
Another film in Competition: ‘Two Lovers‘ by James Gray, with Joachim Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Furthermore, ‘Hunger‘ by Steve McQueen will open Un Certain Regard, on Thursday May 15th.
The Jury, presided by Sean Penn, welcomes two new members, the French actress Jeanne Balibar and the Iranian author-director Marjane Satrapi.
Finally, Robert de Niro will present the Palme d’or, awarded by the Jury, on Sunday May 25th.
At this occasion, and to close the Festival, will be screened ‘What Just Happened‘ by Barry Levinson with Robert de Niro, Bruce Willis, Robin Wright Penn, John Turturro and Sean Penn.
Cannes 2008 - ‘Blindness’, ‘Gomorra’, ‘Il Divo’, ‘Leonera’, ‘3 Monkeys’ Trailers
‘Blindness‘ - Fernando Meirelles
‘Il Divo‘ from Italian director and writer Paolo Sorrentino, about Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who has been elected to Parliament seven times since is was established in 1946, movie is based on true story.
Starring: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Michele Placido, Carlo Buccirosso, Fanny Ardant, Flavio Bucci
Cannes Film Festival Updated Competition Lineup / ‘Blindness’ opener and ‘What Just Happened?’ closer - confirmed
Fernando Meirelles‘ Blindness will open the Cannes Film Festival and will join the Competition line-up, it was confirmed today.
The film, about a city hit with a plague causing most of the population to go blind, was adapted by Don McKellar from the novel by Jose Saramago.
The cast is led by Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover and Gael Garcia Bernal.
Last week, when the official line up was announced, many industry observers questioned why ‘Blindness’ had not been included.
Cannes has added two other titles to the Competition:
- Laurent Cantet’s ‘Entre Les Murs‘, based on the book by Francois Begaudeau, is the third French film in competition promised by Fremaux last Wednesday,
-James Gray’s ‘Two Lovers‘, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow.
‘Two Lovers’ is NYC romantic drama toplines Joaquin Phoenix as an aspiring photographer and Gwyneth Paltrow as the attractive girl next door.
The main competition jury has added two members - French actress Jeanne Balibar (“Va savoir”) and Iranian author-director Marjane Satrapi - under the presidency of Sean Penn.
Satrapi took the Jury Prize at Cannes last year for her ‘Persepolis‘.
Finally, the festival announced that Barry Levinson’s ‘What Just Happened?‘ will be the event’s closing night film.
Updated competition line-up (22 films)
Laurent Cantet - Entre Les Murs (France)
Nuri Bilge Ceylan - Three Monkeys (Turkey-France-Italy)
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne - Le Silence De Lorna (Belgium-France-Italy-Germany)
Arnaud Desplechin - A Christmas Story (France)
Clint Eastwood - Changeling (US)
Atom Egoyan - Adoration (Canada)
Ari Folman - Waltz With Bashir ( Israel-France-Germany )
Philippe Garrel - La Frontiere De L’Aube ( France )
Matteo Garrone - Gomorra ( Italy )
James Gray - Two Lovers (US)
Charlie Kaufman - Synecdoche, New York (US)
Eric Khoo - My Magic (Singapore)
Lucretia Martel - La Mujer Sin Cabeza (Argentina-Spain)
Brillante Mendoza - Serbis (The Philippines)
Fernando Meirelles - Blindness (Brazil)
Kornel Mondruczo - Delta (Hungary-Germany)
Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas - Linha De Passe (Brazil)
Paolo Sorrentino - Il Divo (Italy)
Pablo Trapero - Leonera (Argentina-South Korea)
Wim Wenders - The Palermo Shooting (Germany-Italy)
Jia Zhangke - 24 City (China )
Steven Soderbergh - Che (US-Spain-France)
