CANNES FANTASTIC

Weren't in Cannes? Then I am sorry for you. Because it is hard, nay, impossible to quite describe what you missed. But I will try.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Where else can one begin? After all, the weather was perfect for 10 straight days. The town, the sea, the mountains, the beach and the port were all in perfect condition. The films were the best for years, with all kinds of interesting items in the half dozen competition strands and in the adjoining market. At least, my spies tell me that was the case.

Personally I was only able to see one film, the exemplary Never Apologize, which is Malcolm McDowell's passionate tribute to shooting star Lindsay Anderson, who started MM's career with If ..., one of the outstanding British films of the 60s.

Malcolm was on stage to introduce the moving movie, along with Stephen Frears, another Anderson disciple, who somehow found the time off from his exhausting duties as President of the main Jury. Oh, and Quentin T came along to shake Malcolm's hand and to watch as well

So why did I see so few films? The simple answer is that final, unfailing Cannes ingredient: star power. Not just the Hollywood names like George and Brad and Matt. They cause quite a stir among the milling general public but are often too far away to see well without binoculars. For most of the Cannes visitors, the exciting times are based on meeting with the far more accessible UK names, like Jude, Julian Lennon or newcomer Lily Cole, along with the dozens of UK filmmakers who are there every year.

Before the Festival, there was some moaning about "No British". In fact, you could change that to "Know British". Because the reality is that Britain dominates the Croisette. They are everywhere, with the best pavilions, the best hotels, the best parties, and the best films. The one I most regret not seeing is Control, the hugely celebrated story of Joy Division. But no worries there for you or I. Its success in Cannes means it will be getting a general release in a cinema near you soon.

Filed June 5, 2007