Cannes Dispatch. 2.

The programmers' old favorites have returned to Cannes this year, but with films that are major departures for them. One would never guess that Where the Truth Lies is an Atom Egoyan film, for example. It's Egoyan's eighth at Cannes, and the last time he was here, it was with Ararat in 2002. A modern noir, Where the Truth Lies couldn't be more different from that reflection on the Armenian genocide.

But the elliptical story structure is a tip-off - the whole story-within-a-story thing turns up quite frequently in this one. The film opens in 1959, following comedy team of Lanny Harris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth); they've got a shtick going, holding an annual telethon to raise money for children with polio, but their relationship sours when a beautiful girl is found drowned in the bath tub of their hotel suite. Fifteen years later, enter Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman), a young journalist with aspirations to write a book about how the famous comedy duo broke up. She winds up discovering exactly what did go on in that hotel room all those years ago and, in the process, a little about herself as well. Problem is, she was probably better off not knowing.

There was only one thing on the mind of all the journalists who saw the early morning press screening. Sex! Every other scene seemed to have some beautiful woman taking her clothes off so she could romp around with Bacon or Firth. Not that I'm not complaining.

But with all that nudity, it might be tough for Egoyan to get his film released in the US. The director doesn't seem to care. "I always saw this as a really sensual movie," said Egoyan. "I wanted to create this world that was intoxicating. I never think about censors." And he refuses to cut a single frame from the film for any MPAA censors in order to get an R rating. "That sense you feel that it's going too far is absolutely essential to the dramatic intention of the piece," he said. "The viewer has to experience a sense of violation. I wanted to make that sex as vivid and corporeal as possible."

I think it's safe to say, mission accomplished.

On Thursday, Woody Allen turned up with his latest, Match Point, and if I told you how good it was you probably wouldn't believe me. It has gotten rave reviews from most of the critics present at the festival. The only thing is... it's not a Woody Allen movie. If I were to show you the film without telling you who the director is, you would have never guessed Woody Allen.

It takes place in London rather than Manhattan, it stars a dashingly handsome Jonathan Rhys-Meyers rather than himself and it doesn't have a stitch of comedy. The story centers around Chris Wilton (Rhys-Meyers), who leaves his job as a tennis pro when he becomes romantically involved with Chloe Hewitt (Emily Mortimer), the daughter of a wealthy businessman (Brian Cox). Unfortunately for Chris, he's actually in love with Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), a struggling actress engaged to Tom, Chloe's brother. So Chris decides to marry Chloe only to learn that Nola's engagement has been called off. Don't you hate it when that happens. At least he's able to get an an illicit affair going with her as his social status rises to even higher levels. You just know this whole scenario is leading nowhere good, but that's all I'll tell you.

All of Allen's movies show out of competition in Cannes. He's had eight other films turn up here. Meantime, Allen says he will eventually return to shoot films in New York City and his next film (which is also being shot in London) is a comedy.

Why London, then? American studios "don't want to be thought of just as a bank," Allen explained. "They have something to say about the casting, they'd like to read the script, they'd like to occasionally come to dailies and I have never worked that way in my life and couldn't work that way. I want the money in a brown paper bag and I'll give them the film a few months later and that's it."

It was worth inviting Allen here with his film if only to see Scarlett Johansson walk up the red carpet on Thursday evening. She was absolutely beautiful.

Posted by dwhudson at May 14, 2005 5:22 AM