Cannes. Birdsong.

"Some stories are told so many times there is no longer any need for words. Albert Serra understands this," writes Daniel Kasman in the Auteurs' Notebook.

"His digitalized, elliptical, nature-bound adaptation of Quixote, Honor de cavalleria, and now his story of the three wise men's visit to Jesus, El Cant dels ocells (Song of Birds [site]), leave storytelling behind and envision tales worn ragged until the pages the film adapts must have faded away, and all we are left with is minimal, uneventful human beauty."

"Patience was no doubt required of the Three Wise Men as they made their way toward Bethlehem, and the same will be required of auds who seek out Birdsong, Albert Serra's minimalist reinterpretation of the Magi's journey," writes Justin Chang in Variety. "Hushed, contemplative but often quite droll experiment offers beautifully sculpted images on a black-and-white canvas across its sometimes hypnotic, sometimes tedious runtime."

"Not too long ago Mark Peranson (of the Vancouver Film Festival and Cinema Scope magazine) got a cheery text from his friend, film producer Montse Triola: 'Albert would like U to perform Saint Joseph. What do U think? Fancy?'" Elizabeth Renzetti reports in the Globe and Mail. Via the San Francisco Bay Guardian's Johnny Ray Huston.

Directors' Fortnight.

Update: Turns out, Peranson and Christoph Huber have been blogging all this while from Cannes at La lectora provisoria. Via Movie City News.

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Coverage of the coverage: Cannes 08.

Last year: Cannes @ 60. And Cannes 06.

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Posted by dwhudson at May 23, 2008 4:46 AM