Wednesday, May 15, 2013

2013 Cannes Film Festival: Day 1 Roundup

The 66th Festival de Cannes opens today and all the big names and faces are set to gather on the Croisette for twelve days of cinematic festivities.

All the action begins this evening starting with the Opening Ceremony, hosted by the star of last year's festival closer Thérèse Desqueyroux, French actress Audrey Tautou.

Tonight's ceremony will be followed by the European premiere of Out of Competition opening film, The Great Gatsby by Australian director Baz Luhrmann.

Mistress of Ceremonies: Audrey Tautou
  • Day 1 - Wednesday, May 15
  • Opening Film - Out of Competition
    The Great Gatsby
    directed by Baz Luhrmann
    Australia, USA

    Critical reception:
    "The film has the undeniable power to enthrall and mesmerize with its opulent extravagance, but at the same time it’s so overwhelming and even headache-inducing."Ruth Maramis (FlixChatter)
    "For all the pizzazz, the explosions of color and light and sound and the seemingly modernized aura of the film, Luhrmann often emphasizes the text more markedly than he needs to."Amir Soltani (Amiresque)
    "While it does have some flaws, it is still a film that is engaging for exploring that world of 1920s decadence as well as a man’s desire to reclaim the past."Steven Flores (Surrender to the Void)
    "Even the climactic moment of terror involving speeding automobiles is so artfully choreographed you are left ogling the visuals, feeling oddly empty inside."Nick Prigge (Anomalous Material)
A loud and colorful start to the festival, but the real competition begins tomorrow with a lineup that includes François Ozon's Jeune & Jolie, Amat Escalante's Heli, and opening up the Un Certain Regard section, Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring.

Be sure to check back for those updates and more!

See our other #Cannes2013 coverage:

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I've read mixed things about Luhrmann's adaptation, and those review cuttings pretty much confirm that too. I guess I'll watch it on the big screen for the spectacle. I've heard the problem
is that Luhrmann tried to force Gatsby to his style, rather than adapt his bag
of tricks to Gatsby.

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting my review. I'm still not happy about what Audrey has done to her hair. I don't like it at all.

Unknown said...

Looking forward to more updates (and wishing I was there)!

Unknown said...

I had always planned on skipping it, and after reading the bulk of the reviews, my mind certainly hasn't changed.

Unknown said...

No problem. Haha, I'll pass the message along the next time I see her :)

Unknown said...

Thanks Pete! More updates are on the way.

Unknown said...

Hey thanks for the link love, Bonjour! Great roundup as always.

Unknown said...

Cheers, Ruth!

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