By Jake Howell jake.howell@utoronto.ca
Countdown To Cannes: Salles, Loach
The sixth in a series of snapshots of the twenty-two filmmakers in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the sixty-fifth Festival de Cannes.
WALTER SALLES
Background: Brazilian; born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1956.
Known for / style: Central Station and The Motorcycle Diaries; exploring themes of wanderlust and the search for knowing oneself; a career in both documentaries and fiction features; producing in addition to directing
Film he’s bringing to Cannes: On The Road, the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s iconic Beat novel of the same name. Sal Paradise (Sam Riley) and Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund) embark on an adventure spanning 1950’s America. Stars also include Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings), Kristen Stewart (Twilight Saga), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), and Amy Adams (The Fighter), among others.
Notable accolades: Walter Salles has won many prestigious awards for his directing. 2004’s Motorcycle Diaries won both Cannes’ Francois Chalais prize (given to films that pay tribute to journalism) and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. His 1998 Central Station was nominated for Best Foreign Language Oscar, and though Salles didn’t win, he made up for it by snagging Berlin’s Golden Bear and the Foreign Language Film prizes from BAFTA and the Golden Globes.
Previous Cannes appearances: Salles began his Cannes career in 2004, playing in Competition with The Motorcycle Diaries. He later reappeared in 2006 with Paris, je t’aime in Un Certain Regard. In 2007, Salles contributed to the Out of Competition film To Each His Own Cinema, and in 2008 Salles played in Competition with Linha de Passe. On The Road will be Salles’ fifth film at the Festival.
Could it win the Palme? On The Road was picked up by IFC Films and Sundance Selects for the U. S., a good sign, given that the film hasn’t debuted yet. The purchase, combined with Salles’ proven track record with journey narratives, means we can assume with a fair amount of confidence that his adaptation of Kerouac has been just. It’s also possible that it was acquired so quickly because of Kristen Stewart’s involvement, which has been the talk of the Twitterverse for quite some time now. (It’s odd to see the teen-girl demographic so keenly interested in an auteur film festival, but hey.) The crucial thing to remember here is that there’s always a lot on the line whenever something gets adapted to the screen, and On The Road is a beloved book. A slight misgiving to the original text could seriously hinder both awards praise and critical acceptance. I’m willing to bet that that isn’t the case, however. Fortunately for Salles, Jury president Nanni Moretti’s latest film Habemus Papam involved a pope going walkabout, which could tie in nicely with On The Road’s thirst for adventure.
Why you should care: On The Road is a classic book; ranked by many as one of the top 100 novels of the 20th century. The film adaptation’s cast is strong, and the director is appropriate: Salles has proven with The Motorcycle Diaries that he knows how to film a journey narrative originating from a written text. If everything has gone well for the director, On The Road could be the rare adaptation that does justice to the source material, while still expertly exploiting the specificity of cinema.
Background: English; born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England 1936.
Known for / style: The Wind That Shakes the Barley and Sweet Sixteen; films that sympathize with leftist ideals and issues; socialist realism; thought-provoking, controversial narratives created to stir the pot
Film he’s bringing to Cannes: The Angels’ Share, which follows a father who attempts to turn his life around after being nearly thrown in jail. When he and his friends visit a whiskey distillery, the father discovers a new direction for his life. Stars include John Henshaw (Red Riding) and Roger Allam (The Iron Lady, Tamara Drewe).
Notable accolades: Ken Loach is one of nine directors from the United Kingdom to win the Palme d’Or, for 2006’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley. In addition to the Palme, Cannes has awarded Loach the 30th Anniversary Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for his entire body of work, as well as an Ecumenical Jury award (1995’s Land of Freedom) and two Jury Prizes (1990’s Hidden Agenda and 1993’s Raining Stones). In his nearly five decades as a filmmaker, Loach has accumulated accolades from many international film festivals.
Previous Cannes appearances: Loach has had a staggering 10 films in Competition: 1981’s Looks and Smiles, 1990’s Hidden Agenda, 1993’s Raining stones, 1995’s Land and Freedom, 1998’s My Name is Joe, 2000’s Bread & Roses, 2002’s Sweet Sixteen, 2006’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley, 2009’s Looking for Eric, and 2010’s Route Irish. Loach has also played: Un Certain Regard once (1980’s The Gamekeeper); Out of Competition once (2007’s To Each His Own Cinema); and parallel selections four times (1970’s Kes, 1972’s Family Life, 1979’s Black Jack, 1991’s Riff-Raff) . The Angels’ Share will be Loach’s eleventh film in Competition, and his seventeenth film to play at the festival.
Could it win the Palme? It doesn’t seem likely, given that Loach already has a Palme (among other Cannes awards). However, the estimation of a sans-Palme 2012 for Loach comes not from his previous accolades, but from The Angels’ Share’s trailer. It seems apparent that the film is a forgettable, feel-good flick – a movie that comes and goes as Loachian fluff. Confirming this are not-so-hot reports leaking from the UK, where Loach’s latest has apparently already screened privately for critics. The film also opens fairly soon after the Festival ends – early June – meaning at this point, it’s likely Loach is playing in Competition for a few decent reviews, and perhaps the sake of tradition. (Cannes loves nothing if not tradition.) Of course, a release date during or following Cannes is not always a bad sign: Cronenberg’s highly-anticipated Cosmopolis releases quite close to its Cannes premiere, so Loach fans can and should remain hopeful. Stranger things have happened at this event.
Why you should care: Ken Loach holds the record for most films in Competition, and is known for pushing people’s buttons in England. And while some conservatives might find Loach’s leftist tendencies to be frustrating, the director knows how to craft an enjoyable, light-hearted “human” film, which is what The Angels’ Share looks to accomplish. Also on board for The Angels’ Share is Paul Laverty, who has been penning the scripts for almost every single narrative of Loach’s. They’ve had some misses (Route Irish), but they’ve also had some hits (The Wind That Shakes the Barley). So while it might not be Loach’s year, there’s always the chance it could be Laverty’s for his writing.
