The 63rd of the Cannes Film Festival opens on May 12 with ’s
Robin Hood. But the director will not be on the Red Carpet with his cast that includes Australian actor
Russell Crowe and British actress Cate Blanchet. Scott is still recovering from a knee surgery and has been advised by his doctors not to travel.
“Robin Hood” is just about everything that you would not have heard about the legendary hero. Crowe’s iconic hero from the middle ages does not wear tights, is hardly inclined to redistribute wealth and forces King John to sign the Magna Carta.
In a way, this appears Cannes’ little game to give us something new year after year. Last year, the Festival opened with a 3D animated work, “Up” from the Walt Disney stable. The Festival’s most important functionary after Gilles Jacob, Thierry Fremaux, jumped on to the stage during “Up’s” Press screening wearing 3D glasses, urged journalists to wear them and took pictures.
And in yet in another development that is seen as unusual, the Festival has added one more movie to its Competition lineup: Ken’s Loach’s latest work, literally hot from the oven, so to say, “Route Irish”. With this the Competition will have 19 films.
Loach is a Cannes favourite, and his “Looking For Eric” competed last year. In 2006, his brilliant work, “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” won the Palm d’ Or.
“Route Irish” is the story of Frankie (John Bishop) and Fergus (Mark Womack), two men who work in Iraq as private security contractors. When Frankie is killed, Fergus decides to get to the bottom of the whole murky business. Frankie’s partner, played by Andrea Lowe, is willing to chip in. The movie was shot in Jordan and Britain.
It is reported that Loach was not planning to enter his work for Cannes, but changed his mind in the last minute. He is the second British director competing this year, the other being Mike Leigh with Another Year.
Gautaman Bhaskaran writes from Cannes