'Piano' may be key player at Cannes
"'The Piano' is sure to be a lesson in cinema," Taormina fest boss Enrico Ghezzi said, "as were Campion's short films, which surfaced like diamonds a few years ago at Cannes."
Produced by the Australian Jan Chapman, who script-edited Campion's previous "An Angel at My Table," pic was heavily press-screened in London and Paris before the festival. The results are evident: French and Italian press have played up the film, and even those who haven't screened it put it on top of their list.
At a festival vaunting the participation of women directors, "The Piano" is strategically positioned.
Counting on the Cannes publicity machine to do its job, French and Italian distribs aren't waiting around for a Palme d'Or. They plan on a May 19 release, just two days after its fest premiere.
Ironically, while "The Piano" is a hot title, it's already been sold worldwide. The only areas Ciby Sales has to fill are the Far East, East Europe and Scandinavia. After Hoyts Corp. closed distribution in Australia, Aussie rights are again on the market -- though likely to be sold soon. Miramax has U.S. rights to the film.
There is also much talk about both Chinese pictures competing. Chen Kaige's "Farewell to My Concubine," featuring actress Gong Li, has been buzzing since Berlin. Good word-of-mouth also surrounds Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien and his film "The Puppetmaster."
Produced by Barbara Robinson, "Puppetmaster's" publicity campaign has been the opposite of "The Piano." Sold to France, Italy and Japan, and soon to be released in Taiwan and Hong Kong, there have been no previous press screenings -- building suspense around the name of the well-known director.
Numerous fest-goers single out the British entry "Naked" by Mike Leigh as potential gold. Described as a bleak but brilliant work, it has impressed those who've seen it.
If the forecasts are correct, the U.K. could have another candidate in Kenneth Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing." The Shakespeare adaptation has bowled over several advance viewers, who were particularly impressed by perfs of Branagh and Denzel Washington.
The Italians are pushing Ricky Tognazzi's "La Scorta," a fast-paced, well-timed story of the security officers assigned to protect a magistrate. But veteran directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviani have strong supporters, too, who consider "Fiorile" their best film since "The Night of the Shooting Stars."
Also highly regarded by those who have seen them are Stephan Elliott's "Frauds" and Steven Soderbergh's "King of the Hill."
And the winning picture -- if Louis Malle's jury follows the unpredictable path of its predecessors -- could well be a film with no buzz at all. Maybe Alain Cavalier's "Libera Me," a rigorous work in black and white, lensed without dialogue, and a personal favorite of fest chief Gilles Jacob.
