Cannes taps 'Dancer'

Von Trier pic takes Palme d'Or, 'Devils' wins Grand Prix

By TODD MCCARTHY

CANNES — Finally snatching the big prize after having brought all six of his feature films to Cannes, Danish director Lars von Trier won the Palme d’Or at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival for his musical drama “Dancer in the Dark,” to be released in the U.S. by Fine Line Features. In a double whammy, pic’s star Bjork, who has been feuding with the helmer, won the award for best actress.

In a year dominated by Asian entries, Far East titles also did well at the awards ceremony, presided over by French actress Virginie Ledoyen with grace uncharacteristic for the often clunky presentation.

Chinese actor-helmer Jiang Wen’s black-and-white World War II drama “Devils on the Doorstep” was a surprise winner of the fest’s second-place award, the Grand Prix.

And Tony Leung Chiu-wai was named best actor for his performance in Hong Kong helmer Wong Kar-wai’s romantic meller “In the Mood for Love.” Edward Yang from Taiwan copped best director honors for his three-hour family drama “A One and a Two....”

U.S. representative

Lone prize for an American film was given to the screenplay for romantic comedy-drama “Nurse Betty,” which was accepted by director Neil LaBute on behalf of writers John Richards and James Flamberg.

The Jury Prize was shared by 20-year-old Samira Makhmalbaf’s spare and rugged “Blackboards” from Iran and Roy Andersson’s quirkily apocalyptic Swedish entry, “Songs from the Second Floor.”

A special mention for acting was awarded to the ensemble from Pavel Lounguine’s frantic comedy-drama “The Wedding” from Russia.

The Palme for “Dancer in the Dark” was almost a foregone conclusion in that von Trier, who in 1995 advanced the now-notorious Dogma school of filmmaking, has long been a Cannes bridesmaid. The film was wildly popular among the French, and jury president Luc Besson was understood to be a big fan.

Overall, however, reaction among festgoers was significantly more divided, and it remains to be seen whether local enthusiasm spills over into widespread acceptance internationally for a film with an aggressively abrasive visual style, less than rational plotting and music that will not be to everyone’s taste. While not adhering strictly to Dogma principles — handheld cameras only, available light and sound only and no traces of directorial personality — pic is the first shot on video to win the top award from the world’s leading film festival.

In happily accepting the award from Catherine Deneuve, who appears in “Dancer,” von Trier, who is well remembered here for blasting the “dwarf” Roman Polanski, then jury president, when he did not win the top prize for “Europa” (later “Zentropa”) and for subsequently throwing his token technical award in the gutter, had a curious remark to make this year as well.

“I’ve been here six times,” said the director, who made it into the competition in 1984 with his very first feature, “The Element of Crime.” “Gilles Jacob, he wanted to take care of me. I don’t know if he knows much about films, but he’s a very nice man.”

Burying hatchets

Von Trier then thanked Bjork, who had refused to appear at the press conference for the film just days before because of her disaffection with the director.

“If you meet her, tell her that I love her very much,” von Trier said, whereupon the diminutive Icelandic singer suddenly appeared. They kissed for the crowd inside the Palais and, in their mutual moment of glory, made up, at least for the moment.

At the post-awards press conference, von Trier and Bjork continued their lovey-dovey act, with the latter insisting that her first film will also be her last.

Referring to her film “career,” Bjork said, “It feels like my journey is complete. I have only 50 years left, I have a lot of records still to make.”

It was the second year in a row when a jury dominated by actors honored a non-professional, the acting awards last year having gone to amateur thesps in “Humanity” and “Rosetta.”

Asked what it was like to finally win the Palme d’Or, von Trier jokingly exclaimed, “I still have to get one more to have as many as (fellow Dane) Bille August. It’s taken me 15 years to get my first one, so maybe by 2010 I could get my second.”

Without honors

Shut out by the jury — which consisted of Besson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Demme, Nicole Garcia, Patrick Modiano, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Mario Martone, Jeremy Irons, Arundhati Roy and Barbara Sukowa — were such well received films as Liv Ullmann’s “Faithless” from Sweden, Dominik Moll’s “Harry, He’s Here to Help” from France (in a rare instance of the host country having no winners at all) and, most notably, Japanese director Shinji Aoyama’s “Eureka,” a demanding but majestic film that won both the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) and the Ecumenical Jury Award.

The coveted Camera d’Or for best first feature went to Iran, courtesy of two films from that country — Hassan Yektapanah’s “Djomeh,” a study of racism against an Afghan young man in a remote Iranian village, and Bahman Ghobadi’s “A Time for Drunken Horses,” a drama about a group of Kurdish orphans in Iran.

The fact that three Iranian films won awards this year was duly noted here, as were the bold remarks with which Makhmalbaf accepted her award: “This prize is to honor the heroic affairs of all the younger generation who are struggling for democracy and a better life in Iran.”

The technical award was given to cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Li Ping-bing and production designer William Chang Suk-ping for “In the Mood for Love.”

The Palme d’Or for best short film went to Raymond Red’s “Anino” from the Philippines, a 13-minute study of a poor church photographer’s search through old Manila for a kid who stole his camera.

The complete list of winners:

Palme d’Or: “Dancer in the Dark” (Denmark/France/Sweden), directed by Lars von Trier

Grand Prix: “Devils on the Doorstep” (China), directed by Jiang Wen

Best Actress: Bjork (“Dancer in the Dark”)

Best Actor: Tony Leung Chiu-wai (“In the Mood for Love”)

Special Mention: Ensemble of actors in “The Wedding”

Best Director: Edward Yang (“A One and a Two...”)

Best Screenplay: John Richards, James Flamberg (“Nurse Betty”)

Prix Du Jury (shared): “Blackboards” (Iran), directed by Samira Makhmalbaf, and “Songs From the Second Floor” (Sweden), directed by Roy Andersson

Palme d’Or for Short Film: “Anino” (Philippines), directed by Raymond Red

Technical Award: Christopher Doyle, Mark Li Ping-bing, William Chang Suk-ping for “In the Mood for Love”

Camera d’Or (Best First Feature): shared by “Djomeh” (Iran), directed by Hassan Yektapanah, and “A Time for Drunken Horses” (Iran), directed by Bahman Ghobadi

Fipresci (Intl. Critics’ Assn.) Awards: Best Film in an Official Section: “Eureka” (Japan), directed by Shinji Aoyama; Best Film in a Parallel Section: “A Time for Drunken Horses”

Ecumenical Awards: Best Film: “Eureka”; Special Prizes: “Fast Food, Fast Women” (U.S.), directed by Amos Kollek, and “Code Unknown” (France), directed by Michael Haneke

Fondation Gan Award (Best Feature in Un Certain Regard): “Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her” (U.S.); Special Mention: “Me, You, Them” (Brazil)

(Derek Elley and David Stratton contributed to this report.)