The Circuit

It’s not over yet, but more than halfway through, the first edition of Marco Mueller’s (pictured with Anne Hathaway) new four-year mandate has all the makings of an off-year. An honorable off-year, maybe. But still an edition during which the din of complaints – pretty much a constant at all film fests – has spiralled to an almost unbearable level.

Some random Venice-venting from anglo journos/critics overheard this morning at the Hathaway-starrer “Rachel Getting Married” press screening.

“Marco is in trouble. If he doesn’t get his act together next year, then the majors will snub Venice entirely and start just going to Toronto.”

“I’ve been coming for twenty years, but I don’t know if I will be able to come back next year; I just didn’t get enough interviews to justify the cost.” 

So how bad is Venice this year?

Well, first the bright side. The weather has been fantastic, almost always sunny, albeit humid. A slight decrease in attendees, about 12%, means it’s easier to parc your bicycle and get a table at Valentino, the only decent restaurant near the Palazzo del Cinema. And speaking of Valentino, the party at the Guggenheim Museum on the Grand Canal for docu “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” by former Vanity Fair journo Matt Tyrnauer, was a blast even though the food took ages. 

The real bummer are the movies. Still, Jonathan Demme’s “Rachel” went over well today, after a half-dozen other pics in the competish –  Hayao Miyazaki’s toon “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” Amazon-set “Birdwatchers,” by Marco Bechis, Teutonic helmer Christian Petzold’s “Jerichow,” Takeshi Kitano’s “Achilles and the Tortoise,” Guillermo Arriaga’s “The Burning Plain,” and Alexey German Jr’s “Paper Soldier” – all seemed solid, though nothing to get too excited about, which of course is the problem.

Mueller at a luncheon today said the selection “reflects what is going on in world cinema today.”

He also pointed out that about one-third of his selection will now be screening in Toronto. 

So, be warned.


Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage.com