For the first time in 21 years, a French film has taken the top prize at the Cannes film festival, and in a rarity for Cannes, the Palme d’Or was awarded unanimously. The prize could have easily been named “The Golden Apple” rather than the The Golden Palm since it went to “The Class” ("Entre Les Murs"), the Laurent Cantet film about a young teacher who tries to reach his class of primarily immigrant children in a school on the outskirts of Paris. Confronted with their apathy and sometimes outright hostility, he questions them in a Socratic fashion until they begin to ask themselves if perhaps an education might be relevant to them. This film moved me to tears and so of course I thought that, in the grand tradition of Cannes, it had no chance of winning the top prize.

Similar sentiments were expressed by jury members Natalie Portman, Marjane Satrapi (the Iranian director of "Persepolis"), Alfonso Cuaron (the Mexican director of “Children of Men” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”), Sergio Castellitto (Italian actor and director currently appearing in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian") and Thai filmmaker, Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Cannes prize winner for “Blissfully Yours” and “Tropical Malady.”).

When I saw the film the other day it made me think about the twenty schoolchildren who have been killed in Chicago since the beginning of this year. The old saying is, if you want to send a message, use a telegram, not a movie. But perhaps Mayor Daley and the Board of Education can use the movie to start a dialogue with the grade school and high school students in our city. I’d like to start with my old high school on the West Side, Crane, where one student was gunned down right outside of the school. If it's shown there, it may be the first subtitled film some of the students have seen, but as Sean Penn accurately said, “This is high cinema you can share with a young audience.”

The Best Actor prize went to Benicio Del Toro for Steven Soderbergh's four-and-a-half hour film, "Che." The film received mixed reviews from critics but Del Toro was a strong presence onscreen for most of the running time. "Che" will be released as two movies, “The Argentine,” and “The Guerilla.” The Best Actress prize went to Brazilian actress, Sandra Corveloni, for her performance as a poor single mother trying to raise four sons in the slums of Brazil while she is pregnant with the fifth. That was in "Linha De Passe," by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas; the title refers to a soccer term referring to trying to stay above the pass line. Director Daniela Thomas brought a gasp from the crowd when she announced, "the actress couldn’t be here because she was pregnant and has lost her baby.”

The Grand Prize went to Matteo Garrone's “Gomorra." an unsentimental look at the mafia in Italy. The Best Director award went to Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the Turkish director who is a favorite of Cannes, for his film "Three Monkeys.” The title refers to a family that seeks to cover up failings by not seeing, hearing or speaking the truth. The Jury Prize was won by a spirited fictional movie of a real politician, Giulio Andreotti, whose doings put the Godfather to shame. “Il Divo” was directed by Paolo Sorrentino.

And two Belgian directors and brothers who have become among my favorites at Cannes, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, won Best Screenplay for “Le Silence de Lorna” ("Lorna’s Silence"). It is another of their desperate tales of working class people in Belgium, this time Albanian immigrants. This film has a wrenching performance by Jeremie Renier, who plays a drug addict trying to get clean. He’s in the movie for only about a third of it, but his performance affects every scene. His role was key when the Dardenne brothers won the Palme d’Or in 2006 for “L”Enfant” ("The Child").

In surprise tributes, two Special Jury Prizes were given for the body of work to Catherine Deneuve (whose film in this festival is the Arnaud Desplechin's “Conte De Noel” (“Christmas Tale”), and Clint Eastwood, for “Changeling” and his strong history of filmmaking. I think that was a surprise to Eastwood, as neither he nor his representative was here to accept the prize. The festival buzz had him as a strong contender for the Palme d'Or.

America was well represented on stage by the presenters: Robert de Niro, who entered to a standing ovation and presented the Palme d’Or, and the other presenters Kerry Washington, Faye Dunaway and Dennis Hopper.

Presented earlier at a separate ceremony was was an award given in the newly-renamed category of “The Knockout of 'Un Certain Regard',” which went to James Toback's “Tyson." The "Un Certain Regard" section of the festival showcases films the fest selectors admired, but perhaps not quite enough to qualify them for the official competition.

Dear Roger,

I've just returned from the official dinner given by the Festival for Clint Eastwood's movie. I felt like Cinderella at the ball. The dinner was held at the swanky Restaurant La Palme d'Or on the Croisette. I wore my long evening gown just like all the French women wear at night. That's usually the last thing you want to do after watching movies all day, and most of the American women journalists skip the gowns, but I am a hybrid this year, not quite journalist and not quite guest. Besides, this was a special evening and I wanted to make a good showing for you.

After a while the guessing-game began: "What's the name of your table?" A look around the room revealed tables dressed with sparkling silver and china, and on each table a sign with the name of one of Eastwood's movies. We were standing halfway between "Million Dollar Baby" and "Letters from Iwo Jima."

Most knew where they were sitting, but I had missed this step. Joan Dupont from the Paris Herald-Tribune smiled knowingly at me and announced, "Chaz, you are at L'Echange." Joan broke her arm in a fall here the other day, so I helped arrange her fringed evening scarf around her shoulder. "What is the significance of that table?" I whispered to her. "Why, that's Clint's table!" I could hear little murmurs of appreciation. Suddenly I was not Ella of the ashes. I was wearing the golden slippers. "L'Echange" is French for the English title of Clint's movie," Changeling."

This gift of seating was somehow connected with Pierre Rissient. He's the most famous person in the movie industry that most people never heard of. More people have possibly had introductions in the movie world through Pierre than by any other single person. I loved the piece you did about Pierre from Toronto when Todd McCarthy did a documentary about him. It's been said that between Pierre Rissient and Tom Luddy of the Telluride Film Festival, there are only two degrees of separation between all the people in the cinema of the Western world.

Pierre is from the old school of loyalty. Once on his good side he remembers you. And Pierre is very, very close with Eastwood -- he was instrumental in launching Clint's tide of recognition from the French critics. Pierre appeared at my side and told me that Clint wanted me at his table. It was a courtesy extended to me out of respect for you. A respect that has been built up over the years. They knew that neither you nor I could do a thing to help this movie. What could I do for it -- include it in my little blog? Pierre said I had been a good wife and if you were here you would be sitting at this table. They weren't going to abandon me. This was personal, not business.

I was speechless. I know I haven't received all the invitations to the parties at the Hotel du Cap and the round-robin star interviews that we always get when you are here. And that's okay. I know the score. So to hear Pierre express such sympathetic and humane sentiments touched me. When Clint arrived, he actually looked younger than the last time I saw him. He was with his gorgeous wife Dina and their daughter Morgan, 11, who is a natural beauty, and looks like the perfect combination of the two. Morgan told me she had a speaking role in the movie, and told me about her part in "Million Dollar Baby." She was friendly and polite.

The photographer shoved person after person next to Clint to take their picture. Clint said, "What about Chaz's picture?" Now the glint of recognition. "Ah, mais oui, of course. A picture with madame!" My ashes had turned into golden slippers. In due course I was also greeted by Kyle Eastwood, Clint's jazz composer and musician son, and Alison, his actress and director daughter. It was a family affair.

When I took my seat at "L"Echange" I learned that my other tablemates were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. You will be happy to know that I wasn't starstruck. I discussed architecture with Brad and the movie with Angelina. When Brad learned I was writing a few articles for you while you were away with a fractured hip, he told a lovely story. It was about the engineer who fell ill while finishing the Brooklyn Bridge. His wife took over and ran the operation. The man could look out his apartment window and see what was going on. It was kind of him to tell me that story. Looking at the two of them up close and personal, I have to report that they are officially the best-looking couple on the planet. I feel sorry that they are so hunted and photographed.

Ron Meyer, the head of Universal and David Linde, formerly of Focus Features were also at the table, joined by Brian Grazer, the producer from Imagine pictures, and A.O. "Tony" Scott from the New York Times. Everyone was friendly and relaxed. Occasionally others would stop by the table, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Thierry Fremaux, the new head of the Cannes Festival, and so on. It was a great evening!

After a sumptuous meal of fresh sea bass, asparagus and chocolate, and an evening of lively conversation, I took my leave. By then my feet were not up to walking back to the Hotel Splendid in those shoes. But my carriage was no pumpkin! It was a new Mercedes with the massage-seat option. The windshield bore the sticker: “Authorized.” My benefactor was Richard Schickel, former film critic of Time. How did he fare such a privilege? He’s here as “talent.” He has a film at the festival about the history of Warner Brothers. Not bad for an ex-film critic.

As you know, at first I was hesitant about coming to Cannes by myself. I've been here at your side almost 20 years, but how would I perform as a soloist? Inviting me to sit at his table was the sort of gesture that shows what a big heart Clint has. I remember your stories about the two of you drinking Guinness at O'Rourke's Pub in Chicago 35 years ago, and I was so pleased to be your "bookmark." When people ask me where you are, I say you're at home, packing for next year.

Love,
Chaz

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Roger's article about Pierre Rissient from the Toronto Film Festival is at
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/FILMFESTIVALS03/70911001/1023

Postcard #1
Her new movie struck close to home for Angelina Jolie, visiting Cannes in an advanced stage of pregnancy. "Changeling" is based on the true story of a Los Angeles mother whose son disappears in 1928. Months later a young boy found in DeKalb, Illinois is returned as her son by the LAPD, which needs good press at a time of corruption. Problem is, she insists it's not her son, but the cops pressure her to raise the boy as her own. When she refuses, they have her held against her will. She and Brad Pitt were toasted by her director, Clint Eastwood, at a late-night dinner Tuesday at the beachfront Hotel Martinez, where Jolie said that being a mother "makes the film more personal, because I cannot imagine a mother not being trusted to know her own child."

Postcard #3
The critics are saying Woody Allen's new pic “Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is one of his best. It's a wisp of a love story, a ménage a trois involving Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson, and set in Barcelona. Why Barcelona, from a director long identified with New York and more recently with London and Venice? His reasoning: "I was offered money to make it there, and so I did." Is a three-way romance a fantasy of his? "It's hard enough to get one person in real life," Woody said. "More than one is too complicated and emotional. But in a film you have the freedom to do what you want." His film is an official selection, but "hors competition," out of competition, which means since he is a big-name director he is presumably above wanting to win the Golden Palm.

Postcard #4
"I'll keep making Indiana Jones movies as long as the public wants them" Steven Spielberg said after the premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." And what a photo call he offered Cannes by turning up with his entire cast: (photo I.D.) Everybody wants him to make more Indiana Jones stories, he said, and also a sequel to "E.T."--"but I don't know what that would be." Talk along the Croisette was that rising star Shia LaBoeuf is set up in "Crystal Skull" to star in a possible fifth Indiana epic. LeBeouf got praise for his acting, but will have his work cut out for him if he replaces Ford, who Spielberg called "every director's secret weapon."

Postcard #5
Two of the most compelling documentaries screening here are about world-class sports figures. Both were born in poverty, became legends at young ages through prodigious talent, flirted with the dark side of drugs and fame, suffered defeat, and tried to achieve redemption through family relationships. James Toback in “Tyson” allows Mike Tyson to analyze his life and boxing career in his own words; the rest of that story is still being written. Tyson said he was surprised to find himself at the Cannes Film Festival and said his life is still complicated: "You can't change an extreme personality like mine overnight. “Maradona,” a film by Palme D’Or winning director Emir Kusturica, is about one of the best-known soccer players in the world, "Player of the Century" Diego Maradona. "We're friends," Tyson said, "but we haven't seen each other's movies."

Postcard #6
The president of this year's jury is Sean Penn, who won Cannes' best actor award for "She's So Lovely" (1997). More to the point, he also won an Oscar for “Mystic River,” a film directed by Clint Eastwood. Since Clint’s film "Changeling" is screening in competition, Penn was asked at the jury's press conference if he could be objective. His reply was very colorfully objective: "A lot of people here have close ties to films, and there’s no bias involved. On the other hand if Clint’s movie deserves the prize, we will f****** well reward it.”

Dear Roger,

The weather gods smiled on Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for their world premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Crowds gathered in the Riviera sun, some of them with signs pleading, “S’il vous plait, I NEED tickets for Indiana Jones!” There was a screening scheduled for 1 p.m., for both the press and the official invitation holders. In the past mixing the two has spelled disaster for a movie so highly anticipated; usually the screenings are separate, so the black tie crowd doesn't hear the possible snickers of the critics. Today I expected a crowd, so I got to the Palais des Festivals much earlier than usual, but to no avail. The guards told me it was complet!

For a festival that still represents the art of the cinema, there is most definitely the other Cannes, where an American blockbuster with big movie stars and directors is welcomed with open arms. And you don’t get much bigger than Steven Spielberg and George Lucas combined. We Americans are known the world over for our Le Spectacle films, where Hollywood knows how to blow up things real good. The cineastes look down on them, but when you have a film like "Indiana Jones" opening in after all these years, and you get the whole cast and crew (George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBouef, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent) to appear at the press conference, that is an event.

Inside the Palais I anxiously scanned the room just before the lights go down. I saw Ken Turan from the LA Times, Baz Bambigoye from the London Evening Standard, and Zbignew Banas from the Chicago media, but I didn't see many other recognizable critics. Suddenly a stream of humans strained against the door, and in came more critics, led by Time's Richard and Mary Corliss. Success! When the lights do down and the shiny new “Lucasfilms” green logo lights up the screen, the child next to me cheered loudly along with the rest of the crowd. Le Spectacle had begun.

I can’t wait to see what you think of the film. [See Roger Ebert's review here.] I can tell you I think it will make a lot of money. Of course it can’t compare to the thrill of seeing the first "Indiana Jones" on the screen, or even the moment in the third one when Sean Connery appears as Harrison Ford’s father. But for what it is, it's entertaining . I will leave the reviewing to you. As I write this, it's still too early in Chicago for you to have seen it. I will not spoil it by telephoning to give you any hints. Spielberg and Lucas have carefully kept the plot and most other things about the film secret--quite a feat in these days of anonymous internet postings of spoilers.

In fact, during the press conference that followed the film, a reporter from Dutch TV asked how they were able to keep things secret in light of the robbery of a computer from their studio. Spielberg admitted that when the computer files were stolen, they had over 3,000 still photographs comprising three-quarters of their production. But the stolen material was turned over to a website, the website owners cooperated with the studio to set up a sting operation, and the burglar was caught and arrested.

The cast was pretty jolly during the press conference. Spielberg, who always looks like he is enjoying life and expecting good things from it, remained cheerful even when the first question was from a journalist who asked whether there was any pressure from Communists to create this movie. Steven couldn’t decide whether this was a serious question or not. At Cannes, it is. And it's not likely to be the last question like it. The director dismissed any notions of a Communist conspiracy but explained that if you follow the timeline from the first Indy picture, it would now be around 1957, during the Cold War, and they would have been the villains of that time. In response to a question from a Russian journalist, Cate Blanchett offered an apology to the “entire Russian population” for her accent, and thanked them for allowing her to play such a meaty villain with a fantastic haircut. She also admitted that she had fantasies of Spielberg casting her as Indiana Jones.

When asked why it took so long to make this sequel, Spielberg said he was the one who resisted a new movie. He had gone through his dark period of serious filmmaking and didn’t feel like making a film to entertain millions of people. He wanted to concentrate on historical dramas. Then he made "Jurassic Park" and realized action felt good once again. During the 1994 Oscars, Harrison Ford announced he was ready to put on the fedora once again and get the ball rolling. But Spielberg said they didn’t have the right story.

George Lucas always had the crystal skull in his mind as the MacGuffin they needed, but it wasn’t until writer Jeff Nathanson came on board that they were able to come up with the story they wanted. Lucas confirmed that special effects are only a tool, and it was important for them to have real stunts, with real people in a real story. They had to decide what the story demanded, he said, and how to make it as entertaining as possible. Even the artifacts they hunted are things that people think exist (whether or not they do) and have some sort of mystical power. That's true of the lost ark and the crystal skull. Harrison Ford chimed in that he was grateful to be able to do “physical acting.” He leaves stunts to the stunt men, and what he tries to achieve is action sequences done “old school” on a human scale. Otherwise it just becomes kinetics. In this way they stay ahead of their imitators and give more authenticity to their film.

Spielberg was asked whether there was any truth to the rumor that he wasn’t going to allow the film to be released through digital cinema. He said that when a movie is shot digitally and projected digitally, then it gives a nice clean image. But when it is shot on celluloid and projected digitally, it gives an inferior image. He still prefers to have all of his movies shot on celluloid. But he knows that digital projection is just around the corner and he will have to give in eventually. This movie will be shown digitally on 300 screens. The rest will be traditional film projection.

Harrison Ford praised Spielberg as “the hardest working man in show business since we’ve lost James Brown.” And Spielberg praised Ford as every director’s best secret weapon because of his work ethic, his wit and intelligence. Ford said the secret to Indy’s success is the high caliber of his villains, and that Cate Blanchett made for a worthy antagonist with her powerful and convincing acting. When asked whether he was afraid of what the critics would say about the film, Ford replied he wasn’t afraid because he expects that a certain number of people will turn the whip on him and disdain the movie because it is popular entertainment, but, he said he works for the people who pay to get in to see it, and he thinks they will like it because it is such a celebration of the movies.

The other serious issue was raised by a journalist from Tokyo who said the Japanese are sensitive to the bomb and asked why they had the image of the atomic bomb exploding into a mushroom cloud. Spielberg said he grew up with the threat of thermonuclear annihilation and the image of Indiana Jones standing against the mushroom cloud gave the movie a little more depth. Ford added there was no more graphic image of evil than the atomic bomb, and part of Indy’s quest is for Truth and Understanding.

Someone from Belgium asked Spielberg about the Tin Tin movies he is making with Peter Jackson. He said they're making three. He had never heard of Tin Tin until 1981 when a film critic compared "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to the adventures of Tin Tin. My dear Roger, knowing your love of the Tin Tin comics, and your quest to learn French by reading as many of them as you could, I wonder if that film critic was you?

A bientot!
Chaz

CANNES, France -- Roger, when we talked about sending you messages from the film festival I never expected that my first would be about a heavyweight boxer. Mike Tyson's grip was surprisingly gentle when he shook my hand, and his voice soft and polite on stage, but there was nothing gentle, soft or polite about the images onscreen here in "Tyson," James Toback's documentary about his life. It is a compelling character study. His life is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

Toback sits him in front of the camera and lets it roll, or at least he gives the impression of letting it roll. You wonder how much of it is edited, but Tyson comes across as articulate and reflective. He is mainly calm and thoughtful as he dissects aspects of his life and career. He even expresses remorse for some of it, but not in the case of Desiree Washington, for which he spent three years behind bars for a rape conviction he denies. "I was abusive to some women, but not to her," he claims in the film.

"Tyson" is also fascinating for the history shown in the footage from Tyson's first knockout to his crushing defeat at the hands of Buster Douglas. One scene shows Muhammad Ali whispering to Tyson to get revenge on Trevor Berbick for defeating Ali. And of course there's footage of the infamous ear-biting incident with Evander Holyfield. Interspersed with the boxing footage is his take on his relationships with women, including that train wreck of an interview by Barbara Walters of Tyson with Robin Givens.

The film is an unflinching look at brutal prizefights and out-of-control press conferences where Tyson was full of rage. When asked why he allowed Toback such unfettered access to him, he replies, "I was in rehab and was on my way to an AA meeting when Toback called and said he wanted to make this movie about my life. I didn't have anything else to do. I wasn't going anywhere." He said he had known Toback for 20 years and trusted him, but had no idea the film would be so personal. Tyson says it made him feel "vulnerable."

Can a person be trusted to fully analyze the lessons of his own life? Or does that take some interpretation by others? At the press conference following the Cannes screening, Toback said there was enough out there that others had said about Mike, and this was a chance in a lifetime to really "see into Mike" by allowing him to talk about himself. "Who gives a f**** what Teddy Atlas or anyone else has to say about Mike Tyson! There are a lot of other boxers out there, but Mike was a good subject for film because he has a mystique. Norman Mailer, Orson Welles, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali also had it. But Tyson is more significant because of his combination of speed, accuracy, craft, and power. Even more so than Ali."

The film is shot on digital video; Toback uses too much split-screen for my taste. But you don't watch this movie for the aesthetics. Some of Toback's films seem to be more about Toback than anything else, but they also offer a glimpse of redemption. You can see why the arc of Tyson's life interested Toback. Some of the boxer's life mirrors the director's his own excesses, his fall from grace, and his redemption in sobriety.

So what are we left with at the end of the film? Tyson says, not very helpfully, "Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery." We're left wondering who and what Tyson is today. When he walked into the theater here last night, he looked puzzled to even be here. Today I asked him how he would write the rest of the script of his life if he had that power. He said the answer to that is more complicated than he could give.