Eastwood among Cannes favourites

22/05/2008 05:04

By Mike Collett-White

CANNES, France (Reuters) - An animated documentary about Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon and an unflinching portrait of the Naples mafia were among the front-runners for top honours as the Cannes film festival hit the halfway point.

Moviegoers were generally impressed with the quality of the competition films screened so far, although some say the main lineup has lacked the punch of a standout contender.

That may have come on Tuesday with veteran actor and director Clint Eastwood, movie starring Angelina Jolie, won warm applause after its press screening.

Originally titled "Changeling," there was some confusion at the news conference about the English title for the 1920s drama, with production notes calling it "The Exchange."

"Usually at this stage we would have seen more absolute stinkers," said film critic and author Mark Cousins, who is attending his 18th Cannes festival. "For me it’s a rather high standard."

Among his favourites for the Palme d’Or, which goes to the jury’s choice for best film, is "Waltz with Bashir," director Ari Folman’s attempt to piece together buried memories of the 1982 massacre of Palestinians in Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila camps.

Italy’s "Gomorra" was hailed for its bravery in depicting the brutal world .....continued below

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of the Camorra crime network in Naples. It is based on the best-selling account by journalist Roberto Saviano, who has been living under police protection for the past two years.

Both entries are regarded as political, which may give them the edge if jury president Sean Penn wishes to highlight topicality alongside cinematic craft at the prize ceremony on Sunday.

His impartiality could be tested by Eastwood’s movie, which is based on the true story of Christine Collins, whose search for her missing son forces her to confront a corrupt Los Angeles police force and a serial child killer.

Penn starred in Eastwood’s "Mystic River" in 2003, with which the new film has been compared.

TURKEY, FRANCE, BELGIUM IMPRESS

"Three Monkeys," a Turkish film that tells a bleak story of family secrets and is directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, earned the top rating of an informal poll of critics appearing daily in the Screen International publication in Cannes.

Domestic critics also are supporting French family drama "A Christmas Tale," starring Mathieu Amalric, while Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are aiming to win a third Golden Palm with their popular "Lorna’s Silence."

South America is represented by four pictures in the main competition, three of which have been screened already.

Opening film "Blindness," an adaptation of Jose Saramago’s novel of the same name about a plague of blindness sweeping the world, scored poorly with critics. And "The Headless Woman," by Argentina’s Lucrecia Martel, was booed at a press screening.

But the region’s two subsequent entries impressed more -- prison drama "Leonera" from Argentina and "Linha de Passe" ("Line of Passage"), set in the slums of Sao Paulo.

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