Cannes, 5/14.

By David Hudson on 05/14/2009

Despite headlines such as "Economic Woes at Cannes," the New York Times' Manohla Dargis has noticed that "the mood in the Palais, the festival's headquarters, was cautiously optimistic, or perhaps just realistic. You couldn't help wondering, Is this thinned population the recession or a sign of a correction - an indication that there might be fewer movies clogging screens? It's too early to tell, of course, though the idea that there might be a silver lining to the dark clouds, particularly for the kinds of nonstudio movies that make their way from Cannes to American specialty screens, was a theme that emerged from a highly unscientific poll I conducted by email before the festival kicked off."

Neil Young has some fun setting the odds for the Palme d'Or.

"Had he not been so entranced by 'The Red Shoes' as a boy, [Martin] Scorsese might never have become a movie director," writes Steve Rose in the Guardian. "Watching the film for the first time - aged nine, at the cinema with his father - was the start of a lifelong relationship with [Michael] Powell's movies, one that ultimately led to a friendship with the man himself; now, nearly 20 years after Powell's death, it extends to a stewardship of his legacy. Tomorrow, Scorsese will take the stage in Cannes to introduce a new restored print of 'The Red Shoes' - a culmination, of sorts, to Scorsese's ongoing mission to rehabilitate his hero."

In The Auteurs' Notebook, Daniel Kasman jots down a few favorite onscreen moments from the first two days of the festival. And: "Too schlocky, extravagant, cheap, corny, violent, goofy, wonderful and grandstanding for Cannes, tucked away in the film market at the festival is [José Mojica] Marins's 'Embodiment of Evil.' Birthed from a series of films made in the 60s in which Marins both directed and played Coffin Joe, Marins returns with the character being released from a 40-year life sentence to a contempable world. Grossly uneven, terribly gross, and never less than engrossing, I was left impressed by Marins's declaiming - in extent, worthy of de Oliveira - against civilized Brazil's total corruption and the need to torture and murder to end the 'empty lives and beliefs' of the people."

On a possibly related note, Toronto programmer Colin Geddes is "on the hunt for the wild and grisly goods for Midnight Madness."

"'You will need to be Superman,' she said. 'You will need to change fast into your black smoking jacket to be let in. Run!'" The Boston Globe's Wesley Morris has a fun story about just missing "Up."

Melissa Anderson sends a first dispatch for Artforum; Tom Carson for GQ.

The Independent presents a guide to this year's edition.

"In the midst of a global recession, the movie industry is becoming increasingly risk-averse, and that conservative streak is bleeding into Cannes," writes Will Di Novi for the Atlantic. "Some fear that the festival may fail to live up to its reputation as a proving ground for innovation and adventure in filmmaking."

"The alternation of contemporary performances and historical archival clips, which worked so brilliantly for directors Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman in their docu 'Nanking,' yields mixed results in 'Soundtrack for a Revolution,' which traces music's essential role in the civil rights movement," writes Ronnie Scheib.

Also in Variety: "At times semi-impressionistic, at others gut-wrenchingly up close and personal, Nanjing massacre chronicle 'City of Life and Death' lives up to hype and expectations," writes Derek Elley.

"On day one of Cannes, friends and colleagues of Fortissimo Films co-founder Wouter Barendrecht gathered to pay tribute to his life and career, just a few hours before the fest officially kicked off." Thom Powers was there.

James Rocchi's posting photos.

Coverage of the coverage: Cannes 2009.

[Photo: "The Red Shoes," The Archers, 1948]

Tags: Cannes 2009, José Mojica Marins, Martin Scorsese, Michael Powell