Clint Eastwood © Michael Loccisano / Getty Images / AFP
A Cinema Masterclass by Clint Eastwood
CLINT EASTWOOD, who was President of the Jury in 1994, will be in Cannes from 19 to 21 May. On Saturday 20th May at 4:45 PM, he will be at the Debussy Theatre to present the restored copy of Unforgiven, which is celebrating its own 25th anniversary at the Festival with Warner. The following day, he will inaugurate the 70th ANNIVERSARY MASTERCLASS with a discussion in the company of American critic Kenneth Turan, in the Buñuel screening room at 4 PM.
Catapulted to international fame by director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) and Don Siegel (The Beguiled, Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz), Clint Eastwood directed his first film in 1971 with Play Misty for Me. Thus began a long and illustrious career, with Eastwood proving himself time and time again, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Director for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby in 1992 and 2005, respectively.
The director's filmography has been a firm fixture at Cannes over the past few decades. His first appearance was in 1985 with Pale Rider, followed by Bird (1988), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), Absolute Power (1997), Mystic River (2003) and Changeling in 2008, with the latter earning him the Special Jury Prize for the 61st edition of the Festival. The director was President of the Feature Film Jury in 1994, and also attended the Festival in 2008 when Manoel de Oliveira was awarded his Palme d'Or.
I’m still not sure of anything when it comes to film. When I see parts falling into place, I move them around in my own way, and when it feels right, I just pray that someone else might think it’s good, too. I put my faith in what effect the scenes have on me, and not what the movie is supposed to be. To be honest, I don’t even like thinking about it when I’m filming, because it can throw me off balance during the long film-making process. After filming, it’s too late: you have to make the best of what you’ve got, and put the pieces together as best you can.
