OPENING CEREMONY – A promise of fresh inspiration

So finally, here we are. The red carpet is spread in all its majesty. The world’s floodlights are trained.  Movie lovers across the planet and all those of us who are fascinated by the 7th Art wait in anticipation.

Julianne Moore & Lambert Wilson © AFP / Valery Hache

The temple of world cinema, the Festival de Cannes opened Wednesday night for the 68th time in its history with the desire to be instilled with a fresh inspiration: the inspiration symbolized on the podium of the Grand Théâtre Lumière by the great Coen brothers, surrounded by Sophie Marceau, Rokia Traoré, Rossy De Palma, Sienna Miller, Xavier Dolan, Guillermo Del Toro and Jake Gyllenhaal, forming a Jury of major artists, directors and actors.

“In 2015, everything is fresh. But I’m not going to dance this year”, said Lambert Wilson to the assembled guests by way of introduction. A reference to the dance steps that the master of ceremonies had taken Nicole Kidman through last year. On stage, the dandy of French cinema, in tones that were sometimes grave, sometimes lighthearted, but always energetic, greeted them before paying homage the women of movie world.

To the actresses,directors, producers and writers… “Cannes is a woman! Our eyes linger on an actress’s very eyelashes, a symbol of the love that the cinema counts on. Ladies, you have changed the way men see “, he went on, before moving aside for a panorama of images from the films that will compete for la Palme d’Or.

Over twelve days, this greatest gathering in the world of movies will be presided over by the colorful siblings of world cinema, straight out of that Minnesota where their offfbeat universe first saw the light – and which was honored by a video montage.

Fresh inspration, finally, like that of the sumptuous ballet offered by Benjamin Millepied. Under the guidance of the director of the Opéra National de Paris Ballet, seventeen dancers played out the legendary love scene from Alfred Hitchcock‘s. Vertigo. “The cinema is a prayer. It is my prayer,  said Lambert Wilson. For the actress Julianne Moore, who this evening received the prize for Best Actress awarded to her in 2014 before declaring the 68th Festival de Cannes open, a wish was granted. Oh my, what if the festival was, at long last, under way?
 

Benoit Pavan