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Here comes Cannes
The opening-night movie at the Cannes Film Festival has traditionally been a stinker that screens out of competition. Think “The Da Vinci Code.”
But this year, the movie that kicks off the festival May 14 will actually be in competition for the Palme d’Or and has the probability of being worthwhile. Fernando Meirelles’ “Blindness” is based on the prize-winning novel by Jose Saramago and focuses on a town that comes down with a mysterious case of sudden blindness, leaving everyone sightless except for one woman.
Meirelles, a Brazilian who works in multinational productions, is a noted director, having done such standouts as “City of God” and “The Constant Gardener.” And he has assembled a great cast. Julianne Moore, one of the nicest women in show business and one of the most talented, stars as the woman who can see. Mark Ruffalo plays her husband, a doctor.
I first met Meirelles in Cannes a few years ago when he brought “City of God” to the festival. It was a searing tale of life on the streets of Sao Paolo, where Meirelles grew up.
He’s quite gracious and, thankfully, fluent in English. “Blindness” has been one of the most anticipated art films of the year, so it’s good to see that he made the competition.
Stay tuned for more posts, which will be coming daily starting next Tuesday, when I land in the south of France.
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