Celebration of Cinema

I write from a much less-crowded Palais this afternoon. It seems that many people have left the festival all-together, and many of the production/film/promotions booths have packed up and shipped out. This makes for a little less exciting atmostphere, but allows for a greater chance to see films. I just came out of a screening of "Fair Game" which stars Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. It was well done, kept me interested, and it was nice to see a film that was in English! I plan to see another film later this afternoon (after a lunch and perhaps another espresso) called "Life, Above All".

The mood here is a bit different today, also due to a controvery surrounding a film entitled "Hors la Loi (Outside of the Law)" about the Algerian uprising. Security is much tighter, and the festival staff are apparently on "Red" alert. It was a big change from the relaxed mood that I've encountered until now. It just shows the power of film, and its ability to generate emotions and tensions among its viewers.

Yesterday was my escape from Cannes, as I enjoyed an afternoon in Grasse. The bus ride took one hour, and I had to guess where to get off once we arrived in the small city. Luckily I found the Perfumerie Museum quite easily, paid the meager 3 euros to enter, and perused the unusual antiques and stories about the history of perfume. It didn't take long to get through it, so I walked around a bit before catching the bus back to Cannes. After strolling along the port, in awe of the extravagant yachts, and checking out the American Pavilion (which is right on the beach), I grabbed a quick bite and read my book in the sun (it is SO sunny and wonderful!). Later in the evening I met up with my new English friend, Jo, to watch the screening of "Psycho" in Cannes Classics. The print had been immacuately restored and it was a great experience to watch such an iconic film in the presence of so many other cinema lovers. No celebrity sightings yesterday, though I heard that Kirsten Dunst has been around, as has Ryan Gosling. Perhaps I'll have more luck today and tomorrow. The time is flying by so quickly, and I can't believe I leave in 2 days! It has been a surreal experience, that's for sure. Someone pinch me...