Controversy, films and parties

Depp and Cruz led the Hollywood A-list at the Pirates’ Cannes premiere [copyright: Pascal Le Segretain/2011 Getty Images]

A crowd-pulling performance on the Croisette from the crazy Lady Gaga, a familiar Woody Allen number for the opening night and some headline grabbing red carpet appearances, not to mention some unforgettable dresses, defined the first half of the festival.

Hollywood was in town in a big way. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the world's most famous couple, sparkled at the premiere of The Tree of Life. Likewise Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz at the launch of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Carla Bruni may have been a no show at the screening of Midnight in Paris, in which she makes her acting debut, but Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas were there to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, proving that sometimes relationships in La La Land do last.

The mood of the second half of the event was somewhat more serious, with headlines largely dominated by the scandal surrounding the controversial director, Lars von Trier. It all began at the press conference for his film, Melancholia when, in response to a question regarding his interest in the Nazi aesthetic, he said: "What can I say? I understand Hitler. I mean I think he did some wrong things absolutely but I can see him sitting in his bunker at the end... I sympathise with him, yes, a little bit." At this point his leading lady, Kirsten Dunst, leant over and tried to stop him saying more, but he continued, "I think I understand the man." Clearly stuck, he tried to joke, "How can I get out of this? OK, I'm a Nazi!" but this was not before he'd called Israel "a pain in the ass" and stated his taste for the art of Albert Speer.

Some of the assembled journalists gasped, others laughed awkwardly; around the room you could hear the sound of a hundred brains typing their copy under the headline: 'Von Trier says he's Nazi!'

The fallout was both swift and severe. Despite the former Palm d’Or winner issuing an apology, the Board of Directors met the following day and took the decision to ban him from the festival, declaring that he was a persona non grata at Cannes. His film. however, remained in competition. Von Trier continued to protest his innocence, claiming that it was joke taken out of context, but it was to no avail. The festival’s decision was met with a mixed reaction. Some thought von Trier, a man constantly courting controversy, has gone a step too far and rightly deserved to be punished. Others deemed it an overreaction. There were also accusations of hypocrisy; after all, Mel Gibson, who in 2010 was taped in a phone conversation expressing anti-semitic views, was welcomed at the Palais des Festival this year, less than 12 months later.

It seems that the ban did not sway the opinion of the jury, led by Robert de Niro, as they awarded Dunst with the Best Actress award at the closing ceremony on the 22nd. In her acceptance speech, she joked that it had been quite a week before thanking von Trier, at which there were a few cheers.

Controversy to one side, the Cannes Film Festival proved this year that it was still the festival to be seen at. How has it kept its sheen for more than six decades? "Just look around you, this is the most glamorous place in the world right now." Author and film critic, John B. McGrath, understands the draw of Cannes better than most, and has now penned one of the few behind-the-scenes' guides, Cannes Confidential. He says that the things that set Cannes apart from other film festivals are its unrivalled location and its party scene. He is himself an expert gatecrasher, having crashed numerous soirees over the years, and has numerous tips for going about it. But why bother to blag your way in? “Everyone has dreams and you want to be close to those people who are living them.” But are movie stars really living a dream? The tabloids suggest most are riddled with problems. “It’s true that some have complicated lives,” he nods, “but look at Brad and Angie on the red carpet the other day, they were shining from within.”

After recounting some of his best party stories, McGrath points out that it's not only about drinking cocktails: “I'd say Cannes is half parties, half films," he concludes.

Oh yes, those films... So who took home the Palme d'Or? The Tree of Life of course, the hotly tipped opus by maverick filmmaker Terrence Malick. Although the movie divided critics at its press screening, and was even booed by some, its epic take on creation and the meaning of life won out in the end. Malick, a famous recluse, was not at the festival, shying away from the high profile event. It's an approach that's never looked smarter and it's one that could be adopted in future by a certain Danish director, as Lars von Trier has said he may never do another press conference again.

HM