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    Director Todd Haynes’ “Carol” Emerges As Cannes Palme d’Or Contender

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1757 Views
    From left, Rooney Mara, director Todd Haynes and Cate Blanchett pose for photographers at the photo call for the film Carol, at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 17, 2015. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    CANNES, France (AP) --

    "Carol," Todd Haynes' 1950s lesbian romance with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, had the Cannes Film Festival swooning after its premiere.

    The long-in-development adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel was received rapturously at Cannes for its tale of an illicit love between two women in conservative '50s New York. Speaking to reporters Sunday, Blanchett said "Carol" is more than a period piece.

    "We're living in deeply conservative times," said Blanchett, noting that in many countries, homosexuality is still illegal. "And if we think otherwise, then we're very foolish."

    "Carol," based on Highsmith's 1952 novel "The Price of Salt," was one of the most anticipated films at Cannes and emerged a likely contender for the Palme d'Or and, later in the year, the Academy Awards. The Weinstein Co. will release it Dec. 18 in the U.S.

    The eroticism of "Carol" comes largely through subtle, hidden gestures, but Blanchett and Mara were asked about shooting the film's tasteful sex scene. Blanchett, a mother of four, said being naked hasn't been as much an issue for her since giving birth with "a lot of strangers."

    "It's an important scene," she said.

    Mara added: "I'm nude quite often so it wasn't a big deal for me."

    Blanchett also added her voice to the growing chorus over sexism is Hollywood.

    "It's important to keep talking about it," said Blanchett. "It fell off the agenda and I think we lost a lot of ground."

    The screenwriter Phyllis Nagy didn't contradict her, but added a note of optimism.

    "Nothing has changed and everything has changed," Nagy said. "We can have this movie now."

    Category:News
    Tags:Cannes Film FestivalCarolCate BlanchettTodd Haynes



    Review: Director Ben Taylor’s “Joy”

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.

    This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.

    The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.

    "Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.

    "Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.

    Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More

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