2011年7月8日 星期五

Von Trier banned from Cannes

CANNES, France - Despite declaring bombastic Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier "a persona non grata" at Cannes 2011 for his stupid pro-Nazi jokes, the Cannes Film Festival put itself in a bureaucratic bind Thursday by leaving Melancholia in the running for awards, including the Palme d?Or as best film that von Trier covets so much.

That means Melancholia, von Trier?s end-of-the-world opus, could win an award from Robert De Niro?s official Cannes jury on Sunday but von Trier would not be allowed to accept it in person. This is according to Cannes sources. The official Cannes press release which banned von Trier ? in effect, if not in words ? made no mention of the status of his film in the awards race. Nor was there any indication that von Trier would continue to be what Cannes called ?a persona non grata? at future Cannes filmfests.

The festival?s Board of Directors issued its statement of condemnation because of von Trier?s public comments that included an aside about Adolf Hitler that ?I sympathize a bit with him.?

The statement said: ?The Festival de Cannes provides artists from around the world with an exceptional forum to present their works and defend freedom of expression and creation. The Festival?s Board of Directors, which held an extraordinary meeting this Thursday, profoundly regrets that this forum has been used by Lars Von Trier to express comments that are unacceptable, intolerable, and contrary to the ideals of humanity and generosity that preside over the very existence of the Festival. The Board of Directors firmly condemns these comments and declares Lars Von Trier a persona non grata at the Festival de Cannes, with effect immediately.?

The tempest started Wednesday when the bombastic Dane ? who often says outrageous things, some of which are in jest ? declared ?I?m a Nazi!? during a long, rambling rant at the official press conference for Melancholia. Von Trier at first praised Jews, then condemned Israel as ?a pain in the ass.?He praised the work of Nazi architect Albert Speer, insulted his own Jewish colleague and business partner Susanne Bier, and offered his opinions on Hitler.

?What can I say?? von Trier declared. ?I understand Hitler. But I think he did some wrong things, absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker at the end. I?m just saying I think I understood the man. He?s not what you would call a good guy but I understood much about him and I sympathize a bit with him.

?But I?m not for the Second World War and I?m not against Jews, no, not even Susanne Bier. I am of course very much for Jews. No, not too much because Israel is a pain in the ass. But still, how can I get out of this sentence? I?m very much for Speer. Albert Speer I like. He was also maybe one of God?s best children but he had some talent ... Okay, I?m a Nazi!?

Hours later, von Trier was doing damage control, obviously under pressure from Cannes officials. He blamed his rant on being ?egged on,? which is a bald-faced lie. The original question asked only for comment about the fact that von Trier recently discovered that his family has German roots. Von Trier also issued a statement Wednesday saying: ?I am not anti-semitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi.?

He is, however, an idiot for believing that jokes about Nazis have any place in Cannes ? or anywhere else, for that matter. But the weirdness of making von Trier ?a persona non grata? without any context has left media in Cannes feeling perplexed and conflicted.

Some think his jokes are just part of the usual von Trier publicity machine. Some think that declaring him ?a persona non grata? means the festival itself is stifling free speech. Los Angeles-based film journalist Jeffrey Wells has already tried to get a protest petition going to support von Trier (but not his Nazi jokes). Other critics have pointed out that Cannes has ?banning? von Trier but happily accepted Mel Gibson on the red carpet for Jodie Foster?s screening of The Beaver, in which Gibson co-stars. Gibson is known for an infamous, aloholic-fueled, anti-semitic tirade in California. So there seems to be a double standard.

The scandal roils and boils. And many critics believe that Melancholia really should be in the running for the Palme d?Or, along with Terrence Malick?s The Tree of Life, the Dardenne Brothers? The Kid With a Bike, Aki Kaurismaki?s Le Havre and Michel Hazanavicius? The Artist.


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