Cannes Belles Ring Like the Good Old Days?

Celluloid dreams.

Well, my weatherproof yeomen, isn’t it strange how one photograph can spark a meandering and wide-ranging synaptic chunder? (Note 1)

Those of you who have been living in a cave for the last few weeks may not have noticed that the Cannes International Film Festival is in full swing. (Note 2)

I went to Cannes once. I made the mistake of sitting on a pavement café and ordering a beer so I could watch the beautiful people go past. When the bill came, I found that it cost about ten times the price of a pint of Nightswerve’s Velvet Cudgel back in the ‘Rat and Ferret’. It wasn’t even that I was there for the Film Festival, just a conference on high speed computer networks. Sorry, I digress. I should jump back to the plot.

The Canne Film Festival generates a lot of media interest. Hoards of hacks and critics up sticks to attend – no doubt secure in the knowledge that a £40 beer tastes like ambrosia if someone else is paying. There are lots of distractions in Cannes, so getting the hacks out of the bars and casinos must be difficult.

It is probably not so difficult if you have a couple of ‘A’ list celebs in your film that you can wheel out in highly stage managed PR event with a huge finger buffet and free bar. Not so easy if you are a small independent film maker.

That is why I was really pleased to see that a short film produced by two students as a graduation piece is getting a lot of attention. Of course, this could be that this is the only British film in the running for any awards. (Note 3)

Apart from that, the only news of the British Film industry was a fanfare piece saying that they have done a remake of the St Trinians films which will open around Christmas time.

The idea that they will re-make the St Trinian’s franchise fills me with both dread and joy. (Note 4).

Although the first St. Trinian’s film came out before I was even born and I didn’t even become aware of Ronald Searle’s cartoons until years later, I have always had a real soft spot for the original films. Now, I can look at them and understand the satire, enjoy the scene stealing acting from George Cole as Flash Harry and Alastair Sim as the headmistress (Yes, in the good old British tradition he played the role in drag). Yet whenever I see them, I find myself transported back to the sofa on a wet Saturday afternoon and I go all misty eyed.

As a child, I laughed like a drain at all the St. Trinian’s films. I must have watched each of them a hundred times and the never lost their charm, their humour or their appeal.

I shall probably go watch the new version with low expectations. I hope that it does manage to match the originals, but let’s face it – they are a very hard act to follow.

Now, my undulating yeomen, I shall draw this particular meandering to a close. Not because I have run out of things to say, but because it has generated so many more thoughts and ideas. I shall pick those up tomorrow as they deserve an entry all of their own.

Before I go, I would like to remind you of the need to find new sorry videos. Those of you who read my CRASI entry yesterday will understand what it is all about and are probably already hard at work trying to find good amateur video footage on the net or being creative with making your own. Boy, how I love setting homework!

While we are speaking of campaigns, I should ask my meticulous yeomen if they have noticed that the options for the various ‘Quick Comments’ on the front page of people’s blogs varies according to the server they use? It seems that some countries have better options than others – with the Canadians getting all sorts of really interesting emoticons. Well, Kerry did! She has started the SMILEY 360 campaign. Why don’t you pop over to her page and see what you can do to get included in your Quick Comment box?

From 14th June 2006, the industry standard Crozzy Standard has been applied to footnotes.

NOTE 1: I started with an idea of what I wanted to blog about and worked backwards to the opening as I usually do. However, I when I got to the opening, I found that my thoughts shot off in a totally direction. Still, I suppose I have the skeleton for another entry in my locker now. Now all I need to understand is why some women consider being described watertight is such a compliment, but having had such a positive reaction, I should continue with the compliments. Click to return

NOTE 2: While researching this little piece I found myself smirking over the way that the Merkin media condescends to their public. While everywhere else in the world describes it as Cannes, The Merkin media feel that their readers have no grasp of rudimentary geography and insist on saying ‘Cannes, France’. Just pity the fools. Click to return

NOTE 3: Reading between the lines of the article, I do get a sneaky feeling that the subject matter might well have something to do with it as well. I wouldn’t mind having a little teensy bet that if it does win we will get to see a few offended people pontificating in the press – all additional PR grist to the mill. Click to return

NOTE 4: I’m prepared to be proved wrong here, but I have yet to find a re-make that is anything but a pale imitation of the original. I sat here staring at my screen for an age trying to think of one re-make that I enjoyed more than the original and drew a complete blank. Click to return

It seems that some of you have broken the cryptic clues. For those of you who haven’t and are unaware of the link, I am truly sorry. Sadly, I have to come up with an even more cryptic clue to see if those who know the answer can also explain why.

TECHNORATI TAGS : Cannes ; Trinians ; Searle ; Film ; CRASI.