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EYE ON EUROPE |
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the French Way
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It was a "wysiwyg" night
at the Césars awards
of TheColumnists.com
This year’s French cinema awards ceremony, the Césars, made France look like just what it is--a small country living in a bubble and pretty much oblivious to the outside world. Winning films have a way of going “poof”, never to be heard of again, but the stars and producers prance about and weep on cue as they accept their awards. It’s all very uncomfortable.
Does anyone care? Much like the Oscars, the Césars' television audience is growing weary of this ritual. As it wended its way through nearly four hours of self-congratulation on February 27, you could almost feel the clicks of 60 million Frenchmen desperately working their remotes for something else to watch.
Most of the excitement this year was not about the award winners at all but about the see-through Yves Saint Laurent gown that ex-model (now actress) Laetitia Casta was almost wearing as she presented the best supporting actor award. Laetitia could have used a bit of support herself, for the gauzy black thing hanging off her shoulders revealed some serious poitrinal sag, and she is only 32. A bit of lace was cleverly interwoven, and a feathery arrangement encircled her waist. Otherwise it was straight wysiwyg (What You See Is What You Get). If nothing else, she gets the Liz Hurley prize for exhibitionism.
I always dread the Césars. It is a messy production that leaves too much to chance. Mercifully, there was a bit of scripting this year in contrast to previous editions that got out of control--too much backstage drinking, too many misfired jokes and too much naked ego. But co-hosts Gad Elmaleh and Valerie Lemercier were at least partially reined in last weekend. The show overran by only 40 minutes.
Other highlights included an elaborate imitation of humility by Isabelle Adjani, who, when called for the best actress award, covered her face in her hands, sat still for a couple of minutes and finally took the stage gasping and choking. I noticed there were no tears. That performance merited the Bette Davis fake anguish award. How surprised could she have been? She whipped out a two-page thank-you speech and proceeded to read it.
There is always an American chapter to the Césars and this year it was Sigourney Weaver speaking passable French as she gave a lifetime achievement award to Harrison Ford, looking more than his 65 years.
Son of Clint, Kyle Eastwood, also speaking
French, accepted the best foreign film award on behalf of his
father who produced, directed and starred in "Gran Torino."
(The Eastwood film, which wasn't nominated for Best Picture at
last year's Oscars. beat out the 2008 American Oscar-winner,
"Slumdog Millionaire," which was among the French "Best
Foreign Film" nominees this year. It also beat out "Avatar.")
“Un Prophète”, nominated in 13 categories, won nine awards, including best film and best director. Director Jacques Audiard took so many bows he ran out of people to thank. His male lead, Tahar Rahim, won Césars for best actor and most promising actor. Rahim is French-born with Algerian parents. His role as a young Arab prisoner in a French jail speaks to some of the pressing issues of discrimination and brutality in France today.
I have not seen the film but several bloggers dismissed it as an oversimplified story of good Arabs and bad white men, in this case disaffected Corsicans. One called the script “ridiculous” and predicted a quick death. Nevertheless, the film won the BAFTA best foreign film in London recently and was nominated for an Oscar in the same category.
Winners in the main categories:
Best actor - Tahar Rahmin, "Un Prophète."
Best actress - Isabelle Adjani, "La Journée de la Jupe."
Best director - Jacques Audiard, "Un Prophète."
Best supporting actor - Niels Arestrup, "Un Prophète."
Best supporitng actress - Emmanuelle Devos, "A l’Origine."
Best film - "Un Prophète," Jacques Audiard director
Most promising actor - Tahar Rahim, "Un Prophète."
Most promising actress - Mélanie Thierry, "Le Dernier pour la Route."
Best foreign film - "Gran Torino," Clint Eastwood, producer-director
Lifetime achievement award--Harrison Ford.
©2010 by Michael Johnson. This column first posted March 8, 2010.
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