Cannes Film Festival

Cannes, France -- "Look at that harbor," says an old-timer. "Five years ago it had 50 mega-yachts. Now . . . two yachts and a garbage barge."He's right. And the near-empty harbor just off the Palais du Festivals at the world's richest and most chaotic film festival is an apt metaphor for the ennui and sense of loss that seems to grip the two-week event in the south of France.Oh, the tourists still throng the grand old Boulevard de Croisette, where the movie wars are waged and in whose bars and cafes and discos, it is rumored, the deals are made and the stars may be seen.

Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" will kick off the 66th Festival de Cannes, organizers announced today . "It is a great honor for all those who have worked on 'The Great Gatsby' to open the Cannes Film Festival," Luhrmann said in a statement. "We are thrilled to return to a country, place and festival that has always been so close to our hearts, not only because my first film 'Strictly Ballroom' was screened there 21 years ago, but also because F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside Saint-Raphaël.

LOS ANGELES -- This year's Cannes Film Festival will be bracketed by two major U.S. productions: Paul Verhoeven's "Basic Instinct" on opening night and Ron Howard's "Far and Away" as the final attraction.They head an unusually long list of U.S. films being shown during the prestigious May 7-18 event. Joining "Basic Instinct" in the festival competition are Robert Altman's "The Player," Hal Hartley's "Simple Men," Sidney Lumet's "Close to Eden," David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" and Gary Sinise's "Of Mice and Men."

Whether he is handing out hard hits on the football field or delivering one-liners during interviews, Terrell Suggs is used to making plenty of noise at his day job (just ask NFL quarterbacks like Tom Brady). But the outspoken Ravens linebacker, a Pro Bowler in 2010, is quietly making a name for himself in the film industry. His production company, Team Sizzle Worldwide, just wrapped principal photography for his latest film project, “The Coalition,” and the trailer was released to the Internet last week . Suggs co-wrote the film -- which stars "227" actress Jackee Harry and Denyce Lawton from Tyler Perry's "House of Payne” -- along with director Monica Mingo.

CANNES, France - Cannes Film Festival organizers yesterday struck an 11th-hour deal with angry French entertainment workers to stop them from wrecking the 12-day event, the world's premier film showcase. On the eve of the glitzy launch of the annual movie bonanza, which runs through May 23, Cannes announced it had agreed after hours of talks to let the workers make several public speeches in exchange for peace on the streets. Festival organizers and the city had feared that scenes of chaos and protest would jeopardize both the future of the event and the economy of Cannes.

Imagine a film festival held in a train station during a war or at rush hour. Imagine a maze of a place, with ramps, escalators (some of which actually work), elevators, hallways, corridors, shops, dirty bathrooms. Give it two main auditoriums and about 30 other smaller auditoriums, some of which are called by name and others by letter and still others by number. Don't ex- plain any of this. When asked to, profess amusement. Then fill it with endless swarming, teeming crowds.Now imagine that hardly anybody in these crowds speaks the same language.

The lesson at the Cannes Film Festival was clear and simple: There's no star like an old star.In an event parched of celebrity, Elizabeth Taylor, who hasn't made a decent movie in years, blew in Thursday and ignited the town like a torch. She even outdrew little Sylvester Stallone at the premiere of his film "Cliffhanger" in the Palais du Festivals, where thousands of fans gathered for a glimpse. It was like the premiere of "Gone With the Wind" in Atlanta in 1939, one of those majestic, formal movie moments that combine crowd frenzy, tan beautiful people in tuxedos and strapless gowns, artificial snow and movie hype to create that sense of glamour the festival had so sorely lacked, particularly after two drippy, rainy days and a series of enigmatic and remote movies.

Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season [Buena Vista] $60 The set of discs for last year's water cooler series has loads of extras that include extended versions of six episodes, commentary with creator Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw; the housewives discussing their favorite scenes; several featurettes, deleted scenes and bloopers. A clever short features Oprah Win- frey as the new neighbor on Wisteria Lane. Naked [Criterion] $40 Both director Mike Leigh and star David Thewlis took home top honors at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for this uncompromising drama about a wanderer named Johnny.

The College of Notre Dame's 2008 Baldwin Lecture in the Humanities is set to be delivered at 7 p.m. tomorrow by Marjane Satrapi, the best-selling author of Persepolis. The book tells the story of her youth in Iran in the 1970s and '80s, including the Islamic Revolution and war with Iraq. The book was published as four volumes in France and two volumes in the United States. A film based on the book - also titled Persepolis - received the Jury Prize Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award in the animated feature film category.

"Basic Instinct" -- which opened the Cannes Film Festival last week -- is one of the first official hits of 1992. It was No. 1 in the box-office battle last weekend and has grossed about $90 million in the eight weeks since its domestic release.Even this early in the year, it is safe to say that the sexually charged thriller will be among the top 10 moneymakers of 1992 -- possibly among the top five. And the film's now-famous interrogation scene -- in which sexy Sharon Stone crosses her legs to reveal her panties-free crotch to a group of male cops -- should assure the movie hit status in the video market.

'Street Gang' tells story of 'Sesame Street' PBS' Sesame Street, which reaches 8 million viewers in 120 countries, will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with many products. The recently published Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis chronicles the evolution of the show created by Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets, including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Elmo. Davis is a former Baltimore Sun editor and TV Guide columnist. The fall will see a second book, Sesame Street: A Celebration of Forty Years of Life on the Street, by Louise Gikow, and a DVD, Sesame Street: 40th Anniversary.

The College of Notre Dame's 2008 Baldwin Lecture in the Humanities is set to be delivered at 7 p.m. tomorrow by Marjane Satrapi, the best-selling author of Persepolis. The book tells the story of her youth in Iran in the 1970s and '80s, including the Islamic Revolution and war with Iraq. The book was published as four volumes in France and two volumes in the United States. A film based on the book - also titled Persepolis - received the Jury Prize Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award in the animated feature film category.

A BON commencement bonne fin!" A good beginning makes a good end, say the French. (They are saying a lot these days with their controversial new president, but we could apply this to the Cannes Film Festival as well.) Would you walk a mile down the Croisette to see a movie by the controversial Coen Brothers, or Hollywood's pet Quentin Tarantino, or the fabled Gus Van Sant, or the relatively unpublicized Hong Kong maestro Wong Kar-Wai? If so, maybe you belong in Cannes at the most famous of all movie festivals - this one being the French Riviera's glamorous 60th celebration.

TOUR DE FRANCE ON FILM -- Filmmaker and cyclist Scott Coady's The Tour Baby!, a firsthand, behind-the-scenes look at the world's most famous bicycle race, will be shown at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., in the old Patterson Theatre. Tickets are $8, $6 for C.A. members, $5 if you arrive on a bike. Proceeds benefit The Lance Armstrong Foundation. Information: 410-276-1651 or creativealli ance.org. JEKYLL & HYDE --Victor Fleming's 1941 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Spencer Tracy as a London physician who unwittingly invents a potion that unleashes his own dark side, will be next week's offering in the continuing Wednesday night film series at the St. Thomas Aquinas Church parish center, 37th Street and Roland Avenue.

Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season [Buena Vista] $60 The set of discs for last year's water cooler series has loads of extras that include extended versions of six episodes, commentary with creator Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw; the housewives discussing their favorite scenes; several featurettes, deleted scenes and bloopers. A clever short features Oprah Win- frey as the new neighbor on Wisteria Lane. Naked [Criterion] $40 Both director Mike Leigh and star David Thewlis took home top honors at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for this uncompromising drama about a wanderer named Johnny.

WASHINGTON - Remember when movies aimed to entertain? You could take the whole family and escape the quotidian for the silver screen, watching bigger-than-life heroes engage in daring and admirable deeds. Or you could share a few laughs without worrying about offensive double-entendres or scatological references. No more. Now, if Hollywood isn't drenching its audience in blood or titillating it with naked bodies, it is propagandizing us with left-wing paranoia or pushing a radical social agenda.

'Street Gang' tells story of 'Sesame Street' PBS' Sesame Street, which reaches 8 million viewers in 120 countries, will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with many products. The recently published Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis chronicles the evolution of the show created by Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets, including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Elmo. Davis is a former Baltimore Sun editor and TV Guide columnist. The fall will see a second book, Sesame Street: A Celebration of Forty Years of Life on the Street, by Louise Gikow, and a DVD, Sesame Street: 40th Anniversary.

"I've never seen 23 films in one week before," said Cannes jury president Clint Eastwood. "It makes me want to go home and cut at least 20 minutes out of every movie I ever made."Nevertheless, Mr. Eastwood and his nine colleagues, including jury vice president Catherine Deneuve, survived such endurance contests as a 2-hour, 33-minute Indian film about a roadside coffee shop (highlight: rat drowning in a jar of yogurt) to arrive at a verdict Monday night, bringing to an end the 47th annual Cannes Film Festival in France.

CANNES, France - It's hard to render Michael Moore speechless, but the jury at the Cannes Film Festival did just that Saturday when it awarded the director the coveted Palme d'Or for his incendiary new political documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11. "What have you done?" were the first words out of a clearly flabbergasted Moore's mouth. "I am completely overwhelmed by this." Then, looking directly at president Quentin Tarantino and the rest of the Cannes jury, which has more Americans on it than any other nationality, he added suspiciously, "You just did this to mess with me."

CANNES, France - It's appropriate that the Cannes Film Festival takes place on the Mediterranean, because it is time to fish or cut bait. If one wanted to bet on which film will win the grand prize on Saturday, one would have to wager on something as yet unseen. And that something is Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's 2046 - which, amazingly enough, was apparently not yet finished at press time. All screenings had been "rescheduled" - to when, no one knew. For a film originally expected to be in the 2003 Cannes festival, this is rather extraordinary, although Wong now has reason to do what he never seems capable of doing - rush.