Venice kicks off for 75th time
Venice Film Festival starts today in Italy. It is the 75th anniversary of a festival notorious for its mis-management and disorganization as well as expensiveness.
Oscar winning production designer Dante Ferretti has created a giant demolition ball to symbolize the “renewal” that has occurred to the festival under the artistic direction of Marco Mueller.
“It’s definitely a sign that there is bound to be a new phase, because, with all this history, if we don’t keep moving, then Venice will just keep repeating itself and fade,”
Mueller’s fourth Venice Festival as artistic director is likely to be his best (isn’t that what they always say?) These stars are said to be attending this year: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Michael Caine, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson and Brad Pitt.
Atonement, a film by the British director Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice) is set to open the festival and stars Knightley, James McAvoy and Vanessa Redgrave. It is a film adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel.
Jude Law and Michael Caine star in Kenneth Branagh’s “Sleuth” – a remake which will premiere on Thursday, the same day as Ang Lee’s sexy and “erotic” espionage thriller “Lust, Caution,” premieres. The film will star asian heart-throbs Tony Leung and newcomer Tang Wei. “Lust” will be shunned by exhibitors in the States because it has been given an NC-17 rating by the ultra-conservative pussies that run the MPAA.
George Clooney, arriving by helicopter from his Lake Como villa is starring in Tony Gilroy’s legal thriller “Michael Clayton.” The film co-stars the non-attractive yet talented Tilda Swinton.
Scarlett Johansson will be on hand in Venice for two films- “The Nanny Diaries,” on Friday, and Woody Allen’s “Cassandra’s Dream,” which will be out-of-competition on Sunday. Nanny Diaries is already a flop stateside with bad reviews, so look for her to focus on her budding film-making love-affair with Woody Allen’s film.
Brad Pitt will be on Venice to hype up the long-awaited “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” The film is a hard-hitting drama Western this is set to premiere in Venice on Sunday and is in competition.
Rumors are swirling that Johnny Depp will be in Venice to hype up some of the advance footage of Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd” adaptation, and also to hand out to Tim Burton his lifetime achievement Lion on Sept. 5th which will be called “Tim Burton Day” on the Lido.
The Festival runs until September 8th and we here at BOPsy will keep you updated on whatever it is you need to be updated on. Stay tuned.
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One Comment, Comment or Ping
Dick
“The film co-stars the non-attractive yet talented Tilda Swinton.”
–What is this — Maxim magazine?
Aug 30th, 2007
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