Cinema Report - Week of 17 May 2013

The Cannes Heist

According to French police, $1million of jewellery - to be worn on the red carpet by the 'stars' - was swiped yesterday from the Novotel Hotel room of a Chopard employee.  The jewels were in the room's security safe which was broken into and the cat burglar(s) escaped without a trace.

Chopard was the festival's favorite among jewellery designers and had been providing 'bling' for the stars at Cannes for the last 16 years.  So far, French authorities have no leads regarding the whereabouts of the jewels or who is responsible for the heist. 

Cannes v. Hollywood - A Seductive Relationship

Speaking of Cannes, some say Art and Business never mix - but in the case of the Cannes (pronounced "Can") Film Festival (the world's most prestigious) and Hollywood it seems the two are very compatible bed fellows.  It's just a question of who is seducing who.  In its 66th year this week, the Cannes Fest has, in my mind, become a promotion vehicle, be it a very upscale and glamorous one.  Yes, they will throw in the occasional controversial docu or the steamy indie, but, by and large, Cannes exhibits and promotes what Hollywood wants and tows the line pretty well.  Why? Because that is where the bucks are and the stars gravitate to - like planets around the Hollywood sun.

It's good for the studios to use Cannes as a promo vehicle - it fits into their marketing model perfectly.  Forget about the heavy European films with character and plot, Cannes is now all about, action, animation, and 3D.  And, to be fair, this is exactly what the moviegoing public wants. But does Cannes risk of losing the independence it so prides itself on - maybe yes, but that independence comes at a cost and Cannes itself doesn't want to give up its 'stardom'.  Film festivals need stars -  without stars there is no 'press', without press, no publicity, no panache, no glitz, no glamour.

Hollywood runs Cannes, like it or not, but the 'seduction' continues becomes it makes good 'press'.

The Value of  'Rejected' Movie Posters

Movie posters are very collectible.  Value is based upon genre, scarcity, popularity of movie, age, etc. Some posters can fetch tens of thousands of dollars, but what about the posters that didn't make the 'cut' ? Bill Gold,  had a 70+ year career as a movie poster artist, creating posters for over 1000 movies - from Casablanca to The Unforgiven.  Gold's work spans the decades and now, via an online gallery, his 'rejected' posters are on display (www.movieposterdb.com).

Back in the day, Gold's 'first art work' (if rejected) remained his property, and in some cases there were 20 or 30 versions before the studio would 'green light' the final version.  Many of the originals, which are on display, are starker, edgier, and more realistic then the toned-down and image cramped final approved posters.

Gold's final poster was the the 2012 film 'J. Edgar', directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leo DiCaprio. It's my guess is that these 'rejected' posters may be more valuable than the originals given their rarity.  Best of luck Bill!

By: Jim Lavorato
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