A Cannes standing ovation

 

Writer/director Ruben Ostlund, winner of the Palme d'Or for Triangle of Sadness, poses for photographers following the awards ceremony at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, France, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Photo: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

A REPORT FROM CANNES:

There is nothing more life affirming for a movie lover than being lucky enough to sit with an audience in Cannes at the film festival. It’s a lively activity and depending on the reception can go either way. Slow claps are for the losers, standing ovations are for the winners. Such was the case when Swedish director Ruben Ostlund screened his film Triangle of Sadness. Throughout the screening people laughed, hooted and hollered. The film eventually went on to win the Palme d’Or; Oslund’s second win following the triumph of The Square.

Triangle of Sadness ended in rapturous applause and the standing ovation lasted for eight minutes, only to be pipped at the post by Baz Lurhman’s Elvis later in the festival. Elvis took a whopping 12 minute standing ovation. One would have thought that was a record but after a little digging around on the internet, the following films did even better as listed in Far Out Magazine

The 10 longest standing ovations in Cannes history:

  1. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) – 22 minutes

  2. Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore, 2004) – 20 minutes

  3. Mud (Jeff Nichols, 2012) – 18 minutes

  4. The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016) – 17 minutes

  5. Capernaum (Nadine Labaki, 2018) – 15 minutes

  6. The Paperboy (Lee Daniels, 2012) – 15 minutes

  7. Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2003) – 13 minutes

  8. The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius, 2012) – 12 minutes

  9. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) – 11 minutes

  10. BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, 2018) – 10 minutes

Film as an art form will never die. It may morph into something different, more exciting, more personal perhaps but gathering together to watch a story on a big screen has enduring tribal properties. We as humans have a deep need to belong and connecting for a shared story feeds us in a way that a lone viewing in our homes does not. They are very different experiences and both valuable but after two years of lock down, it’s a revelation and a joy to be back in the movie theaters.

Watch the standing ovation below:

Ruben Östlund, centre, with Triangle of Sadness stars Vicki Berlin, Woody Harrelson, Charlbi Dean Kriek and Harris Dickinson. Photograph: Sébastien Nogier/EPA

 
DiscoverNigel DalyComment