Cannes and Oscar Possibilities
There were two prizes at the just-concluded Cannes Film Festival that were unanimously decided by the jury: the Palme d’Or (the top honor) went to the French movie “The Class” (whose junior-high-school kids are pictured here at the awards podium with director Laurent Cantet; and the Best Actor honor went to Benicio del Toro for his performance in Steven Soderbergh’s epic-length “Che.” If “Che” can be re-edited to make more sense and be more marketable, I think it’s fair to say the del Toro will be a serious contender for next year’s Best Actor Oscar. “Che” has all the elements: it’s a biopic, it’s political, it takes place in the mid-20th century. These are characteristics of many recent Best Actor and Actress Oscar winners — Seymour Hoffman for Capote, Reese Witherspoon for Mrs. Johnny Cash, Marion Cotillard for Piaf, Jamie Foxx for Ray Charles, Forest Whitaker for Idi Amin, etc etc.
