Cate (Alias Bob) Conquers Venice
- September 10th, 2007
- Posted by Susie Lipscomb
Judges at the Venice film festival — which ended on the weekend — named Cate Blanchett best actress for her performance in Todd Hayne’s film “I’m Not There”.
Just days before the ceremony the Australian favourite had told journalists she had found the unusual role as Bob Dylan “very scary”.
She now has the Festival’s Volpi Cup for best actor and is being hotly tipped for again, an Oscar nomination for the performance.
The eleven-day Venice International Film Festival wrapped up with a starry award ceremony.
It’s the world’s oldest film festival and was being held for the 64th time.
Saturday night’s glamour function kicked off with presentation of the Golden Lion award to the veteran Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci for his career’s work … a repertoire of films that included “Last Tango in Paris”, banned from Italy for sixteen years for obscenity.
Shock effect of a more serious kind was registered by a new film at Venice, “Redacted”, about the Iraq war, from the American Brian de Palma – winner of the Silver Lion.
Audiences said they found the film shocking, particularly a scene taken from real life, the rape of a girl of fourteen by US soldiers.
The Golden Lion for Best Film went to the Taiwanese director Ang Lee for his spy thriller “Lust, Caution”.
Cate Blanchett wasn’t actually there to claim her award.
“I’m sorry I can’t stand here throwing my arms around Todd, weeping, just-like-a-woman,” she said.
Her American director Todd Hayne may have missed out on that excitement, but did not go away empty handed; the panel awarded him the Special Jury Prize for the Bob Dylan biopic.
Picture: Cate Blanchett at another time, last January, as winner of her third Oscar nomination – for “Notes on a Scandal”; google – abc.net.au
Reference:
BBC, “Blanchett wins top Venice award” http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/6985422.stm (8.9.07)
IMDB, “Redacted”. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0937237/ (10.9.07)
La Biennale, Biennale Cinema 64th Venice Film Festival Official Awards” http:// www.labiennale.org/en/news/cinema/en/78166.html (8.9.07)
La Biennale, “Biennale Cinema” (Home). http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/ (8.9.07)
“Blanchett was scared to play Dylan says director”, Reuters. http:// ca.today.reuters.com/news/… (4.9.07)
“Bertolucci receives career award at Venice film festival”, Associated Press,
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/08/arts/EU-A-E-MOV-Italy-Venice-
Film-Festival-Bertolucci.php (8.9.2007)