Restorations and revivals are treated as a reliable way to see strong films because their artistic or historical value has already endured beyond a single festival cycle. When a festival offers mostly new titles, the prospect of sitting through likely tepid drama can feel excessive, so only dependable screenings are pursued. Despite skepticism from more seasoned colleagues, a midnight Cannes showing of The Fast and the Furious was attended to mark its 25th anniversary. The inclusion of the franchise in a festival edition lacking Hollywood premieres is framed as a gesture toward mainstream appeal. Vin Diesel’s arrival and the presence of cast members and festival leadership set a celebratory tone for the event.
"Back to selectionIt's one of my closely held festival precepts that the odds of seeing a great film are much improved by making a beeline for the restorations and revivals. These are films that have endured beyond just one turn of the festival hamster wheel, their merits as art or artifact more or less established. Although a festival is first and foremost a showcase of things new and notable, sometimes the thought of enduring another two-plus hours of likely tepid drama is too much to countenance, and only a surefire prospect will do."
"That is why, despite the incredulity of my more seasoned yet still less cynical colleagues, I felt compelled last Wednesday to upend my circadian rhythms for the Cannes midnight showing of The Fast and The Furious , held in honor of its 25 th anniversary. In a festival edition conspicuous for the total absence of Hollywood premieres, the inclusion of Rob Cohen's franchise-spawning, street-racing juggernaut in the Official Selection strikes as a kind of cool-mom conciliatory gesture."
"No one present was more starry-eyed, however, than Vin Diesel, a.k.a. the franchise's muscled-up, muscle-teed patriarch, Dominic Toretto. "Vin, we are waiting for you on the stairs, please," intoned an announcement outside the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Cannes's flagship venue. Having already traversed the red carpet, co-stars Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, together with Meadow Walker, daughter of the late Paul Walker, were lingering anticipatory outside the theater alongside Thierry Frémaux, the festival's General Delegate, and President Iris Knobloch."
#film-festivals #film-restorations-and-revivals #cannes-film-festival #the-fast-and-the-furious #hollywood-premieres
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