Posted on 09/05/2002 11:28:34 AM PDT by Asmodeus
VENICE, Italy (AP) - A controversial film on the Sept. 11 attacks was received enthusiastically at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, with media and film-industry viewers giving the longest applause to a segment considered among the most hostile to the United States, a report said.
The French-backed film "11'09''01" consists of short films by 11 international directors. The movie - which includes segments directed by Sean Penn, Ken Loach and Mira Nair - has been accused of being anti-American, although the producers say it is only an exploration of a tragedy.
At Thursday's screening, audience members applauded after each segment and at the end of the 135-minute film, the ANSA news agency reported.
ANSA said the longest applause was for British filmmaker Loach's segment, which features an exiled Chilean living in Britain who writes a letter to the families of the Sept. 11 victims, drawing their attention to the fact that in Chile on Sept. 11, 1973, a U.S.-supported coup d'etat ushered in an era of torture and death.
Another controversial segment is by Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, who attacks U.S. foreign policy and features the ghost of a handsome U.S. Marine killed in a terrorist attack in Lebanon in 1983. Chahine lectures the dead Marine on the destruction that U.S. meddling in the world has wrought - from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the current Middle East conflict. The ghost is grateful for being enlightened.
The film will also be shown at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 11. It opens in France and a dozen other countries on that date. Discussions have been under way with potential U.S. distributors.
Other films drawing attention Thursday included ``Dolls,'' by Japanese director Takeshi Kitano, and Polish director Agnieszka Holland's ``Julie Walking Home,'' both of which are among the 21 movies in competition for a Golden Lion award in the main Venice 59 section.
Meanwhile, classic Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni was at the festival Thursday for a celebration of his life's work and a special screening of his 1960 film "L'avventura." The 89-year-old is best-known for such films as "Blow Up" (1966) and "Zabriskie Point" (1970).
The night before, many stars - including actresses Milla Jovovich, Julie Delpy, and Elizabeth Berkeley - showed up for an AIDS research fundraiser on the sidelines of the festival. The gala raised more than dlrs 500,000 for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, or AMFAR, officials said Thursday.
The festival began Aug. 29 and ends Sunday, when a jury hands out awards in the main Venice 59 section. A different jury will award prizes in the Upstream section for less mainstream movies.
Stars? Who the he** are these people?
Applaud THIS.
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[Me too. Second time out, though, I dropped 'Anonymous's' aknowlegement]
What--that's when Pinochet saved Chile from the commies, right?
Chahine lectures the dead Marine on the destruction that U.S. meddling in the world has wrought - from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the current Middle East conflict. The ghost is grateful for being enlightened.
And he's also still dead because of the savagery of Chahine's culture.
Mr. Madonna couldn't direct his way out of a paper bag. "The Thin Red Line" was nothing but recycled scenes from "Saving Private Ryan" and "Apocalypse Now" placed in random order.
This pretty much proves that the only way poor Mr. Madonna can get any respect as a director is to buy it.
meddling???
I do like the comparison though. Lets hope they have soon have more in common.
Now, I'll be the first to label our actions in many places in the world as "meddling", but dropping a bomb on the japs? Oh, please.....
Milla Jovovich, - an "actress-model", who is neither attractive nor talenetd in my opinion.
Julie Delpy, - A struggling actress who has never had a starring or co-starring role in a hit.
Elizabeth Berkeley - former teen actress from "Saved By the Bell" who thought that if she starred in a movie where she would be naked for half the running time, and the movie had the new "NC-17 rating", she would be an instant star. She was wrong, has never had another "box office" starring role, and the movie she did "Showgirls" is considered ultimate crap.
In short, nobody anyone gives a crap about.
I hope the "ghost's" family gets an injunction barring the movie from ever being screened in this country for profit as long as his image remains anywhere within this movie (assuming they used a real Marine and it's not computer-generated crap). You cannot take an individual and make him one of the stars of your movie unless he's either made himself a public figure beforehand, or he or his next of kin consent. Privacy rights trump sewer-dwelling scum "artistes'" rights.
It was'nt even that. It was another Hollywood "Mash" movie where untrue Vietnam-era anti-American cliches were draped over a WWII movie. I especially love the part when those mean Americans overran the peaceful Japanese who were praying.
"Thin Red Line" could have been a great movie, but Hollywood totally ruined it.
OTOH, I recently saw "We Were Soldiers" and it is the best Vietnam movie yet. Nicely put together, respectful, and moving.
It wouldn't have been if Mr. Madonna had had anything to do with it.
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