The month of May in cinephile language means one thing and one thing only: “the festival of Cannes”. Whether all roads still lead to Rome or not, it’s a matter for the Mythbusters to investigate, but we are completely sure that in the last month of spring, film-makers and actors all over the world travel (some using mind-power only) to the exquisite resort in the South of France that hosts one of the most important film festivals of the world: Cannes.

It doesn’t really matter if you’re a rookie or a regular, if you’re presenting your own film or simply watching those made by others, if you’re a star or paparazzi, the excitement and the festival atmosphere are still electrifying and intoxicating. There’s no surprise thus, that everybody wants to be where it all begins, at the start of everything, in the place all eyes are upon: the opening night.

It is well know that France is one of the countries with the most impressive cult for cinema. Having the highest number of screens per million of inhabitants, and several policies which encourage people to go to the cinema rather than sit in their homes and watch TV, it should not surprise us that for several years already, even the Cannes film festival has devoted its opening night to serve as a launching ramp for movies expected to entertain a large number of people. But after the announcement of this year’s opening film, we have been left wondering whether Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood really deserves to set off such a prestigious festival, famous for its innovative and artistic spirit.

It’s not just the fact that the story is soooo classic (I guess we’ve each seen at least two versions of it, animated by Disney, parodied, reinterpreted, you name it) but the trailer barely shows anything else but fighting and violence. Sure, just like with the latest Bond, Batman, King Arthur and Star Wars movies, we are promised to see the story behind the legend and how everything started. But I call this just a fashionable excuse to produce a film based on action and special effects. Having the creativity solely provided by narrative artifacts (like making Robin Hood a war-leader and Maid Marian a fighting widow) seemed not so effective for Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur (in which Lady Guinevere was turned for instance, into a tribal warrior) therefore I doubt they will function for Scott’s film. It is true that we are talking about legends and not well known facts, but even so, it is a too well known story to have anything going for it.

When it comes to Ridley Scott however, we should give him the benefit of a doubt. After all, he has proven to be interested in more than simply entertaining special effects action movies (American Gangster, Black Hawk Down, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Thelma and Louise). Choosing to work with the Oscar winner scriptwriter Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, Conspiracy Theory) might also result in an interesting collaboration especially since he has done such a wonderful job in adapting for the screen James Ellroy’s LA Confidential. And it is true that Russell Crow is quite charming in macho man roles (Maximus in Gladiator, Bud White in LA Confidential, Richie Roberts in American Gangster or Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man) while Cate Blanchet is capable of interpreting brilliantly any type of character including those of women fighting for different causes (Queen Elizabeth, Veronica Guerin or Galadriel in The Lord of The Rings trilogy).

So what do all these things say about the opening night at Cannes? Actually, not that much. Once again, it was chosen a film intriguing enough for the press to talk about until the festival actually begins. Regardless of the doubts, people are still going to be interested in watching Robin Hood simply due to the legendary names on the credits, and we’re still as excited as ever to see what else is in store for the 63rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

by Maria Dicieanu