It is not only Giorgos Lanthimos who is claiming his first Palme d’Or this year, but also Paolo Sorrentino who is a candidate for the highest award at Cannes for the seventh time.
In the program of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which will be held from May 14 to 25, we meet some of the most important names in world cinema. Of course his stands out Francis Ford Coppola who is in the closed elite list of directors with two Palms with “Conversation” and “Revelation Now”, who aspires with «Megalopolis» to make history and become the first director to win three Golden Palms.
The competition is great for the 85-year-old American, who in his return to Cannes after 45 years – with “Revelation Now” won the Palme d’Or which he shared with Volker Schlendorf’s “Tamburlo” – will find opposite Jacques Audiard (only the second of this year’s contestants who has already won the Phoenix), the George Lanthimosthe David Cronenbergthe Andrea Arnoldthe Paul Schraderthe Kirill Serebrennikovthe Christophe Honoréthe Sean Baker but also him Paolo Sorrentino.
The Italian’s new film has a title «Parthenope» and according to the first information it concerns a hymn of worship of the Neapolitan director to his birthplace. Something like “Perfect Beauty” that extolled the charm of the Eternal City but with Sorrentino’s camera this time illuminating his beloved Naples. But not with the autobiographical look he had given to “Hand of God” his previous film, where explosive adolescence met the unexpected games of fate and the magic of God Diego.
In “Parthenope”, the 54-year-old Sorrentino draws inspiration from ancient Greek mythology. The script he is writing tells the story of a woman named Parthenope. The name comes from the siren who tried to seduce Odysseus with her voice but failed. Her distress was so great that she dived into the sea and drowned. According to legend, her body washed ashore at the site where Naples was founded.
Therefore, its inhabitants consider themselves participate (this is how the fans of the soccer team and the pride of the city of Napoli describe themselves) who are separated from the rest of the Italians and especially those from the Italian north. The film stars Gary Oldman. Next to him, the newcomer Celeste Dalla Porta stands out, while in the other roles we meet Luisa Ranieri, Silvio Orlando, Isabella Ferrari, Stefania Santrelli and Silvia Degradi.
This is Sorrentino’s seventh attempt to win the Golden Palm. The first time was in 2004 with “The Consequences of Love”, followed in 2006 by “Spineless Lovers”, in 2008 by “Il Divo” (Commission Award and Universal Award), in 2011 by “Where my heart beats” with Sean Penn (also Universal Award), in 2013 “Perfect Beauty” and in 2015 “Youth”. It is worth noting that “Perfect Beauty” won the Oscar and also the Golden Globe for best foreign language film, while in 2021 “Hand of God” lost the international Oscar to “Drive my car” by the Japanese Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
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