Top left: Press conference for Tale of Tales; Wood Allen (Irrational Man); Bottom left: Travolta Cooper, The Cinemas (Bahamas); and bottom right, actor Selma Hayak (Tale of Tales) takes a selfie with a fan.
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CANNES, France - Myths. They are the stories and archetypes that
shape the interior makeup of any people.
These tales (fairytales and folktales) belong in every nation on earth,
and they give glimpses into the collective story and journey of that particular
region.
The main characters of the myth,
its hero, and anti-heroes are whom we call ‘legends’. Historically, on the
principle of myths and legends the art cinema storytelling was born. As the cinema
evolved into industry (like the
Hollywood industry in America) our myth and legends were marketed and
categorized into genres and subgenres of film.
In the Hollywood context you have the myths and legends of the West and
John Wayne. These are movies we’ve come
to call ‘Westerns’.
In Bollywood (the world’s second largest film industry) in
India there’s the myth and legends of tales of gods and
goddesses as miracle workers offering answers to life’s problems: and all
against the backdrop of music of course. In Nollywood of Nigeria (the third largest
industry) the myth and legends stem from the world of Christendom, and its
mythology of witches and pastors. Nollywood films are particularly popular in
the Bahamas (or as they’re called home, “African movies”). Let’s imagine for a moment that we had a
‘Cariwood: an industry for film in the Caribbean. If we did, what do you
suppose would be her myths and legends?
Thus far here at Cannes, I’ve had two phenomenal
experiences, both of which involve the myth and legend. In regard to myth, this
was a film called “Tale of Tales (Il Racconto Dei Racconti)” directed by the
Italian filmmaker
Matteo Garrone.
It was the strangest and most brilliant of experience at the cinema that I’ve
had thus far at Cannes. Tale of Tales is based on Neapolitan fairy
tales written by
Giambattista Basile
in the early 17th century. These tales involve interwoven
stories of kings, queens and ogres. It stars an ensemble of Hollywood and European
actors including Salma Hayek. John C. Reilly and Toby Jones.
Tales of Tales is dark and glorious. While
it exists firmly in an ancient setting (with a lush production
values not strange to Italian cinema) there’s so much to relate in these
stories even today. What I loved most about the film, aside from its very
original story arc (you really have no idea where this film is going) is how
while it sticks to its archetype and fairytale, it also defies it. It takes new
directions giving us something both old and new… something postmodern. I never read the original tales of
Giambattista Basile so I asked the filmmaker Matteo Garrone at the Cannes press
conference if he took a creative license in revising some of the material and
he said “Yes”. Then he said what hasn’t changed is the “soul” of the literary
material. That very response pretty much defines the myth.
Bahamian filmmaker, Travolta Cooper at a press conference for "Tale of Tales" at Cannes International Film Festival
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As for legends at Cannes, that would be
Woody Allen. Mr.
Allen (now 79 years old) is the most versed and prolific filmmaker in history
and he’s at Cannes with his new film “Irrational Man”. Irrational Man stars a Joaquin Phoenix in a
profoundly dark and funny performance as a depressed College Professor who
befriends a female student played by Emma Stone. Irrational Man is vintage
Woody Allen but it’s also something new.
It’s postmodern. The film invites comparisons to
Crimes
and Misdemeanors and
Match Point
and is equally obsessed with the themes of chance versus design. It’s a
philosophy that has consumed Woody Allen’s entire illustrious career and his
material has made in a hero (and in some cases anti-hero) of Hollywood and
European cinema legend. When he was asked about
at the press conference about the nuances of his storytelling, Mr. Allen
replied that “movies are here to provide distraction”. “Reality and life is hard sometimes and even
the great philosophers needed something to distract their minds and times from
everyday realities.” In essence, Woody Allen was pointing to the magic of the
myth and having spun this magic for some many years further proves his status
as the the stuff of Hollywood legend.
So all this brings me to my original question. With
Caribbean Cinema all but absent at this year’s Cannes, let us imagine for a
minute if it were. And if it was, what do you suppose would be the collective
myths and legends that make up a Caribbean Film Industry? We have thus far
produced four episodes of The Cinemas this year for Tempo Networks (you can
also watch all four online at StudioAnasi.Tv). On each show, I raised this
question to our various guests. Actor Affion Crokette (Episode 1) recalls
the “Hag” myth of Trinidad lore when he
was growing up Romola Lucas (also Episode 1) of Studio Anansi remembers the
legend of B’er Anansi from her Guyanese heritage. Sidney Poitier recalls the
B'er Bouki and B'er Rabbi myth and tales growing up on Cat Island, Bahamas. Roger Bobb recalls Oliver legend of Jamaican lore.
All these myths and legends
share one common denominator; they are all trickster tales. While we have many things like race, class,
language, and culture dividing us in the Region (some of which arguably stifle
our progress as a Regional Industry), what seems to be the thing connecting us
are our myths and legends. Is it possible for the Region to unite under this
reality? Well, this is historically how our
cinema industries were born around the world. As we continue our search for “Cariwood”
at Cannes, I wonder whether that Caribbean myth exists, to unite us as region.
And if it does, who is that legend (in the making) of a Caribbean filmmaker
to tell that story?
More:
Searching for 'Cariwood' at Cannes Film Festival
Bahamian production, The Cinemas on location at Cannes Film Festival
