Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward are the faces of this year's Cannes fest
The festival's official 2013 poster features a vintage shot of the loved-up couple
The official poster of Cannes 2013.
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It seems further, as we're still shaking off the fatigue of the 2012 awards season, but the Cannes Film Festival is less than two months away. Slowly, this year's edition of the world's most prestigious film fest is starting to take shape: we have Steven Spielberg installed as the Competition jury president, and we know that Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" will kick off proceedings on the Croisette -- though not before it opens Stateside.
The full festival lineup usual only drops around mid-April: look out for my Top 10 gallery on Monday of the film's we're most eagerly hoping will be there. In the meantime, however, the festival unveiled this year's official festival poster -- and it's the most gorgeous one in many a year.
The 2010 poster, featuring Juliette Binoche, raised some grumbles when Binoche went on to win Best Actress at the very same fest -- not that the actress's superb performance in "Certfied Copy" needed any such circumstantial assistance to win over Tim Burton's jury. Coincidentally or otherwise, however, Cannes has chosen vintage stars as their poster mascots ever since. A young Faye Dunaway graced the 2011 design, while last year, Marilyn Monroe was shown blowing out the candles on the festival's 65th birthday cake.
They're continuing that tradition with this year's poster, which is based on a 50 year-old shot of the late, great Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward in an intimate pose. The original still, from Melville Shavelson's largely forgotten 1963 romance "A New Kind of Love," has been remastered and incorporated into a sleek 21st-century design. I want one.
Woodward and Newman, who won Oscars in 1958 and 1987 respectively, both have a history with Cannes. Newman, who passed away five years ago, won Best Actor at the festival in 1958 for "The Long Hot Summer," and two of his directorial efforts competed for the Palme d'Or: "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" (love that title) in 1972, and "The Glass Menagerie" in 1987. Meanwhile, Woodward, who recently celebrated her 83rd birthday, won Best Actress for the former film.
Check out the poster below, with an accompanying animated video underneath. What do you think?
2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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March 22, 2013 at 11:32AM EST Reply to CommentGuy, it was Faye Dunaway and not Catherine Deneuve on the 2011 poster
Guy Lodge Quite right, thanks! I don't know why my brain made that switch.
March 22, 2013 at 11:25PM ESTWozzaseds
March 22, 2013 at 3:16PM EST Reply to CommentEvery time that I realise Paul Newman is no longer walking amongst us it makes me a little bit sad and want to watch Butch and Sundance. Or Hud. Or the Hustler. Or Nobody's Fool. Or ... oh you get the drift.
Liz
March 22, 2013 at 6:02PM EST Reply to CommentFabulous. I wish they sold these as prints. I'd love to hang this on my wall.
Guy Lodge They do sell them as prints at the festival. It's possible you might be able to find one online.
March 22, 2013 at 11:26PM ESTHoustonRufus I would LOVE one. I may see if I can find one.
March 23, 2013 at 9:43PM ESTSteve G
March 22, 2013 at 6:19PM EST Reply to CommentThis poster makes me very happy. A NEW KIND OF LOVE was set in Paris too, so it's an appropriate choice.
Newman's one of the few actors of whom I can say I've seen all his movies. He wasn't always great (who is?), but he was always worth watching.
Felipe
March 22, 2013 at 8:43PM EST Reply to CommentWe have nominations! 2012 CINEMA PRIZE
Please check out my blog, and comment.
I'll show the top 10 of my favourite films when I announce the winners on March 27 of 2013.
http://felipe-cinema.blogspot.com/2013/03/2012-cinema-prize.html
Felipe
March 22, 2013 at 8:46PM EST Reply to CommentGuy, Can I post the link of my blog here? In the comments?
Please say yes!
JLPatt
March 22, 2013 at 10:45PM EST Reply to CommentSomething about this is a little unsettling. I guess it's the idea of using a dead person to promote something new... it's like his persona is being invoked from beyond the grave. Weird.
Guy Lodge Was it weird when they used Monroe last year? Iconography is icongraphy. And it's not as if Newman had no relationship with the Cannes Film Festival.
March 22, 2013 at 11:30PM ESTWoodward's very much alive, of course.
JLPatt It was a little weird, yeah, but I think it's a bit of a different case as Monroe had been dead for quite a while and is more of a pervasive icon than Newman (dressing or not). Also, this one is an intimate moment, which gives it a kind of voyeuristic feel the other one didn't much have.
March 22, 2013 at 11:45PM ESTGuy Lodge It's not SUCH an intimate moment -- it's a still from a movie.
March 23, 2013 at 9:57AM ESTHoustonRufus
March 23, 2013 at 9:41PM EST Reply to CommentWell, I adore them both. I've been in love with Newman for years, the actor, the man, the beautiful face. Love the design of the poster. I'll miss him forever and long for Woodward to return to the screen if only once more.