May 12, 2010 Filed Under: Articles,News Comments (0)

«Kiarostami made of me all women’s alter-ego»

MILAN – No shoes, panties and jacket black elgant but severe, tied hair, a painter brush in right hand but dipped into a special paint, pure light, with which writing the fatal word with final iridescent flutter. It’s Cannes that word, and Juliette Binoche to paint that. She’s the muse for the 63rd edition, the woman for the manifesto of the Festival opening tomorrow night with Robin Hood from Ridley Scott. A strictly honor for a few. Past divas such as Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman, Marilyn Monroe. Last year on the poster was Monica Vitti: from her back, black & white, a piece from the ‘Avventura’ (=adventure) from Antonioni. It’s legend.

So far it’s Binoche the icon. All-round actress, sore in Three Colors: Blue from Kieslowski, greedy in Chocolat from Hallstrom, creepy in Caché from Haneke, dramatic in The English Patient from Mighella, winning the Oscar for. And now, voilà, here it’s another Juliette: radiant, smiling, a brush in the hand, ready to light the 2010 Festival.

Not a diva image so far…

«Really a worker for the cinema, that I am», says proud to the phone from Paris «Brigitte Lacombe, the photographer, saw me that. And I recognized myself at all».

And plus. In Cannes you’ll be on challenge too, protagonist of Certified Copy, directed by the iranian  Abbas Kiarostami and done in Tuscany, in the enchanting Lucignano, produced by MK2 of Marin Karmitz and from BI BI Movie from Angelo Barbagallo. On 18th may the big premiere on the Croisette, on 19th in the cinemas , french and italians.
«Yes, and I really thanks the Festival for this double honor. I’d like to point though that the honor from the manifesto was decided before Certified Copy being selected in the challenge. When I knew it I was so much happy. I love this movie, so mysterious and subtle. It can go through deep feelings of a couple, balancing between the truth and the lie. A woman and a man faking to be married. Or maybe they really were. The original and the copy. But sometimes a good copy is better than the original… Seems to be philosophical speeches, but step by step they’re becoming flesh and blood. Months ago, an evening in Teheran, Abbas told me this story, he described it with details, the hotel, the restaurant, really the woman’s bra she keeps off too… He told me it happened to him. “Do you believe me?”, he asked. I said yes. And him: “And it’s not true at all”. I stared at him and then laughed aloud. Everything is really possible in life… I’m not so sure if Kiarostami actually lived that story or not. But really, who cares?».

It matters to the watcher though. He wants to know if the passionate story between her and William Shimmel, fascinating baritone given to cinema, chosen by Kiarostami for the role of the alter ego while singing “Così fan tutte” (=they all do like this) he made in Aix-en-Provence. So, the cruel game is real or fiction?

«If you want my opinion, I think it’s real. It has to be. Or it won’t have any sence. But also when you dream all seems real. Isn’t that different. Maybe it’s possible to get closer to the truth only with a lie».

Kiarostami states that man and woman in this thing are like archetypes, Adam and Eve meeting in Eden. The man has his own identity, his name is James, and he’s a writer. The woman though, the name is not even known. It’s just «Her».

«A “Her” with nothing abstract. A strong woman, who grew up alone a child. Cause the man, the father, is always absent, she  takes it all on her shoulder, thing really frequent for women. A heavy weight sometimes impossible to afford».

True or false to be, the love in terms for the two is different. To her it’s linked to seduction, to him it’s a changing feeling, like everything so far.

«Well obviously with time love can change, and desire too. But when you find and recognize, everything can start over again. The difference is that the woman express her feelings easier, the man thinks upon it, he hides behind an intellectual distance».

The manifesto brush in your case isn’t just a symbol, considering she’s a painter too. You love painting the director you work with, don’t you? Kiarostami too?

«Yes. But I did before to do the movie. On set I got to know him better, I discovered his patience, his deep kindness, his accuracy deign of great creators. Abbas leaves actors free to express themselves, but it’s absolutely strict on workers relationships».

What is common between Kieslowski, Haneke and Kiarostami?

«Intelligente, generosity. And compassion. They know how difficult is the work of an actor».

Giving you the great biggest occasion was Godard, in 1984 with «Hail Mary». Genial director for sure. Compassionate too?

«I have to give a lot to Godard. Those times I went out from theatre school, sure that the director made the actors so, he taught them all. When I came on the set I understood that he wouldn’t have said me anything. I learnt to be indipendent, and get my own ideas. A good lesson».

Spielberg asked you for «Jurassick Park». And you said no…

«I said no cause I said yes to Kieslowski. I chose and I’m not regretting. But I’d love he could propose me again something».

What you wish for the Festival?

«To get safe to the stairs of Palais. So steep, and so dangerous…».

translated from cinema-tv.corriere.it