Cannes Jury: Coen Bros to Boss Auteurs & Pretty Things Around
Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 4:35PM We've long since known that the Cannes jury would be headlined by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, better known as The Coen Bros, the world's most famous sibling auteurs (though not the only of course: see also the Wachowski siblings, the Dardenne Bros, and more). We now know who'll be joining their jury and therefore deciding those incredibly prestigious prizes like the Palme D'Or, the Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress and more.
As usual the jury is a mix of directors from multiple countries, one non-actor/non-director, and a beautiful actress or, um, three. In fact the jury is almost half women this year. The jury is, from top left:
- Joel & Ethan Coen (US), filmmakers
How many masterpieces would you say they're up to now? - Rossy de Palma (Spain), actress
You know and love this Picasso-assymetrical godess from Almodóvar's oeuvre - Guillermo del Toro (Mexico), writer/director
Of Pan's Labyrinth & Hellboy fame. Can't wait for Crimson Peak. - Xavier Dolan (Canada), writer/director/producer/actor/costumedesigner
The film world's youngest all-purpose cinematic godsend - Jake Gyllenhaal (US), actor/object-of-obsessions
He's testing his range and still hasn't found his limits. He's only getting better. This is a good get for a super actor whose entire family is in the biz. - Sophie Marceau (France), actress/director
One time Bond girl and Braveheart co-star, diversified into directing in her home country - Sienna Miller (UK), actress
Her career is on the upswing after starring in two Oscar favorites last year - Rokia Traoré (Mali), composer
She doesn't have many film credits but you can learn about this African goddess here
With more actresses than usual and two men (Jake & Xavier) who are every bit as gorgeous as your typical Cannes jury actress this is an unusually easy-on-the-eyes jury. Will their various aesthetics mix well or will the jury awards be a series of compromises? We shall always wonder... even after the official prizes are handed out late next month since they don't exactly let press into the jury room.
Reader Comments (17)
Why is Sienna Miller still relevant to anyone? I'm fine with her walking the occasional red carpet, but a member of the Cannes jury?!...
Coen Brothers: 5 Masterpieces, A Grade or above: Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men. 3 Near Masterpieces, B+ or A-: Barton Fink, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man. 3 Good Movies, B Grade: O Brother Where Art Thou?, True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davis. 1 Disaster, C Or Lower: The Ladykillers. 4 Unseen: Blood Simple, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty. I'll probably never risk Hudsucker, but the other three sound like they'll at least be good.
Is anyone else kinda underwhelmed by this jury? Not that any Cannes jury is singularly perfect, but a lot of uninteresting picks and maybe some flat-out unwarranted expertise. Having said that: Jake!
John- Totally with you. This jury is so underwhelming compared to the film selections.
Sienna Miller must have very good agents..lol. How does she get this gig?
Compared to the Spielberg led jury, this is very underwhelming. Also, it seems that Cannes jury selection drifts more and more US and directors-actors centric. I wish they will include artists in broader scope such as music costume designer, editor, cinematographer etc.
Rossy! De! Palma!
Rossy + Jake on the same jury = sex appeal explosion. The jury deliberation will actually be like an Almodovar comedy of attraction.
Sophie Marceau, Rossy de Palma, Jake,,,,I just want to be a fly on the wall of that room.
OMG, Dolan!!!!!!
I am disappointed about the lack of Asian filmmakers here and artists
Jake, Sophie, Del Toro and Dolan plus the Almodovar woman
Am I the only one here who is not a big fan of the Coens? The only good film they have made, for me, is No Country For Old Men
Miller just had two major films last year, is certain to get headlines for every red carpet look she does, and has a cache right now that, while I feel undeserved, is still there. That's why she's been selected.
Well, after last year's glorious line up of certified goddesses led into battle by Jane Campion, anything else following is gonna seem... underwhelming.
John T: Plus, she's continuing to build that cachet. Of her six announced projects after the 2014 upswing, five of them (Mississippi Grind (Boden and Fleck), High Rise (Ben "A Field in England" Wheatley adapting Ballard), Black Mass (Scott Cooper directed biopic), Adam Jones (John Wells dramedy) and Live By Night (Ben Affleck film)) at least look respectable.
Honesty, this is an awesome jury. The Coens, Dolan, and del Toro in the same room. I would love to be a fly in the wall to hear all 4 of those guys talking about cinema. Plus, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sienna Miller, and Rossy de Palma also in the same room. Shit, I would hope they would converse with these filmmakers to work with them. I can see de Palma in a del Toro or a Dolan film. She's perfect for those guys.
Volvagia-- Just to throw in my 2 cents about your unseen Coens list, I actually like The Hudsucker Proxy quite a bit. I wouldn't say it's among their best, but it's still much better than people give it credit for. Blood Simple IS one of their best, and I'd recommend seeing it ASAP. I don't remember much about The Man Who Wasn't There other than the fact that I enjoyed it (though obviously not in a memorable way). Intolerable Cruelty, on the other hand, is the one Coen Brothers movie I actively dislike. Yes, I even think The Ladykillers is sort of okay.
Oh boy, some more Marion Cotillard haters!
Well this explains why there are so many French and English language films in competition.
But a question;- do the Coens have one vote or two votes?
Pretty obvious that they will vote the same - so that really means whichever film they like gets an automatic extra vote.
I am already predicting the Palme d'Or will go to any of the English language films.
Or will I be pleasantly surprised?
And Sienna Miller is also in James Gray's next, The Lost City of Z.
So yeah, I say she's doing pretty well.
And deserves a seat next to any of the above mentioned.
So - as always - fuck you who continue to put her down.