The films' stars Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Leonardo pose with director Baz Luhrmann as they arrive for the screening at the Cannes Film Festival. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
IT was perhaps fitting Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby blockbuster was chosen to open this year's Cannes Film Festival, with the movie's portrayal of glitzy 1920s slotting nicely in with a real-life modern setting that is the French Riviera city.
Vintage cars brought in to flag the Aussie director's headlining lavish adaptation of the F Scott Fitzgerald novel looked almost at home alongside an assortment of modern equivalents like Ferraris thumping slowly by.
A fleet of luxury yachts and super cruisers anchored off the famous Croisette promenade adding to opulence that defies the economic crisis that plagues other European cities.
IN PICTURES: STAR-STUDDED OPENING
Dancers perform on the red carpet ahead of the screening of The Great Gatsby at the Cannes Film Festival. Picture: AFP
CANNES BOOSTED MY FILM CAREER, SAYS LUHRMANN
Even the judges of the festival this year were sought after targets for the celebrity spotters and world press photographers, but then this is the first year the likes of Hollywood heavy weights directors Steven Spielberg and Ang Lee and Nicole Kidman were called to the judging panel.
Directors Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg and actress Nicole Kidman are just some of the high-profile names on this year's judging panel for the festival. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
French actress Audrey Tautou opened the gala star-studded evening introducing a montage video clip of Spielberg's greatest movies before the famed filmmaker took to the stage for a standing ovation and prolonged applause to formally open the competition and introduce the judging panel.
But without a doubt the 66th festival is all about Gatsby.
WHICH GATSBY IS THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL?
The movie was shown to the world press earlier in the day and was met with mixed opinions, the over-the-top adaptation of a literary classic too much for some European and American critics particularly, who went as far to describe it as predictable and boring fantasy. There were many tut-tuts of disapproval from the French press too after the film was shown.
Indian actress Freida Pinto was among the celebrities at the Cannes opening screening of The Great Gatsby. Picture: AFP
But after the press screening and moments before he took to the red carpet, the Australian filmmaker Luhrmann dismissed the critics and said he never got "those high critic scores" and he only cared what audiences thought.
KERR GIVES GREAT GATSBY A BIG THUMBS UP
And apparently they think much of it where the film in the US took more than $50 million in its opening weekend last weekend.
"I knew that would come," an animated Luhrmann said when asked about the mixed reviews for his film reported to have cost more than AUD$100 million to make.
"I just care that people are going out and seeing it, I really am so moved by that."
FILM DELIVERS AUDACIOUS SOUNDTRACK
Cannes is more celebration of film than competition. Other big name stars in Cannes are Michael Douglas and Matt Damon starring in the story of Liberace Behind the Candelabra, Ryan Gosling in Only God Forgives and Emma Watson starring in The Bling Ring.
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