12 Years A '68 Comeback Special

David Cairns continues our joint look at the films of the never-concluded 1968 Cannes Film Festival. This week's entry, Marcello Fondato's I Protagonisti, one of the more thoughtful entertainments of the festival. In a schedule full of very dark political and social fables and ghastly british romps through tie-dyed modernity, it was a relief to see Fondato executing pans, dollies and tracking shots with practiced ease, though remarkably David says this was his first film. It also features one of my personal obsessions: Lou Castel. What do you need a map? I've already given you a hyperlink. It's up there! See it?


Meanwhile, I have to draw the viewers to a piece I have over at Mostlyfilm.com, my first for them, on one of the best films of 2013, Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave. I had a great time and the fellas running the shop over there are topnotch! Looking forward to doing more work for them and pretending for a brief second I live somewhere with a European release schedule. Feedback most welcome!