Here’s your first look at two new images from Oliver Assayas’ “Carlos” starring Edgar Ramirez. But there’s bigger fish to fry here.
When the Cannes competition list surfaced earlier this week, there was just as much confusion and anger as there was excitement. While it was a solid list, there were some notable exclusions, one being Assayas’ “Carlos,” about notorious, convicted Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal (né Ilich Ramírez Sánchez). Assayas is no stranger to Cannes, winning awards for “Clean” and being nominated for the Golden Palm three separate times. In addition, the five and a half hour film was expected by most prognosticators to be a shoo-in for an In Competition, particularly as Cannes organizers are particularly friendly to films from their native country.
However, when Thursday morning came and went with a mention of “Carlos,” Rodolphe Belmer, owner of French cable network Canal+ was furious. The film was was originally produced as a three-part series that is set to play on the channel and there is some speculation that the Cannes selection committee didn’t want a “TV movie” to unspool at the fest. Details on the outrage comes from French news site Lepoint, and while the Google translation of this website is nothing but a headache, it points to a conspiracy theory that the Cannes Board of Directors is packed with opponents of Canal+.
Adding the controversy behind the film, the real life Carols The Jackal, is not particularly pleased about the upcoming film, and after reading the script, he says there are more than “70 errors” in the film. Everything from his educational background, the actual jobs he did (or didn’t commit) to even the origin of his nickname he says is wrong (guy, it’s a movie and a drama, as in dramatization). Sánchez, who is currently serving a life sentence, also asked a Paris court to allow him to see the film before it is broadcast, which had been denied.
However, with a few open slots for the competition, our sources say it’s highly likely that they will give the spot to Assayas, perhaps as early as Monday. North American audiences will be able to see the film later this year as IFC still plans a theatrical release of an edited version later in the year, with the entire mini-series set to run on the Sundance Channel.
Update: Evidently the film will screen out of competition, which seems to make sense if the committee was already hesitant to add the picture, probably because of its exorbitant length. Update 2: it’s totally official, the film will screen out of competition, though many are assuming it will be in a truncated 2 and a half hour form (the long form version will be for Sundance). ScreenDaily who confirms this news doesn’t say.