The fourth day of Cannes took audiences back to their childhoods with the first screening of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” The film’s splashy premiere saw stars Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen walk the red carpet, alongside Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and director James Mangold.
The first reactions were slow to drop but were filled with enthusiasm. Variety’s Clayton Davis and IndieWire’s Eric Kohn both brought up that it felt like a return to form for the series, in reference to the last time Indy was seen at Cannes, with 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Reviews, though, were far more mixed. The general tone seemed to be a bit let down, though some say it has its moments. People still love Harrison Ford in the title role.
TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote in his review that “’Dial of Destiny’ has an ace in the hole with Harrison Ford and with the character he plays – a guy for whom we feel so much affection that we’ll go along with all kinds of silliness if we can see a little more Indy. It really makes Indiana Jones our most endearing action hero, and Ford and Mangold clearly know that and know how to work with it.” Audiences outside of Cannes will have to wait till June 30 to make their own decisions.
Ford received an honorary Palme d’Or prior to the screening of “Indiana Jones.” The presentation began with a reel assembling highlights from the actor’s career, from “American Graffiti” through “Witness,” “The Mosquito Coast,” “Working Girl,” “The Fugitive,” “Air Force One” and the “Star Wars,” “Blade Runner” and “Indiana Jones” movies.
“They say when you die, you see your life flash before your eyes. I just saw my life flash before my eyes,” Ford said during his acceptance speech in reaction to the sizzle reel of his cinematic career. “A great part of my life, not all of it.” Ford joins a list of honorary Palme recipients that includes Ingmar Bergman, Jane Fonda, Clint Eastwood, Agnes Varda, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Tom Cruise, the last of whom received his honorary Palme before the Cannes premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022.
“Indiana Jones” received a five-minute standing ovation following its premiere, making Ford visibly emotional. He got similarly misty-eyed later during the film’s press conference when talking about this being the last time he’ll play the Jones character. “I wanted to round out the story,” he said. “This man who depended so much on youth – I wanted to see the weight of life on him. I wanted him to need reinvention. And have a relationship that wasn’t flirty. I wanted him to have deep relationship with somebody.”
“Strange Way of Life” Adds Screenings to Meet Demand
After the rapturous response to Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s 31-minute Western short, “Strange Way of Life,” it wasn’t surprising that Cannes might have to add additional screenings to show it to people who were shut out initially. TheWrap has learned Almodovar’s short added two more screenings, one Friday and one Saturday.
It’s an unusual move for a film that was only scheduled to screen once at the festival, but its first screening on Wednesday, according to Pond, “was a mess with a few dozen ticketholders (including me) waiting in the rain and then being turned away because the 2,000-seat Debussy was full.” Notice of the added screenings went out at 7 a.m. this morning and became available in the Cannes ticketing system about 90 minutes later.
A Possible Bomb Threat in the Debussy
The Théâtre Claude Debussy was also at the center of what was initially thought to be a bomb threat of some kind due to a suspicious package left near its front entrance. The situation took place prior to a screening of “How to Have Sex.” Attendees were rerouted to the back of the theater, but no one inside was evacuated. As The Hollywood Reporter wrote, the bag ended up being a piece of luggage accidentally left by a tourist. After 30 minutes, the theater was cleared for attendees.
Acquisitions
Rodrigo Moren’s “The Deliquents” was scooped up by MUBI on Thursday. The distributor has acquired the rights to the film in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Latin America, Turkey, Italy, India and Benelux and has plans for both a theatrical and streaming plan in the coming months.
Reviews
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
Check out TheWrap’s Cannes magazine here and all of our Cannes 2023 coverage here.
