Hollywood Does Cannes.(Cannes Film Festival attracts Hollywood films)(Brief Article)

As the Cannes Film Festival organizers see it, "Moulin Rouge" was made for them. What could be more perfect for opening night than a big, splashy period musical based on France's famed Pigalle cabaret? Even better, screening the film would mean getting sexy stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor to walk up the famous red-carpeted steps. The only problem: "Moulin Rouge" is an important Hollywood production. How would Cannes's organizers ever persuade the film's studio executives to bring it to the Croisette, where Hollywood movies are routinely trashed by France's fickle press corps? "Cannes is a costly investment for studios, and the critics are harsh," says Todd McCarthy, chief film critic for Variety. "The studios have to be massaged and seduced."

Thierry Fremaux understood that. The new artistic director of the festival flew out to Los Angeles twice last winter to meet "with the majors," as he puts it, and "smooth out the difficulties" that have long plagued the Hollywood-Cannes relationship. Thanks to his charm and determination, the $50 million "Moulin Rouge" will indeed open the world's most famous film festival this week. But Fremaux, 40, didn't stop there. He also snagged another potential studio blockbuster: DreamWorks' "Shrek," a fractured fairy tale--and the first animated movie in Cannes competition since Disney's "Peter Pan" back in 1953.

In fact, a close look at the rest of the line-up makes it clear that this year's Cannes offering is the most Hollywood-heavy selection in a decade. Also on tap are Joel Coen's "The Man Who Wasn't There," David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" and Sean Penn's "The Pledge," starring Jack Nicholson. Out-of-competition screenings will include Francis Ford Coppola's "final version" of "Apocalypse Now," Abel Ferrara's "R-Xmas" and Hal Hartley's "No Such Thing"--as well as a tribute to "Working Girl's" Melanie Griffith. Says Fremaux, "We have to acknowledge that Cannes must present films that have the potential to do well at the box office."

Since when? In its 54-year history, Cannes has certainly premiered a number of Hollywood movies that became huge popular hits, including "M*A*S*H" and Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." But under the guidance of Fremaux's predecessor, Gilles Jacob, Cannes became renowned for its preference for small, independent--and often obscure--pictures. Jacob won kudos for promoting the films of developing countries such as China and Iran and supporting young talents including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh. But many of his choices, like Palme d'Or winners "The Eel," by Japanese director Shohei Imamura, and Belgian Luc Dardenne's "Rosetta," went largely unseen by the public. By the time he stepped down in 1999 after more than 20 years on the job, Jacob was coming under fire from the commercial-film community for often selecting films for competition that were inaccessible, uneven and made by the same small clique of art-house filmmakers.

Since then, the filmmaking landscape has changed dramatically--not only at Cannes headquarters but in the French film community as well. Last year, Vivendi, the French communications and environmental-services corporation, acquired Seagram, owner of Universal, one of Hollywood's "seven sister" studios. The deal instantly catapulted the French ...