Brenda Blethyn was the most sought-after guest at the festival's glittering
opening night gala. The name doesn't ring a bell, does it? But it surely
will.
For by early February the whole world is likely to hear Blethyn's name listed
as one of the nominees for best actress of the year. Her heartbreakingly
vulnerable performance as Cynthia, the love-starved Cockney heroine of Mike
Leigh's "Secrets and Lies," is a wonder to behold. And Leigh's
unique film, which was the opening night selection, had the festival's notoriously
tough audience singing the praises of this astonishingly gifted British
actress.
In the film Blethyn dresses for failure in loud, overly tight pants and
straggly hairdos. Last night, while basking in the glow of the Tavern on
the Green's magical lights, she looked right smart in her brand new New
York haircut. Only one guest dared to say anything bad about "Secrets
and Lies." "It's a tribute to family values," said one man,
making it clear that in his view at least this was not a compliment.
Family values were not the main topic of discussion at the packed party
as you might imagine. The main topic was food as the starving guests arrived
from the late screening to find a hungry mass of festival goers blocking
their way to the buffet tables.
There were not many bona fide celebrities in attendance. I did meet a celebrity
doctor who happily dropped the names of all his famous patients. Actor Michael
Rappaport, a special favorite of mine who stars in Nick Gomez's "illtown,"
a festival film that has attracted few fans, walked by. "How ya doin',"
asked Rappaport who, as Blethyn's Cynthia might say, is a friendly bloke.
The evening's most stimulating conversation was provided by my cab driver
who discussed "that writer Jane Austen," the late Burt Lancaster,
and Kirk Douglas, while taking me home.
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