Cannes to close in a blaze of gunfire

Sergio Leone classic to end Festival.

by Richard Mowe

Clint Eastwood and Marianne Koch in A Fistful Of Dollars, closing choice for the Cannes Film Festival on 24 May.
Clint Eastwood and Marianne Koch in A Fistful Of Dollars, closing choice for the Cannes Film Festival on 24 May.

With the everyone at fever pitch in anticipation of tomorrow's opening of the Cannes Film Festival with Olivier Dahan's Grace Of Monaco, the organisers have just announced today (13 May) the closing title. In a break with tradition the choice to the end proceedings after the prizes ceremony on 24 May will be a restored copy of the classic Spaghetti Western, A Fistful Of Dollars, directed by Sergio Leone and made in 1964. Normally a new film would take this slot rather than a classic.

Quentin Tarantino will present the film on stage as one of his favourite cult movies. The film which helped to launch Clint Eastwood's career as the Man with No Name has been restored by the Cineteca di Bologna and Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation.

The two other films in the Leone trilogy, For A Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) are also being screened in Cannes part of the free Cinéma de la Plage (the open-air beach venue).

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