U.S., Germany share top prize at Cannes

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 9

U.S., Germany share top prize at Cannes

NZPA-Reuter Cannes “Apocalypse Now,” a United States epic about the Vietnam war, and "The Tin .Drum,” a West German picture set in the Nazi era, have shared the coveted Golden Palm award at the Cannes film festival. The decision to split. . the award came as a surprise because “Apocalypse Now,” which the director, Francis Ford Coppola, took four years and more than S3OM to make, had dominated the two-week festival. But some critics complained that the enormous advance publicity it received might influence the jury, headed by the French writer, Francoise Sagan. At the same time “The Tin Drum,” adapted from the novel by Gunter Grass and directed by Volker Schlondorff, was enthusiastically acclaimed. It starred the West German actor, David Bennett.

s. One critic, referring to the,’ excitement generated by the i t'Coppola film, starring Mar- ; 3 tin Sheen and Marlon vßrando, said: “It was a tin drum against a massed I .band.” I Americans won the prizes '■ e for best, actor and best actress, .lack Lemmon for his - 5 part in “The China Syn- j e drome,” James Bridges's film ' about a crisis at a nuclear s power plant, and Sally Field ~ for her role as a Southern j cotton mill worker in Martin e Ritt’s “Norma Race.” The jury, which also in- - eluded the English . actress, s Susannah York, and the j French director, Jules Das- -, sin, gave its special prize to ■, “Siberiada,” a Soviet entry directed by Andrei Kone chalovsky about the impact n of world events on an isos lated Siberian village, r Two new awards, for best - supporting actor and actress, d went to the Italian, Sefano r, Malia, for his part in Dino Risi’s “Caro Papa” and the

West German, Eva Mattes, [in Werner Herzog’s “WoyIzeck.” The awards to Lemmon and Malia prompted some boos from the audience. The French actor, Patrick Dewaere, who appeared in two festival entries, was widely tipped to win one or other prize. The award for best director went to the American, Terrence Malick, for “Days of Heaven.” The festival began with a showing of Milos Forman’s “Hair,” which was not entered in the competition. Critics expressed surprise that neither Poland’s “Rough Treatment,” by Andrzej Wajda, nor Britain’s "The Europeans,” based on the Henry James novel and directed by James Ivory, won prizes. The United States last won the Golden Palm with “Taxi Driver,” in 1976. Italy took the award in the two intervening years.