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The art of the blockbuster took centre stage on the opening day of the Cannes Film Festival, with Steven Spielberg presiding over the festival jury and Baz Luhrmann presenting his big-budget The Great Gatsby.
Cloudy skies did little to dim the frenzy at the start of the 12-day French Riviera extravaganza, where dozens of the world's most artistically ambitious films are set to premiere. Yesterday, though, was a day for star power.

Spielberg has had films at Cannes before, including E.T. and Sugarland Express, but never in competition. His presence here is a rarity, and he was received like a visiting head of state, a king of cinema.
He's serving as president of a jury that will decide the prestigious Palm d'Or, given to one of the 20 competing films.
This year's jury is an intimidating, starry bunch, including Nicole Kidman, Ang Lee and Christoph Waltz. "Everyone sits in judgment of us," Spielberg said. "So it's our turn."
Luhrmann's 3-D adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is this year's festival opener, a choice that surprised many since the film opened last week in North America. It opens in Hong Kong today.
Cannes typically takes precedence over release schedules, but Gatsby sails onto the Croisette after a robust weekend haul of US$51.1 million.
After Luhrmann noted in a news conference that the film had pushed Fitzgerald's novel to the top of the bestseller list (selling more copies in a week than in the author's lifetime), DiCaprio added with a grin: "And a little film adaptation is doing quite well at the box office."
But while Gatsby is getting a victory lap on the Cannes' red carpet, it comes to the festival with the sting of mixed reviews. Many film critics have taken issue with the film's stylistic flourishes.
"I knew that would come," said Luhrmann, noting Fitzgerald's 1925 novel was also initially received poorly. "I just care that people are going out and seeing it. I really am so moved by that."
Gatsby plays out of competition at the festival, but Spielberg should have his hands full with a slate lacking any obvious favourite. Internationally-respected filmmakers like Roman Polanski ( Venus in Fur), Asghar Farhadi ( The Past) and Jim Jarmusch ( Only Lovers Left Alive) are to premiere their films in competition.
The international jury also includes Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, Japanese director Naomi Kawase, French actor Daniel Auteuil and Bollywood star Vidya Balan.
"I'm going to have to look at the Sidney Lumet film 12 Angry Men, again as a tutorial to prepare myself for the final day of deliberation," Spielberg said with a smile.


Cannes Film Festival rolls out red carpet for Spielberg

Steven Spielberg, president of the 66th Cannes Film Festival, with a director's clap on the eve of the film extravaganza. Photo: Reuters

Steven Spielberg is joined by actor Christoph Waltz (far left), festival delegate Thierry Fremaux (third right) and actress Nicole Kidman. Photo: AFP

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Legendary filmmaker heading the jury for 12-day Cannes film festival
