Cannes 2009: a new type of Red carpet glamour

May has come back finally (did I wait for this early Summer month!!!) and with it, the red carpet Cannes festival.

This year, women are in strength in the jury, and not just glamorous women but women who have a voice, women who have strength, women with character and style: Asia Argento, Isabelle Hupert, Robin Wright Penn, Shu Qi, Shamila Tagore, these are actresses who give style and acting another dimension.

Cannes is very much about black ties, champagne and silky open back dresses, but it is first and foremost about artistic achievement, and this is why I rejoice at such a wonderful, diverse yet united jury cast. Daughter of Italian director Dario Argento, Asia has made a name for herself in movies that give food for thought like The Stendal syndrom, after the well-known artistic frenzy the French novelist experienced in Florence. Isabelle Hupert scandalized many in La Pianiste, where she played the deranging part of a masochist (oh combien, I actually had to leave the cinema the first time I saw the movie) piano professor. Robin Wright Penn had such an international career she is not to be introduced anymore, but my personal favourite remains 21 grams. Shu Qi , probably better known for her part in Dungeons and Dragons, made a name playing in sensual movies in Hong-Kong and climbed up the film ladder in the most elegant way. Shu Qi I will confess I have actually never seen on screen, I am not a fan of Bollywood, but I will say this: none of them are first roles, they are all characters, to use the film terminology.

By that I mean they are more Philip Seymour Hoffman than Tom Cruise. I know it might be an odd comparison when it comes to such beautiful women, but they are indeed characters: they never play the same part, never offer the same perspective, always open up a new dimension. They are beautiful women, intelligent women, intellectual women, and, for our benefit, women who have style.

Well, I might withdraw a tiny bit when it comes to Asia's dress, which I find slightly scary. Look at them though: five women on the red carpet, and their outfits exude their personalities: this is a lesson. Do not dress to look pretty, dress to reflect who you are.

Champagnista V