Walter Salles
New Film: On the Road
Country: Brazil
Age: 56
Best Known for: Directing the 2004 Che Guevara biopic The Motorcycle Diaries
Cannes History
On the Road is Salles third Cannes title after The Motorcycle Diaries and 2008's Linha de Passe. The former won Salles the Ecumenical Jury Prize, while the latter netted Brazilian actress Sandra Corveloni the festival's Best Actress trophy.
His Resume
It's an uneven one. He's directed ten film over a span of 25 years, but only a few have garnered any real international attention. His breakthrough was certainly 1998's Central Station, which picked up a pair of Oscar nominations (for Best Actress and Best Foreign Language Film, respectively). But The Motorcycle Diaries was a different beast altogether. I suppose it's what happens when making a film about a genuine icon like Che (or Jack Kerouac, for that matter). It's a great movie, but for some, it never could have lived up to expectations. Still, it won an Oscar (for Best Original Song) and earned another nomination for Adapted Screenplay.
Salles' follow-up was his attempt at going mainstream. Dark Water was a remake of a Japanese horror film that starred Jennifer Connelly and John C. Reilly. Critically and commercially, it flopped, and Salles went back to Brazil to make Linha de Passe with co-director Daniela Thomas.
Salles On-Demand
Hulu Plus: N/A
iTunes: N/A
Netflix Instant: Behind the Sun
Vudu: Dark Water, Central Station
On the Road
"Dean and Sal are the portrait of the Beat Generation. Their search for "It" results in a fast paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S." —IMDb
Salles is back in the mainstream with this long-gestating project, which is, apparently, an adaptation of a somewhat popular book. I think? Never heard of it myself...
I'm obviously kidding. Can't wait for this one. It's been near or at the top of my most-anticipated list since the fantastic trailer (embedded below) hit a month or so ago. The film, which boasts on of the festival's deepest and strongest casts (Kristin Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Amy Adams, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Terrence Howard, Steve Buscemi), was recently picked up for distribution by IFC Films and Sundance Selects for an Oscar-season release.
Are expectations too high for a Palme win? Perhaps, but that didn't stop The Tree of Life from taking the honor home last year. I hope, if nothing else, Salles is able to do Kerouac's timeless prose justice. I know he wasn't many people's choice to finally film On the Road, but he's a capable director, and I'm eager to find out just what he's done.
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