CANNES, France — Eight months after the end of the film, the crowd applauding “Anatomy of a Fall” at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival has begun to dwindle, according to standing ovation expert Diane Clapper.
“There are periods in which the lulls lead to swells,” said Clapper. “But we’re in a trench period– that is, the swells beget lulls, instead. I think this ovation is nearing its completion.”
Many entertainment professionals feel as though the duration of standing ovations has become unsustainable, but changes are not likely to be made until an ovation reaches the one-year mark. With a few months to go before the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, there’s plenty of breathing, and of course hooting and hollering, room.
“A lot of these actors and directors feel their time is being used up with this new, so-called ‘arbitrary’ scale of quality based on the number of months they spend applauding. How can something be arbitrary if it’s based on a number?” asked an exasperated Clapper. “They’re being babies. I heard one of them ask if it was okay to do a sitting ovation instead. Can you imagine? The disrespect.”
Ushers at the film festival offer each participant three feed bags per day, and each carries a high-pressure water gun, drinks from which can be requested by jumping once in place. Going to the bathroom is allowed, but only if you talk to everyone in the bathroom about how impressed you are.
Justine Triet, the director of the film, was seen nodding and smiling at the audience, saying “wow” from time to time, and generally looking gracious.
“I was really excited for it the first few months,” Triet said. “But sometime around month four of clapping, I did a survey of the audience and learned that a good 35% of the people applauding were only doing so because they thought the good guy lawyer was ‘hot.’ Good for Swann Arlaud, sure, but it took the wind out of the sails for me. And that was four months ago!”
After the ovation concludes, the Q+A is expected to last ten to eleven seconds.
