Asian and Scandinavian cinema dominated the awards at last night's closing ceremony of the 53rd Cannes Film Festival. In yet another Cannes jury decision which is certain to be controversial, the sentimental and trite Danish musical, Dancer in the Dark, which sharply divided audiences at the festival, took the major prize, the Palme d'Or for its director, Lars von Trier.
The biggest surprise of the night, however, was the jury's decision to present a second award, for best actress, to the film's star, the Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork. In a risible performance, she plays a Czech immigrant in the US who is going blind.
Dancer in the Dark's many detractors were as vociferous as its supporters were wildly enthusiastic. The leading US film trade pa per, Variety, described it as a "demonstration of auteurist self-importance that's artistically bankrupt on almost every level".
By awarding the runner-up prize to Jiang Wen's shrill and absurdly over-extended Chinese film, Devils On the Doorstep, Cannes has solidified its reputation as an event which, in terms of its awards at least, appears to be growing more remote from public taste.
The stylish Hong Kong film, In the Mood For Love, directed by Wong Kar-wai, took best actor for Tony Leung and best technical achievement. The award for best director went to Edward Yang for his Taiwanese film, Yi Yi.
The International Critics Prize went to the longest film in competition, the 217-minute Eureka from Japan, as the best film in the official selection at Cannes, and the Iranian A Time For the Drunken Horses as the best film in the parallel sections. The Critics Week award went to the Mexican film, Amores Perros.