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As far as opening films to the Cannes Film Festival go, Chinese director Wong Kar Wai’s “My Blueberry Nights” was a risky business all round. Wong was directing in English for the first time, and set his story in the United States, unfamiliar territory. He also cast singer Norah Jones as the central character, an ambitious screen debut if ever I saw one. She took the plunge having seen only his acclaimed “In The Mood For Love”, and seems to have just about pulled it off. For the organisers, there was also the worry of getting the film to Cannes in time for the grand opening ceremony tonight. In 2004, Wong had them sweating in their tuxedos with “2046″, which he only just got to the Riviera resort in time. This time it was not much better. The director, wearing his trademark dark shades and close-cropped hair, told reporters he was in LA two days ago finishing the mix. Little wonder neither Jones nor co-star Jude Law have seen it yet. They get their first view at the opening tonight on a giant screen on which any flaws in their performances will be painfully exposed to a large, expectant and knowledgable audience. Rather them than me.

The ripple of polite applause after this morning’s screening was an indication that, while not exactly blowing away the press, “My Blueberry Nights”, a touching love story, will at least not be the critical turkey that was “The Da Vinci Code”, last year’s opening film. In fact, in response to yesterday’s blog entry, a reader was asking about the impact a poor reception at Cannes could have on a movie. My feeling is that if it is a blockbuster, with so many other channels of promotion and hype at its disposal, then often not much. “The Da Vinci Code”, for example, went on to gross $760 million at the box office, making it the world’s second biggest film in 2006, according to www.boxofficemojo.com. A big budget movie will certainly use good press in Cannes to generate buzz, but can usually survive without it. For smaller films, the festival can play a much more important role.