Karlovy Vary Film Festival Opens With Honorees Russell Crowe Rocking, Alicia Vikander Reminiscing
thewrap.comThe raucous period drama “Firebrand” was the official opening-night film at the 57th annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Friday night in the spa resort town outside Prague, but there was a lot more going on in and around the Grand Hall at the Hotel Thermal than just the on-screen battle between Alicia Vikander’s Catherine Parr and Jude Law’s King Henry VIII.
It also included the presentation of awards to Vikander and Russell Crowe, the usual complement of opening-night speeches, an extended dance number that appeared to be performed on ice skates (though it wasn’t on ice but on an artificial surface that mimicked ice but could be walked on safely) and, during breaks and after the movie, complete concerts by the British band Morcheeba and by Crowe’s nine-piece band, Indoor Garden Party.
If you missed that last part, don’t worry: Crowe was filming the whole thing for a documentary on his musical career, which tends to be overshadowed by his film one.That’s a lot of stuff to cram into one opening night, especially after a day that had already included 43 screenings in 10 theaters scattered around the ridiculously picturesque city, for hundreds of years a popular destination for Germans, Russians and others seeking spa treatments.
Even without the setting, Karlovy Vary is an unusual festival, with its inventive dance troupe kicking off every edition, with the obligatory thanks to the festival sponsors accompanied by the on-screen note “Thanks for your money” and with trailers that poke fun at its top award, the very large and very heavy Crystal Globe.Johnny Depp was the star of this year’s trailer, which came after host Marek Eben introduced the Czech Republic to visitors by pointing out, “we are a small.
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