"Last Tango in Paris" star Schneider dies

PARIS | Thu Feb 3, 2011 12:30pm EST

PARIS (Reuters) - French actress Maria Schneider, whose role as Marlon Brando's lover in "Last Tango in Paris" won her lifelong fame but also an image that she found difficult to shake off, has died. She was 58.

French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand called Schneider "a great artist" and saluted her ability to convey ambiguity on the screen, at once seductive and enigmatic, when working with directors like Rene Clement and Bernardo Bertolucci.

"She remains the singular image of today's woman, one of those living conduits of female liberty who is eternally reconquering a new generation," he said in a statement.

Le Figaro newspaper quoted her family as saying she had died on Thursday morning in Paris after a long illness.

The daughter of French actor Daniel Gelin and a Parisian bookshop owner, Schneider was 19 when she was cast opposite Brando, who was 48.

Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris was controversial at the time of its release in 1972 for its sexual content, and Schneider later struggled with her image as a sex symbol, refusing to appear in a nude scene ever again.

In a 2007 interview with Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, she said the Italian director was "over-rated.

"He was fat and sweaty and very manipulative, both of Marlon and myself," she said.

"I was too young to know better. Marlon later said that he felt manipulated, and he was Marlon Brando, so you can imagine how I felt. People thought I was like the girl in the movie, but that wasn't me.

"I felt very sad because I was treated like a sex symbol - I wanted to be recognized as an actress and the whole scandal and aftermath of the film turned me a little crazy and I had a breakdown."

According to online biographies, Schneider struggled with drug abuse in the 1970s, but turned her life around with the help of a long-term partner. She deliberately did not say whether it was a man or a woman.

Although Schneider appeared opposite Jack Nicholson in "The Passenger" in 1975, her subsequent acting career consisted mostly of undistinguished, low-budget European films such as "Memoirs of a French Whore" (1979) and "Mama Dracula" (1980).

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White and Nick Vinocur, editing by Paul Casciato)

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As art market booms, some see the risk of bust

By Mike Collett-White LONDON | Thu Feb 3, 2011 9:30am EST

Yet while the market leaders are confident the recovery from 2009's deep slump can be sustained, the prospect of speculative money pouring into art, driven partly by rich Chinese investors, increases the risk of boom and bust, some analysts believe.

"This bull market trend could go on for some time, supported by China's rising class of super-wealthy, but eventually the bubble will burst, as it did in Japan in the early 90s and the global art market crash in 2008," ArtTactic said in its latest analysis of the contemporary art market.

"Too much speculative money will push art prices beyond their long-term, intrinsic art historic value, and it will become a game of who's the Greatest Fool."

The research company said it believed more "hot" money, lured by recent spectacular gains, would enter not only emerging markets but also established Western markets too, with Andy Warhol paintings a prime candidate for further speculation.

"We will experience mini-booms and busts more frequently than in the past as speculators move in and out of different markets trying to cash in on the latest trend," ArtTactic said.

"We see 2011 being the start of this new era, where art is increasingly moving from a collectable asset toward a financial asset."

PICASSO AND GAUGUIN LEAD

Over the next two weeks in London, the two big auctioneers are offering works worth around $650 million at impressionist and modern, surreal, and post-war and contemporary art sales.

While New York is still the art market hub, London is not far behind and an increasingly international client base, plus the rise of internet bidding, means the February sales should give a fair picture of the state of the global art market.

Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie's Europe, said he was confident going into 2011 that the strength of the market was sustainable and that there was room for further growth.

The number of new clients who registered for a sale at the world's largest auction house last year rose 23 percent on 2009, and the number of people who bought an item was up 13 percent.

"It's that rise of new registrants which really for me signals both sustainability and actually further potential growth," he told Reuters in a recent interview.

"This new influx of buyers ... continues to grow, and that really is the vital piece for me," he added. "I am very comfortable that it is sustainable."

As long as prices remain high, experts argue, top quality works will continue to come on to the market, creating a cycle that is vital to the market's future expansion. A knock in confidence hits supply just as much as demand, they add.

Christie's posted record annual sales of 3.3 billion pounds ($5 billion) in 2010, up 53 percent on 2009. Sotheby's boasted an auction total, not including private sales, of $4.3 billion in 2010 versus $2.3 billion in 2009.

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"Last Tango in Paris" star Maria Schneider dies: report

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As art market booms, some see the risk of bust

By Mike Collett-White LONDON | Thu Feb 3, 2011 9:30am EST

Yet while the market leaders are confident the recovery from 2009's deep slump can be sustained, the prospect of speculative money pouring into art, driven partly by rich Chinese investors, increases the risk of boom and bust, some analysts believe.

"This bull market trend could go on for some time, supported by China's rising class of super-wealthy, but eventually the bubble will burst, as it did in Japan in the early 90s and the global art market crash in 2008," ArtTactic said in its latest analysis of the contemporary art market.

"Too much speculative money will push art prices beyond their long-term, intrinsic art historic value, and it will become a game of who's the Greatest Fool."

The research company said it believed more "hot" money, lured by recent spectacular gains, would enter not only emerging markets but also established Western markets too, with Andy Warhol paintings a prime candidate for further speculation.

"We will experience mini-booms and busts more frequently than in the past as speculators move in and out of different markets trying to cash in on the latest trend," ArtTactic said.

"We see 2011 being the start of this new era, where art is increasingly moving from a collectable asset toward a financial asset."

PICASSO AND GAUGUIN LEAD

Over the next two weeks in London, the two big auctioneers are offering works worth around $650 million at impressionist and modern, surreal, and post-war and contemporary art sales.

While New York is still the art market hub, London is not far behind and an increasingly international client base, plus the rise of internet bidding, means the February sales should give a fair picture of the state of the global art market.

Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie's Europe, said he was confident going into 2011 that the strength of the market was sustainable and that there was room for further growth.

The number of new clients who registered for a sale at the world's largest auction house last year rose 23 percent on 2009, and the number of people who bought an item was up 13 percent.

"It's that rise of new registrants which really for me signals both sustainability and actually further potential growth," he told Reuters in a recent interview.

"This new influx of buyers ... continues to grow, and that really is the vital piece for me," he added. "I am very comfortable that it is sustainable."

As long as prices remain high, experts argue, top quality works will continue to come on to the market, creating a cycle that is vital to the market's future expansion. A knock in confidence hits supply just as much as demand, they add.

Christie's posted record annual sales of 3.3 billion pounds ($5 billion) in 2010, up 53 percent on 2009. Sotheby's boasted an auction total, not including private sales, of $4.3 billion in 2010 versus $2.3 billion in 2009.

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Harry Potter films to receive BAFTA cinema award

LONDON | Thu Feb 3, 2011 6:19am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - The Harry Potter movies will receive a BAFTA award, Britain's equivalent of the Oscars, for their contribution to cinema, organizers said on Thursday.

The award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema will be presented at the main BAFTA prize ceremony in London on February 13 to J.K. Rowling, best-selling author of the original wizard stories, and series producer David Heyman.

The first seven films have amassed around $6.4 billion at the global box office, according to ticket tracking site www.boxofficemojo.com. The final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," is due out on July 15.

The films have been nominated for several Oscars, in technical or musical categories, but have yet to scoop a statuette.

Harry Potter fans, and some cast members, have questioned why the phenomenon has been overlooked for the movie world's top accolades, particularly in major categories like acting and directing.

But BAFTA said in a statement: "The Harry Potter films have not only created stars in front of the camera, but have also highlighted the expertise within the British craft and technical industries, supporting a vast array of jobs throughout production."

Heyman added: "On behalf of the over 2,000 people who worked in front of and behind the camera on each of the Harry Potter films I would like to say how honored we all are to receive this Award.

"And thank you to Jo Rowling for entrusting us to bring her magnificent books to the screen."

Rowling's seven-book series about the boy wizard and his adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has sold hundreds of millions of copies around the world.

Awarded annually, the BAFTA award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was introduced in 1978.

The first recipients were the special visual effects team for "Superman," and others include Kevin Brownlow, Mike Leigh, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jarman, Working Title, Lewis Gilbert, Channel Four Films and Pinewood & Shepperton Studios.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Steve Addison)

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A Minute With: James Cameron about "Sanctum"

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES | Thu Feb 3, 2011 6:20am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One year after his 3D adventure "Avatar" was ringing up movie ticket sales on its way to a global box office record of $2.8 billion, James Cameron is back in theaters with a new thriller, "Sanctum."

The movie, which was produced by Cameron and directed by Alister Grierson, tells of a diving team that becomes trapped in underwater caves. The group must find a way out while battling raging water, paranoia and panic as its equipment and supplies dwindle.

Shot in 3D, "Sanctum" hits theaters on Friday. Cameron spoke to Reuters about why nature figures prominently in his work and how his "Avatar" is coming along.

Q: This film is based on an actual experience that "Sanctum" producer and co-writer Andrew Wight had in Australia. What about nature makes it at once terrifying and beautiful?

A: "When you deal with the ocean or a cave, it's going to do what its going to do, and it does not care if you're there. You can get swatted like a fly. On the other hand, nature offers us incredible gifts, incredible beauty and incredible insights. It's a give and take."

Q: This film is a bit of a departure for you -- it's an independent thriller with no stars. It's not one of your big-budget studio films or one of your many documentaries.

A: "There's a list of things we have to tell people that 'Sanctum' is not. It's not a documentary. It's not a monster movie in a cave. There's no supernatural component to this. It's pure survival drama."

Q: The environment itself is almost like a character.

A: "It's a labyrinthian environment that continues to evolve, sometimes constricting down to a very claustrophobic space and sometimes opening out to stadium-sized caverns. That variety, along with the unexpected that comes around each corner, is part of what I think propels the movie."

Q: Would it have a different effect if it was 2D?

A: "It's a diminishment of the full sensory experience. Movies have progressively moved toward a more sensually enriched experience -- first adding sound, then color, then going wide screen..."

Q: Your last two films, "Titanic" and "Avatar," both dealt with the power of nature. What do these films, including "Sanctum," say about you?

A: "I think filmmakers expose who they are through their films and this is really who I always was. As a kid, I was the head of the science club in my high school. Living in rural Canada, I spent all my time hiking around. I had to explore. I was very curious, restless and drawn by nature. To grow up in Niagara Falls, how can you not be impressed by the power and the awesome spectacle that nature can provide? These are the things that form you."

Q: What's happening with the "Avatar" sequels?

A: "I'm writing the scripts. We are developing the software and all the nuances to our performance capture system to take it to the next level. And we're developing some new technology that needs to be in place by the end of this year."

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