Cannes Film Festival readies a blockbuster edition

The Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off today, is such a colossal extravaganza that taking measure of its ups and downs is notoriously difficult. It's a showcase of the world's best cinema. But by at least some metrics, Cannes, following a canceled 2020 festival, a much-diminished 2021 edition and a triumphant 2022 return, is finally all the way back.

This year's festival is headlined by a pair of marquee premieres: Martin Scorsese's Osage Nation 1920s epic "Killers of the Flower Moon," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, and James Mangold's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," starring Harrison Ford in his final performance as the character.

But as blockbuster as Cannes can be, even those films suggest the wide spectrum of cinema on hand. Both Scorsese and Mangold were first in Cannes decades ago to premiere their early breakthrough films in the Directors Fortnight sidebar. Scorsese with 1973's "Mean Streets," Mangold with 1995's "Heavy."

This time, though, they'll debut much bigger films, sure to be the hottest tickets on the Croisette. Scorsese has his $200 million epic for Apple TV+. And Mangold will premiere, as he says, "a more splendiferous project" than his minimalist debut.

The "Indy" celebration will include a tribute to Ford. He, along with Michael Douglas, will be given honorary Palme d'Ors. To Mangold, it's a chance for Ford to embrace the franchise's international following. The "Indiana Jones" films' essence, the director says, is rooted in golden-age cinema.

This year, 21 films are competing for the Palme d'Or, which will be decided by a jury led by last year's winner, Swedish writer-director Ruben Östlund. Seven are directed by women, a new high for Cannes in its nearly eight decades of existence....