At the Cannes Film Festival recently, Harrison Ford fought back tears several times at the premiere of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny', the fifth (and perhaps final) chapter of one of the most celebrated franchises in movie history.
No expense was spared as Disney jetted its top executives, including CEO Bob Iger and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, to the South of France for the summer action film directed by James Mangold and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, reports 'Variety'.
But when the credits rolled, Cannes mustered a muted standing ovation for Indy's latest adventure. Yes, the applause lasted for five minutes, but by Cannes standards, that's more of a polite formality.
As per 'Variety', regardless of how the crowd felt about the film, the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for Ford. The actor arrived on the carpet with wife Calista Flockhart, and an announcer introduced the duo as 'Indiana Jones and Calista Flockhart'. Ford received a true movie star's welcome, as thousands of fans screamed his name and the audience in the Palais jumped up to welcome him as he set foot inside the theatre.
As the night began, Ford was summoned to the stage by Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux to receive a surprise Palme d'Or after a reel of his greatest roles - from 'Star Wars' to 'The Fugitive' - played onscreen.
"I'm very moved by this," Ford said, quoted by 'Variety'. "They say when you're about to die, you see your life flash before your eyes, and I just saw my life flash before my eyes. A great part of my life, but not all of my life. My life has been enabled by my lovely wife, who has supported my passion and my dreams, and I'm grateful."
Then Ford addressed the audience. "I love you, too. But I've got a movie you ought to see. It's right behind me. So let me get out of the way, and thank you again for this great honour."
The photos of the 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' cast at Cannes' famous Carlton Beach were also released. Situated on the beach in front of the tuk-tuks featured in the film were stars Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and director/co-writer James Mangold.
Harrison Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for this highly anticipated final instalment of the iconic franchise -- a big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure. Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen.
Directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and David Koepp and James Mangold, based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' in 1981, has once again composed the score.
The film opens in theatres on June 30 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
