IN FRONT of the luxurious Carlton Hotel in Cannes is a life-sized model of the Silver Surfer that looks like it could gracefully shoot off into the stratosphere at any moment.

As workmen hoisted huge billboards into place along the seafront on Monday, the same seemed true of the Cannes Film Festival, just days away from launching into its 60th edition. You could feel the excitement building. The promise of magic was in the air.