The Cannes Film Festival, in its 63rd year, has thrived by spinning opulent visions of stars clutching their haute-couture gowns on the way up the red carpet, smiling down at the fans, and up at the hosts of world cinema. This year, as Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” with Russell Crowe as the charismatic outlaw and Cate Blanchett as his Marion was to open the festival, the specter of economic uncertainty looms as an uninvited guest clad in dark clouds. The jury president, Tim Burton, cuts something of a somber figure, and the selection, truffled with old-timers to plump it up, feels skimpy. Poor Cannes! – From NY Times