This year's world premieres included a newly restored version of Laurel and Hardy's Battle of the Century, which is legendary for the number of custard pies thrown in its epic climax. (For more on that custardy climax, tune-in to Evan Kleiman's conversation with New York Times journalist Dan Barry on Good Food.)
Set in the 1920's, Marguerite features a wider emotional spectrum than anything else in the festival. The French film is loosely based on the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, an American socialite whose concerts made her an object of affection as well as derision.
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are superb as lesbian lovers in Todd Haynes' Carol, set in the 1950's when such relationships were beyond the pale.