CANNES REPORT

The 42nd Cannes Film Festival gets under way today, with two American films opening and closing the two-week festival: “New York Stories,” a trilogy by Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, and “Old Gringo,” starring Jane Fonda and Gregory Peck. West German director Wim Wenders will preside over this year’s jury that will look at 22 films from 14 countries in the official competition. While just 22 movies are competing for the Golden Palm award, more than 1,500 will be shown before the festival closes on May 23. Last year’s Golden Palm went to the Danish film, “Pelle the Conqueror.”