Adapting comedic conventions to an equally profitable and popular form of cinematic entertainment proved a specialty of Pierre Salvadori. This mix of wit and whimsy makes it seem only fitting for the French filmmaker to open the 79th Cannes Film Festival with his newest work, The Electric Kiss. Historic comedy and romance mingle in a chaotic charade where art and amorous confusion collide with metaphysics and manipulation. In an interview on-site in Cannes, the director reflects on the origins of the burlesque comedy’s story, its themes of art and color, working with his frequent collaborator Pio Marmaï, and his favoring of humor over tragedy.