There’s no question who made the most conspicuous non-appearance at Cannes this year.

After the lights had gone up on The Tree of Life, the pack sped towards the press conference eager to discover if – breaking the habit of a lifetime – Terrence Malick, the reclusive director, would turn up to smile at the enemy. It was not to be.

This must be the first time that a mass of journalists have looked at a certain handsome face and murmured: “Aww! It’s just Brad Pitt.” The actor did a good job of standing in for his boss. Pitt used the metaphor of a talented artisan building a house. “He wants to focus on making things, not on the real estate.”