I was once alone in the press room at the Cannes Film Festival trying to type up an article when Jerry Lewis appeared followed by a plethora of French tv crews. He sat at a typewriter and did some funny schtick, then jumped up and left the room with the crews all following him and still shooting. For some reason, they all (including Jerry) ignored me. I used to wonder about the French cineastes' fascination with Lewis but then I actually watched some of the films he directed. They're quite innovative though I prefer Jacques Tati but maybe he's exotic to me the way Jerry is exotic to the French. Their camera techniques do have some similarities.