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UN PEU DE L'HISTOIRE

A view of the Croisette from the first part of the 20th Century and a Croisette view of essentially the same area from the Noga Hilton Terrace, 2003

The history of the Cannes Film Festival, probably the most renowned and prestigious in the world, goes back to 1932 when the very first competitive international film festival was held in Venice. Then, as now, national and personal politics sometimes influenced movie selections and winners. But back then, it was shameless, and by 1939, with Italy in the firm grip of Mussolini (a former journalist) and on the brink of World War II, the Italian festival powerbrokers were openly favoring films submitted by Axis countries. Even though most of the critics supported Jean Renoir's "La Grande Illusion," the Golden Lion (known at the time, as the Coppa Mussolini) was jointly bestowed upon Germany's "Olympia" (made with Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda), and the Italian "Luciano Serra, Pilota," produced by Mussolini's son Vittorio.

Naturally, the French were infuriated and stormed out of the Venice competition, followed by enough British and Americans to stir up a revolution. That same year, a group of filmmakers and reviewers petitioned the French government to run an alternative festival. Several French locales were considered, until Cannes won out due to its "sunny and enchanting location," underwritten by the City of Cannes' promise to construct a dedicated Film Festival site on its shore.

Bridgette Bardot

The Festival sputtered along off and on through World War II and post-war recovery, then blossomed like a Mediterranean sunflower in 1954, when French starlet Simone Sylva, accompanied by a rather confused Robert Mitchum, famously started the Cannes tradition of going topless on the beach for the paparazzi. By the mid-50s, the sexy, glamorous image of Cannes peaked with the near-naked presence of the French Beach-Goddess herself, Bridgette Bardot. In the '60s, the Festival distinguished itself as a judge of quality by recognizing such classics as Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" and Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blowup." In the 1970s, the American "Golden Boys" ruled at Cannes, with Palmes d'Or going to Robert Altman for "M*A*S*H," Francis Ford Coppola for "The Conversation" and "Apocalypse Now," and Martin Scorsese for "Taxi Driver." In the '80s, Cannes honored Wim Wenders for "Paris, Texas" and Steven Sodenbergh for "Sex, Lies & Videotape," and the '90s brought gold to the Cohen Brothers for "Barton Fink," David Lynch for "Wild at Heart." Jane Campion for "The Piano" and Quentin Tarantino for "Pulp Fiction." The 21st century has awarded Lars von Trier's DV-shot "Dancer in the Dark" and last year's "The Pianist" directed by that controversial genius who can never return to Hollywood, Roman Polanski.

There are now many other film fests throughout the world, including the resurrection of the Venice Film Festival, but Cannes is still the Queen. Each year, more than 2000 films are submitted from over hundreds of countries, resulting in about 50 feature films and 40 shorts on the official program. Films and film promos are everywhere, in the theaters, on the beach, on strategic street corners, surfing through the sea and flying through the clouds. Filmmakers stalk the palatial hotels and chic cafés along the Croisette, trying to make it, and journalists are everywhere, trying it take it all in.

Personnalités du Cannes ... Photo: Max