Editorial path

1978-1986: A wind of change

Céline Keller

A new team

The Cannes Festival in 1978 was marked by the arrival of an important new figure in its organisation with the appointment of Gilles Jacob as Director of the Festival. He created the Caméra d'Or prize for the best first film which could be awarded to a film from any one of the three parallel events (the Official Cannes Selection, the Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week). He also grouped together the non-competitive categories in a selection called Un Certain regard. The year would see another important change in the destiny of the Cannes Festival. Since the Palais de la Croisette had become too small for the event, the town's authorities ordered the construction of the Palais des Congrès. Although many described it as a hideous concrete blockhouse, it would host a series of different events throughout the year. Despite being somewhat ill-adapted to the specific requirements of the Festival, the 'bunker' was gradually accepted. In 1984 there was another upheaval, with the departure of the man who represented the birth and the evolution of the Festival, Robert Favre le Bret, who handed over his role of President of the Festival to Pierre Viot.

The selection as seen by the new General Delegate Gilles Jacob

The selection as seen by the new General Delegate Gilles Jacob

On the beach at Cannes, interview with Gilles Jacob, new General Delegate of the Festival. He talks about the selection, films linked to current events which reflect a certain anguish and presents an exceptional day on the comedies of Billy Wilder

20 mai 1978
02m 34s
Gilles Jacob explains the job of General Delegate at the Cannes Festival

Gilles Jacob explains the job of General Delegate at the Cannes Festival

Gilles Jacob explains what his functions are as General Delegate of the Cannes Festival.

14 mai 1980
22m 36s
The parallel festival, Cannes 1981

The parallel festival, Cannes 1981

Presentation of some films from the parallel selections of the rue d'Antibes, with Raymond Depardon.

22 mai 1981
02m 50s
Directors' Fortnight, 1983

Directors' Fortnight, 1983

Interview with Pierre-Henri Deleau, General Delegate of the Directors' Fortnight, who presents his selection.

08 mai 1983
03m 04s
Opening of the 1983 Festival

Opening of the 1983 Festival

Celebrities climb the steps of the new Palais des Festivals, which has just been inaugurated, then during the opening ceremony Michèle Morgan presents a trophy to Charlotte Rampling.

07 mai 1983
03m 05s

Controversy

But before leaving, the President's impartiality was brought in question by the president of the jury of the 1979 Cannes Festival. Françoise Sagan sparked off a major scandal in Cannes by declaring: "It is true that I tried to put pressure on the jury. I did so simply because the day before, Mr. Favre le Bret completely stepped out of his role by trying to do the exact same thing." Françoise Sagan was in favour of awarding the Palme d'Or to Volker Schlöndorff's film The Tin Drum, while a number of jury members preferred Apocalypse Now by Francis Coppola. The suspense lasted right up to the last minute. The rolls of film arrived one by one at Nice airport, via Paris where they were sub-titled, as Francis Coppola finished editing them in Los Angeles. Finally, the Palme d'Or was awarded to both films. However this was a title that Lars Von Trier would not obtain in 1984. On receiving the Technical Grand Prix, the Danish director elegantly suggested that his film The Element of Crime deserved to win the Palme d'Or.

Françoise Sagan, president of the jury at the 1979 Festival

Françoise Sagan, president of the jury at the 1979 Festival

Interview with the writer Françoise Sagan about her future role as president of the jury at the 32nd Cannes Festival.

11 avr 1979
03m 14s
List of winners of the 1979 Festival

List of winners of the 1979 Festival

The President of the festival Robert Favre le Bret, together with the president of the jury Françoise Sagan, reads the list of winners before a crowd of journalists, then the two presidents say a few words about the deliberations.

24 mai 1979
04m 42s
Cannes 1979: the winning films

Cannes 1979: the winning films

Overview of the winning films at Cannes: on the subject of "Norma Rae", interview with Sally Field and Martin Ritt, on the subject of "The China Syndrome", interview with the producer Michael Douglas, finally an interview with Völker Schlondorff for "Le Tambour".

26 mai 1979
07m 46s

From the past to the future

In 1986 the 39th Cannes Festival was declared open by a 14 year old Charlotte Gainsbourg and a 94 year old Charles Vanel, hand in hand. It was a symbol that perfectly summed up the Cannes Festival as paying tribute to its elders and appreciating the younger generation of emerging talents. In 1982, Stanley Kilburn, an 81 year old British pianist, impressed the festival goers when he accompanied a silent film made in 1916, improvising for four and a half hours. The year before, in 1981, the American director John Waters presented the first 'scratch and sniff' film. While watching Polyester, the audience scratched numbered discs that produced different smells as the numbers appeared on the screen. A scene that this same director might well have relished was the first live cream pie in the face in 1986. The victim was Jean-Luc Godard, who was preparing to give a press conference about his film Detective, with Nathalie Baye and Johnny Hallyday. 1983 saw the arrival of a new TV channel, Star 83, devoted to filming the Festival non-stop. It was destined for success with its coverage of stars and scandals and the suspense of who would win and it threatened to transform La Croisette into a soap opera. As a result certain rules were established to ensure that the Festival had full control of the retransmissions alongside a single broadcasting partner (Canal Plus).

Roman Polanski presents <i>Pirates</i> at the opening of the 1986 Festival

Roman Polanski presents Pirates at the opening of the 1986 Festival

Interview with Roman Polanski about his sea adventure film Pirates, presented at the opening of the 39th Cannes Festival.

08 mai 1986
05m 59s
Atmosphere at the 1982 Cannes festival

Atmosphere at the 1982 Cannes festival

Quirky report on the atmosphere at Cannes in 1982: sunbathing and starlets on the beach, cigars and dollars on the cafe terraces, photographers and on-lookers at the foot of the steps.

23 mai 1982
03m 28s

A Festival championing freedom of speech

The Festival has another noble mission which is to champion freedom of speech. In 1981, the Polish director Andrzej Wajda received the Palme d'Or for his film Man of Iron, which retraces the birth of the Polish industrial workers' trade union Solidarnosc. The year before, the Festival organised a special day in support of directors struggling against repression. In the case of the Malian director Souleymane Cissé, who was supported from the outset by the Festival (Wind was presented in 1982, Light won the Jury Prize in 1986), he was given financial backing to allow him to continue his work.

Palme d'or for Andrzej Wajda for <i>Man of Iron</i>

Palme d'or for Andrzej Wajda for Man of Iron

Andrzej Wajda is emotional as he receives the Palme d'Or of the 34th Festival from Sean Connery.

27 mai 1981
03m 54s
Invasion of political cinema at the 1982 Cannes Festival

Invasion of political cinema at the 1982 Cannes Festival

Selection and awards at the 35th festival strongly influenced by contemporary political events and in particular war, oppression and dictatorship.

26 mai 1982
03m 27s

Related videos

Opening of the 1978 Festival

Opening of the 1978 Festival

Before the opening of the 31st Festival, the new General Delegate Gilles Jacob says a few words about the selection, which aims to offer the public the best of world cinematographic production.

16 mai 1978
02m 24s
Louis Malle remembers May 68 at Cannes

Louis Malle remembers May 68 at Cannes

Louis Malle remembers the Cannes Festival in May 68, where passionate discussions led to the cancellation of the event.

23 mai 1978
03m 08s
Pretty Baby: interview with Louis Malle and Brooke Shields

Pretty Baby: interview with Louis Malle and Brooke Shields

Louis Malle comes to present his film "Pretty Baby" at Cannes, for the American selection, a film which tells the story of a young girl of 12, in a New Orleans brothel in 1917. He is surrounded by his actors Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields et Keith Carradine.

20 mai 1978
08m 25s
Dirk Bogarde talks about his career

Dirk Bogarde talks about his career

In his property in the South of France, Dirk Bogarde reviews his long career, the type of troubled character he has often played, his aspirations and his collaboration with Rainer W. Fassbinder for "Despair".

19 mai 1978
11m 35s
Selection of the 1979 Festival

Selection of the 1979 Festival

Overview of the selection of the 32nd festival before the launch evening.

09 mai 1979
02m 27s
The parallel selections at Cannes

The parallel selections at Cannes

The journalist Anne Andreu receives the American critic Edwin Jahiel, who gives his analysis of the films presented during the Directors' Fortnight and the Critics' Week.

31 mai 1978
07m 47s
Lauren Bacall and Yves Montand special guests at the 1979 opening gala

Lauren Bacall and Yves Montand special guests at the 1979 opening gala

Official opening ceremony of the 32nd Festival with Yves Montand and Lauren Bacall among the crowd and the release of the Milor Forman film "Hair".

11 mai 1979
01m 39s
Analysis of the 1978 list of winners by a member of the jury

Analysis of the 1978 list of winners by a member of the jury

The critic Michel Ciment reviews the list of winners of the Festival and the work of the jury, of which he was a member, presided this year by Alan J. Pakula.

31 mai 1978
05m 36s
Jane Fonda at the 1978 Cannes Festival

Jane Fonda at the 1978 Cannes Festival

Jane Fonda, who has come to Cannes to present the Hal Ashby film "Coming Home", talks about the subject of the film, the former soldiers who came home from Vietnam mutilated or handicapped. She then talks about her political activities throughout her life.

28 mai 1978
13m
Bomb at the 1978 Festival

Bomb at the 1978 Festival

Incident during the 31st festival: a bomb attack is thwarted

23 mai 1978
01m 26s
Lauren Bacall presents her autobiography

Lauren Bacall presents her autobiography

Lauren Bacall, who has come to Cannes to present her autobiography, evokes the usefulness for actors of going to festivals and goes back to her childhood and the character of her mother.

13 mai 1979
05m 42s
Woody Allen at the 1979 Festival

Woody Allen at the 1979 Festival

Interview with Woody Allen, come to present his film "Manhattan" in Cannes, out of competition. He mentions the American culture of today and his love of music.

12 mai 1979
04m 19s
Opening of the 1979 Festival

Opening of the 1979 Festival

On the occasion of the 32nd festival, interview with the General Delegate Gilles Jacob, who presents the spirit of the selection, and with the Minister of Culture Jean-François Lecat, who talks about the supposed "crisis" in French cinema.

10 mai 1979
02m 13s
Detailed analysis of the 1980 list of winners

Detailed analysis of the 1980 list of winners

Whilst waiting of the results to be announced, Michel Drucker asks the critics around him on the stage to give their predictions. The president of the Festival Robert Favre le Bret comes onto the stage to read out the winners, then Akira Kurosawa, Palme d'or, makes a short homage to Henri Langlois. Finally, the critics make some comments about the winners of the 33rd Festival.

23 mai 1980
24m 39s
Chronicle of the 1980 Festival

Chronicle of the 1980 Festival

The different facets of the cinema at Cannes: making of "Umbrella Coup" by Gérard Oury among the crowd, stars climbing the steps in evening wear, social cocktails for the presentation of the films and solemn press conferences after the showing

11 mai 1980
04m 01s
About <i>A Week's Vacation</i>, meeting with the film's team

About A Week's Vacation, meeting with the film's team

Bertrand Tavernier come to present A Week's Vacation in the French selection at Cannes, surrounded by his actors, including Michel Galabru, who humorously recounts his memories of being a dunce at school.

18 mai 1980
11m 01s
In Cannes, the actors' office

In Cannes, the actors' office

Behind the scenes at the palais des festivals with the actors' office, where Festival employees welcome and reassure the actors, who are sometimes intimidated by the "Cannes machine", as Gérard Lanvin calls it.

14 mai 1980
02m 23s
Interview with Patrick Dewaere

Interview with Patrick Dewaere

Interview with Patrick Dewaere on the Cannes Festival, himself and his cinematic desires.

27 mai 1979
04m 36s
Portrait of Giorgio Strehler, president of the jury at the 1982 festival

Portrait of Giorgio Strehler, president of the jury at the 1982 festival

Portrait of the president of the jury at the 25th Festival: Giorgio Strehler, founder of the Piccolo Teatro and director of la Scala in Milan. A big name in theatre, he explains what made him accept this job of president of a cinema jury.

05 mai 1982
08m 38s
Threat of suicide Italian-style for Ugo Tognazzi

Threat of suicide Italian-style for Ugo Tognazzi

Ugo Tognazzi is emotional and humorous when he receives the Best Actor award for "The Tragedy of A Ridiculous Man" by Bernardo Bertolucci.

27 mai 1981
02m 46s
Joint Palme d'Or to Akira Kurosawa and Bob Fosse

Joint Palme d'Or to Akira Kurosawa and Bob Fosse

Dirk Bogarde and Kirk Douglas present the Palme d'Or to Akira Kurosawa for "Kagemusha" and to Bob Fosse for "All That Jazz".

23 mai 1980
03m 30s
Romain Goupil wins the Caméra d'Or for <i>To Die at 30</i>

Romain Goupil wins the Caméra d'Or for To Die at 30

Portrait of Romain Goupil, first a young student in revolt in May 1968, then a film-maker and winner of the Caméra d'Or in 1982 with To Die at 30.

28 mai 1982
03m 28s
List of winners of the 1982 festival

List of winners of the 1982 festival

Commentated extract of the award ceremony of the 35th Cannes festival presided by Giorgio Strehler; Palme d'Or awarded jointly to Costa-Gavras and Yilmaz Guney.

26 mai 1982
03m 13s
Grand prix spécial du jury to Alan Parker for Birdy

Grand prix spécial du jury to Alan Parker for Birdy

Together with Milos Forman, president of the jury, Julia Migenes Johnson presents the "Grand prix spécial du jury" to Alan Parker for his film "Birdy".

20 mai 1985
02m 22s
List of winners of the 1984 festival

List of winners of the 1984 festival

Extracts from the award ceremony of the 37th festival: Faye Dunaway presents the Palme d'Or to a very emotional Wim Wenders, John Huston accespts a tribute to his entire career, Martha Meszaros receives the Special jury award for "Diary for my Mother and Father", and Bertrand Tavernier wins the Best Director award for "A Sunday in the Country".

24 mai 1984
03m 13s
Palme d'Or for Wim Wenders for <i>Paris, Texas</i>

Palme d'Or for Wim Wenders for Paris, Texas

Wim Wenders receives the Palme d'Or for Paris, Texas, from Faye Dunaway; he thanks the film's team and says a few words in German.

23 mai 1984
03m 34s
List of winners of the 1983 festival

List of winners of the 1983 festival

The winners of the 36th festival: Andrei Tarkovski, the Monty Python team, Hanna Schygulla and Gian Maria Volonte.

19 mai 1983
01m 34s
Closing evening of the 1983 festival

Closing evening of the 1983 festival

Last day of the 36th festival. The crowd waits for the celebrities at the foot of the steps, a naked starlet exposes herself, on the stage Orson Welles presents the Best Director award to Robert Bresson, under boos and applause.

19 mai 1983
01m 49s
List of winners of the 1986 festival

List of winners of the 1986 festival

Extracts of the award ceremony of the 39th Cannes festival and commentary by France Roche, for whom, despite a "daring" selection, it was the "films with great spirit" which were awarded.

19 mai 1986
06m 01s
On the subject of <i>Max, My Love</i> by Nagisa Oshima

On the subject of Max, My Love by Nagisa Oshima

Charlotte Rampling, accompanied by the director Nagisa Oshima, talks about the subject of Max, My Love : love, jealousy, difference, marginality . . .

13 mai 1986
03m 41s
Interview with the script-writer Jean-Claude Carrière

Interview with the script-writer Jean-Claude Carrière

For the presentation of the film "Max, My Love" which he co-wrote with Nagisa Oshima, Jean-Claude Carrière talks about the job of script-writer and his specific requirements and his development.

13 mai 1986
05m 58s
List of winners of the 1985 festival

List of winners of the 1985 festival

Extracts of the award ceremony and interview with André Téchiné, winner of the Best Director award for "Rendez-Vous", and with Norma Aleandro and Cher, joint winners of the Best Actress award for "The Official History" and "Mask".

20 mai 1985
01m 48s
Marcel Carné presents the Caméra d'Or award in 1985

Marcel Carné presents the Caméra d'Or award in 1985

Marcel Carné says a few words before presenting the Caméra d'Or award to Fina Torres during the 38th Festival.

20 mai 1985
04m 38s
Alain Cavalier receives an ovation for <i>Thérèse</i>, Jury Award in 1986

Alain Cavalier receives an ovation for Thérèse, Jury Award in 1986

Long ovation for Alain Cavalier, Jury Award for Thérèse at the 39th Cannes Festival.

19 mai 1986
04m 14s
Opening of the 1985 Festival

Opening of the 1985 Festival

Opening of the 38th Cannes Festival: climbing of the steps by Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood, reunion at the airport for Philippe Noiret and Annie Girardot, interview with Milos Forman jury president, finally on the stage of the Palais Philippe Noiret declares the 38th Festival open.

08 mai 1985
01m 32s
Opening ceremony of the 1982 Festival

Opening ceremony of the 1982 Festival

The Minister for Culture, Jack Lang, pronounced the 35th Cannes Festival open. Homage was paid to great directors.

14 mai 1982
01m 42s
Chronicle of the 1978 Cannes Festival

Chronicle of the 1978 Cannes Festival

Chronicle of the atmosphere at Cannes for the opening of the 31st festival, the climbing of the steps, behind the scenes at the showings, via the business of the cinema.

17 mai 1978
03m 15s
Jean Marais remembers the First Cannes Festival

Jean Marais remembers the First Cannes Festival

On the occasion of the award ceremony, Jean Marais remembers with humour the first Cannes Festival in 1946.

27 mai 1981
02m 30s
Robert Chazal, jury member of the 1981 Festival

Robert Chazal, jury member of the 1981 Festival

The cinema critic of France-Soir, Robert Chazal talks about his role as jury member at the 34th Cannes Festival and his job in general.

25 mai 1981
03m 47s
Ermanno Olmi, Palme d'Or for <i>The Tree of Wooden Clogs</i>

Ermanno Olmi, Palme d'Or for The Tree of Wooden Clogs

Palme d'or winner at the festival, Ermanno Olmi talks about his cinema, which record reality, and his attachment to roots, to the earth.

31 mai 1978
02m 48s
Homage to James Stewart during the 1985 closing ceremony

Homage to James Stewart during the 1985 closing ceremony

Homage paid to James Stewart, for his entire career, by Milos Forman, president of the jury of the 38th Cannes Festival.

20 mai 1985
04m 27s
Michel Piccoli talks about his role in <i>Leap into the Void</i>

Michel Piccoli talks about his role in Leap into the Void

Interview with Michel Piccoli about Leap into the Void by Marco Bellochio, where he plays the type of role he is fond of: a character who is both troubled and respectable.

16 mai 1980
06m 15s
List of winners of the 1978 Cannes Festival

List of winners of the 1978 Cannes Festival

At the end of the 31st Festival, report on the condition of wordl cinema and French cinema. Then the journalist Eric Gilbert comments on the winners.

30 mai 1978
06m 57s
Philippe Noiret talks about <i>Fort Saganne</i>

Philippe Noiret talks about Fort Saganne

Philippe Noiret talks about the character he plays in Fort Saganne by Alain Corneau, presented out of competition at the 37th Festival.

11 mai 1984
05m 46s