As the relationship between contemporary cinema and its own memory was disrupted by the advent of the digital age, in 2004 the Cannes Film Festival created the Cannes Classics programme showcasing restored prints of classic films and masterpieces of film history. Now an important part of the Official Selection, Cannes Classics is also a means to honor the work carried out by production companies, rights-holders, film libraries or national archives around the world.
Cannes Classics uses the prestige of the Cannes Film Festival in the service of rediscovered cinema, accompanying the release in cinemas or on video of the great works of the past.
Most of the programmed films are screened at the Palais des Festival, Salle Buñuel or the Sixtieth Anniversary theatre, in the presence of those who have restored the films and, at times, with those who have directed them. Cannes Classics also showcases documentaries on cinema and film master classes.
The Cannes Classics 2012 programme includes 13 feature films, two shorts, a mini-concert and four documentaries. All these films will be world premieres.
•The Film Foundation (USA), chaired by Martin Scorsese, will present a restored and reconstructed print of ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA by Sergio Leone (1984, 245'), with 25 minutes of additional scenes, based on the first cut by Sergio Leone in 1984. This restoration was requested by Martin Scorsese.
The screening will be attended by Robert De Niro, Elizabeth McGovern, Jennifer Connelly, producer Arnon Milchan (which also has a small role in the film) and, of course, the Leone family.
Restoration by the Cinematheque of Bologna at the Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Andrea Leone Films, The Film Foundation and Regency Enterprises. The restoration was funded by The Film Foundation and Gucci.
•Pathé presents TESS (1979, 171') by Roman Polanski, in a restoration which he himself supervised and was "very impressed" by the laboratory work. Roman Polanski and Nastassja Kinski will be in attendance.
A Pathé restoration, image restored by Eclair Group and Le Diapason for the audio restoration.
•To celebrate its centenary, the Hollywood studio Universal Pictures will present a restored print this emblematic film in the studio's recent history: JAWS by Steven Spielberg (1975, 124').
The restoration carried out by Universal Pictures and the film will be screened in 4K.
•The "Rescue the Hitchcock 9" project was launched by the National Archives of the British Film Institute (London) to save nine of Alfred Hitchcock’s silent films. THE RING (1927, 109') will be screened as a world premiere and a cine-concert with the musician Stephen Horne.
The restoration was carried out by the BFI National Archives, and funded by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Film Foundation and the Deluxe 142 Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation.
•To mark the 50th anniversary of the production and release of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA by David Lean (1962, 222'), Sony-Columbia have made a new restoration of the film in 4K.
Restored by Sony Pictures Colorworks and distributed by Park Circus. Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer / Park Circus.
•Keisuke Kinoshita is a Japanese filmmaker born in 1912 and deceased in 1998. Having spent much of his career at the Shochiku studios (he worked as a producer for Ozu or Naruse), he will be celebrated by the current management of Shochiku with the projection of THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1958, 98').
The digital version has been restored and funded by Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Shochiku Media Worx Inc.; digital restoration by Imagica Corp. and Imagica West Corp. The film will be distributed in France by MK2.
•Cannes celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Dance Cinematheque (Paris). They will present three jewels from its collection: A GREAT DAY IN HARLEM (1994, 60') by Jean Bach and two "jazz shorties": AN ALL COLORED VAUDEVILLE SHOW (4') and JAMMIN THE BLUES (11').
These will be screened from new prints 35mm printed by Daems Laboratory.
•In 2011, Cannes Classics welcomed the ambitious Rossellini Project, the result of a collaboration between Instituto Luce Cinecittà, Cineteca di Bologna, CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and the Co-Production Office (head of international sales). After presenting The Machine that Kills Bad People (1948, 70’) in 2012 we will present, as a restored print, VIAGGIO IN ITALIA / JOURNEY TO ITALY (1954, 97') by Roberto Rossellini. The print was restored by Cineteca di Bologna with L'Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with Istituto Luce Cinecittà, CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and The Co-Production Office.
•As is the tradition, the Festival de Cannes will host the World Cinema Foundation, created in Cannes in 2007 by Martin Scorsese and many filmmakers, in order to restore world treasures. In this year’s programme there is an Indian film and an Indonesian film, as rare and little-known as they are beautiful and necessary.
AFTER THE CURFEW by Usmar Ismail, Indonesia (1954, 101')
Restoration carried out by the National Museum of Singapore and the World Cinema Foundation. In association with the Konfiden Foundation and Kineforum Jakarta Arts Council. The film was restored from the original print kept at the Indonesian Cinematheque. Special thanks to the family of Usmar Ismail.
KALPANA of Uday Shankar, India (1948, 155').
Restored by the World Cinema Foundation from a copy of the original negative preserved by the National Film Archive of India. With thanks to Shivendra Singh and family of Uday Shankar. The print was restored by the Cinematheque of Bologna and the Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.
•On the occasion of his presence in Cannes, the festival has asked Andrei Konchalovsky to present RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985, 111'). A new print has been struck by Sony Pictures Colorworks / Film distributed by Park Circus. Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer / Park Circus.
•Every year the CNC French Film Archives (Paris) exhibit a restoration, fruit of their year’s labor. For this edition, they chose CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 (1961, 90’) by Agnès Varda, who will be there in person to present the film. Digital print, restored by Ciné Tamaris, CNC French Film Archives.
•An Homage to Georges Lautner: in the presence of his numerous friends, the director of the Crooks in Clover, Let’s Not Get Angry, Sink or Wwim, will be honored by the Cannes Film Festival. The film chosen for this evening of celebration is THE GREAT SPY CHASE (1964, 118'). Film restored by Gaumont and the Eclair Group.
Documentaries on the filmmaking, which represent a different kind of cinema and which Cannes Classics regularly showcases, will honor four directors:
Woody Allen
WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY by Robert Weide (113'), produced for the American Masters series (PBS) by B Plus Productions, Whyaduck Productions, Rat Entertainment Mike's Movies and Insurgent Media, distributed in France by Memento Films Distribution and world sales by Hanway Films.
Jerry Lewis
METHOD TO THE MADNESS OF JERRY LEWIS by Gregg Barson (115'), produced for American television channel Starz Media by Mansfield Avenue Productions.
John Boorman
ME AND ME DAD (66’) by his daughter Katrine Boorman who also produced the film through her production company, Colourframe Ltd.
Claude Miller
A film by Emmanuel Barnault, CLAUDE M LE CINEMA (52') produced by Jean Fabrice Barnault of Movie Da Productions for the Ciné + television channel and sold by Catherine Chevassu-C&CO.
The tribute to Claude Miller will continue into the Festival’s Closing Ceremony with the presentation of his latest film in the Official Selection, THERESA DESQUEYROUX.
Finally, on Wednesday, May 23rd at the Plage des Palmes in Cannes, the CNC will host its annual lunch for Cinematheques and Archives around the world.
