Cannes 2013

[swo17]

Looking forward to Criterion Blus of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Charulata (and upgrades of Hiroshima Mon Amour and An Autumn Afternoon).

I'm still looking forward to a Criterion Blu of Boudu.

[Brian C]

I wonder why The Big Blue would have to be "restored" after only 25 years. Or Queen Margot for that matter.

[zedz]

It may be part and parcel of 'upgrading' to DCP, plus popular films can get run into the ground fast, especially if their custodians have been careless with the elements.

[bainbridgezu]

It may be part and parcel of 'upgrading' to DCP, plus popular films can get run into the ground fast, especially if their custodians have been careless with the elements.

I can't speak for La Reine Margot, but this may well be the case for Le Grand Bleu. In its original release, Besson's film played in France for nearly two years.

[MichaelB]

It may be part and parcel of 'upgrading' to DCP, plus popular films can get run into the ground fast, especially if their custodians have been careless with the elements.

Indeed - the printing elements of a gargantuan hit (at least in French-speaking territories) like The Big Blue probably will be in worse shape than those for a contemporary flop. Although I'd hope that things like the original camera negative would be comparatively untouched.

[Stefan Andersson]

I wonder which version of La Reine Margot has been restored? There is a French version, a longer broadcast version (AFAIK only available as an OOP German DVD), a Director´s Cut, a Miramax cut and some other variants: http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=875009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(text mostly in English, translated from German, some German text)

[bdlover]

A bluray of Brocka's Manila: The Claws of Light would be very welcome indeed! A very under-represented period of South East-Asian cinema. Hope Criterion or MoC pick this up.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Godard and Greenaway in 3D http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdeta ... did=237251" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hearthesilence]

Random useless thought, but if Godard cut his hair and ditched those glasses, I'd bet he look a lot like Phil Collins.

[ellipsis7]

Cannes Classics 2013, a pretty comprehensive collection of recent restos...

Les films sont projetés comme voulus par les ayant-droits, en 35mm, DCP 2K ou DCP 4K.


• Pour commémorer le 50e anniversaire d’un des péplums les plus célèbres et les plus polémiques de l’histoire du cinéma, la 20th Century Fox, en partenariat avec Bulgari, présente une copie restaurée de CLEOPATRA (CLEOPATRE) de Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1963, 4h03).
La restauration numérique a été réalisée en 4K par la 20th Century Fox. La projection aura lieu en présence de Kate Burton, fille de Richard Burton et de Chris Wilding, fils d’Elizabeth Taylor.

• Le film des Jeux Olympiques de Munich 1972 : VISIONS OF EIGHT (1973, 1h49) de Youri Ozerov, Milos Forman, Mai Zetterling, Claude Lelouch, Arhur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger, Kon Ichikawa. Présenté par le Comité International Olympique.
Restauration numérique 4K à partir du négatif original par Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank. Restauration sonore à partir des pistes magnétiques originales par Audio Mechanics, Burbank.

• LA REINE MARGOT de Patrice Chéreau (1994, 2h39) présentée par Pathé.
Il y a vingt ans déjà que Patrice Chéreau, produit par Claude Berri, tournait sa Reine Margot, qu’il présenta à Cannes l’année suivante. Vingt ans après, dix ans après avoir été Président du Jury, Patrice Chéreau, revient sur la Croisette, entouré de quelques comédiens du film, dont Daniel Auteuil, membre du Jury de Cannes 2013.
En prévision du 20e anniversaire de la sortie du film, Pathé a restauré le film en 4K en 2013 et a confié les travaux, sous la direction de Patrice Chéreau, à Eclair Group pour l’image et L.E Diapason pour le son.

• Dans le cadre de la célébration par Cannes 2013 du centenaire de la naissance du cinéma Indien, RDB Entertainments présente CHARULATA (1964, 1h57), l’un des chefs d’œuvres de Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), cinéaste qui a figuré dès ses premiers au panthéon mondial et dont l’œuvre est peu à peu restaurée dans son pays d’origine.
Le film est présenté en copie restaurée depuis le négatif, restauration supervisée par RDB Entertainments et réalisée dans les Studios Pixion à Bombay, en Inde.

• Autre célébration, celle du 110e anniversaire de la naissance du cinéaste japonais Yasujirô Ozu : les studios Schochiku poursuivent la restauration de son œuvre immense en présentant SANMA NO AJI (LE GOUT DU SAKE, AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON) (1962, couleur, 2h13), l’ultime film du cinéaste.
Restauration numérique par Shochiku Co., Ltd., le National Film Center et le National Museum of Modern Art, à Tokyo. Le film sera distribué en France par Carlotta Films.

• LE JOLI MAI de Chris Marker et Pierre Lhomme (1963, nouvelle durée 2013 : 2h25) distribué par La Sofra et Potemkine Films.
Lorsque le projet de restaurer Le Joli Mai a été lancé, Chris Marker était là. Disparu le 29 juillet 2012, la projection à Cannes de ce film devenu très rare sera l’hommage au cinéaste par le Festival de Cannes et par ses amis, dont Pierre Lhomme, co-réalisateur du film et qui en a supervisé la restauration.
La restauration photochimique puis la numérisation et restauration du film original dans sa version intégrale ont été réalisées, avec le soutien du CNC/Archives Françaises du Film, par Mikros Images. Selon les souhaits de Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme, co-réalisateur du film, a ensuite effectué des coupes d’une vingtaine de minutes pour la version restaurée.
Les scans 2K, les restaurations de l’image et du son ont été réalisées par le laboratoire Mikros Images.

• GOHA de Jacques Baratier (1957, 1h18)
Comme chaque année, les Archives françaises du film du CNC présentent l’un de leurs travaux de restauration du patrimoine français. C’est un cinéaste rare, Jacques Baratier, réalisateur en 1967 du Désordre à vingt ans, qui est à l’honneur cette année, grâce au soutien de sa fille Diane. A noter que Goha, film présenté à Cannes en 1957 sous pavillon tunisien, est le premier film de Claudia Cardinale et qu’Omar Sharif, qui vint à Cannes pour la première fois avec Youssef Chahine, y apparaît sous le nom d’Omar Cherif.
Restauration à partir du négatif par les Archives françaises du film du CNC en collaboration avec Diane Baratier. Restauration numérique du son (mono d’origine).

• L’infatigable Martin Scorsese poursuit, depuis New York et grâce à la Film Foundation, la restauration des chefs d’œuvres de l’histoire du cinéma contemporain. En attendant de voir la suite de son Voyage dans le cinéma italien, le voilà qui a trouvé les moyens financiers de présenter une copie 4K restaurée de LUCKY LUCIANO (1973, 1h55) de Francesco Rosi.
Restauration financée par la Film Foundation et la Hollywood Foreign Press Association et réalisée par la cinémathèque de Bologne au laboratoire L’immagine Ritrovata. En collaboration avec Cristaldi Film et Paramount Pictures.

• IL DESERTO DEI TARTARI (LE DESERT DES TARTARES) de Valerio Zurlini (1976, 2h20).
Inspiré du roman de Dino Buzzati, Le Désert des tartares réunit, outre Jacques Perrin qui a produit le film, Vittorio Gassman, Philippe Noiret, Max von Sydow, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Francisco Rabal, Fernando Rey. Devenu impossible à voir sur grand écran, il était temps de le restaurer.
Travaux numériques effectués par Digimage Classics. Restauration image 4K à partir du négatif original avec l'accord de Cinecitta et sous le contrôle de Luciano Tovoli, directeur de la photographie du film. La restauration a été financée par le CNC dans le cadre du plan d'aide à la restauration et à la numérisation des films de patrimoine. Restauration son par Gérard Lamps. Produit par Galatée Films et distribué en France à partir du 12 juin par Les Acacias. Ventes Monde : Pathé International.

• THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ (L’APPRENTISSAGE DE DUDDY KRAVITZ) de Ted Kotcheff (1974, 2h)
Connu dans le monde entier comme le réalisateur du premier Rambo, Ted Kotcheff (né en 1931 à Toronto) est aussi le metteur en scène du grand classique australien Wake in fright (1971), de Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe (La grande Cuisine, 1978) et de The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, avec Richard Dreyfuss, qui eut une grande carrière internationale. Le film sera projeté en présence de Ted Kotcheff, des équipes de restauration et de production, ainsi que des équipes du festival international de Toronto.
Restauration numérique en 2K par les équipes de Technicolor Creative Services Toronto. Le film a été nettoyé image par image. La correction de couleur et de son a été supervisée par Ted Kotcheff. Le projet a été financé par The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, Astral, Technicolor Creative Services Canada, Telefilm Canada, The National Film Board of Canada et la Cinémathèque Québécoise.

• LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG de Jacques Demy (1964, 1h31)
Après La Bataille du rail de René Clément et Le Guépard de Luchino Visconti, voici une autre Palme d’or désormais réservée et visible en numérique. Dans le cadre de l’exposition accueillie par la Cinémathèque française (jusqu’au 4 août 2013), restauration de l’intégralité de la filmographie de Jacques Demy.
Une restauration numérique 2K d’après le scan 2K de la sélection trichrome, faite par Ciné Tamaris au laboratoire Digimage, avec le soutien du Festival de Cannes, LVMH, la ville de Cherbourg, la région Basse-Normandie et la campagne de crowdfunding sur kisskissbankbank. L’ensemble des travaux de restauration ont été suivis par Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda-Demy. Mathieu Demy a supervisé l’étalonnage.

• HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR d’Alain Resnais (1959, 1h32)
L’an dernier, Alain Resnais présentait Vous n’avez encore rien vu en compétition, et en ce printemps 2013, il tourne son nouveau film, Aimer boire et chanter. Hiroshima mon amour fut son premier film de fiction, produit par Anatole Dauman, dont la fille Florence veille sur le patrimoine, et présenté à Cannes 1959. Le voici, présenté dans les conditions étincelantes d’une nouvelle vie numérique.
La restauration 4K a été effectuée à partir du négatif original par Argos Films, la Fondation Technicolor, la Fondation Groupama Gan et la Cineteca di Bologna, avec le soutien du CNC. Elle a été supervisée par le directeur de la photographie Renato Berta. Travaux faits par le laboratoire L’Immagine Ritrovata avec fabrication d’éléments de préservation ainsi que d’éléments numériques et 35 mm pour sa diffusion. Ressortie en salles françaises le 17 juillet 2013.

• BOROM SARRET de Ousmane Sembene (1963, 20’) et MANILA IN THE CLAWS OF LIGHT (MANILLE) de Lino Brocka (1975, 2h04) sont présentés par la World Cinema Foundation, association lancée à Cannes en 2007 par Martin Scorsese et de nombreux cinéastes, afin de restaurer les trésors du monde entier, venus en particulier de pays n’ayant pas de tradition de préservation du patrimoine.
Le court métrage de Sembene Ousmane a été restauré par le laboratoire L’Immagine Ritrovata et le laboratoire Eclair, en collaboration avec l’Institut National de l’Audiovisuel. Le film de Lino Brocka a été l’objet d’une restauration numérique 4K effectuée également par L’Immagine Ritrovata. soutenue par le Conseil National des Philippines.

• THE LAST DETAIL (LA DERNIERE CORVEE) de Hal Ashby (1973, 1h44)
A l’occasion du 40ème anniversaire de sa sortie en salles, Sony Pictures redonne vie à l’un des grands films des années soixante-dix américaines : The Last Detail de Hal Ashby, devenu impossible à voir dans de bonnes conditions sur grand écran. Rappelons que Jack Nicholson remporta le Prix d'interprétation masculine lors de la présentation du film à Cannes en 1973.
Restauration numérique en 4K par Sony Pictures effectuée par Grover Crisp à Sony Pictures Entertainment – Sony Pictures Colorworks. Sortie en salle prévue pour novembre 2013 par Park Circus Films.

• THE LAST EMPEROR 3D (LE DERNIER EMPEREUR) (1987, 2h43) de Bernardo Bertolucci
Restauration en 4k par Recorded Picture Company et Repremiere Group dans les laboratoiress de Technicolor Rome. Une restauration supervisée par Bernardo Bertolucci, par le producteur Jeremy Thomas et le cinématographe Vittorio Storaro. La reconversion en 3D a été réalisée par Prime Focus.

• FEDORA REMASTERED de Billy Wilder (1978, 1h50)

FEDORA, l’avant-dernier film de Billy Wilder a été présenté Hors Compétition à Cannes en 1978. C’est l'un des films les plus sous-estimés de Wilder qui témoigne pourtant de la grandeur du réalisateur de « Sunset Boulevard » et « The Apartment ». Le film est interprété par l’acteur oscarisé Wiliam Holden (« Stalag 17 », « The Bridge on the River Kwai ») et Marthe Keller (« Marathon Man ») dans les rôles principaux, aux côtés de stars internationales telles que Henry Fonda, José Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen, Michael York, Hildegard Knef et Mario Adorf.
Restauration en 2K à partir du négatif par Bavaria Media en coopération avec CinePostproduction, Allemagne. La version restaurée a été construite dans le but de préserver l’apparence originale du film pour sa ressortie en cinéma et BluRay.

• PLEIN SOLEIL de René Clément (1960, 1h55)
Le film a été restauré en 4K par Studio Canal et La Cinémathèque francaise avec le soutien du Fonds Culturel Franco-Américain (DGA, MPAA, SACEM, WGAW). Les travaux ont été réalisés par L’Immagine Ritrovata à Bologne.



A l’occasion des cinquante ans de la mort de Cocteau
Jean Cocteau fut Président du Jury du Festival de Cannes et dans les années cinquante a grandement contribué par sa fidélité et ses contributions à en faire ce qu’il est rapidement devenu. Mort en 1963, Cocteau sera célébré en 2013 : l’écrivain, le poète, le peintre, le diariste. C’est l’homme et le cinéaste que Cannes va consacrer en projetant dans une soirée spéciale La Belle et la Bête, sélectionné à Cannes en 1946 qui sera suivi de Opium, une comédie musicale réalisée dans le cadre de l’année Cocteau par Arielle Dombasle et qui raconte les amours de Raymond Radiguet et de Jean Cocteau, au début des années 20.

LA BELLE ET LA BETE de Jean Cocteau (1946, 1h34)
Restauration numérique effectuée par SNC / Groupe M6 et La Cinémathèque française, avec le soutien du Fonds Culturel Franco-Américain.

OPIUM (2013, 1h15) comédie musicale réalisée par Arielle Dombasle et produite par MARGO cinéma, avec le soutien de Pierre Bergé et de Canal Plus. Avec Grégoire Colin, Samuel Mercer, Julie Depardieu, Hélène Fillières, Niels Schneider, Philippe Katrine et Anna Sigalevitch. Sortie française octobre 2013 (Ad Vitam).

[Duncan Hopper]

For those who can't read French.

• To mark the 50th anniversary of one of the best known and most controversial epics in the history of the cinema, 20th Century Fox, in partnership with Bulgari, presents a restored copy of Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s CLEOPATRA (1963, 4h03).
Digital restoration was carried out in 4K by 20th Century Fox. The screening will take place in the presence of Richard Burton’s daughter Kate Burton, and Chris Wilding, Elizabeth Taylor’s son.


• The film of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games: VISIONS OF EIGHT (1973, 1h49) by Youri Ozerov, Milos Forman, Mai Zetterling, Claude Lelouch, Arhur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger, and Kon Ichikawa. Presented by the International Olympic Committee.
Digital restoration 4K from the original negative by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank. Sound restoration from the original magnetic tracks by Audio Mechanics, Burbank.


• LA REINE MARGOT by Patrice Chéreau (1994, 2h39) presented by Pathé.
Twenty years have passed since Patrice Chéreau, produced by Claude Berri, shot La Reine Margot, which he presented at Cannes the following year. Now twenty years on, ten years after serving as Chairman of the Jury, Patrice Chéreau returns to the Croisette, in the company of some actors from the film, including Daniel Auteuil, member of the Cannes 2013 Jury.
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the film’s release, Pathé restored the film in 4K in 2013 and entrusted the work, under the direction of Patrice Chéreau, to Eclair Group for the image and L.E Diapason for the sound.


• As part of Cannes 2013’s celebration of the centenary of the birth of Indian cinema, RDB Entertainments presents CHARULATA (1964, 1h57), one of the masterpieces of Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), a filmmaker who figured in the world pantheon from his beginnings and whose work is gradually being restored in his country of origin.
The film is presented in a copy restored from the negative, restoration supervised by RDB Entertainments and carried out in Studios Pixion in Bombay, India.


• Another celebration, that of the 110th anniversary of the birth of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirô Ozu: Schochiku Studios continue the restoration of his immense body of work with the presentation of SANMA NO AJI (AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON) (1962, colour, 2h13), the filmmaker’s last film.
Digital restoration by Shochiku Co., Ltd., the National Film Center and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The film will be distributed in France by Carlotta Films.


• LE JOLI MAI by Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme (1963, new length 2013: 2h25) distributed by La Sofra and Potemkine Films.
When the project to restore Le Joli Mai was launched, Chris Marker was still with us. He died on 29th July 2012, and the Cannes screening of this film, now very rare, will be a tribute to the filmmaker by the Festival de Cannes and his friends, including Pierre Lhomme, co-director of the film who also supervised the restoration.
The photochemical restoration followed by digitization and restoration of the original film in its complete version were carried out by Mikros Images with the support of CNC/Archives Françaises du Film. According to the wishes of Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme, co-director of the film, then made some twenty minutes of cuts for the restored version.
The 2K scans, and restoration of the image and sound were carried out by the Mikros Images laboratory.


• GOHA by Jacques Baratier (1957, 1h18)
As it does every year, Archives Françaises du Film du CNC present one of their restorations of French film heritage. This year the honour goes to a rarely seen filmmaker, Jacques Baratier, director of the 1967 film Le Désordre à vingt ans, thanks to the support of his daughter Diane. It should be recalled that Goha, presented at Cannes in 1957 under the Moroccan flag, was Claudia Cardinale’s first film and that Omar Sharif, who came to Cannes for the first time with Youssef Chahine, appeared in it as Omar Cherif.
Restoration from the negative by Archives Françaises du Film du CNC in collaboration with Diane Baratier. Digital restoration of the sound (originally in mono).


• The indefatigable Martin Scorsese carries on with the restoration of historical masterpieces of contemporary film from New York, thanks to the Film Foundation. While waiting to see his next excursion into Italian film, it turns out he has found the financing to present a 4K restored copy of Francesco Rosi’s LUCKY LUCIANO (1973, 1h55).
Restoration financed by the Film Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and carried out by the Cinémathèque de Bologne at the L’immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in collaboration with Cristaldi Film and Paramount Pictures.

• IL DESERTO DEI TARTARI (THE DESERT OF THE TARTARS) by Valerio Zurlini (1976, 2h20).
Taken from the novel by Dino Buzzati, The Tartar Steppe brings together Vittorio Gassman, Philippe Noiret, Max von Sydow, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Francisco Rabal, and Fernando Rey, not forgetting Jacques Perrin who produced the film. No longer possible to screen, it was time to restore it.
Digital conversion by Digimage Classics. 4K Image restoration from the original negative with the consent of Cinecitta and under the supervision of Luciano Tovoli, the film’s director of photography. Sound restoration by Gérard Lamps. Produced by Galatée Films and distributed in France from 12th June by Les Acacias. World sales: Pathé International.

• THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ by Ted Kotcheff (1974, 2h)
Known worldwide as the director of the first Rambo, Ted Kotcheff (born 1931 in Toronto) is also the stage director of the great Australian classic Wake in Fright (1971), Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe (La grande Cuisine, 1978) and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, with Richard Dreyfuss, who had a major international career. The film will be screened in the presence of Ted Kotcheff, the restoration and production crews, as well the staff of the Toronto international festival.
Digital restoration in 2K by the crew of Technicolor Creative Services Toronto. The film was cleaned frame by frame. Colour and sound correction was supervised by Ted Kotcheff. The project was financed by The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, Astral, Technicolor Creative Services Canada, Telefilm Canada, The National Film Board of Canada and La Cinémathèque Québécoise.

• LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG) by Jacques Demy (1964, 1h31)
Following on from La Bataille du Rail by René Clément and Il gattopardo (The Leopard) by Luchino Visconti, here comes another Palme d’or now reserved and visible in digital. As part of the exhibition taking place at the Cinémathèque française (until 4th August 2013), a restoration of the complete filmography of Jacques Demy.
A digital restoration in 2K from the 2K scan of the trichrome selection, made by Ciné Tamaris at the Digimage laboratory, with the support of the Festival de Cannes, LVMH, the City of Cherbourg, the Basse-Normandie region and a crowd-funding campaign on kisskissbankbank. All the restoration work was supervised by Agnès Varda and Rosalie Varda-Demy. Mathieu Demy supervised the calibration.

• HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR by Alain Resnais (1959, 1h32)
Last year saw Alain Resnais presenting Vous n’avez encore rien vu (You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet) in competition, and this spring 2013, he is shooting his new film, Aimer boire et chanter. Hiroshima mon amour was his first fiction film, produced by Anatole Dauman, whose daughter Florence looks after the catalogue, and presented at Cannes in 1959. Here we see him presented reborn in sparkling digital form.
The restoration in 4K was carried out from the original negative by Argos Films, the Technicolor Foundation, the Groupama Gan Foundation and the Cineteca di Bologna, with the support of the CNC. It was supervised by the director of photography Renato Berta. The work was done by L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory with manufacture of conservation materials as well as digital and 35 mm copies for distribution. Scheduled for re-release in French cinemas on 17th July 2013.

• BOROM SARRET by Ousmane Sembene (1963, 20’) and MANILA IN THE CLAWS OF LIGHT by Lino Brocka (1975, 2h04) will be presented by the World Cinema Foundation, an association launched in Cannes in 2007 by Martin Scorsese and a number of filmmakers, in order to restore treasures from around the globe, especially from those countries that have no tradition of heritage preservation.
Sembene Ousmane’s short film has been restored by the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory and the Éclair laboratory, in collaboration with the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel. Lino Brocka’s film was digitally restored in 4K also by L’Immagine Ritrovata, supported by the Philippines National Council.

• THE LAST DETAIL by Hal Ashby (1973, 1h44)
To mark the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its cinema release, Sony Pictures is giving a second lease of life to one of the great American films of the 1970s: Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail, by now unwatchable on the big screen. It will be recalled that Jack Nicholson won the Male Acting prize when the film was presented at Cannes in 1973.
Digital restoration in 4K by Sony Pictures carried out by Grover Crisp at Sony Pictures Entertainment – Sony Pictures Colorworks. Cinema release scheduled for November 2013 by Park Circus Films.



• THE LAST EMPEROR 3D (LE DERNIER EMPEREUR) (1987, 2h43) by Bernardo Bertolucci
Restoration in 4k by Recorded Picture Company and Repremiere Group in Technicolor Rome’s laboratories. The restoration was supervised by Bernardo Bertolucci, by the producer Jeremy Thomas and the cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The conversion to 3D was done by Prime Focus.

• FEDORA REMASTERED by Billy Wilder (1978, 1h50)
FEDORA is Billy Wilder’s second-to-last film and was originally presented Out Of Competition in Cannes in 1978. It is one of Wilder’s most underestimated films and can been seen as the testimonial of the great director of “Sunset Boulevard” and “The Apartment”. It stars Academy® Award winner William Holden ("Stalag 17", "The Bridge on the River Kwai") and Marthe Keller ("Marathon Man") in the lead roles, next to a roster of high-caliber international stars such as Henry Fonda, José Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen, Michael York, Hildegard Knef and Mario Adorf.
Restoration by Bavaria Media in cooperation with CinePostproduction, Germany. The source material for the restoration were the original picture negative and sound elements. Custom solutions in the 2K digital restoration workflow were designed with the aim to preserve the original look of the work in the new release for cinema and BluRay.

• PLEIN SOLEIL by René Clément (1960, 1h55)
The film was restored in 4K by Studio Canal and La Cinémathèque francaise with the support of the Franco-American cultural fund (DGA, MPAA, SACEM, WGAW). The work was done by L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna.


Marking fifty years since the death of Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau was Chairman of the Festival de Cannes Jury and was a great contributor during the fifties with his constant efforts and his part in making it what it rapidly became. Cocteau died in 1963 and will be commemorated in 2013: the writer, poet, painter, and diarist. Cannes will be paying tribute both to the man and to the filmmaker with a special evening screening of La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast), selected at Cannes in 1946, followed by Opium, a musical comedy directed as part of the Cocteau year by Arielle Dombasle which recounts the loves of Raymond Radiguet and Jean Cocteau in the early 1920s.

LA BELLE ET LA BETE (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) by Jean Cocteau (1946, 1h34)
Digital restoration carried out by SNC / Groupe M6 and La Cinémathèque française, with the support of the Franco-American cultural fund.


OPIUM (2013, 1h15) a musical comedy directed by Arielle Dombasle and produced by MARGO cinéma, with the support of Pierre Bergé and Canal Plus. With Grégoire Colin, Samuel Mercer, Julie Depardieu, Hélène Fillières, Niels Schneider, Philippe Katrine and Anna Sigalevitch. French release in October 2013 (Ad Vitam).




TWO DOCUMENTARIES SCREENED AT THE BUNUEL THEATRE

• CON LA PATA QUEBRADA (2013, 1h23), a documentary by Diego Galán produced by Enrique Cerezo P.C and El Deseo. From the thirties to the present day, a chronicle on the representation of women in Spanish film, which is also a look back at the country’s history.

• A STORY OF CHILDREN & FILM (2013, 1h40) by Mark Cousins is the first global portrait global of children in the cinema. Using excerpts from 53 films from 25 different countries, this documentary is a “infantile” sequel to THE STORY OF FILM : AN ODYSSEY by the same director. A documentary produced by Mary Bell and Adam Dawtrey of BofA Productions.

Lastly, in a tribute to Joanne Woodward (whose presence is still unconfirmed), whose picture appears with her husband Paul Newman on the poster of the 66th edition, the Festival will screen a film that she has produced and which she wanted to show: SHEPARD & DARK by Treva Wurmfeld (2013, 1h29).


In addition, Cannes Classics will also be part of Cinéma de la Plage where the following restored films will be shown:


CINEMA DE LA PLAGE

JOUR DE FETE de Jacques Tati (France, 1949, 1h27)
Digital restoration in 2K by Les Films de mon Oncle

THE GENERAL de Buster Keaton (1926, 1h18)
Digital restoration in 4K made by la Modern Videofilm under the supervision of Cohen Film Collection.

THE BIRDS d’Alfred Hitchcock (1963, 2h09)
Restauration in 4K made by Universal Studios Digital Services to mark their Centenary. (2012)

SIMEON (1992, 1h55) d’Euzhan Palcy
Euzhan Palcy’s film will be screened to mark the 2013 centenary of the poet Aimé Césaire.

LE GRAND BLEU (THE BIG BLUE) (1988, 2h16) de Luc Besson
Digital restoration in SCOPE made by Gaumont in partnership with the Eclair Group laboratory.

THE LADIES’ MAN de Jerry Lewis (1961, 1h35)
Digital copy from the restoration of the negative carried out by Technicolor for Paramount and Swashbuckler Films.

L’HOMME DE RIO (THAT MAN FROM RIO) de Philippe de Broca (France, 1964, 1h52)
Restoration in 2K supervised by TF1 Droits Audiovisuels with the support of the CNC. Re-released on cinemas on 29th May and in DVD, Blu Ray and VOD on 15th May.

SAFETY LAST (USA, 1923, 1h13) de Fred C.Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
Restoration by Janus Films, Criterion and Harold Loyd Entertainment.

[andyli]

It remains to be seen what AR would The Last Emperor be in. 4K restoration sounds good though.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Details on the selection--including PDF press kits for many films--are now up on the Cannes website. A lot of the press kits are only available in French, but to go from previous years, English versions will be added eventually (and you can still read the plot synopses in English). I found the English press kit for A Touch of Sin here and it looks, uh, different?

[joshua]

Indiewire has a trailer up for Jia's A Touch of Sin.

[JabbaTheSlut]

Looks fantastic.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Indiewire has a trailer up for Jia's A Touch of Sin.

There's also a clip here (it's the second video--the first clip is the trailer again).

About half the comments on the article are to the effect of "this will never be released in China."

[bdlover]

Jia does Babel, who would've thought it. Could be in with a chance!

[Zot!]

Could be great, but every image and clip focusing on the violence makes it seem like a cheap bid for attention. Also I much preferred Jia's more observational filmmaking, this seems like agitprop, and that is a crowded genre.

[bdlover]

Kore-eda joint favourite at 3-1, dammit. Tempting long shots: Haroun at 20/1, Jia at 33/1.

[John Cope]

Neil Young's updated odds. He's had the Haroun at the top all along so far. If history is any judge though that will likely change.

[Amy Racecar]

A couple of reviews for Ozon's Young and Beautiful.

Variety, THR, and the Telegraph are positive.

Leslie Felperin at Variety

Following hot on the heels of his return to playfully serious form with “In the House” after several slighter efforts, writer-helmer Francois Ozon continues his mid-career roll with “Young & Beautiful.” Like “House,” the new film is a nuanced, emotionally temperate study of a precocious youth, this time centered on a bourgeois teenage girl — entrancingly incarnated by newcomer Marine Vacth — who takes up prostitution the way other kids might get sucked into drugs, eating disorders or self-harm. Although it lacks its predecessor’s critic-wowing metafictional fireworks, its elegant execution will win warm regard, while the baby “Belle de jour” subject matter should lure audiences at arthouses worldwide.

Indiewire dissents.

Kevin Jagernauth at Indiewire

Ozon wants to have it both ways with "Young & Beautiful," using a young woman's risk-filled sexual awakening as an illustration of coming-of-age, while also demanding a realism from a situation that he keeps far from being rationalized and justified. Holding the cards back from the audience can be a rewarding experience, but here it leaves much of the filmmaker's own purpose not just open to interpretation, but to question. At its base level, it's an argument that Ozon positions thusly: "Adolescence is often idealized in cinema. For me it was a painful period of complicated transition and I’m not nostalgic about it." It's a powerful and personal point-of-view, but in asking the audience to do half the legwork for him, "Young & Beautiful" misses an opportunity to say something definitively different about being seventeen.

Edit: And Heli, from Amat Escalante.

THR and HitFix praise the construction but aren't impressed otherwise.

Guy Lodge at HitFix

All sandy surfaces and doomy lilac clouds, "Heli" could hardly be more pristinely framed and lit by cinematographer Lorenzo Hagerman, but its glassiness is a cop-out, objectifying characters that are already objects in a rigid moral composition. Supremely accomplished and subtextually tidy, "Heli" leaves us, even at its ugliest, comfortably numb.

Indiewire is warmer, but their review is mostly descriptive.

The Guardian is enthusiastic.

[bdlover]

Neil Young's updated odds. He's had the Haroun at the top all along so far. If history is any judge though that will likely change.

Am referring to the bookies odds here. Young doesn't have a very good track record on these things. Whilst Haroun's nationality no doubt holds some appeal, the hiccup is that none of his films to date have been exceptional, and there's often an unreformed paternalism about them too. Having now been through the presskits, I believe it's between Payne and Kore-eda (still the favourite). Desplechin in with a shot if they can get over the casting gaff.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

So the festival has its first scandal, albeit in the Directors' Fortnight:

Organisers of Cannes' Directors' Fortnight/Quinzaine des réalisateurs published a statement on the section's website last night denouncing the inflammatory remarks of Iranian director Alireza Khatami on stage after yesterday's screening of Taiwan-produced omnibus Taipei Factory.

-La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs dénonce les propos diffamatoires prononcés par un réalisateur jeudi lors de la session de question réponses de la Taipei Factory. Nous tenons à assurer la Taipei film commission de notre complète adhésion au projet, à sa réalisation et à son esprit. Totalement solidaires, nous ne pouvons que regretter cette intervention sans fondement.

-The Directors' Fortnight condemns the defamatory remarks made by a director on Thursday during the question-and-answer session at the screening of Taipei Factory. We want to reassure the Taipei Film Commission of our complete support for the project, for its direction and for its spirit. We unanimously regret this baseless accusation. (Film Business Asia's translation)

After the 12:30pm screening, Khatami said that he had been a victim of racism during the shoot in Taiwan. He denounced the film project as a political pawn in the re-election campaign of Taipei City's mayor. And he added that he was ashamed that he hadn't chosen to leave the project earlier.

The tone of the Quinzaine's statement (which is only slightly less harsh than Cannes' remarks on von Trier's "Nazi" comments) becomes more comprehensible when you read on and find that they co-produced the film.

[zedz]

Now that's embarrassing, whatever the truth of the situation might be (as if we'll ever know).

It just occurred to me that what is very likely to be the best film screening at Cannes this year is one the festival previously rejected.

[FerdinandGriffon]

It just occurred to me that what is very likely to be the best film screening at Cannes this year is one the festival previously rejected.

Which is that?

Does anyone think the Jia has a fighting chance? For me it's the most intriguing film in competition by a long shot, and I would hope that its more populist (for lack of a better word) qualities would appeal to Spielberg and co.