La Bataille de Cannes, soixante ans de festival
Gilles Nadeau
2007 - 55 min - Digital vidéo - Couleur - France

The Cannes Film Festival celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2007. The Italian cinema triumphed in the 60s and 70s; at the same time French cinema was having a hard time. With the exception of Demy, Truffaut and Lelouch, the New Wave was absent from the competition and prize winners, but it hogged the spotlight by obtaining the cancellation of the festival in 1968. The 70s brought a wave of American Gold Palm winners:
"M.A.S.H.", "Apocalypse Now", "Taxi Driver", "Wild at Heart". French cinema, with the exception of Claude Goretta and Maurice Pialat, was virtually absent at awards time. However, acting prizes provided some oases in this desert: Jean Yanne for Pialat’s "Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble", Isabelle Huppert, and Emmanuelle Béart, who brought Claude Chabrol ou Jacques Rivette a place in the awards list.