Godard, Losey, Antonioni, Visconti, Tati, Franju et Sergio Leone once again in the Official Selection? Pierrot le Fou, Eyes Without A Face or Senso in Competition against L’Avventura or Once Upon A Time…the Revolution?

Martin Scorsese is the honorary President of Cannes Classics 2009, a
section established in 2004 to accompany the contemporary films of the
Official Selection with a program of restored  and rediscovered films,
to be released theatrically or on DVD. The films will be presented in
the Palais des Festival and screened retrospectively at the Licorne
theatre.

The program

The Red Shoes presented in the Debussy Theater

Cannes Classics has invited Martin Scorsese to present Michael
Powell and Emeric Pressburger's masterpiece, THE RED SHOES (1948, UK),
has been restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive in association
with The British Film Institute, The Film Foundation, ITV Global
Entertainment Ltd., and Janus Films, with funding provided by the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Film Foundation, and the Louis
B. Mayer Foundation. The film will be presented in the Debussy Theater
with Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker-Powell in attendance.

To Hell and back, memories of Henri-Georges Clouzot

In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot's tempestuous shoot of L'ENFER, with
Romy Schneider and Serge Reggiani, comes to a sudden halt. The film lay
dormant, never to be touched again; its images and legends remaining a
myth. Serge Bromberg, known for his ceaseless efforts at preservation
with Lobster Films, found the canisters which contained screen tests
and scenes from the film. By successfully “recomposing” the lost work
he creates a new film, bringing the old one back to life.

World Cinema Foundation 2009

Inaugurated in Cannes 2007 to help developing countries preserve
their film heritage, the World Cinema Foundation, presided by Martin
Scorsese, presents three films supported by advisor-filmmakers:
A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY by Edward Yang (1991, 237’ Taiwan), unseen version.
AL-MOMIA by Shadi Abdel Salam (1969, 103’ Egypt)
REDES by Emilio Gomez Muriel and Fred Zinnemann (1936, 61’ Mexico)

The World Cinema Foundation has also helped the Bergman Foundation, which will be presenting IMAGES FROM THE PLAYGROUND
(29' Sweden). Restored by Stig Björkman, this unseen footage from
Ingmar Bergman's “home movies” was shot by him during the making of his
films.

Joseph Losey Centenary

One hundred years after the birth of Joseph Losey, ten years since
the loss of his primary collaborator, Dirk Bogarde and one year on from
that of the playwright and screenwriter Harold Pinter, ACCIDENT
(1967, 105' UK), screened in their honor, was restored by the BFI
National Archive and Studio Canal and will be presented in the Buñuel
Theater. There will also be a new print of DON GIOVANNI (1979, 176' Italy) screened as part of our "Cinema de la plage" thematic program.

Documentaries on filmmaking

LES DEUX DE LA VAGUE (90' France), a film by
Antoine de Baecque and Emmanuel Laurent. In celebration of the fifty
years since the birth of the New Wave, this documentary recalls the
presentation in Cannes 1959 of The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cent coups)
and the birth of Breathless (A bout de souffle), evoking the birth of
two exemplary New Wave filmmakers: François Truffaut and Jean-Luc
Godard.

PIETRO GERMI, IL BRAVO, IL BELLO, IL CATTIVO (60’ Italy) by Mario Bondí.
The career and personality of a filmmaker too often forgotten: Pietro
Germi - seven of his films in Competition at the Festival de Cannes -
received the Palme d'Or in 1966 for SIGNORE E SIGNORI (119' Italy). Struck for the theatrical release following the Festival, a new print will be screened.

A selection of restored and new prints

L’AVVENTURA by Michelangelo Antonioni (1960, 143’ Italy), which inspired the 2009 Festival poster. New Print.

AN UNS GLAUBT GOTT NICHT MEHR by Axel Corti (1982, 104’ Austria). Print restored by Le Pacte.

GIU LA TESTA (Once Upon A Time...the Revolution) by
Sergio Leone (1971, 153’ Italy). Print restored by the Cineteca di
Bologna and the laboratory Immagine Ritrovata.

LOIN DU VIETNAM (Far from Vietnam) by Joris Ivens,
William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnés Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris
Marker, Alain Resnais (1967, 115’ France). Print restored by the
Archives françaises du film du CNC.

PIERROT LE FOU by Jean-Luc Godard (1965, 107’ France). Digital restoration and projection by Studio Canal.

PRINCE YEONSAN by Shin Sang-ok (1961, 133’ Corée). Print restored by the Korean Film Archive and HFR laboratory.

SENSO (Livia) by Luchino Visconti (1954, 123’
Italy). Print restored by Studiocanal and Centro Sperimentale di
Cinematografia, Cineteca Nazionale at Cineteca di Bologna / L'Immagine
Ritrovata with funding provided by GUCCI and The Film Foundation

LES VACANCES DE M. HULOT (Monsieur's Hulot's
Holiday) by Jacques Tati (1953, 88’ France). Print restored by the
Fondation Thompson, the Fondation Groupama Gan, Les Films de Mon Oncle
and the Cinémathèque française.

VICTIM by Basil Dearden (1961, 101’ UK). New print.

WAKE IN FRIGHT by Ted Kotcheff (1971, 109’ Australia). Print restored by the National Film & Television Archive.

LES YEUX SANS VISAGE (Eyes Without A Face) by Georges Franju (1960, 91’ France). Print restored by Gaumont.