2024 Cannes Classics: Restorations of ‘Umbrellas of Cherbourg,’ ‘The Sugarland Express;’ New Docs Featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Faye Dunaway
The Cannes Classics selection, created twenty years ago, features celebrations, restored prints and documentaries and the lineup this year should leave cinephiles salivating.
The stellar lineup includes screenings of the 40th anniversary of Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders (Palme d’Or 1984), the 70th birthday of Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samourai, the 4K restoration and 60th anniversary of Jacques Demy’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Palme d’Or 1964) and restored prints of Steven Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express (1974) and Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun (1971).
There will also be world premieres of high profile docs about Oscar-winning actresses Faye Dunaway and Elizabeth Taylor as well as the works of Sylvia Chang, Costa-Gavras, Raymond Depardon, Marco Bellocchio, Ron Howard, Frederick Wiseman, Dong-ho Kim, Montxo Armendáriz and more, to visit the history of cinema with those who preserve and restore our heritage, those who distribute and show films, film librarians and laboratories, festivals from all over the world, public institutions, 2024 festival-goers, loyal Cannes Cinéphiles accredited members and Three Days in Cannes spectators.
Here is the complete list of events, restorations, documentaries and more.
EVENTS
| GILDA Charles Vidor 1946, 1h50, United States |
| A Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation. Restoration from the original 35mm nitrate negative and a 35mm nitrate internegative. 4K digitization and digital image restoration by Cineric, Inc. Audio restoration by John Polito at Audio Mechanics from the sound track of the original 35mm nitrate negative. Color correction, conformation, additional image restoration and DCP creation by Motion Picture Imaging colorist Sheri Eisenberg. Restoration supervised by Grover Crisp. Screening in the presence of Tom Rothman, President of Sony Pictures Entertainment. |
| PARIS, TEXAS Wim Wenders 1984, 2h28, West Germany/France |
| A Wim Wenders Stiftung presentation. A 4K restoration commissioned by the Wim Wenders Stiftung under the supervision of Wim Wenders and with the kind collaboration of Argos Films. Distribution France Tamasa, release July 3, 2024. Screening in the presence of Wim Wenders. |
| LA VÉRITÉ EST RÉVOLUTIONNAIRE – L’AVEU Directed by Yannick Kergoat, written by Edwy Plenel 2024, 52mins, France |
| Michèle Ray-Gavras presents a KG Productions production with the support of INA, Gaumont Pathé Archives, ERT. Presentation of one of the ten episodes of the documentary series « Le Siècle de Costa-Gavras », dedicated to the history of the film L’Aveu. Screening in the presence of Costa-Gavras, Edwy Plenel and Yannick Kergoat. |
| SCÉNARIOS Jean-Luc Godard 2024, 18mins and 34mins, France/Japan |
| An Écran noir productions production in association with ARTE France and Nekojarashi Llp (Roadstead). Scénarios is the title Jean-Luc Godard chose for his final 18-minute film, made, literally, the day before his voluntary death. In addition, Jean-Luc Godard recorded a 34-minute film in which, mixing still and moving images, halfway between reading and seeing, he outlined his project for Scénarios. Screening in the presence of Fabrice Aragno, Jean-Luc Godard’s assistant, and Mitra Farahani, producer. |
| THE SEVEN SAMOURAI (Les Sept Samouraïs) Akira Kurosawa 1954, 3h27, Japan |
| A presentation of Toho Global Ltd. Digital restoration by Toho Co.,Ltd. For the 4K restoration, the 35mm print was supplied by Toho and produced by TOHO Archive Co, Ltd. Images and sound respectively digitized by ARRISCAN and SONDOR RESONANCES. Restoration carried out to celebrate the film’s 70th anniversary since its first Japanese cinema release. French distributor : The Jokers Films. Screening in the presence of Shion Komatsu (Toho). |
| LAW AND ORDER Frederick Wiseman 1969, 1h21, United States |
| A presentation and restoration by Zipporah Films in association with Steven Spielberg, with the participation of the Library of Congress. New version restored in 4K from the 16mm image negative and original sound. Digitization and color grading carried out at DuArt and Goldcrest laboratories in New York. Calibration and restoration by Jane Tolmachyov, under the supervision of Frederick Wiseman and the production direction of Karen Konicek. Digitization of the complete works of Frederick Wiseman, which will be the subject of retrospectives around the world from autumn 2024. Screening in the presence of Frederick Wiseman. |
| LES ANNÉES DÉCLIC (The Declic Years) Raymond Depardon 1984, 1h07, France |
| A Presentation of the Films du losange. Restauration in 4K under the supervision of Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon at TransPerfect Media laboratory from 35mm image, magnetic and sound negatives. Screening in the presence of Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon. |
| BYE BYE BRASIL (Bye bye Brésil) Carlos Diegues 1970, 1h42, Brazil |
| A presentation and restoration by Lucy and Luiz Carlos Barreto for Produções Cinematográficas LC Barreto, in association with Quanta, Alexandre Rocha and Marcelo Pedrazzi, financed by Rede D’Or. Screening in the presence of Lucy and Luiz Carlos Barreto, Paula Barreto. |
| THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG Jacques Demy 1964, 1h32, France |
| A presentation by Ciné-Tamaris. 4K restoration under the supervision of Mathieu Demy and Rosalie Varda-Demy from the original negative, scanned in immersion to reduce the effects of time on the film by the Eclair Classics and L.E. Diapason laboratories in Paris. Sound restoration based on a three-track stereophonic mix of music and vocals. Screening in the presence of Rosalie Varda-Demy and Mathieu Demy. |
| JACQUES DEMY, LE ROSE ET LE NOIR Florence Platarets 2024, 1h28, France |
| An Ex Nihilo, Ciné-Tamaris, ARTE France and INA production, with the participation of Ciné +, Cineventure 9, and the CNC. International distribution by mk2 Films. Screening in the presence of Florence Platarets and Frédéric Bonnaud (screenwriter). |
DOCUMENTARIES
| FAYE Laurent Bouzereau 2024, 1h31, United States |
| A Needland Media, Amblin and HBO production. The first feature-length documentary about Faye Dunaway who speaks about her career, with landmark roles in Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown and Network. Joining Faye are her son Liam, colleagues and friends such as Sharon Stone, Mickey Rourke, James Gray and many others. Screening in the presence of Faye Dunaway and Laurent Bouzereau. |
| JIM HENSON IDEA MAN Ron Howard 2024, 1h51, United States |
| An Imagine Documentaries and Disney Branded Television production. Welcome to the mind of Jim Henson, a singular creative visionary, from his early years as a puppeteer on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and more. With unprecedented access to Jim’s personal archives, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard offers a fascinating and insightful look at a complex man whose vivid imagination inspired the world. Screening in the presence of Ron Howard. |
| WALKING IN THE MOVIES Lyang Kim 2024, 1h28, South Korea |
| A ZONE Film, Kookje Daily News co-production with the participation of Busan’s Committee for Local Press. A portrait of one of the key figures in the rise of Korean cinema: Kim Dong-ho, founder of the Busan International Film Festival. The film describes his own dedication and creativity in the service of cinema and asks: “How could a high official fall in love with cinema?” Screening in the presence Dong-ho Kim and Lyang Kim. |
| JACQUES ROZIER, D’UNE VAGUE À L’AUTRE Emmanuel Barnault 2024, 1h, France |
| An INA and mk2 Films production, with the participation of Ciné+ and the CNC. Jacques Rozier or the fierce, independent itinerary of a filmmaker in perpetual disarray, admired by his peers and pampered by the critics. Screening in the presence of Emmanuel Barnault. |
| ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES Nanette Burstein 2024, 1h41, United States |
| A Zipper Bros Films, Gerber Pictures, Sutter Road Picture Company and Bad Robot production. Thanks to access to Elizabeth Taylor’s personal archives and seventy hours of newly-discovered intimate recordings, the film by Nanette Burstein, who won acclaim at Cannes a few years ago for The Kid Stays in the Picture, which she co-directed with Brett Morgen, lifts the veil on the star, revealing a woman far removed from her public image. Screening in the presence of Nanette Burstein. |
| FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT, LE SCÉNARIO DE MA VIE David Teboul 2024, 1h38, France |
| A co-production of 10.7 production and INA, with the participation of France Télévisions, CNC, Procirep-Angoa and Fondation La Poste. International sales mk2 Films. At the end of his life, gravely ill, François Truffaut took refuge with his ex-wife Madeleine Morgenstern. She tried to keep him occupied during his long agony. The filmmaker confided in his friend Claude de Givray, with the intention of writing his autobiography. Too weakened, he abandoned the project. The film reveals part of this final story. Screening in the presence of David Teboul and Serge Toubiana (screenwriter). |
| ONCE UPON A TIME MICHEL LEGRAND David Hertzog Dessites 2024, 2h, France |
| A MACT Productions and Le Sous-Marin Productions production with the participation of OCS, in association with Dulac Distribution, Mediawan Rights and Indéfilms 10. Michel Legrand, jazz musician and composer extraordinaire, has left his mark on the history of cinema, including the films of Jacques Demy, especially The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the 60th anniversary of which is being celebrated in Cannes. Using never-before-seen archives and personal accounts, the film looks back on a lifetime dedicated to music, and the career of a man who served it masterfully to the very end. Screening in the presence of David Hertzog Dessites. |
RESTORED PRINTS
| SLAP THE MONSTER ON PAGE ONE Marco Bellocchio 1972, 1h28, Italy/France |
| A Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna presentation. Restored in 4K by the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Surf Film and Kavac Film, under the supervision of Marco Bellocchio at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. Screening in the presence of Marco Bellocchio and Gian Luca Farinelli, Director of the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna. |
| THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS Steven Spielberg 1974, 1h50, United States |
| A presentation and restoration by Universal Pictures. Special thanks to Steven Spielberg for his oversight of the 4K restoration of this film. Screening in the presence of Cassandra Moore, Vice President, Mastering & Archive at NBCUniversal. |
| CAMP DE THIAROYE Ousmane Sembene and Thierno Faty Sow 1988, 2h33, Senegal/Algeria/Tunisia |
| A presentation of The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project. Restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and the Cineteca di Bologna at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in association with the Tunisian Ministry of Culture and the Senegalese Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage. Thanks to Mohammed Challouf. Restoration funded by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Screening in the presence of Margaret Bodde, Executive Director of The Film Foundation. |
| ARMY OF SHADOWS Jean-Pierre Melville 1969, 2h23, France |
| A Studiocanal presentation. 4K restoration created from the original 35mm negative and sound negative carried out by L’Image Retrouvée. Screening in the presence of Juliette Hochart, EVP of Library, and Thierry Lacaze, Head of French theatrical, video and VOD distribution, Studiocanal. |
| JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN Dalton Trumbo 1971, 1h52, United States |
| A Gaumont presentation. New 4K digital print, produced by GP Archives. Malavida will be released in France on October 2, 2024 in this new 4K print. Screening in the presence of Nicolas Seydoux, Chairman of Gaumont. |
| ROSORA AT 10 O’CLOCK Mario Soffici 1958, 1h42, Argentina |
| An Argentina Sono Film presentation. Restored in 4K by Cubic Restauration in collaboration with the Society for Audiovisual Heritage, coordinated by Fernando Madedo and supervised by Luis Alberto Scalella. Restored in the original AlexScope 2.35 format from the original 35mm negatives in the archives of Argentina Sono Film, the owner of the film. Screening in the presence of Luis Alberto Scalella, president of Argentina Sono Film. |
| TASIO Montxo Armendáriz 1984, 1h36, Spain |
| A presentation of the Cinémathèque Basque, Spain. 4K restoration financed by the Basque Government and carried out by the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory from the original negative, supervised by director Montxo Armendáriz and with the agreement of production company Enrique Cerezo, PC. French distribution by Tamasa and release in French theaters in 2025. Screening in the presence of Montxo Armendáriz. |
| THE ROSE OF THE SEA Jacques de Baroncelli 1947, 1h26, France |
| A Pathé presentation. 4K restoration, based on the original nitrate negatives, an image negative and an optical sound negative, as well as a 1st generation standard brown. Work carried out by the L’Image Retrouvée laboratory (Paris-Bologna). Screening in the presence of Sophie Seydoux, President of the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation. |
| BONA Lino Brocka 1980, 1h26, Philippines |
| A Kani Releasing and Carlotta Films presentation. New version restored in 4K by Carlotta Films and Kani Releasing at the Cité de Mémoire laboratory (Paris) from the original 35mm image and sound negatives preserved by LTC Patrimoine. Special thanks to Pierre Rissient and José B. Capino. French theatrical release: September 25, 2024. Screening in the presence of Vincent Paul-Boncour, director and co-founder of Carlotta Films. |
| MANTHAN (The Churning) Shyam Benegal 1976, 2h14, India |
| A presentation of Film Heritage Foundation. Restored by Film Heritage Foundation at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post – Studios, Chennai and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal. Manthan was restored using the best surviving elements: the 35 mm original camera negative preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India and the sound was digitised from the 35 mm release print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. Funding supported by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. Screening in the presence of actor Naseeruddin Shah, the family of actress Smita Patil, producers of the film and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation. |
| SHANGHAI BLUES Tsui Hark 1984, 1h42, Hong Kong |
| A Film Workshop presentation to mark the company’s 40th anniversary. 4K restoration of the original negative supervised by Tsui Hark and Nansun Shi, in collaboration with L’Immagine Ritrovata, soundtrack remixed by One Cool Sound. Screening in the presence of actress Sylvia Chang. |
| FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER Robert Bresson 1971, 1h23, France/Italy |
| A mk2 presentation. Restored in 4K by mk2 Films with the support of the CNC from the image negative and magnetic sound at ECLAIR CLASSICS, Paris/Bologna. Restoration and color grading supervised by Mylène Bresson. Color grading by Christophe Bousquet. Sound restoration by L.E. DIAPASON. French theatrical release by mk2.Alt and Carlotta first quarter of 2025. International distribution: mk2 films. Screening in the presence of Nathanaël Karmitz, Chairman of the board of mk2. |
| NAPOLÉON PAR ABEL GANCE (1927) Abel Gance 1927, 3h40, France |
| After 16 years in the making, here is the first part (3h40) of Abel Gance’s Napoleonic epic (from Bonaparte’s youth to the Siege of Toulon). Screening in the presence of Costa-Gavras, President, and Frédéric Bonnaud, General Director, of the Cinémathèque française.The screening will take place in Salle Debussy on Tuesday May 14 at 2PM. |
Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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