Cannes Film Fest 1949: Year 3 (No Festival in 1948)
My Life as Film Festival Juror, 1987-Present
Representing the contingency of U.S. critics, I have been asked to serve on the jury of the 75th milestone edition of the Cannes Film Fest, May 17-28.
This would be my 68th jury, and my fifth service on the jury (Fipresci) of this prestigious venue; previously, I had also served on the juries of its 40th, 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversary editions.
The third Cannes Film Festival was again held in the fall, September 2-17, 1949.
There was no festival in 1948 due to financial problems.
Opening film: L’Arroseur Arrosé
Basic Stats:
Films In Competition: 30
Out of Competition: 1
Short Films: 32
As in 1947, the entire jury was made up of French persons, with historian Georges Huisman as President of the Jury.
The Grand Prix du Festival de Cannes went to The Third Man by Carol Reed.
The festival opened with L’Arroseur Arrosé by Louis Lumière, an 1895 French short-film, paying tribute to cinema’s first comedy.
Jury (for feature and short films):
Georges Huisman (historian) Jury President
Jules Romains (president)
Mme. Georges Bidault
Georges Charensol
Paul Colin
Roger Désormière
Jacques-Pierre Frogerais
Étienne Gilson (author)
Paul Gosset (author)
Georges Raguis (union official)
Rene-Jeanne (critic)
Carlo Rim
Substitute members
Jean Benoît-Lévy
Guy Desson (MP official)
Alexandre Kamenka
Paul Verneyras (MP official)
Paul Weill (lawyer)
Feature Film Competition
Competing for the Grand Prix:
Act of Violence directed by Fred Zinnemann
(Film Noir)
The Adventures of Antar and Abla (Mughamarat Antar wa Abla), directed by Salah Abu Sayf
Almafuerte, directed by Luis Cesar Amadori
An Act of Murder, directed by Michael Gordon
At the Grand Balcony, directed by Henri Decoin
Bitter Rice (Riso amaro) directed by Giuseppe De Santis
Eroica, directed by H. Walter Kolm-Veltee
Foreign Harbour (Främmande hamn), directed by Hampe Faustman
Girls in Gingham (Die Buntkarierten), directed by Kurt Maetzig
Eine große Liebe directed by Hans Bertram
House of Strangers, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Images d’Ethiopie directed by Paul Pichonnier
Keep an Eye on Amelia (Occupe-toi d’Amélie), directed by Claude Autant-Lara
The Last Illusion (Der Ruf) directed by Josef Von Báky
Lies of Love (L’amorosa menzogna), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Lost Boundaries, directed by Alfred L. Werker
Na svoji zemlji directed by France Stiglic
Obsession, directed by Edward Dmytryk
The Original Sin (Der Apfel ist ab) directed by Helmut Käutner
The Passionate Friends, directed by David Lean
Pueblerina directed by Emilio Fernández
The Queen of Spades directed by Thorold Dickinson
Rendezvous in July (Rendez-vous de juillet), directed by Jacques Becker
Return to Life (Retour à la vie), directed by Jean Dréville, Henri-Georges Clouzot,
Georges Lampin, directed by André Cayatte
Sertao, directed by Joao G. Martin
The Set-Up, directed by Robert Wise
(Film Noir)
The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed
The Walls of Malapaga (Le Mura di Malapaga), directed by René Clement
Without Honor, directed by Irving Pichel
Out of Competition
Passport to Pimlico, directed by O. H. Cornelius
Feature Films
Grand Prix: The Third Man by Carol Reed
Best Director: René Clément for The Walls of Malapaga
Best Screenplay: Eugene Ling and Virginia Shaler for Lost Boundaries
Best Actress: Isa Miranda, for The Walls of Malapaga
Best Actor: Edward G. Robinson for House of Strangers
Best Cinematography: Milton R. Krasner for The Set-Up
Short films
Short films competing for the Grand Prix du court métrage:
Au pays de Thil Uilenspiegel by Charles Dekeukeleire
Barrières by Christian-Jaque
Biały redyk by Stanisław Możdżeński
The Cane Cutters by John Heyer
A Capital Plan by Bernard Devlin
Danses populaires yougoslaves by Rudolf Sremec
Dépendance by Robert Anderson
Destins précaires by Grant McLean
Ecole de Rééducation by Jean Drimaropoulos
L’enfer des fards by Jean Perdrix
The Fatal Signboard by John Kooy
Les feux de la mer by Jean Epstein
Flotteurs de bois by Brita Wrede
Gold Town by Maslyn Williams
Images Médiévales by William Novik
Une interview sous les tropiques by E. van Konijnenburg
It’s a Lovely Day by Bert Felstead
Mlle Toutouche by Wilhelm Sorensen
Muscle Beach by Joseph Strick and Irving Lerner
De nåede færgen by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Ocean Weather Ship by Frank Chilton
Pacific 231 by Jean Mitry
Le Pain de Barbarie by Roger Leenhardt
Palle alene i Verden by Astrid Henning-Jensen
Rhapsodie vénitienne by Max Haufler
Seal Island by James Algar
Struggle for oil by Sergei Nolbandov
La terre de Cain by Pierre Petel
The Valley is Ours by John Heyer
Walcheren, ile noyee by Charles Huguenot van der Linden
Żelazowa Wola by Eugeniusz Cękalski
Short Film Awards
Best Subject: Palle Alene i Verden by Astrid Henning-Jensen
Best Editing: Pacific 231 by Jean Mitry
Best Filmed Coverage: Seal Island by James Algar
Best Cinematography: Biały redyk by Stanisław Możdżeński
Best Color: Images Médiévales by William Novik
FIPRESCI Prize:
The Set-Up by Robert Wise
