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 fifth service on the jury (Fipresci) of this prestigious venue; I had also served on the juries of its 40th, 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversaries.
Cannes Film Fest 1957
The tenth Cannes Film Festival was held in early May, from 3-16, 1957.
The top award, the Palme d’Or, went to William Wyler’s Friendly Persuasion, a Civil War family melodrama, starring Gary Cooper and Anthony Perkins as father and son.
The festival opened with Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Anderson, which had earlier won the 1956 Best Picture Oscar.
Jury Members
Once again, most of the jury members were French, with the exception of American director George Stevens and British director Michael Powell.
The only woman on the jury was Mexican-born Hollywood actress, Dolores del Rio.
- André Maurois (France) (president)
- Jean Cocteau (France) (honorary president)
- Maurice Genevoix (France)
- Georges Huisman (France) (historian)
- Maurice Lehmann (France)
- Marcel Pagnol (France)
- Michael Powell (UK)
- Jules Romains (France)
- Dolores del Río (Mexico)
- George Stevens (USA)
- Vladimir Volchek (Czechoslovakia)
- Claude Aveline (France) (short films)
- Roman Karmen (Soviet Union) (short films)
- Albert Lamorisse (France) (short films)
- Alberto Lattuada (Italy) (short films)
- Jean Vivie (France) (CST official) (short films)
Feature Film Competition
Four features of the Official Lineup were from Hollywood.
- The Bachelor Party by Delbert Mann (US)
- Betrogen bis zum jüngsten Tag by Kurt Jung-Alsen
- La Casa del ángel by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
- Celui qui doit mourir by Jules Dassin
- Dolina miru by France Štiglic
- Don Kikhot by Grigori Kozintsev
- Elokuu by Matti Kassila
- Faustina by José Luis Sáenz de Heredia
- Friendly Persuasion by William Wyler (US)
- Funny Face by Stanley Donen (US)
- Gotoma the Buddha by Rajbans Khanna
- Guendalina by Alberto Lattuad
- High Tide at Noon by Philip Leacock (US)
- Ila Ayn by Georges Nasser
- Kanał by Andrzej Wajda
- Kome by Tadashi Imai
- Két vallomás by Márton Keleti
- La ‘Moara cu noroc’ by Victor Iliu
- Le notti di Cabiria by Federico Fellini
- Qivitoq by Erik Balling
- Rekava by Lester James Peries
- Rose Bernd by Wolfgang Staudte
- Same Jakki by Per Høst
- Shiroi sanmyaku by Sadao Imamura
- Sissi – Die junge Kaiserin by Ernst Marischka
- Det sjunde inseglet by Ingmar Bergman
- Sorok pervyy by Grigori Chukhrai
- Un condamné à mort s’est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut by Robert Bresson
- Yangtse Incident by Michael Anderson
- Zemya by Zahari Zhandov
- Ztracenci by Miloš Makovec
Films Out of Competition
Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Anderson
Awards
- Palme d’Or: Friendly Persuasion by William Wyler
- Jury Special Prize:
- Kanał by Andrzej Wajda
- The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman
- Best Actor: John Kitzmiller for Dolina miru
- Best Actress: Giulietta Masina for Nights of Cabiria
- Best Director: Robert Bresson for A Man Escaped
- Special Mention: Gotoma the Buddha by Rajbans Khanna
- Special Award: The Forty-first by Grigori Chukhrai
- Best Romantic Documentary: Shiroi sanmyaku by Sadao Imamura
- Short Film Palme d’Or: Scurtă Istorie by Ion Popescu-Gopo
- OCIC Award – Special Mention:
- He Who Must Die by Jules Dassin
- Nights of Cabiria by Federico Fellini
