2012 Cannes Classics Selection

As the relationship between contemporary cinema and its own memory was disrupted by the advent of the digital age, in 2004 the Cannes Film Festival created the Cannes Classics program showcasing restored prints of classic films and masterpieces of film history. Now an important part of the Official Selection, Cannes Classics is also a means to honor the work carried out by production companies, rights-holders, film libraries or national archives around the world.

The Cannes Classics 2012 program includes 13 feature films, two shorts, a mini-concert and four documentaries. All these films will be world premieres.

The Film Foundation (USA), chaired by Martin Scorsese, will present a 4K restored and reconstructed print of ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA by Sergio Leone (1984, 245'), with 25 minutes of additional scenes, based on the first cut by Sergio Leone in 1984. Restoration by the Cinematheque of Bologna at the Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Andrea Leone Films, The Film Foundation and Regency Enterprises. The restoration was funded by The Film Foundation and Gucci.

Pathé presents TESS (1979, 171') by Roman Polanski, in a 4K restoration which he himself supervised and was "very impressed" by the laboratory work. Roman Polanski and Nastassja Kinski will be in attendance. A Pathé restoration, image restored by Eclair Group and Le Diapason for the audio restoration.

To celebrate its centenary, the Hollywood studio Universal will present a restored print of this emblematic film in the studio's recent history: JAWS by Steven Spielberg (1975, 124'). The restoration was carried out by Universal Studios Digital Services and the post-production team of Amblin Entertainment.

The BFI National Archive (London) has carried out a three-year programme to restore all nine of Alfred Hitchcock's surviving silent films. THE RING (1927, 109') will be screened as a world premiere and a cine-concert with the musician Stephen Horne. The restoration was undertaken by the BFI National Archive, and funded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Film Foundation, Deluxe 142 and the Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the production and release of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA by David Lean (1962, 222'), Sony-Columbia have made a new restoration of the film in 4K. Restored by Sony Pictures Entertainment in 4K at Sony Pictures’ Colorworks.

Keisuke Kinoshita is a Japanese filmmaker born in 1912 and deceased in 1998. Having spent much of his career at the Shochiku studios, he will be celebrated by the current management of Shochiku with the projection of THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1958, 98'). The digital version has been restored and funded by Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Shochiku Media Worx Inc.; digital restoration by Imagica Corp. and Imagica West Corp.

Cannes celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Dance Cinematheque (Paris). They will present three jewels from its collection: A GREAT DAY IN HARLEM (1994, 60') by Jean Bach and two "jazz shorties": AN ALL COLORED VAUDEVILLE SHOW (4') and JAMMIN THE BLUES (11'). These will be screened from new prints 35mm printed by Daems Laboratory.

In 2011, Cannes Classics welcomed the ambitious Rossellini Project, the result of a collaboration between Instituto Luce Cinecittà, Cineteca di Bologna, CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and the Co-Production Office (head of international sales). After presenting The Machine that Kills Bad People (1948, 70’) in 2012 we will present, as a restored print, VIAGGIO IN ITALIA / JOURNEY TO ITALY (1954, 97') by Roberto Rossellini. Print restored by Cineteca di Bologna with L'Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with Istituto Luce Cinecittà, CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and The Co-Production Office.

As is the tradition, the Festival de Cannes will host the World Cinema Foundation, created in Cannes in 2007 by Martin Scorsese and many filmmakers, in order to restore world treasures. In this year’s programme there is an Indian film and an Indonesian film, as rare and little-known as they are beautiful and necessary.
AFTER THE CURFEW by Usmar Ismail, Indonesia (1954, 101'). Restoration carried out by the National Museum of Singapore and the World Cinema Foundation. In association with the Konfiden Foundation and Kineforum Jakarta Arts Council. The film was restored from the original print kept at the Indonesian Cinematheque. Special thanks to the family of Usmar Ismail.
KALPANA of Uday Shankar, India (1948, 155').Restored by the World Cinema Foundation from a copy of the original negative preserved by the National Film Archive of India. With thanks to Shivendra Singh and family of Uday Shankar. The print was restored by the Cinematheque of Bologna and the Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.

On the occasion of his presence in Cannes, the festival has asked Andrei Konchalovsky to present RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985, 111'). A new print has been struck courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer/Park Circus.

Every year the CNC French Film Archives (Paris) exhibit a restoration, fruit of their year’s labor. For this edition, they chose CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 (1961, 90’) by Agnès Varda, who will be there in person to present the film. Digital print, restored by Ciné Tamaris, CNC French Film Archives.

An Homage to Georges Lautner: in the presence of his numerous friends, the director of the Crooks in Clover, Let’s Not Get Angry, Sink or Wwim, will be honored by the Cannes Film Festival. The film chosen for this evening of celebration is THE GREAT SPY CHASE (1964, 118'). Film restored by Gaumont and the Eclair Group

Documentaries on the filmmaking, which represent a different kind of cinema and which Cannes Classics regularly showcases, will honor four directors:

Woody Allen
WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY by Robert Weide (113'), produced for the American Masters series (PBS) by B Plus Productions, Whyaduck Productions, Rat Entertainment Mike's Movies and Insurgent Media, distributed in France by Memento Films Distribution and world sales by Hanway Films.

Jerry Lewis
METHOD TO THE MADNESS OF JERRY LEWIS by Gregg Barson (115'), produced for American television channel Encore by Mansfield Avenue Productions.

John Boorman
ME AND ME DAD (66’) by his daughter Katrine Boorman who also produced the film through her production company, Colourframe Ltd.

Claude Miller
A film by Emmanuel Barnault, CLAUDE M LE CINEMA (52') produced by Jean Fabrice Barnault of Movie Da Productions for the Ciné + television channel and sold by Catherine Chevassu-C&CO.

On Wednesday, May 23rd at the Plage des Palmes in Cannes, the CNC will host its annual lunch for Cinematheques and Archives around the world.

Finally, it is the “montage film” Final Cut - Hölgyeim És Uraim by György Pálfi (Hungary), produced by Béla Tarr, which will close Cannes Classics on Saturday, May 25th.

To read the announcement at the official site go here.