| This thesis take the history from 1939 to 2001 of the Festival de Cannes,the most influential international film festival,as target of research,the historical materials in different languages,to analyze the curating of selection,the organization of competition,setting of the awards,evolution of the activities,the key-events,the classic films,aesthetic tendencies and cultural policies in the history of Festival de Cannes.According to the crucial political-economic events who produced the effects on the Europe and French culture in 20 th century,and to the important facts during the development of Festival de Cannes,the thesis divides history of Festival de Cannes into five periods,and picked some representative cases to analyze or comment,from plentiful films in competition and in screening each period.At first,the introduction of thesis summarize and generalize tendances and the methods in the antecedent researches about film festival,specially focus on the jugement of historical data,the types of archives and the academic bias around the Festival de Cannes,combining the theories of artworld,art convention and world cinemas,propose the hierarchic regime of arts as the central method to study the history of Festival de Cannes,the author research emphatically the positive tendances and historical characters of the films,celebrities and styles in different periods.The chapter one arrange the historical data from 1939 to 1958,study the political and adversarial origin of Festival de Cannes,verify,during the first period from 1946 to 1958,the facts of the organization of competition,rules of selection,design of sections,exhibition date of festival,construction of basic facilities,the Festival de Cannes attract the media’s attention by movie stars,to foster the marginal genre films like The Third Man(1949)and An American in Paris(1951),advertise the modern style works as Fr?ken Julie(1951)or Le mystère Picasso(1956),this cultural policy make Festival de Cannes realize the transition from a young film festival to mature.In chapter two,the thesis studies mainly the history between the Vth Republic of France in 1959 to the movement of May 68’,analyze how the Festival de Cannes utilize the major cultural events like Nouvelle Vague and May 68’,to intervene in European social movement,transform the festival competition into the particular theatrical scene of film history,into a specific space-time where testifies the appearance of new aesthetic,the movement of cinema,the political activities in the film history.At the same time,Cannes boycotted the social and cultural prejudice,supported the modernist filmmakers as Fellini,Antonioni when they generally weren’t recognized by the public.The third chapter situate from the foundation of section Un Certain Regard in 1969 to election of presidency of Fran?ois Mitterrand in 1981,Cannes continually change the policies on selection,competition and curating,push out new competitive section and screening section,present many politically or morally provocative and exploratory works by the young generation of filmmakers,make depoliticized of the festival,instead of the official selection by government,Cannes choose and invite the excellent films by a curator team who works specially for Festival de Cannes,this change let the Committee of Festival completely autonomy.In this period,Cannes strengthen the strategy Controversial Politics in order to enhance that reputation and influence in the global culture of cinema,coronate classical controversial films as If…(1969)and In the Realm of the Senses(1976).Festival de Cannes accomplished the historical construction of New Hollywood through supporting American young filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola,Martin Scorsese etc.In the forth chapter situate between the Exception Culturelle launched by Jack Lang in 1981 to the end of Cold War in 1989,the paper study in combining case studies how the Festival de Cannes solidify its international standing in the hierarchic regime of cinema,stress the purity and identity in which the cinema is an art,stress the multiplicities of cinematic creation,in order to contend with commercial movie of Hollywood.Therefore,the selection of films become more and more open to highlight the liberty of film as an expression tool,Cannes became a habitat of the culturally exiled directors from the socialist countries,for example Andrei Tarkovsky,Krzysztof Kieslowski,Sergei Parajanov,these filmmakers suffered the political oppression and cultural marginalization in their own countries.At the other side,from the films like Birdy(1984),Nuovo Cinema Paradiso(1988),Cannes called for a new style that express the social mood closing to the end of Cold War.The historical nodes of fifth chapter were limited from 1992 to the 911 Attacks in 2001,Festival de Cannes make herself into the biggest salon of movie trade in Europe on the one hand,one the other hand,she carry out the de-occidentalist policy,open the door to the films of the Third World and the socialist countries,for purpose of revolving the antagonistic sentiments cause of Cold War.Benefit from Festival de Cannes,the cinema of Chinese language(including Hongkong and Taiwan)sharply rise in this period,Chen Kaige,Hou Hsiao-hsien,Edward Yang,Wong Kar-wai,a batch of brilliant Chinese directors were introduced to Europe.Than the Iranian Abbas Kiarostami was presented to the western spectator,at the same time,Cannes climaxes the movement of new American independent cinema,Sex,Lies,and Videotape(1989),Barton Fink(1991)and Pulp Fiction(1994)won Palme d’Or at Cannes.Studying and arranging the historical documents,the films and the relative references,the thesis believes that,Cannes’ s competition and the organized screenings have already been the most active and key-link to the global production of film history,especially in the aspects like: fabrication of classic films,fostering of new directors,creation of star mythes,Cannes is always unreplacable on this stragedy.However,the scientific researches of film history often ignore the contributions made by Cannes on the appearance of new aesthetic,canonization of films,circulating of filmmakers.There are three reasons why Festival de Cannes became into the first international film festival.Firstly,Cannes extricate ceaselessly itself from the property of diplomacy and from the color of political rival,realize the independency of festival,so Cannes cooperate forwardly with the business organizations and mass media.Secondly,put the new film aesthetic and styles in front of the public,it’s the firmest and most enduring cultural stragedy,especially the incomprehensible,unacceptable and controversial works,Festival de Cannes promoted this kind of film to encounter with the public from all of the world.Lastly,Cannes abides by the principles of cultural equality,discover and promote the culturally weak countries and small countries of cinema,display the excellent films of socialist and Third World,construct a cultural space for encounter,effect and competition,strengthen the riches and multiplicity of the art of cinema. |
