Cannes has been marked by many famous stars at different moments in its history. Certain stars are timeless, and they embody their era. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Festival, today, we present those celebrities that have symbolised their decade.
The 1950s: This illustrious giant of cinema truly made his mark on the Cannes Film Festival. As well as being at home behind the camera, Orson Wells won the Grand Prix in 1952 for Othello, and a male performance award for Touch of Evil in 1959. He returned to the Croisette in 1983 before a roaring audience.
The 1960s: Claudia Cardinale made her debut on the red carpet in 1961. She then appeared in two films in the competition: Valerio Zursini’s Girl with a Suitcase and Bolognini’s La Viaccia (The Bad Paths). It was in 1963 that the smouldering Italian would officially make Cannes her private garden. On the arms of Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon she presented the hit of the year: The Cheetah, directed by Luchino Wisconti. The film team caused a sensation when they arrived on the beach accompanied by a real cheetah.
The 1970s: Already winner of the International Grand Prix in 1974 for Secret Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola won the Palme d’Or for the mythical Apocalypse Now in 1979.
The 1980s: Isabelle Adjani made history in 1981 by winning two female performance awards for her roles in Zulawski’s Possession and in Quartet by James Ivory.
The 1990s: For The Coen Brothers it all began in the nineties with a Palme d’Or and a Directing prize in 1991 for Barton Fink and a new award for Directing won five years later for Fargo.
The 2000s: The Dardenne brothers never stop collecting famous prizes. After a first Palme d’Or won in 1999 for Rosetta, the famous cinematic Belgians scooped up a second Palme in 2005 for L’Enfant, and a screenplay prize three years later for Le Silence de Lorna.
The 2010s: After two Jury prizes and a Palme d’Or gleaned between 1990 and 2006, Ken Loach returned by conquering on the Croisette with a 3rd Jury prize in 2012 for The Angels’ Share and a second Palme d’Or for I, Daniel Blake last year.
This year at Cannes new and old famous stars are taking their moments to shine and create their own mark in the Festival’s history.
