The 14th

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

was held from 3 to 18 May

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

. The

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

went to the ''

Une aussi longue absence ''The Long Absence'' (french: Une aussi longue absence, "Such a long absence") is a 1961 French film directed by Henri Colpi. It tells the story of Therese (Alida Valli), a Puteaux café owner mourning the mysterious disappearance of her husband s ...

'', directed by Henri Colpi and '' Viridiana'', directed by

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

. The festival opened with '' Che gioia vivere'', directed by

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...

. The festival also screened

Shirley Clarke Shirley Clarke (née Brimberg; October 2, 1919 – September 23, 1997) was an American filmmaker. Life Born Shirley Brimberg in New York City, she was the daughter of a Polish-immigrant father who made his fortune in manufacturing. Her mother w ...

's debut film '' The Connection'' due to the efforts of the

French Syndicate of Cinema Critics The French Syndicate of Cinema Critics (french: Syndicat français de la critique de cinéma et des films de télévision) has, each year since 1946, awarded a prize ("Prix de la critique", English: "Critics Prize"), the Prix Méliès, to the bes ...

. The success of the film caused the festival to create

International Critics' Week The International Critics' Week (french: Semaine de la Critique) was founded in 1962 and is organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. It was created following the showing of '' The Connection'' directed by Shirley Clarke which had been ...

the following year.

Jury

The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1961 competition: Feature films *

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

(France) Jury President *

Sergei Yutkevich Sergei Iosifovich Yutkevich (russian: Серге́й Ио́сифович Ютке́вич, 28 December 1904 – 23 April 1985) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (1962) and a Hero of ...

(Soviet Union) Vice President *

Pedro Armendáriz Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings (May 9, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was a Mexican film actor who made films in both Mexico and the United States. With Dolores del Río and María Félix, he was one of the best-known Latin American movie stars ...

(Mexico) *

Luigi Chiarini Luigi Chiarini (20 June 1900 – 12 November 1975) was an Italian film theorist, essayist, screenwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Rome, Chiarini wrote extensively about film theory and in 1935 he founded the drama school Centr ...

(Italy) *

Tonino Delli Colli Tonino Delli Colli (20 November 1923 – 16 August 2005) was an Italian cinematographer. Biography Cousin of Franco Delli Colli, Antonio (Tonino) Delli Colli was born in Rome, and began work at Rome's Cinecittà studio in 1938, at the age of ...

(Italy) *

Claude Mauriac Claude Mauriac (25 April 1914 – 22 March 1996) was a French author and journalist. He was born in Paris, the eldest son of the author François Mauriac. Mauriac was the personal secretary of Charles de Gaulle from 1944 to 1949, before becoming ...

(France) * Edouard Molinaro (France) *

Jean Paulhan Jean Paulhan (2 December 1884 – 9 October 1968) was a French writer, literary critic and publisher, director of the literary magazine ''Nouvelle Revue Française'' (NRF) from 1925 to 1940 and from 1946 to 1968. He was a member (Seat 6, 1963–68 ...

(France) (author) *

Raoul Ploquin Raoul Edouard Ploquin (20 May 1900 – 29 November 1992) was a French film producer, production manager and screenwriter. He was co-nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''The Sheep Has Five Legs'' (1954). Selected filmog ...

(France) * Liselotte Pulver (Switzerland) *

Fred Zinnemann Alfred ''Fred'' Zinnemann (April 29, 1907 – March 14, 1997) was an Austrian Empire-born American film director. He won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films in various genres, including thrillers, westerns, film noir and pla ...

(USA) Short films * Ion Popescu-Gopo (Romania) *Pierre Prévert (France) *Jurgen Schildt (Sweden) (journalist) *Jean Vidal (France) *Jean Vivie (France) (CST official)

Feature film competition

The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: *'' The Brute'' (''Dúvad'') by

Zoltán Fábri Zoltán Fábri (15 October 1917 – 23 August 1994) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. His films ''The Boys of Paul Street'' (1969) and ''Hungarians'' (1978) were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. H ...

*''

Chronicle of Flaming Years ''Chronicle of Flaming Years'' (russian: Повесть пламенных лет, translit. Povest plamennykh let) is a 1961 Soviet drama film directed by Yuliya Solntseva. Solntseva won the award for Best Director at the 1961 Cannes Film ...

'' (''Povest plamennykh let'') by Yuliya Solntseva *'' The Cossacks'' (''Kazaki'') by Vasili Pronin *''

Darclee ''Darclee'' is a 1961 Romanian drama film directed by Mihai Iacob. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * as Darclée * Victor Rebengiuc as Iorgu * Marcel Anghelescu * Costache Antoniu * Chris Avram * * Jules Cazaban ...

'' by

Mihai Iacob Mihai Iacob (11 May 1933 – 5 July 2009) was a Romanian film director and screenwriter. He directed twelve films between 1955 and 1972. His 1961 film ''Thirst'' was entered into the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. Filmography * '' Blan ...

*'' The First Mass'' (''A Primeira Missa'') by Lima Barreto *'' The Fourteenth Day'' (''Dan četrnaesti'') by Zdravko Velimirović *''

Girl with a Suitcase ''Girl with a Suitcase'' ( it, La ragazza con la valigia) is a 1961 Italian romantic drama film by Valerio Zurlini starring Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has st ...

'' (''La Ragazza con la valigia'') by

Valerio Zurlini Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter. Biography During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlin ...

*'' Goodbye Again'' (''Aimez-vous Brahms?'') by

Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...

*'' The Hand in the Trap'' (''La Mano en la trampa'') by

Leopoldo Torre Nilsson Leopoldo Torre Nilsson (5 May 1924 – 8 September 1978), also known as Leo Towers and as Babsy, was an Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter. Born as Leopoldo Torres Nilsson (he later changed his paternal surname from Torres to ...

*''

Her Brother is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. The film is based on the novel ''Otōto'' by Aya Koda. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a prize for Special Distinction. Plot 17-year-old Gen takes care ...

'' (''Otôto'') by

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...

*'' Hoodlum Priest'' by Irvin Kershner *'' I Like Mike'' by Peter Frye *''

The Joy of Living ''The Joy of Living'' ( it, Che gioia vivere, french: Quelle joie de vivre) is a 1961 Italian-French comedy film directed by René Clément. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. Plot The story is set in Rome, in the year 1921. Ul ...

'' (''Che gioia vivere'') by

*'' The Judge'' (''Domaren'') by

Alf Sjöberg Sven Erik Alf Sjöberg (21 June 1903 – 17 April 1980) was a Swedish theatre and film director. He won the Grand Prix du Festival at the Cannes Film Festival twice: in 1946 for ''Torment'' ( sv, Hets) (part of an eleven-way tie), and in 1951 f ...

*'' The Knife'' (''Het Mes'') by

Fons Rademakers Alphonse Marie "Fons" Rademakers (5 September 1920 – 22 February 2007) was a Dutch actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter. His 1960 film '' Makkers Staakt uw Wild Geraas'' was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festi ...

*'' The Last Witness'' (''Der Letzte Zeuge'') by

Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and acting, actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alon ...

*''

The Long Absence ''The Long Absence'' (french: Une aussi longue absence, "Such a long absence") is a 1961 French film directed by Henri Colpi. It tells the story of Therese ( Alida Valli), a Puteaux café owner mourning the mysterious disappearance of her husband ...

'' (''Une aussi longue absence'') by Henri Colpi *'' The Lovemakers'' (''La Viaccia'') by Mauro Bolognini *'' Madalena'' by Dinos Dimopoulos *'' The Mark'' by Guy Green *''

Mother Joan of the Angels ''Mother Joan of the Angels'' ( pl, Matka Joanna od Aniołów, also known as ''The Devil and the Nun'') is a 1961 Polish art film on demonic possession, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, based on a novella of the same title by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz ...

'' (''Matka Joanna od aniolów'') by

Jerzy Kawalerowicz Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director and politician, having been a member of Polish United Workers' Party from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish parliament since ...

*''

The Passionate Demons ''The Passionate Demons'' ( no, Line) is a 1961 Norwegian drama film directed by Nils Reinhardt Christensen. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Margarete Robsahm - Line * Toralv Maurstad - Jacob * Henki Kolstad - Gabrie ...

'' (''Line'') by Nils Reinhardt Christensen *''Plein sud'' by Gaston De Gerlache *''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chi ...

'' by

Daniel Petrie Daniel Mannix Petrie (November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004) was a Canadian film, television, and stage director who worked in Canada, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom; known for directing grounded human dramas often dealing with taboo subject ...

*'' Sky Above and Mud Beneath'' (''Le Ciel et la boue'') by Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau *'' A Song About the Gray Pigeon'' (''Piesen o sivém holubovi'') by Stanislav Barabáš *'' That Forward Center Died at Dawn'' (''El Centroforward murió al amanecer'') by

René Múgica René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the femin ...

*''

Two Women ''Two Women'' ( it, La ciociara , rough literal translation "The Woman from Ciociaria") is a 1960 war drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica from a screenplay by Cesare Zavattini and De Sica, based on the novel of the same name by Alberto ...

'' (''La Ciociara'') by

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the Italian neorealism, neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Shoeshine (film), Sciuscià ...

*'' Viridiana'' by

*''

The Wastrel ''The Wastrel'' ( it, Il relitto) is a 1961 Italian-Cypriot drama film directed by Michael Cacoyannis and starring Ellie Lambeti. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Ellie Lambeti as Mrs. Bell * Van Heflin as Duncan Bell * ...

'' (''Il Relitto'') by

Michael Cacoyannis Michael Cacoyannis ( el, Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης, ''Michalis Kakogiannis''; 11 June 1922 – 25 July 2011), sometimes credited as Michael Yannis, was a Greek Cypriot theatre and film director, writer, producer, and actor. ...

Out of competition

The following film was selected to be screened out of competition: *''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * E ...

'' by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

Short film competition

The following short films competed for the

Short Film Palme d'Or The Short Film Palme d'Or (french: Palme d'Or du court métrage) is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. Since the creation of the Cinéfondation La ''Cinéfondation'' is a foundation under the aegis of the Cannes ...

: *''Aicha'' by Noureddine Mechri and Francis Warin *''Argentina paraiso de la pesca'' by

Antonio Ber Ciani Antonio Ber Ciani (22 August 1907 in Santa Fe — 24 June 2001 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine actor and film director. He is known for films such as ''Don Bildigerno de Pago Milagro''.http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=315071 Obituar ...

*''The Art of Lee Hsiang-Fen'' by Henry T.C. Wang *''Balgarski ansambal za narodni pesni i tanzi'' by Lada Boyadjieva *''The Black Cat '' by Robert Braverman *''Cattle Ranch'' by Guy L. Coté *''Children of the Sun'' by

John Hubley John Kirkham Hubley (May 21, 1914 – February 21, 1977) was an American animation director, art director, producer and writer known for his work with the United Productions of America (UPA) and his own independent studio, Storyboard, Inc. (late ...

and Faith Hubley *''The Creation of Woman'' by Charles F. Schwep *''Cyrus le grand'' by Feri Farzaneh *''The Do-It-Yourself Cartoon Kit'' *'' Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross'' by

Leonid Gaidai Leonid Iovich Gaidai (russian: Леонид Иович Гайдай; 30 January 1923 – 19 November 1993) was a Soviet and Russian comedy film director, screenwriter and actor who enjoyed immense popularity and broad public recognition in the fo ...

*''Fantazie pro levou ruku a lidske svedomi'' by Pavel Hobl *''Le Festival de Baalbeck 1960'' by David McDonald *''Folkwangschulen'' by

Herbert Vesely Herbert Vesely (31 March 1931 – 13 July 2002) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1955 and 1988. Selected filmography * ' (1955) * ''The Bread of Those Early Years'' (1962) — (based on the nove ...

*''Foroyar'' by Jørgen Roos *''Fuego en Castilla (Tactilvisión del páramo del espanto)'' by José Val del Omar *''Giovedi: passeggiata'' by Vincenzo Gamna *''Gorod bolshoy sudby'' by

Ilya Kopalin Ilya Petrovich Kopalin (russian: Илья́ Петро́вич Копа́лин; 1900–1976) was a Soviet film director remembered for his documentaries. His most famous footage is that of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference and ...

*''House of Hashimoto'' by Connie Rasinski *''Hudozhnikat Zlatyu Boyadzhiev'' by Ivan Popov *''Kangra et kulu'' by N.S. Thapa *''Na vez'' by Branko Kalacic *''Nebbia'' by

Raffaele Andreassi Raffaele Andreassi ( L'Aquila, 2 August 1924 - 20 November 2008) was an Italian film director most known for his movie Flashback from 1969. The movie is about a soldier in World War II and received many awards. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes ...

*''Paul Valéry'' by

Roger Leenhardt Roger Leenhardt (23 July 1903 – 4 December 1985) was a French writer and filmmaker. Early life Born in a bourgeois Protestant family, this brilliant student of philosophy was very soon fascinated by cinema. Through a cousin, he started working ...

*''Párbaj'' by Gyula Macskássy *'' La Petite Cuillère'' by Carlos Vilardebó *''Robert Frost'' by Sidney J. Stiber *''Souvenirs from Sweden'' by

Henning Carlsen Henning Carlsen (4 June 1927 – 30 May 2014) was a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer most noted for his documentaries and his contributions to the style of cinéma vérité. Carlsen's 1966 social-realistic drama ''Hunger'' (''Su ...

*''Taketori Monogatari '' by Kazuhiko Watanabe *''W kręgu ciszy'' by Jerzy Ziarnik

Awards

Official awards

The following films and people received the 1961 awards: *

: **''

'' (''Une aussi longue absence'') by Henri Colpi **'' Viridiana'' by

* Prix spécial du Jury: ''

'' (''Matka Joanna od aniolów'') by

* Best Director: Yuliya Solntseva for ''

'' (''Povest plamennykh let'') * Best Actress:

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

for ''

'' (''La Ciociara'') *

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influentia ...

for '' Goodbye Again'' (''Aimez-vous Brahms?'') Short films *

: '' La Petite Cuillère'' by Carlos Vilardebó *Jury Prize - Best Short Film: ''Párbaj'' by Gyula Macskássy *Short film Technical Prize - Special mention: ''Folkwangschulen'' by

& ''Fuego en Castilla (Tactilvisión del páramo del espanto)'' by José Val del Omar

Independent awards

FIPRESCI *

FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

: '' The Hand in the Trap'' (''La Mano en la trampa'') by

Commission Supérieure Technique * Technical Grand Prize - Feature film Special Mention: **''

'' (''Otôto'') by

**''

'' (''Povest plamennykh let'') by Yuliya Solntseva OCIC Award * '' Hoodlum Priest'' by Irvin Kershner Other awards *Gary Cooper Award: ''

'' by

References

Media

Institut National de l'Audiovisuel: Opening of the 1961 festival
(commentary in French)

(commentary in French)

(commentary in French)

External links

(web.archive)
Official website Retrospective 1961

Cannes Film Festival:1961
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Cannes Film Festival Cannes Film Festival, 1961 Cannes Film Festival, 1961 Cannes Film Festival