And this simple act of everyday life captivates millions of viewers, who are fascinated, almost hypnotized by such a display, and who never tire of it. These are not, of course, just any people, nor just any steps. In fact, what we are invited to attend is the parade of the most famous film stars on the planet, climbing the grand staircase of the Palais des Festivals on.
And under the influence of the Cannes protocol, these actors, usually known for their capricious, mischievous, unpredictable natures, eagerly agree to take part in this somewhat demanding ceremony: Simply put, protocol rules, and must absolutely be respected by all those invited to climb the red carpet steps. Better still, this role will, by the ritual power of its context, consecrate some, and enthrone others; by making this definitive climb towards the firmament, an actor is truly transformed into a star in his own right.
One must be aware that the Ca n nes Fi l m Fest iva l a nd the climbing of the palace steps, itself often staged and plagiarized by advertisements and even cinema is one of the key moments of the media and artistic year. The history of Cannes is read in images. The words that have been written about the Festival ultimately leave little or no trace. What matters above all is seeing. And we see and admire these stars in the wondrous environment of the Riviera; the pomp, the. And yet more prominent still is the presence of thousands of journalists with cameras and videocameras, and of the public too, all electrified by the presence of their idols.
The ascent of the red carpet steps is one of the major rituals of the Festival, the assumed purpose of which is to offer the best view of stars to the public and the world. In Cannes, like in the movies, it is still a matter of actors and spectators. But here these actors enter another dimension, since they are no longer visible on the surface but in volume; they pass one another, meet one another, spectators actually applaud, and the screen grows to the scale of an entire city. At first glance, the ritual of climbing the red carpet steps might seem to the uninitiated mundane or camp.
This ritual is at once a rite of authentication for the fans who can see and legitimation for the stars who are seen.
And it takes place within an area where social and hierarchical relationships are utterly dramatized, the grand staircase of the Palais des Festivals. Here, nothing happens by chance and everything seems to make sense — gestures, clothing, priority, and even glances.
Even if we autres subterfuges techniques. The gold lettering of a cinematic career is written both on celluloid, and in Cannes. To be invited to climb the red carpet steps is to achieve recognition in this profession, which is also an art. Throughout the year, the tabloid press shows us images that have been shamefully stolen from stars by means of telephoto lenses or other subterfuge devices.
Lacking alternative media, we see the stars by default. Once a year, the stars take a blazing revenge, in Cannes. They respond to the outrages inflicted on their images by showing themselves again and again, by showing their superla-. There is something hyperbolic and glorifying in the ritual of self-incarnation at the Festival and at the ascent of the palace steps. Before all these symbols, and all of this dense, intense protocol and imagination, we must look beyond the initial jubilation of the moment, and analyze more deeply.
Allowing a part of the magic of the Festival to evaporate, we must try to pass behind the mirror, behind the psyche of the Festival, and infer the true aspirations of man — for the fabled dream, the myth, his aspiration to the marvelous and ideal. And this is what the seventh art explicitly offers him. La star, le personnage This was a happy debut, and there is in this date something symbolic for France and its cinema: The migration of the Festival to the new palace in has not harmed the prestige of the protocol — quite the reverse, in fact.
In general, the director, proStarting with the very first ducer and the two principal acFestivals, ascents of the red tors of a film climb the stairs carpet steps were organized in together, to present, but above order to confer on the Festival all to represent, their film. In efand on the two official projec- fect, the actors will, for the only tions of the evening at Ubiquity is only From the beginning, these cer- apparent, since the actor in fact emonies were a resounding becomes dense to the extreme: Thanks also and sublimated.
Elle constitue donc, dans la. Mieux ture of the Festival. Le rituel des Marches sions and presentations. In the hierarchy of. The ritual of the red carpet steps is therefore self-perpetuating. It ensures its perenniality by accepting only stars, or rising stars. The frequent presence of politicians including ministers, ambassadors, consuls and mayors legitimizes the ceremony. In this way, we remember the return of Brigitte Bardot after ten years of absence, or of Alain Delon, reappearing in after an eclipse of more than two decades. There are Several Distinct Steps to Climbing the Red Carpet Steps irst, the star arrives in a luxury car, sometimes accompanied by a motorcycle escort.
At the moment of climbing the. They want to see, feverishly, and the rumors about the identity of stars present are born, spread and die at lightning speed.
A star has risen. It is now a part of the legend of Cannes. The movie star also enjoys a rare privilege: The stage actor enjoys this pleasure daily; the movie actor does not, and is always appreciated by default: This moment of cheering while standing on the red car-. And every day of the Festival, for over sixty years, the ceremony takes place twice a night. The miracle repeats itself, rare alchemy performed in a mythical setting. Une frustration et hierarchical order within which possible; such surprises would une jubilation permanentes those of remarkable importance be detrimental to the prestige of marquent les visages et les hu- take priority.
These directives the ceremony and the Festival. Thus, the personne ne semble avoir le hierarchy of people. In Cannes, French Riviera, almost nothing Ceci concerne les spectateurs, the ceremonial system is trian- related to the cinema is paid for et les participants divers: Indeed, tremely rigid system of protocols, the sole concern of those pos- customs and uniforms, authorisessing such credit is to know if zations and invitations, the ofthey will be permitted to enter ficial and the unofficial, which the Palais des Festivals.
Seeming to exist in dreamthe stars who, while normally like domains, that they consent inaccessible, are here present in to leave for a time to attend cerflesh and blood. Within the framework les rangs. And in a sense upset the order, the norm. For ten days, Cannes is entirely organized around protocol, pr ivilege and the codes and rules of civility; it is also organized, of course, around the presence of stars. The apex in the hierarchy of privilege and recognition is the ascent of the red carpet steps during the formal ceremony at half past ten in the evening, to climb them while being cheered on, rather than one of the many cordoned off behind security barriers, guards and cameras, rendered anonymous amongst.
Elles sont souvent pour un soir les mannequins. But this is the sole prerogative of stars. For the twice-daily ascent, a master of ceremonies is posted at the top of the steps. His job is to announce the stars as they arrive, announcing their names and the brightest moments of their careers.
For this ceremony, evening wear is required by all. Even the stars receive precise instructions on what to wear, in order to ensure that nothing disturbs the ritual. The clothing worn on this occasion plays a fundamental role. While men must wear a black dinner jacket, a wing-collar shirt and a bow tie, women can show a little more originality in the choice of evening dress they must wear. Moreover, they depend on their.
In many cases, they are for one night the models of renowned fashion designers. If originality is cultivated, extravagance is inappropriate, and it is distinction that must leave the strongest and most lasting impression. Punctuality is also demanded. The star knows that, usually, a slight delay. Here, to avoid such subterfuge, guests are picked up at their hotel by chaffeurdriven cars, and are often provided with an official escort to clear the route to the foot of the steps. The State and the municipality of Cannes are therefore the first partners in the protocol of the Festival.
They do not consider the demands it imposes on their authority as an obstacle. On the contrary, the obligations of protocol become social and institutional priorities that require considerable resources, which are consequently offered. What is the role of such thorough protocol? What does such a degree of protocol hide, and what does it reveal?
It seems that this ceremony is above all conceived to exalt and legitimize the star system. In many respects, such a thorough ceremony tends to honor the stars, and to demonstrate to them the importance with which our societies imbue them; it confirms their prestige and reputation. The same is true for courtesies. One of their primary functions is precisely the recognition of the so-.
The exaggeration of civilities and the emphasis on Cannes protocol confirms the rank that the stars occupy, both socially and symbolically. Seeming to arrive on a utopian plane of ideals and archetypes, we treat them as if they were the prestigious hosts of another world, to whom a great degree of consideration is due, as if in gratitude for this descent to the land of mortals.
Moreover, Cannes is one of the few places where the stars really appear, and may be interacted with. Before so many people, they must show themselves worthy of the image they present, and of the imaginary and fantastical production they generate. The Festival, by virtue of its ceremony and prodigious staging, tends to prove to the universe that the stars are faithful to their image. In effect, aux connotations liturgiques. Just as, once, kings occasionally presented themselves to the public, to authenticate their transcendent nature, the stars must also prove that they truly exist, and that they are as beautiful and perfect as they images they give us to admire.
Worshiped as gods, the stars are treated and regarded as mona rchs. A nd so t he extreme protocol surrounding the presence of stars is worthy of that with which we once surrounded kings. Climbing the steps of the grand staircase is in many respects simi-. That royal metaphors abound is explicit, in everything connected to the Festival.
There are symbolic ramifications: In Cannes, the star unmasks, takes physical form. For many, this will result in a hypnotic feeling, generated by this miraculous manifestation. The scenes of mass hysteria that typically characterize the appearance of cinema and musical stars confirms the incredible emotional dimension with which these people are invested, even without their knowledge. Cannes is the temple of the stars, this term referring to something ultimate, and profound, far beyond the simple framework of entertainment.
In Cannes we find the expression of a veritable mythology, which echoes the worship of idols in archaic societies. What characterizes the star, beyond the inordinate passion she arouses, and the cult and fetishism of which she becomes the subject, is her inherent idealness.
In effect, she embodies the archetypes of beauty and purity, of the absolute, making her a veritable intermediary between God and man, in much the same way that kings were once perceived. The true star is emblematic of a human ideal a quality, a virtue or a physical trait ; she symbolizes a form of perfection that all may identify, and adore.
She becomes truly monumental. As an American critic once said about Liz Taylor: At Platonic idea of the celebrity. One consolation remains to the fan, to alleviate this frustration provoked by these paper replicas, these immobile icons: And the Cannes Festival and its. It is a place of mystery renewed. Encountering so much love, and before such a strong emotional investment, we can understand that the protocol and solemnity of Cannes are wholly appropriate, and even self-imposed.
Are not good clothing and a reverential attitude required when entering a place of worship? Ce moment transitionnel est unique. Le tapis rouge semble suspendu comme un pont entre ciel et terre, ouvrant une voie royale, portant la star en une apesanteur christique. The Red Carpet, a Rite of Passage he red carpet ceremony goes beyond the strict protocol of the Festival to assume the status of a ritual. Under the eyes of panoptic cameras, and the scrutiny of the entire world, the stars come to receive the cheers and adulation of the crowds, and to reassert their mythical auras by passing along and up the ritual corridor.
This rite of passage marks a before period, and an after; it separates exclusion from inclusion. At its end is the temple of the cinema, where the laurels and the Palme are found, where legends are written. The ascent of the red carpet steps marks the transition between two states, one of which is assuredly superior to the other. The star leaves the somewhat constrictive, fastidious setting of the grand hotels to seek out the azure of. This transitional moment is unique. The climb up the red carpet steps is not so much ascension as re-ascension, after the descent of these stars to mingle with the mortals who so adore them.
The red carpet seems suspended like a point between heaven and earth, opening a royal path, endowing the star with a holy etherealness. The evening twilight, a time of change and passage, and then the beginning of the night adds to the solemnity, and to the.
In efFestivals in Cannes is between fect, her appearance in person, the heavens, the earth and the which becomes a form of mirsea, so to speak, backing onto acle for her fans, resembles a the beach like some fantastical theomorphic phenomenon. There, dur- pable stars leave the film reels ing the ascent of the steps, the and walk amongst mortals; they star fully embodies the state deign to have a body, a smile, of celebrity.
In the past, dur- an earthly presence, and where ing the great triumphs of the they go, they distribute this tanRomans, the victorious gen- gible proof of their incarnation: Similarly, the star will This appearance and then this lend her body to an ideal, that of enigmatic disappearance, which all the characters that have con- wraps the actors in grandeur, tributed to her immortalization.
The with the history and the legend of stares of the individuals around cinema, in some sense merging her is perhaps not what matters retroactively with the founding most; their regard is ephemeral, fathers of the art they embody? These mechanical eyes are phrase in their mind, that a essentially the ones into which slave girl whispered to Roman the star should look, and at generals during the triumphs, so which she should smile. But the that the gods would not become star also knows intuitively that jealous of this theomorphic her admirers, stunned by her consecration?
Les photographes le savent bien. Seeing, and Seeming… he pleasure that the Cannes Film Festival brings, beyond that of the privileged few surrounded by luxury, or of prestigious meetings, is above all a pleasure that is conveyed by sight. Cannes is the biggest market of dreams and images, of course, but especially of sight, of seeing. There is a sort of permanent fascination by and for vision, and everything is organized around seeming glorious, and projecting a certain image. The whole world has its eyes fixed on Cannes, via the media, whose panoptic eyes record everything, the media who remembers everything.
The cameras are pointed towards the Cannes. Film Festival, which every night shows us ad infinitum the stars narcissistically admiring themselves in the regard of others. And this great social eye of the media takes this sample and makes it real to a superlative degree, projecting it onto an infinity of screens both public and private. Everything at Cannes seems to be the object of lingering looks, the object of desire, and of pleasure for the eyes. It even seems that the voyeurism and exhibitionism, which during the Cannes Festival is acknowledged and accepted, come about implicitly for its own sake.
See, be seen, present yourself, be recognized,. This the credo of the cult of form and appearance. It is the double of the Festival universe that matters… It is appearance, beauty, the doctored universe… which reigns in Cannes for fifteen days. Give an image is the correct term, as it concerns posing, not for the public of Cannes but rather for the whole world via the media of photography, television and the news.
Photographers and stars coexist thanks to one another, and a real interdependence links them together. As such, a minimum of cooperation is necessary. In , however, all. We endow the stars with many virtues and qualities. And yet everything fades in comparison with the fascination that these deified stars provoke in ordinary mortals — these stars who descend at twilight from their diaphanous celluloid to better reascend at the Palais des Festivals and, by ritual assumption, incarnate the ideal figures that the public wishes they truly were.
The Triumph of a Modern Cult Ritual he ceremony of the Marches du Pa la is, t he red c a rpet steps, is a rite of authentication and legitimization, which will endure in contemporary imagination. Founded on enforced civilit ies and. Indeed, here t he y t a ke phy s ic a l for m, attest ing to t heir tangible reality. This ritual, and the passion it ignites, confirms the role and the unique status of stars, and the f unction they f ulfill for millions of people: Contemporary societies, disillusioned or dismissive of God, have fewer and fewer sacred rates and practices.
The civilities and the Cannes ritual, which resemble a cult or a liturgy, answer a profound need to offer adoration, reverence and deference, a need which stems from deep historical, social and psychological roots. The cult of movie stars, parallel to that of sports stars, seems to fill the void left by the gradual abandonment of religion. Might it be significant to note that cinema and the Olympic Games, the genesis of modern sport, were created in the same year, in ? Each has since produced an infinite reservoir of new gods, very human objects of cult worship, who present themselves as contemporary golden calves.
Cinema, however, is based on an ambiguity, which it owes to its equivocal nature, and of which it should be aware. Regardless of the perfection with which we, sometimes hastily, imbue actors, they are only people. The staging of everyday life Volume 1: The presentation evening, Chapter 1. As such, the Festival is the of expression; we take pleasure theater where these new divinin watching the cinematic aes- ities appear, and from them we thetics, in viewing a world that is draw the new mythologies that chimerical and idealized, but we populate the social imagination.
Regarding A place of dreams and illusion, this notion of civilities, the most Cannes celebrates the cult of important question we might images, of the cinematic impose would concern the degree age, of the image that you give of sincerity of those who play at of yourself, or that we steal from civility, since this is always a so- others, images we admire and cial game. In Cannes, are these guard, to secretly revere them as games played with frankness, or magical icons.
They pass up the stairs, and In any case, Cannes and its ascend this mythical staircase. It grand staircase become a mid- remains only to be seen whether dle ground, a transitional space the firmament that they seem to between our world and a zenith so ceremoniously attain is truly where these modern gods that a universe of perfection and cinema brings into being may be eternity… 15 - Edgar Morin op.
It is the annual meeting place, not only of the cinema, but of the chic, the glamorous, and it is undeniably essential. Because in fact the competition rages as much on the. Laurent, qui met un mois pour boucler ses malles. The star, adored and a source of fantasies, must live up to her image. This is why the most illustrious fashion designers and creators act to produce THE dress that will make her the queen of the evening.
The key is often to be ready well in advance of the start of the Festival: For Isabelle Huppert, president of the jury in , it was Chanel who prepared her wardrobe; she was also lucky enough to wear a dress specially designed by Karl Lagerfield. Dior also clothes many actresses, preparing almost a hundred dresses every year that are made available to actresses and personalities. As with any top-level competition, it is the preparation that is decisive: Some are best suited to the serenity of women who have confidence in their elegance, following the example of stars such as Carole Bouquet, under contract with Chanel, or Catherine Deneuve, the muse of Saint Laurent, who took a month to pack her lug-.
Les stars se laissent prendre au jeu et pour une fois ce sont elles qui adoptent le style de la rue. The history of fashion and the Festival are closely related. Many pages of the history books of great fashion houses have been written on the steps of the Festival. Since the 40s, when peace is restored, the parties reign.
A new style of swimwear, worn. Fashion truly finds its means of self-expression at the end of the 50s, cutting back and forth between the rigid protocol of the Festival, and the eccentricities of its stars. A new wind sweeps across Cannes at the beginning of the 60s — the heyday of Carnaby Street style, coming straight out of England. The Beatles are at the Festival and with their arrival short skirts and dresses and immaculate white boots are all the rage on la Croisette, and even Jeanne Moreau takes up the style.
A taste for liberty, the dream and the natural shows itself on the steps of the Palais des Festivals. Starting in the 80s, with the move to the new palace, elegance and extravagance meet on the red carpet steps. The stars no longer hesitate to shatter their image of inaccessible women by appearing while pregnant, in evening dresses.
Here we think of Laetitia Casta wearing a kimono to hide her figure, or of Sophie Marceau in a magnificent, although very… plunging red dress.
At the end of the 70s and after something of a return to order within the Festival, a certain elegant classicism comes to fashion once more, and the major houses and the most talented designers return. The path is open for high-fashion creators. Others play on the wildest eccentricities, such as the not able sc a nd a l when i n La Cicciolina, wearing just a few transparent veils, entered the palace. Extravagance is often a sure way for the sta rs to dist inguish t hemselves on the steps.
Madonna understood this when she asked Jean-Paul Gaultier to prepare an outfit for her that was. This is the grand epoch of provocation, and in Cannes nothing is considered too crazy to attract the attention of photographers. Fashion and film co-exist and feed off benefits.
Si la robe est importante elle ne fait pas toute la tenue. Dressed all in white, with a feathered border at the base of her dress, the dress was the perfect way to present the star. Another icon, Fan Bingbing, wearing a sumptuous Hollywood-style dress by Elie Saab and a Cartier necklace, appeared alongside Charlotte Rampling, in a more androgynous style with Dior Homme, recalling the look of Bardot in the 60s. While the dress is important it alone does not make an ensemble. Here again the major houses are not left out — shoes, handbags and hats all contribute to making the star sublime.
These works of art follow the fashions throughout the years, allowing a resurgence of the more vibrant creative essences of the artists. Concerning hair, no less than ca ns of lacquer were used by the strong team of Jacques Dessange who, lac-. But what would a starlet be without jewels?
A star who would climb the red carpet steps without any jewelry at all would seem to be naked before the crowd.
The big names in jewelery have therefore taken over la Croisette to allow the dream to survive the often too-sad reality that exists in the eyes of most ordinary people. And an actress climbing the steps of the Palais des Festivals before a fascinated crowd is the best showcase of all. Since , the jeweler Chopard, in charge of the Palme. These gleaming stones, ingeniously mounted to cast the light on the wearer, make the stars shine more brightly still.
The history of fashion also contains pages devoted to the men in Cannes, when they too have stood at podiums and paraded along the famous red carpet. Although a dinner jacket is demanded, the art of the designer is to constantly renew and reinvent. Today the major houses have made stars into their ambassadors of choice. Brad Pitt shows a great deal of class when he wears Armani, accompanied by his wife Angelina Jolie who looks magnificent in her Versace.
Fashion and the Cannes Festival have always gone hand in hand, linked by the dream and the magic they create. What would they be without the glitter of bright stones, without the brilliance of fine fabrics — and without the aura of the stars? And relive them on any chosen screen, whether through the boxed set of DVDs.
It should come witness the growing role audio- as no surprise that its films visual archives play in the cur- are regularly selected by the rently popular biopics. It is also Throughout its history, French simply because we believe — as television has been a crea- do all the great film-directors — tive force. INA — which inher- in the power of images.
And with the help of photos from our archives, you will see first-hand the way television has blended with the world of film: Le Festival a mille visages. At the end of the day, I had annual get-together for filmthe impression that my face lovers the world over cannot had been devoured. Their frank- marked the American actorness and violence are striking. Everyone loves Cannes, but the Refined language indeed for presence of the photographers such a terse potted image that speaks reams. Festival in their mind? The first Festival poster was as glamorous as they get. Only a few hundred journalists attended the Festival at the time: They soon realized the attraction of this new international event, with its flowers, palm-trees, parties and scandals… and even a royal romance, as it was in Cannes that Grace Kelly and the Prince Rainier of Monaco were first introduced.
Enabled Amazon Best Sellers Rank: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of 3 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Very, very French in style, structure, and--of course--in subject and theme. The subject is love, love eminently profane: An indulged, arrogant, brilliant boy conducts an affair with a young married woman, his senior, her husband off defending France during the Great War. In theme, the young whippersnapper occasionally reflects on the big question: The divine law, also the decorums of the petite bourgeoisie, as against the pleasures of In style, also eminently French: One paragraph of action followed by two pages of analysis.
The author, Radiguet, would pass away at age twenty. By the way, European literature treats passion as destructive-- of the family, of society, of the nation. Curiously, dear ol' America, America of the Puritans, etc. Of course do see the film with the young Gerard Philipe, a master of fragile egoism. On m'y attrape toujours.
Ils eurent le triomphe modeste. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. This is a lovely romantic book and really helped to take my french to the next level. See all 3 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Le diable au corps - Le bal du Comte d'Orgel: Set up a giveaway. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Learn more about Amazon Prime.