Comparing Awards Associations

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Now let's look at the Cannes film festival. It took some time before they started giving out the Palme D'Or. The 1946 and 1947 went to multiple movies. Oddly in 2001, Cannes decided to look at the movies that would have been at the 1939 festival had the second world war not broken out. Although they could have chosen from Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Four Feathers and The Wizard of Oz, they chose Union Pacific.

Let's look at 1949-1972:

Particularly brilliant Palme D'Or choices: The Third Man (49), Miracle in Milan (51), The Wages of Fear (53), The Leopard (63)

Choices I haven't seen: Two Cents Worth of Hope (52), The Silent World (56), The Long Absence (61), The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (66), A Man and a Woman (66), The Working Class Goes to Heaven (72)

I can't think of any egregiously bad winners.

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Let's look at 1973-1997:

Particularly brilliant Palme D'Or choices: Apocalypse Now (79), Paris, Texas (84), Pulp Fiction (94), Underground (95)

Choices I haven't seen: The Hireling (73), Padre Padrone (77), Man of Iron (81), Under the Sun of Satan (87)

Choices better than the best picture: Taxi Driver (76), The ballad of Narayama (83), The Best Intentions (92), Taste of Cherry (97)

Less than good choices: Sex, Lies and Videotape (89), Barton Fink (91)

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Let's look at 1998-2022

Particularly brilliant Palme D'Or choices: The Pianist (02), L'Enfant (05), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (07), The Tree of Life (11), Blue is the Warmest Color (13), Parasite (19)

Choices I haven't seen: The Class (08),

Choices better than the best picture: Eternity and a Day (98), Rosetta (99), Dancer in the Dark (00), Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives (10), Winter Sleep (14), Dheepan (15), Shoplifters (18), Titane (21)

Less than good choices: The Square (17).

I plan to see Triangle of Sadness. But I'm not looking forward to it.

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Let's look at 1998-2022


I plan to see Triangle of Sadness. But I'm not looking forward to it.

That turned out to be all too accurate.

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The Cannes films festival has a number of other prizes. Second place is basically known as Grand Prix, which has been awarded somewhat irregularly since 1967. Let's look at the 1967-1994 period

Winners better than the Palme D'Or: Solaris (72), The Mother and the Whore (73), The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (75), La Belle Noiseuse (91).

Most promising of the movies I haven't seen: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (70),

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Now for the 1995-present period:

Winners better than the Palme D'Or: The Sweet Hereafter (97), Oldboy (04), Stars at Noon (22)

Most promising of those I haven't seen: The Zone of Interest (23)

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Cannes also has the Jury Prize, which is somewhat intermittently awarded. 1950-1986

Better than the Palme D'or: The Seventh Seal (57), Mon Oncle (58), L'Avventura(60), L'Eclisse (62)

Most interesting of the ones I haven't seen: Slaughterhouse-Five (72), The Hourglass Sanatorium (73), Colonel Redl (85)

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Now the Jury Prize 1987-Present

Better than the Palme D'Or: Jesus of Montreal (1989), Europa (1991), The Puppetmaster (1993), Tropical Malady (2004), American Honey (2016), EO (2022)

Most interesting of those I haven't seen: Raining Stone, Carrington, Thirst, Fallen Leaves

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The other two major European film festivals are Venice and Berlin. Let's look at Venice, where the Festival originally started under fascism, and where the Golden Lion had an erratic history, not appearing at all for the seventies.

1946-1989

Winner better than best Picture: Forbidden Games (1952), Ordet (1955), Aparajito (1957), Last Year in Marienbad (1961), Atlantic City (1980), First Name: Carmen (1983), Vagabond (1985), The Green Ray (1986), A city of Sadness (1989)

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1990-Present

Winners better than best picture: Vive L'Amour (1994), Cyclo (1995), Hana-Bi (1997), The Circle (2000), Vera Drake (2004), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Faust (2006), Roma (2018), The Happening (2021)

Really dubious choices: Lust, Caution (2007), Joker (2019)

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Let's look at the Berlin festival, in particular the Golden Bear 1956-1989

Better than best picture: 12 Angry Men (1957), Wild Strawberries (1958), Alphaville (1965), Adoption (1975), Love Streams (1984)

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Now for the Golden Beat 1990-Present

Better than best Picture: Music Box (1990), The Thin Red Line (1999), Magnolia (2000), Spirited Away (2002), A Separation (2011), Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021). But there are 22 I haven't seen.

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Now let's look at the National Society of Film Critics 1966-1995:

Choices better than best picture: Persona (1967), Z (1969), Nashville (1975), All the President's Men (1976), Breaking Away (1979), Melvin and Howard (1980), Atlantic City (1981), The Night of Shooting Stars (1983), Ran (1985), Blue Velvet (1986), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Pulp Fiction (1994), Babe (1995)

Choices not as good as best picture: Life is Sweet (1991)

Choices I haven't seen: Get out your Handkerchiefs (1978)