Conjuring up all the glamour of the event, Jungen recounts the history of the Cannes Film Festival from an American perspective surveying the complex interplay of talent, money and corporate clout. He traces the growing influence of the Hollywood studios on the festival's rise to the key film event. Case studies of film (including The Birds, Easy Rider, and The Da Vinci Code) and of the creation of stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, profit from the author's experience of visiting the Cannes Film Festival over more than twelve years.

Christian Jungen is film critic of Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, the Sunday edition of Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He is president of the Swiss Film Critics Association. He gave seminars on the history of film festivals at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Recipient of the Prix Pathé for excellence in film journalism 2011.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1 The Festival as a means to promote European national cultures, 1939–19681.1 With Hollywood against Hollywood1.2 The Festival as a definitional context for national cinema1.3 Hollywood’s handicap on the diplomatic scene1.4 The art vs. commerce conflict1.4.1 The false allure of the free visa1.5 US government interests in the Cold War2 The star as a symbiosis between Hollywood and Cannes2.1 Stars as means of market control2.2 Cannes legitimates itself with Hollywood stars2.3 The rise of Brigitte Bardot2.4 Fear of scandal: Hollywood skimps on stars2.4.1 Warner Brothers loses interest in Cannes: What ever happened to Bette Davis?3 The auteur in commercial Hollywood3.1 The emergence of the politique des auteurs in Cahiers du Cinéma3.2 The politique at the Festival3.2.1 The Nouvelle Vague becomes a brand at Cannes3.2.2 Alfred Hitchcock: The “Father of the Nouvelle Vague” as publicity genius3.3 Criticism of the fora for critical reception3.3.1 Hollywood’s hegemonic claims3.3.2 The American score with the jury3.3.3 Film critics as spoilsports3.3.4 Preemption by film programmers4 A new harmony courtesy of New Hollywood, 1969–19814.1 The selection process is reformed4.1.2 Denationalization through coproductions4.2.2 The end of an era: 1968 interrupts the festival4.4 Cannes as a success story for Hollywood in crisis4.4.1 The film market4.4.2 Columbia’s success with EASY RIDER4.4.3 With M*A*S*H, Fox becomes the first major to win the Palme d’Or4.4.4 Warner Brothers celebrates its fiftieth anniversary at Cannes4.4.5 Artistic grounds for success4.5 What can films do for the festival?4.5.1 American critics discover Cannes4.5.2 Hollywood’s industry press4.5.3 Cannes on American TV: Dreams for breakfast4.6 Trans-Atlantic harmony ends4.6.1 Coppola triumphs with APOCALYPSE NOW4.6.2 Cimino fails with HEAVEN’S GATE5 Perils and possibilities for blockbusters, 1975–19975.1 Cannes as an avoidable risk5.1.1 High-concept blockbusters drive out auteur films; marketing neutralizes critics5.1.2 The multiplex and MTV revolution5.1.3 “Pictures that people in Kansas City want to see” from Paramount5.1.4 The Palme d’Or as an art film stigma for THE MISSION5. 2 Hollywood’s strategies to exploit media concentration5.2.1 Out of competition, outside criticism5.2.1.1 E.T. feels at home at Cannes5.2.2 The politique des acteurs5.2.2.1 Muscular action heroes5.2.2.2 Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his movie career on the beach5.2.2.3 Schwarzenegger’s flop with LAST ACTION HERO5.2.2.4 Consequences of the strategy of “with Cannes against Cannes”5.3 The Festival’s politique des acteurs5.3.1 The Montée des Marches5.3.2 Sharon Stone becomes a star overnight5.4 The independents conquer Cannes6 Cultural exception versus monoculture, 1994–20086.1 The new ice age, 1994-20006.1.1 Hollywood makes Hollyworld6.1.2 The GATT negotiations6.1.3 Cannes as a means to promote cultural diversity6.1.4. No US blockbusters in competition6.2 The festival as launch pad, 2001–20086.2.1 Global launches6.2.2 Cannes as gateway to the world market6.2.3 Veni, Vidi, “Vinci”: THE DA VINCI CODE cracks the criticsConclusionBibliographyAppendixIndex