Today’s post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Research Services at the National Archives at College Park, MD.
Cannes. Glitz. Glamor. Film stars. Today, the Cannes film festival – formal title Festival de Cannes – is considered the epitome of the international motion picture world. The festival had an uncertain beginning.
The first official French notification to the U.S. government of the planned festival arrived in the Department of State in the form of the following diplomatic note from the French embassy in Washington, DC. In it, the embassy noted that the French government “had decided to organize an international moving picture festival” in Cannes to take place from September 1-20. The note stated that the “French Government would be very desirous of seeing the United States Government and the leading American motion picture companies represented.” This was only 4 months away and even as the political situation in Europe deteriorated.[1]
The Department’s initial response, three weeks later, indicated that it would refer the invitation as appropriate after receipt of further information, namely the program and a description of the conditions governing participation, information the embassy sent on July 18. Upon receipt, the Department sent copies to Will Hayes, president of Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc. (and author of the infamous “Hays Code”) and to Paul McNutt, the head of the Federal Security Agency, for consideration by the Office of Education and the U.S. Film Service.[2]
The MPPDA responded that the main American companies had already accepted the invitation and recommended that the government do so as well. McNutt at the Federal Security Agency indicated that the U.S. Film Service was working on two documentary films and indicated that if they were ready in time “the Federal Security Agency would be honored to offer the new films for purposes of representing this Government,” but noted that it would be a couple of weeks before he would know if they would be ready.[3]
The Department had kept the French embassy abreast of its actions in response to the invitation, but the French were anxious about U.S. participation as time was short. On August 2, the embassy sent an aide-memoire stating that “the Embassy of France greatly desires to know whether the American Government accepts the invitation of the French Government,” noting that several other countries, including Great Britain, had agreed to participate. The Department responded a week later that official U.S. participation was “still under consideration” but that the leading American companies had agreed to participate.[4]
Another element to the story was the appointment of a U.S. judge. According to the rules, each participating country appointed a member of the Judging Committee. The person chosen for that duty, however, “must not be in any way connected with the motion picture industry.” The French wanted a U.S. judge even if no U.S. government films were displayed and the Division of European Affairs considered it important that the judging panel include a U.S. representative. To fulfill that role, the Department chose the U.S. consul at Nice, Horace Remillard. On August 23, he was instructed to “attend the festival during the month of September as frequently as is necessary to comply with the regulations governing the duties of a member of the Judging Committee.”[5]
Shortly thereafter, McNutt at the Federal Security Agency reported that the two films in production by the U.S. Film Service would not be ready for the festival. In the end, however, none of this mattered. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II (even though Japan had invaded China several years earlier). As a result, the 1939 film festival was postponed and ultimately canceled.[6]
The film festival at Cannes finally began in 1946, but more on that later.
[1] Embassy of France to the Department of State, June 28, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/1, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State. The U.S. embassy in France also reported on the initiation of the festival. The English is from a translation in the files. See U.S. Embassy France to Department of State, Despatch No. 4608, July 5, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/2, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.
[2] Department of State to the Embassy of France, July 17, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/4; Embassy of France to the Department of State, June 28, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/6; Department of State to the Federal Security Agency, July 29, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/7; Counselor R. Walton Moore to Will Hays, July 29, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/10, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.
[3] Frederick Herron to R. Walton Moore, August 1, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/8; Federal Security Agency to the Department of State, August 15, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/13, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.
[4] Department of State to the Embassy of France, July 29, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/9; Embassy of France to the Department of State, August 2, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/11; Department of State to the Embassy of France, August 10, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/12, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.
[5] Warren Kelchner, Division of International Conferences, Memorandum, August 9, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/15; Department of State to the American consul at Nice, Unnumbered Instruction, August 23, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/17, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.
[6] Federal Security Agency to the Department of State, September 2, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/19; U.S. Embassy France to Department of State, Telegram 1833, September 7, 1939, file 851.607 MOTION PICTURE/20, 1930-39 Central Decimal File, RG 59: General Records of the Department of State.