The Auteurs

The Criterion Collection presents

May 2009 Cannes Classics

For more than sixty years, the Cannes Film Festival has premiered some of the most daring, controversial, and singular cinema of all time—and judging from the critics’ dispatches from the recently concluded 2009 edition, this year was no exception. In this month’s festival, we’re proud to present six Criterion Collection masterpieces that debuted in competition on the Croisette (at least one of which, L’avventura, was greeted with incredulous catcalls and hisses—a Cannes specialty), before going on to become beloved international successes.