Cannes Film Festival: the most booed films in history

TOpre finally flying there 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, on stage from today until May 27. Many the great authors who will parade on the Croisette: among others, Marco Bellocchio, Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders. But not always signing a great film in Cannes is a guarantee of applause. They are different the films, now considered masterpieces in the history of cinema, whose first appearance on the Croisette was loudly booed. Let’s find out which ones.

Cannes Film Festival: the 10 most booed films of all time

Taxi Driver (1976)

Career watershed film for both Martin Scorsese both of Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver won the Palme d’Or, not without controversy. In fact, most of the critics exacerbated violence of the final sequence – when taxi driver Travis Bickle does a massacre in a hotel – turned out to be untenable. Not to mention the choice of very young Jodie Foster in the guise of one baby prostitute.

L‘then president of the jurythe legendary playwright Tennessee Williamsenraged, but despite his fierce opposition, Scorsese’s masterpiece took home the top prize.

pulp Fiction (1994)

Not even Pulp Fiction was spared fierce criticism. But “poor” Quentin Tarantino responded in kind.

The great “rival” of Tarantino’s masterpiece was Three colors – Film red by Krzysztof Kieślowski, a Polish director pampered by the great European festivals. At the announcement of the American’s victory, he got up amid boos a woman’s voice: “Kieślowski!, Kieślowski!”. Quentin’s reaction? A middle finger.

The adventure (1960)

History of a woman who disappears into thin air on an islandwhile the companion and best friend (Monica Vitti) are looking for her, the film by Michelangelo Antonioni marked the beginning of sentimental-artistic partnership between the director and the actress.

First film of the famous “incommunicability trilogy“, The adventure won the jury prize at Cannes – La Palma will go to The sweet life by Fellini – but he came booed by the audience. Then when it was released in Italian theaters a few months later, the great Roberto Rossellini told the press: “The adventure And the best film ever presented at a festival». Seeing is believing.

Crashes (1996)

David Cronenberg’s extraordinary film has disturbed, and continues to disturb, for his mix of perversion and violence. A masterpiece that tells of a group of people sexually obsessed with car accidents.

At its first appearance in Cannes, it didn’t like it at all. Nor to the public – that during the gay sex scene he stormed out of the hall –, nor to the good Francis Ford Coppola, then president of the jury. The director of Apocalypse Now he was so determined not to award Cronenberg that the other members of the jury had to devise a ruse. That is to create a special ad hoc prize.

The Big Binge (1973)

Film manifesto of the extraordinary and always too little celebrated cinema of Marco Ferreriis a surreal-culinary tale centered around a group of friends who decide to committing suicide by literally choking on food.

With a cast that includes the best of European cinema of the time – Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Piccoli and Marcello Mastroianni –, the film came blatantly booed for too many sex scenes and some scatological profanities. But, as often happens, the controversy and clamor followed, for the film, an incredible success with the public. Despite some cuts imposed by censorship.

The Brown Bunny (2003)

On the road melodrama, and very intimate, in which the protagonist wanders through a desolate America, The Brown Bunny by Vincent Gallowhich he wrote and starred in, was the most discussed in Cannes in 2003. But not for its (undeniable) artistic value.

A media storm erupted when the rumor spread that, in the final scene, Chloë Sevigny practiced unsimulated fellatio to her co-star, e engaged at the time, Vincent. Scene that, due to its explicit content, had pushed Winona Ryder and Kirsten Dunst to give up the part. Such was it rain of criticisms and boos after the first screening Gallo never set foot again at the Cannes Film Festival.

The mother and the putain (1973)

A love triangle, and existential, between two girls and a boy (Jean Pierre Leaud). The three beautiful hours of the film by Jean Eustache they can easily be summed up like this.

A riverine and revolutionary film which, however, at the time it really caused a scandaldespite the “modern” times, especially for some dialogues considered too pornographic. After the director’s death in 1981, the film has become almost invisible but, fortunately, the foresight of Eustache’s son allowed a digital restoration of the negatives. And a subsequent distribution in cinemas, also in Italy where, a couple of months ago, the film obtained excellent feedback.

Under the sun of Satan (1987)

None Golden Palm of the Cannes Film Festivalprobably, it is never been so openly booed (and challenged) from the audience, from the guests, from the French and international press. With protagonists Sandrine Bonnaire and Gerard DepardieuMaurice Pialat’s film tells the torments of a young country priest and the controversial relationship with a young peasant woman a little too libertine. A beautiful but certainly controversial work, given the religious topic.

During the awards ceremony, Pialat was overwhelmed by boos and he openly challenged the audience. Screaming into the microphone «If you don’t love me, I don’t love you eitherhe raised his arm in victory.

Wild Heart (1990)

Overwhelming love between Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) is at the center of the bombastic signed film David Lynch. A guarantee when it comes to mix irony, violence, sex and criticism of American society.

Between bloodshed, psychotic mothers and killers with rotten teeth, the cocktail served certainly didn’t drive the Cannes public crazy. Che openly booed the film at both the press screening and the announcement of the conquest of La Palma, fvery much desired by the president of the jury. Bernardo Bertolucci in fact he caught it perfectly the wave of change which would soon invade all American cinema.

The sacrifice of the sacred deer (2017)

For Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, scandals and controversies are the order of the day. Since his debut in 2005 with the provocative Kinetta.

Played by Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, The sacrifice of the sacred deer mixes elements of Greek mythology, horror and grotesque humor. A minestrone difficult to digest but very intelligent and innovative. Quality that the audience of the Cannes festival didn’t appreciate it particularly. Nor the criticism.

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