City of fun, frivolity and festivals
By Jagmohan Singh Barhok

ALTHOUGH the entire length of the Cote D’ Azur, as the French Riviera is more commonly known locally, is transformed into a vast playground for the permissive, playful fun-loving jet set in spring and summer, the two of its major beach resorts — Cannes and Nice — stand out head and shoulders above the dozen or so of its other bewitching leisure resorts, such as Juan-les-pins, St. Tropez and Monte Carlo. Though it is French Riviera’s second largest city after Nice, Cannes steals the show because of its International Film Festival held annually.

The local Cannois (inhabitants) speak of the city (Cannes) in terms of woman — a spoiled, pampered, and often faithless one. They also say that Cannes, like a woman, takes a new set of lovers each summer and winter. But, like a woman, they add, Cannes likes to tempt, tease and titillate, pandering to the good life with as many excuses for dressing up and then undressing as is humanly possible.

"The Croisette", Cannes’ seaside promenade, is admittedly one of the world’s most stunning avenues. On it, and on the beach along side, parade some of the world’s most stunning women. The city proudly claims that it invented the stunning brief feminine beachwear — the bikini. The claim would seem to be undisputable and unassailable in as much as the evidence is unmistakably there — within sight and touch. This mind-boggling, sexy swimwear in myriads of shapes, colours and sizes completely overshadows everything around you including even the beautiful buxom blondes.

There are endless festivals, balls, cocktail parties and beach binges which come to a climax at the height of the tourist season, which begins at the end of spring, just after the celebrated International Film Festival. The festival is the biggest, brashest, and best known of the French Riviera’s many festivals. For two hectic weeks in spring, the city looks like a massive movie studio. It becomes the focus of attention of anyone even remotely connected with the motion picture industry, and many more who are not.

Producers from all over the world alight on Cannes like moths to test their celluloid wings and show off their technicolours as they once did in Venice. Cannes, it may be mentioned, appropriated the film festival gimmick in 1939 from Venice, where Mussolini, a staunch film buff, originated it two years earlier. Both these cities were then competing for European film prestige and Venice was leading when World War II broke out. The end of the war saw the resumption of the festivals (in 1946) but Cannes took the lead which it has held ever since. The festival, however, also acquired a reputation for vulgarity and rowdiness, which seem to attract and entertain visitors more than the films themselves.

There is such a rush for tickets that they are usually sold out before the festival even opens. The main functions and film shows are held at the Palais des Festivals. Ideally located on the Croisette, near the old harbour, facing one of the most beautiful panoramas in the world, the Cannes Palais des Festivals et des Congres provides organisers and delegates from all over the world with a unique location that has all the equipment, the essential ingredients and the facilities needed to make meeting a success. This tremendous asset has 9 levels, two of which are underground and a part of which lies below sea-level.

The Louis Lumiere grand auditorium can accommodate 2300 guests. It has a stage which is 11 metres long, a screen 21 metres wide 11 metres high and a cable facility that can translate information into six languages. The Claude Debussy Theare has 1,000 seats on two levels (600 ground floor and 400 balcony), a screen 16 metres wide by 7 metres high and simultaneous translation facility. The ambassadors’ lounge has a partitionable function room which can hold 3,000 people for cocktail parties, 1200 for a meal or 1,000 for dinner shows.

As the world capital of the film industry, Cannes provides, thanks to the festivals, an unmatched market for directors, producers, actors and technicians. Television channels from all over the world have covered the event. Cannes is host to over 3,700 journalists and acredits more than 20,500 people. The festival is the event that receives the widest media coverage in the world after the Olympic Games — which is only held once every four years.

Since May, 1985, on the Georges Pompidou esplanade, at the entrance to the "Palais des Festivals", the stars have been invited to leave their handprints and signatures on the clay slabs. Alain Delon, Robert De Nero, Gina Lolobrigida, Jane Fonda and around 200 other actors and film directors have rendered these famous Palais steps sacred.

At the Palais, there are two showings of each day’s competition picture. But you cannot always get in, especially if there is a popular picture playing. Then you can join the overflow crowd at the smaller, local theatres on the rue d’ Antibes which show the same films at reasonable rates. And here, there is no insistence on a formal dress, you may come in a bikini or shorts. A group of French authors and critics make their own worldwide selection of outstanding pictures, quite independently of the main festival. Two or three films are shown daily and the final show is at midnight.

Movies shown at the festival are ushered in or followed by larger-than-life-sized parties. There is always a mad scramble for invitations. There are other, even wilder, private parties given by studios and producers to publicise a picture or star. Pinching stars and starlets has become a popular festival game and pinching bikinis right off starlets is becoming an even more daring caper.

Another of Cannes’ equally spectacular festivals is the "Battle of Flowers". The flowers come in a large variety and are thrown with gay abandon by precocious flower girls. Roses, lillies, mimosa, marigold, violets and tulips are all cultivated in Cannes mostly for the festivals.

Other important events at Cannes include the "International-ski-yatching competition" (held in January), the International Folklore Festival (held in July), the International Fireworks Display (in August), the Tax Free World Exhibition (in October) the Antique Fair (in December), besides the International Film Festival which is held annually in May.

Cannes has a 2000-year-old history. The place had only 1,430 inhabitants in 1638 followed by 3,000 in 1820 and 19,385 in 1888. Presently, its population is more than 70,000. The city of Cannes has 47,112 voters. The city offers many a facility and service to senior citizens, youth and children.

The city boasts of as many as 110 hotels, including the luxury category and 4-star deluxe hotels. There are as many as 32 three-star, 46 two-star and 12 one-star hotels in Cannes, besides 3,000 places for seasonal rent and around 2,500 apartments in 17 holiday complexes. The facilities offered in all categories are outstanding.

Carlton Intercontinental Hotel lies at the heart of all major events in Cannes. Its 354 rooms, including 16 suites, have been tastefully redecorated. Its grand Salon, classified a historic building, can accommodate 500 people for cocktail parties. The seventh floor, opened in 1989, houses the Carlton Casino Club, a keep-fit centre, and the La Belle Otero panoramic and gastronomic restaurant.

Cannes by night means, above all, its casinos. With its three renowned establishments, Cannes is now France’s number one gambling town. The Palm Beach Casino, one of the magic places of Cannes by night, on the Croisette Point, was opened in 1929. It is presently undergoing reconstruction which will provide Cannes with a hotel-casino entertainment complex. The Carlton Casino Club located on the top floor of the famous Croisette Palace, was opened in 1989. It is France’s number three casino for traditional games, second to the Enghien Casino. The Grand Casino Riviera, opened in 1993, is the casino of the Noga Hilton and completes the range of Cannes’ casinos. The Casino Municipal, the oldest, has since become the Casino-Croisette and today ranks as France’s number three casino, all games included.

Cannes also provides lots of nocturnal activities for those who are not tempted by the casinos. For fun seekers there are many piano-bars and night clubs at Cannes. Some of the popular nightclubs include — Bali Bali, Lord Club, Busbys, Cyrano, Le Charlesteon and Roxy Club. For lovers of music, dancing , cinema, theatre and all types of shows, nightlife in Cannes is a non-stop feast all year long.

Cannes is named after ‘cannes’ or canes that grew aboundantly in the marshes of the small fishing village that the city was. It is said that Lord Chancellor of England named Brougham was taking his ailing daughter for a vacation to Italy in 1834 when he stopped at Antibes on the river Var, then the frontier. There was an outbreak of cholera in France. Bougham turned back and settled down at Cannes to wait for the quarantine to be lifted. He took such a fancy to the place that he built a ‘chateau’ there and returned every year in winter for the next 34 years. He talked so much about the place in London that all English nobility from Queen Victoria to the last earl wanted to visit Cannes, and most of them did. Some of the royal visitors later built villas where the Crox des Gardes runs down to the sea.

Other spots, at and around Cannes, of tourist attraction include La Malmaison, on La Croisettee, Musee de La Mer, Musee da La Castre, The Islands of Lerins, The Islands of St Marguerite and The Cannes Hills. Located at the crossroads of Southern and Northern Europe, Cannes enjoys a key position, and with so many ways to get to it, can be reached within a few hours from all the major cities of Europe.