The Story of Cannes: Snakes, Saracens, and a Film Festival

The name of the town of Caen comes from the word meaning reed, because in its lower part there was once a swamp. The first settlement we know of in the area dates back to the ancient Roman period (around the 2nd century BC) and is located on the Suquet hill, which overlooks the town (in this way Caen reminds me a little of the city of Lyon, which also began as a Roman settlement on top of the hill and only later “slid down”).

During the 5th century, legend has it, there was a plague of snakes in Cannes. At that time, a man named Honorat, who would later receive the title of “Saint” (Saint Honorat 350-429), lived in the area. When he heard about the great suffering that the snakes were causing to the residents of the area, he climbed a palm tree and prayed to God to save the residents of Cannes.

Shortly after Honoratus finished praying, a huge wave suddenly arrived and washed away all the snakes from the town. As a sign of gratitude, Honoratus decided to build a monastery on one of the islands, located opposite the coast of Cannes, which would later be named Île Saint-Honorat after him.

In the late 9th century, the Saracens (Les Saracines), Muslim invaders, arrived in the area and conquered a large part of the region and remained in the area for about 100 years. Those who reconquered Cannes were monks who lived on the Îles de Lérins, which are located off the coast of Cannes. In 1035, after reconquering the area, the monks built a castle on top of the Soca hill and began to build towers on the Lérins Islands themselves.

The monks ruled Cannes until the 16th century, when the inhabitants of the small village decided that they preferred to be part of the French kingdom and so, despite repeated attempts at conquest during the 18th century, by both England and Spain, the area remained French.

Cholera turns Cannes into a desirable resort town

Whenever we talk about a sad and unpleasant topic, and my mother wants to change the subject, she always pulls out an old and amusing Russian idiom and says, "Let's change the subject and talk about something more optimistic, like the cholera in Odessa."

Whether Russian humor makes you laugh or you now look at the text you just read with bewilderment and even shock, one thing is undeniable: even tragedies can have unexpected positive outcomes.

To understand this, we must go back to the 30s. Lord Henry Brougham (Henry Peter Brougham, 19st Baron Brougham and Vaux 1-1778), a prominent British politician and one of the main figures responsible for the abolition of the slave trade, decides to set out on a journey of freedom.

As the late Jonathan Geffen wrote in his poem “Jonathan, Go Home,” in London the people are healthy but the sun is sick, so the distinguished lord decides to enjoy the sun of the Italian peninsula. However, during the long journey from England to Nice, which at the time belonged to the Italian House of Savoy, a cholera epidemic breaks out, claiming many lives throughout Europe.

As a result, as the distinguished Lord approaches Nice, he discovers that the authorities are not allowing foreigners into the city for fear of contagion. Since returning to England and giving up the sunshine that the English love so much was not a realistic option, Lord Brougham decides to check out other options in the area, and that is how he arrived in Cannes.

At that time, Cannes was no more than a small fishing village, and there was no hotel there worthy of housing such a distinguished lord. Henry had to make do with a rather modest inn, but despite his less than ideal start, he soon fell in love with the place.

The Lord decided to return to live in Cannes, only this time he would stay in a respectable building and not a shabby hostel. Since there was no such house in Cannes, he decided to build one and name it after his daughter – Eleanor-Louise. To his great regret, by the time the first stone of the building was laid, in 1835, his daughter was no longer alive and the house became a kind of Gilead in her memory.

The death of his daughter did not prevent the lord from living in the magnificent building, which was completed in 1839, and he began inviting friends from England to stay. Quite a few of those people who followed him there fell in love with the place and decided to build equally magnificent villas.

In a short time, the small and modest fishing village was “flooded” with luxurious villas in various and strange styles, and with them came flowers and plants that the long-time residents of Cannes had never seen before (for example, eucalyptus trees, which also came to us, mimosa flowers and palm trees). After the luxurious villas came the luxurious hotels, most of which are located right on the promenade.

Lord Boreham died at the age of 89 in Cannes and was greatly respected not only in his lifetime but also in his death. When you walk around Cannes, you will encounter his statue in the city center, and his tomb is also particularly prominent in the town cemetery. His house was abandoned during World War II and later divided into several apartments, so it is unfortunately not possible to visit it today.

Cannes Film Festival

The fact that Cannes became a luxury resort town from the second half of the 19th century made it a place to host a film festival. After all, what represents more luxury than actors and actresses dressed in designer clothes? However, the history of the Cannes Film Festival is not as simple as you might think.

The first film festivals were actually held in Venice, and began in the 30s. At that time, Italy was ruled by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, and he, along with Hitler, interfered with the content of the festival and the films shown there.

In response, she decided France to produce an alternative film festival, and announced that it would take place in Cannes on September 20, 1939. However, on September 1 of that year, German armies invaded Poland, World War II began, and no one really felt like watching movies, so the festival was canceled (not before screening a preview of The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Philippe Erlanger (1903-1987), who initiated the original Cannes Film Festival, proposed to the French government to relaunch it, hoping that this time another war would not break out to prevent it.

The government, seeing such a festival as an excellent way to bring tourism back to the French Riviera, agreed and the first festival took place on September 20, 1946. Since the town of Cannes had been severely affected economically by the lack of tourism during World War II, the money to produce the festival was raised from the general public, who happily agreed to donate.

Since Cannes did not have a special building for the festival at that time, it took place in the Winter Casino and 18 countries participated. During the first festival, 9 awards were given out, and the winner of the first prize was the film “Rome, Open City” by Roberto Rossellini (1906-1977).

If you thought that was the end of the festival's difficulties, you were wrong. The economic situation in Europe in general and in France in particular caused the festival to be canceled twice (in 1948 and 1950). However, with the economic improvement in Europe, following the Marshall Plan, the festival began to get back on track and since 1951 it has been held every year (except during the Corona period).

As the number of people attending the festival grew, it was decided to move it from September to April. In 1952, the festival received its current (and rather ugly, it should be noted) structure, and in 1955, the famous “Palm d’Or” award of the Cannes Film Festival was created.

During the 30,000s, due to the success of the festival, it became the most prestigious and respected film festival in the world, and it continues to hold this title today. Today, the festival attracts about 30,000 people each year (a hundred times more than the first festival). If you want to be part of those XNUMX people who come to the festival, you are welcome to enterOfficial website of the Cannes Film Festival and stay updated about the program.

More articles about Cannes

This concludes the historical chapter, which prepares you for a visit to the town of Cannes. So what do we do next? It's good that you asked! I have 3 articles that will help you plan your trip there (and Cannes, of course 🙂 ).

• Cannes for the traveler: An article that provides you with a travel itinerary in this charming city plus important information (directions to get there, etc.). You can find all of this in the article. Cannes: attractions, restaurants, hotels and recommendations.
• Lerne Islands: Here you will learn about the story of the Lerran Islands, which I mentioned in this article, including detailed information about what to see on each of these islands. The article will be published soon.
• Recommended hotels in Cannes: I'm sure you now understand that Cannes is a charming and chic town. On top of that, Cannes is a perfect place for a star trip on the French Riviera. These two facts are a great reason why it's worth staying there for a few nights. So, if you've decided to take my advice and spend a few days there, you're welcome to read the article Recommended hotels in Cannes: the diamond of the French Riviera And get recommendations for some great hotels that I've collected for you in Tweezers.