"cette étrange foire d'empoigne à laquelle j'essayai de donner quelque grâce"

Autograph letter signed by Jean Cocteau, president of the jury of the 1954 Cannes festival which was held from March 25 to April 9, addressed to his friend Carlo Rim, 17 lines in blue ink : "this strange free-for-all to which I tried to give some grace" Jean Cocteau further praises Carlo Rim's impartiality and clairvoyance: "I must tell you my gratitude for your eye which knew how to see above the place..." and denounces the struggles of influence troubling and surrounding the awarding of prizes of which he bore the brunt  : "The funniest thing is that my last attempt at justice still disturbed some schemes - Clément's entourage" [This refers to René Clément who was competing that year with Monsieur Ripois "(he has nothing to do with it) hoping for a publicity scandal, cancelled by the special prize... The little friends you know said that I had been telephoned orders." Satisfied to be rid of this cumbersome burden, Jean Cocteau nonetheless advises his friend Carlo Rim, jury member, to be vigilant for the next edition of the festival:  "The game not being worth the candle. Next year keep an 'eye' on my successor's work. He will look good (as they say)."
In his letter, Jean Cocteau mentions René Clément who was competing that year with "Monsieur Ripois" which thus obtained, to the great joy and instigation of René Clément's entourage, the grand jury prize, "Gate of Hell" by Teinosuke Kinugasa winning the grand prize.

Fold marks inherent to postal mailing. Provenance: from the Carlo Rim collection. Carlo Rim was a Provençal writer, author notably of "Ma belle Marseille", a caricaturist, a filmmaker: "Justin de Marseille", "L'armoire volante", "La maison Bonnadieu", and was notably the friend of Fernandel, Raimu and Marcel Pagnol but also of Max Jacob and André Salmon whom he met in Sanary.