We all know that Cannes is the watchword for auteur cinema, stars, and drop-dead glamour, but how often do we peruse images from previous festivals?

Anouk Aimée, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Pierre Barouh and Claude Lelouch over breakfast in 1966 © Huffschmitt/SIPA

Brigitte Bardot having a Marilyn moment in 1956 © Hulton Archive/Getty Images Entertainment

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin in 1969 (what an anneé érotique!) © Huffschmitt/SIPA

Jeanne Moreau © Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone 1966

Jack Nicholson and his billboard in 1974 © Michel Ginfray/Gamma

Mel Gibson, Peter Weir and Sigourney Weaver, carefree in 1983 © Ralph Gatti/AFP

A contemplative Monica Vitti in 1960 © Huffschmitt/SIPA

Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd in 1957 © Dalmas/SIPA

Continental glamour girls Sophia Loren and Romy Schneider in 1962 © Huffschmitt/SIPA

Grace Kelly in 1955 © Hulton Archive/Getty Images Entertainment

It was just as glamorous, we’d say!