Venice Classics 2024: 19 Restored Masterpieces from Wajda, Rossellini, Polanski and Cinema’s Greats
The Venice Film Festival's Venice Classics program is presenting 19 newly restored films spanning decades of international filmmaking. The curated selection includes works by acclaimed directors such as Andrej Wajda, Roberto Rossellini, Luis Buñuel, Roger Corman, John Cassavetes, and Ann Hui, showcasing the breadth of cinema history from European postwar dramas to genre experiments.
Key restorations in the lineup feature Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds," a postwar political drama that Martin Scorsese has ranked among his ten favourite films, alongside Rossellini's "Journey to Italy," Corman's "The Wild Angels," and Dev Benegal's "English, August." The program also highlights Roman Polanski's British-shot "Cul-de-sac" (1966) and Tinto Brass's 1967 pop thriller "Deadly Sweet," both recently restored and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Ewa Aulin.
- Venice Classics presents 19 newly restored films from legendary directors including Wajda, Rossellini, Buñuel, Corman, Cassavetes, and Hui
- Standout restorations include Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds" (praised by Scorsese), Polanski's "Cul-de-sac," and Tinto Brass's "Deadly Sweet"
- The lineup spans postwar European cinema, political dramas, pop thrillers, and international works from the 1960s onward
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Venice Classics, part of the Venice Film Festival, is a strand dedicated to newly restored films, giving festival-goers and cinephiles a chance to see historic works on the big screen with modern picture and sound quality. This year's edition brings together 19 restorations spanning several decades and countries, drawn from directors regarded as some of the most influential in film history.
The line-up includes figures such as Poland's Andrzej Wajda, Italy's Roberto Rossellini, Spain's Luis Buñuel, and American independent filmmaker John Cassavetes, alongside genre specialists like Roger Corman and lesser-known but critically respected names such as Hong Kong's Ann Hui. Restoration work of this kind is typically carried out by film archives, studios or foundations, often using original negatives, to preserve films that might otherwise degrade or become hard to view in their intended form.
These programmes matter because they keep classic and influential cinema accessible to new audiences and remind festival attendees of the art form's history alongside newer releases. They also often highlight films that were overlooked, censored or hard to see for years, giving them fresh visibility and critical reassessment.
Coverage
- Deadline — Venice Classics: Roman Polanski, Luis Buñuel & John Cassavetes Titles Among Lineup
- Variety — Venice Classics to Feature Roberto Rossellini’s ‘Journey to Italy,’ Roger Corman’s ‘The Wild Angels’ and Dev Benegal’s ‘English, August’
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