‘Satan’s Sun’ Wins at Cannes

“Under Satan’s Sun” by French director Maurice Pialat today won the Golden Palm award for best film at the 40th Cannes Film Festival.

The announcement was met by boos and hisses from the audience. Actress Catherine Deneuve, who presented the award, had to ask for silence to allow Pialat to make his acceptance speech. “Under Satan’s Sun” is a provocative tale based on a 19th-Century novel by Georges Bernanos about a monk’s encounter with the devil. The selection was a surprise. The favorites for the top prize were “Black Eyes” by Soviet director Mikita Mikalkov and Paul Newman’s “The Glass Menagerie.”