Scorsese, of course, would prefer if these great movies were seen on the big screen -- and, as an example, he then presented a ravishing restored Technicolor print of The Red Shoes, the Michael Powell classic he considers one of the best movies of all time. This was hardly the only nod to yesteryear at the fest; down the beach, the Cinema de la Plage -- a screen hung from pilings driven into the surf, with beach chairs for seats -- was presenting a terrific bill en plein aire.

The program began with Lawrence of Arabia on Thursday night, followed with the '70s rock flick The Wall shown on Friday; later selections in the program include David Bowie's trippy Ziggy Stardust, the new Jonathan Demme documentary Neil Young Trunk Show and, on the closing night of the festival, Mel Stuart's 1973 musical documentary Wattstax.