As the glitterati descend on the south of France for the opening of the Cannes Film Festival this week, we take a look back at an event - and location - that has become synonymous with the chic, glamorous side of the film industry.

Since it began in 1946, Cannes has been attracting more iconic movie stars then you could shake a diamond-encrusted stick at, making it a buzzword for wealth, sophistication and pure, unadulterated glamour. Over the years, actresses such as Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Jane Birkin (and a few famous gents, too) have flocked to the Mediterranean film mecca, bringing joie de vivre with them.