"But he has seven badges."

Thursday night the Cannes Film Festival began its Cinéma de la Plage series of late night screenings on the beach.  The first movie to be shown was Dr. No, a 1962 James Bond film starring Sean Connery and directed by Terrence Young.  The beach side viewing drew large crowds of locals, tourists and even industry members.

In fact, some industry members who came to the beach to watch the classic Bond film caused a bigger scene than the fireworks that intermittently erupted over the Mediterranean just behind and above the projection screen.  Security guards confronted two young, male professionals for allegedly entering the viewing area after the movie had already started.  The men were asked to leave.  They refused the gestured towards the badges they wore around their neck.  The security guards ignored whatever high standing the badges might have implied and repeatedly asked the gentlemen to leave.  However, the two young professionals repeatedly refused to vacate their seats and exit the beach, causing a team of security guards to pick up the men’s seats and dump the men out onto the sand while members of the Cannes police force arrived to help escort the two men from the premises.  A female companion of one of the two gentlemen screamed at the police officers, “But he has seven badges.” 

-- Molly S Kruser