Not film news per se, but scandalous nonetheless – two incidents at the Cannes Film Festival are making more headlines than the movies.
After midnight on Friday, French time, jewelry said to be valued at $US 1 million was stolen from the hotel room of Chopard employee. Chopard, the exclusive Swiss jeweler, is a sponsor of the festival.
A twist – the theft took place shortly after or during a screening of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. The true story, starring Emma Watson, is about a group of teens who stole luxury goods from Los Angeles’ rich and famous out of a desire to emulate their lifestyles. Coincidence? Almost certainly.
A Chopard representative later insisted the value of the pieces had been exaggerated and “the jewelery stolen is not part of the collection worn by actresses during the Cannes Film Festival”.
Then on Saturday, during a televised interview with actors Christoph Waltz and Daniel Auteil on the Cannes waterfront, a man fired a gun and sent the stars along with the TV crew scrambling for cover. The man was arrested, and found with a starter pistol, a fake grenade and fake knife.
Here’s a video of the incident – television microphones evidently not picking up the fired shot.
