The Hunt and Pecking Order

As the organizers of the Festival de Cannes are fond of reminding us, there are 4000 representatives of the international press in attendance. That is one scary number. In part, because the French have developed a system, a color, to assign each member of the hack pack, a credential that instantly denotes where he or she is in the food chain. There are the lowly blues. Like plants. Better is pink. Like deer. Better yet is pink (get this) with a yellow dot, which would be a predator, but not a top predator, not a tiger or a lion, more like a racoon or a really aggressive squirrel. Last year, our first here, we were a squirrel.

Along the red carpet: Actors Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal share a giggle while posing for photos at the Cannes Film Festival. Photo Gallery: Turning the Camera on Cannes

And finally, there is the white credential, the fabled carte blanche. This year -- perhaps because some important critics have recently died? -- we were award the carte blanche. "This card allows you exceptional access," according to the document that accompanied our press card that at the same time reminded us to never, ever abuse our privileges. And so, when there is a festival-sponsored press conference/cattle call, there are different lines, better seats, etc. for the better colors. It is appalling. But then again, we thought it best not to complain.

By Bill Booth |  May 17, 2007; 12:22 PM ET  | Category:  Cannes Film Festival 2007
Previous: My 'Blueberry' Pancakes | Next: U2N3D.