King of Hollywood-Chapter 591 - 312 "Malena

Thanksgiving had passed, and Christmas had arrived. With "Spider Man"’s momentum beginning to slow, the box office battles remained fierce, including MGM, which now relied entirely on the "007" series, releasing the nineteenth James Bond film, "The World Is Not Enough"!

The role that should have elevated Sophie’s fame in Hollywood was forfeited due to the pregnancy caused by Adrian, and then Zetajones, recommended by Adrian, snagged it. Although the film had nothing to do with Adrian in terms of production and investment, recommending an actress was an easy task given his current fame and status. After all, Bond Girls are basically eye candy, so why not do a favor for the Miracle Director?

Zetajones’s performance was in no way inferior to Sophie’s; each had their own allure and seductive charm. Adrian knew this all too well. Compared to her, Zetajones, as the female lead, portrayed a sexier persona, also emphasizing a certain viciousness, perfectly embodying the idea of a ’femme fatale.’ Although Sophie was also remarkable, she admittedly lacked a bit in this regard, but her somber demeanor made it hard to despise her, even if she committed many wrongdoings.

"This is the difference," Adrian said after attending "The World Is Not Enough" premiere and watching the movie. He then celebrated Zetajones’s performance extensively.

Of course, some similarities persisted; the villainous Bond Girl still utterly eclipsed the virtuous one. It was undeniable that Denise Richards was one of the weakest Bond Girls. Numerous critics praised Zetajones, many praised Brosnan, but praises for Richards were miserably few. The New York Post even called "The World Is Not Enough" the worst 007 movie in 25 years.

Yet, this did not quench the fans’ enthusiasm for the film. After decades, the 007 series had cultivated a large base of loyal fans; adding on a movie of decent quality and featuring the first Bond Girl to die by Bond’s hand as a gimmick, the film instantly topped the North American box office charts upon its release.

Despite this, "The World Is Not Enough" had not made a hundred million in three days, like "Spider Man," so, despite its continued popularity, it couldn’t prevent other film companies from taking a slice of the market share. And "Notting Hill" was released during this time.

As the last part of what had already been touted by Adrian as Julia Roberts’s quintet of love stories—although this was the term used between Adrian and Julia, the official pitch to the public was another romantic comedy starring Julia—"Notting Hill" had garnered a lot of attention from the start, not to mention its hype, like a major star playing a star, or the fairytale romance of a major star with a commoner. However, the most eye-catching detail was Julia’s $20 million salary.

She was the first actress to enter the $20 million club. Considering not many male actors fetched such high salaries and the innate disadvantages for women, this was certainly a milestone worth highlighting. More importantly, although the production team had offered $20 million, whether Julia was worth the amount remained to be seen. If "Notting Hill" flopped at the box office, even if she had entered the $20 million club, she’d have to leave it just as quickly, so many were waiting eagerly to see how it played out.

"Let them wait and see," Adrian, who accompanied Julia to the premiere, said to his lady.

Touching stories are always popular, especially those that relate to real life. The theme of an ordinary person ending up with a big star fit this bill perfectly, even though it was highly unlikely in reality. The appeal was still strong. Moreover, Adrian even made a cameo in the film as the selfish producer boyfriend of the female star Anna.

Originally, this character was also an actor, but since Adrian was making a cameo, it was only fitting it would be changed to a producer. Though he only appeared briefly, his presence elicited low exclamations of surprise from the guests who recognized him at the premiere; Julia, sitting by his side, couldn’t help but chuckle.

"It seems I performed quite well, Julia, to make you so happy," Adrian joked, but he received an eye roll from Julia in return.

Honestly, his performance was indeed quite good. Adrian had always made cameos in his films, unlike Stan Lee, who merely saw himself as a live prop in his cameos—this time, Lee’s cameo in "Spider Man," where the character briefly swung past an old man, wasn’t cut. Adrian’s cameos were always meaningful. For instance, the man on the bench listening to Forrest Gump or the boss in "The Matrix," who was still Andrew’s Neo, showing a decent improvement in his acting, perfectly capturing the producer’s frivolous demeanor.

"You’re just playing yourself," Julia said to him half-mockingly, and of course, she paid the price later.

It was an excellent publicity stunt. Adrian and Julia’s affair was well-known, and that night they even attended the premiere together. Despite countless reporters and cameras on the red carpet, they avoided certain questions. Yet their faces clearly announced, "Yes, we are involved, but we just won’t admit it."

So, when this part came up, most people felt delighted and excited, especially since Hugh Grant’s fame was nowhere near his "past" glory. Unconsciously, the audience replaced the actors’ real identities in their minds. Then the tabloids sensationalized, fabricating a story about a love triangle involving Grant, Julia, and Adrian during the filming of "Notting Hill."

Although they didn’t dare to fabricate too much, some things were obvious to everyone. Based on that, drafting a few lines wouldn’t bother any media mogul, right?

Adrian certainly didn’t mind, it equated to free advertising for "Notting Hill." Moreover, these plot twists wouldn’t impact much; most film critics gave high ratings, the Rotten Tomatoes website under AC Media even scored it 84% fresh, The "Chicago Tribune" found the film cheerful and the dialogue witty, while the "Los Angeles Times" mentioned that Julia and Grant had great chemistry in the movie.

Though it seemed the box office in its first week, only around 26 million, did not do justice to these reviews, it was just a start. Which Julia’s romantic comedy didn’t eventually do well over time in North America? Breaking a hundred million was just a matter of time.

"Look, everything is going according to plan, my dear. And next year, I’m going to direct personally for you. Are you ready?" Adrian said to Julia proudly.

Of course, that was all for next year, even though next year was just a half-month away. They still wanted to launch this year’s long-prepared movie first.

This movie was, naturally, "Malena," which Adrian had carefully modified for Monica to make a strong Oscar bid. Releasing an artistic film in December wasn’t optimal, although many such films chose this timing, but they had a certain box office footing.

Like "American Beauty," which also counted as an artistic film, it narrated the story of the American middle class, resonating with many and gradually drawing them in. However, "Malena," though directed by Miracle Director, told an Italian story; even if its plot was well modified to add more storytellings, it couldn’t change that fact.

A movie was made either for the box office or for awards. Even European directors, who didn’t shy away from any theme in the name of artistic integrity, wanted their work to be acknowledged by countless people—even one projecting an image of not needing anyone else’s approval.

But awards weren’t easy to grab, without going into details about it. If a film failed to win awards or secure even the basic box office, then head to Europe to become a director dubbed unique or attention-seeking. free𝑤ebnovel.com

However, if artistic films aimed at the Oscars, they needed to vie for a year-end release to keep buzzing in the judges’ ears. What to do? There were two strategies. One was to release in late October or early November, avoiding the prime Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year slot; the other was to have a limited release in late December to qualify for competition, then go for a wide release after that period.

Both methods had their pros and cons, and the choice depended on the producer. Actually, Adrian hoped "Malena" could be released in late October, giving him ample time to influence slowly. But since he spent most of the year in New Zealand working on "The Lord of the Rings," "Malena," though shot last year, wasn’t post-produced until the end of 1999, thus forcing the second strategy choice.

"It doesn’t matter, it’s just a bit troublesome, there’s no serious problem, and of course, there won’t be a premiere."

"Look, this place is packed, they clearly think this movie is worth watching," Adrian whispered to Monica, who had recovered well postpartum, as they sat in the cinema.

After all, this was a work by the Miracle Director, and it was the first movie he had hands-on produced in almost a year, shown exclusively in one theater, so naturally, the place was full.

On the big screen, the plot had already progressed by more than a third. The chosen cinematographer had done an excellent job, perfectly meeting Adrian’s expectations. Monica’s screen time might have been limited, but her inherent sex appeal and charm were unmistakably showcased, especially the stark difference between the real Marina and the Marina fantasized about by the male protagonist.

The real Marina combined sexiness with dignity. Even when boys whistled at her from behind or many men gave her lingering looks as she walked down the street, she could still walk calmly, making people reluctant to offend her while simultaneously desiring to do so. In the male protagonist’s fantasy, however, Marina’s allure came with endless provocation, as if beckoning him to hasten to her.

This created a strong contrast, leaving a deep impression on the viewers. However, if anyone thought that was all, they were sorely mistaken. Soon, one of the four most iconic scenes designed by Adrian for the entire film, involving Marina, was about to unfold.

Because her husband had gone to war and hadn’t been heard from, some men began to harass her, and the women in town were jealous and hated her, leading them to accuse her in court of seducing their husbands. No lawyer would defend her, except for a sleazy old man, who argued that she should be absolved because Marina was too beautiful, and beauty was not a crime. The court accepted this explanation and declared Marina innocent, but that same sleazy old man took advantage of her that night.

As she sat in the middle of the courtroom, her eyelids drooping, though trying to appear calm, the indescribable sadness welling up in her eyes made her particularly pitiable.

But this was merely the beginning. Afterwards, her situation deteriorated further, with the news of her husband’s death arriving, her old father disowning her, then dying in an air raid. Marina lost all her sources of income and faced only one path to survive.

This was another classic scene and the modification Adrian was most proud of for this movie. Even during filming, it took countless NGs.

The determined Marina sat at the sewing machine, stitching clothes bit by bit, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes filled with denial and unspeakable sorrow, tears silently rolling down her cheeks, one by one. She loved her husband deeply, and she always believed he would return, but now she had to willingly do something that betrayed him.

Here, there were countless NGs, and even Monica, who had argued with Adrian, interpreted this scene near perfectly. The close-up of the tears falling down her cheeks had a strong emotional impact, not only eliciting sighs from the audience in the theater but also making Monica herself, sitting next to Adrian, clutch his hand tightly, her eyes locked on the big screen, her chest heaving.

Adrian comforted her by patting her hand, then sighed in his heart, knowing that letting Monica perform entirely through body language had been the right decision.

When the heavily made-up Marina appeared in the town square, sitting down and just pulling out a cigarette, countless lighters were extended towards her from men all around, all excited by the realization of their long-held desires, but only the male protagonist, Renato, who had kept a close eye on every move Marina made, felt the sadness in her heart. Unfortunately, he could do nothing but watch helplessly as she mingled with those men and eventually got into a German’s car.

Despite being similarly overwhelmed by hormones, despite harboring lust for Marina just as others did, which led him to spy on her life and steal her intimate garments, he was far more genuine, pure, and beautiful. Even when his father had to take him to a brothel to console him in this manner, he chose a voluptuous prostitute and imagined her as Marina.

Even here, Adrian still didn’t display any explicit scenes in the film; he didn’t need to be as blunt as European directors, who were blunt without any finesse; subtle seduction was what truly captivated. Of course, a technique was adopted here, another actress was filmed, and later in post-production, Monica’s face was digitally superimposed onto hers.

Then, the US Army arrived, and the third classic shot was presented to the audience. Women of the town, burning with jealousy, dragged Marina out of her room the moment the US Army arrived. They beat and abused her for allegedly serving the Germans, ripped her clothes, and cut her hair, forgetting all the pain she had endured; they only wanted to vent their jealousy-induced rage.

Quick cuts and shaky camera work made all this appear more realistic, with Marina barely clothed, her hair roughly cut, crouching on the ground, screaming in despair, making it unbearable to watch.

Eventually, she was driven out of the town by the women, numbly getting on a departing train, while all these events still caught the young eyes of Renato.

Here, the plot took another turn again; Marina’s husband, Renato, unexpectedly came back, although he had lost an arm, he was indeed alive. When he searched for his wife, he was loudly mocked. Renato, who had always been an observer, finally did something he should have done; he discreetly informed Renato of Marina’s whereabouts, telling him that his wife had always loved him despite the immense pain she had endured.

Finally, the conclusion arrived. One morning, Renato, holding Marina’s hand tightly, walked quietly across the town square, indifferent to the stares of others, with Marina resting her head on her husband’s shoulder, oblivious to the astonished people around, their serene demeanor evoking emotions, leading to a quiet round of applause in the theater.

The last classic shot finally arrived; Marina, who had returned to her peaceful life in her own house, went shopping at the market. Despite no longer being beautiful, having gained weight and developed wrinkles around her eyes, the women still refused to speak to her, whispering to each other as before, until Marina took the initiative and greeted them, "Good morning."

In the film, it was the first time Marina uttered a clear line, with the close-up shot lingering on her face for a long time, showing no sadness, no resentment, only the flatness smoothed by the years. Instantly, the atmosphere lighted up, and the women began to greet her, she had become just like them...

On her way back, Marina’s bag tore, and oranges spilled all over the ground. Renato came forward to help her pick them up, but he remained silent, just quietly watching her receding figure, never formally appearing in Marina’s life.

"Malena" hence concluded completely; after the credits, the lights in the theater came on, and after a silence of about five or six seconds, thunderous applause broke out.

Those who came to watch an art film during this period were undoubtedly fans of such films—already made clear from the promotional phase that it would be similar to "Howards End." Thus, even if Adrian’s die-hard fans had to think it over—they all enjoyed deriving life’s meanings from films, so the spontaneous applause and cheers were quite natural.

Nevertheless, it was still a great honor, especially since this wasn’t a premiere; the audience came from different neighborhoods and barely knew each other.

"I told you, this film was worth their while," Adrian whispered as he patted Monica’s hand, concealed within his own, while Monica returned a faint yet emotionally charged smile. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to recommend and vote on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel