King of Hollywood-Chapter 219 - Two Test Screenings
Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Two Test Screenings
Chapter 219 -219: Two Test Screenings
Adrian did not take Britney’s words as anything out of the ordinary, but he still insisted on her not telling anyone. His main purpose in doing so was to stir a sense of disparity in Christina’s heart. Compared to the somewhat simple-minded Britney, Christina had clearly experienced more and harbored a bit of an uncompromising spirit; otherwise, she wouldn’t have clung to her position as the best singer in MMC after being ostracized.
A person with such a character, if they found that someone they had once surpassed was suddenly moving ahead of them, would surely unleash immense potential or resort to ruthless means to take back what they believed was rightfully theirs. Who Christina would become, was something Adrian’s memory had already revealed to him. Of course, it was just the beginning. For now, he would slowly and gradually provoke her competitiveness, cloud her vision before proceeding with the rest—there was no need to rush.
As for Britney, she had a certain level of intelligence, a modicum of cleverness and wit, but her emotional intelligence was honestly a mess. Therefore, there was no need to rush with her either; he would just instill concepts in her for a couple of years.
After taking care of these matters, Adrian made his own decisions, which had led to that conversation with Claude. The holiday was almost over and, after two important preview screenings, it would be time to return to New York.
The first screening, needless to say, had to be none other than “Schindler’s List”—a film that took nearly half a year from planning to this point and was now finally wrapping up after Spielberg’s meticulous production.
Not many attended the screening; from Bossworth Film Company, only Adrian and Laverne were present, along with a few leaders from the film crew. As for the actors, only Ben Kingsley, who played Steen, was in attendance—Liam Nissen and Ralph Fiennes could not make it due to other commitments.
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It wasn’t that they were deliberately making excuses not to come. The screening featured a rough version that had neither opening nor closing credits and lacked music in some places. There wasn’t a need for them to travel all the way from the United Kingdom. Besides, there would definitely be a premiere, and it wouldn’t be too late for them to attend then.
The film ran for nearly three hours before concluding. When the lights came on, aside from Kingsley, who took a long breath, there was no other sound. In fact, no one had spoken throughout the entire projection. Adrian sat with his hands crossed, quietly contemplating something until everyone had left the simple screening room; then he leaned back in his chair and looked at Laverne sitting beside him.
“What do you think, Laverne?” he asked.
Laverne had grown accustomed to his way of hearing subordinates’ opinions first before discussing his own. Without hesitating, he replied, “As a film itself, it’s excellent. Whether it’s the initial prayer, the music during the mass slaughter, or the various scenes in the concentration camp, all are quite shocking and impactful. Especially towards the end, when the black and white imagery suddenly turned into color, echoing the transition to black and white in the opening prayer scene—very memorable. Spielberg truly is one of the best directors. The three main actors hit their marks perfectly, from the cold-blooded SS officer Amon to the businessman turned savior Schindler, to the astute Jewish accountant Steen—every portrayal was well-crafted.”
He paused, pondering carefully, before adding, “However, from a business perspective, it’s too long, relatively somber, and the pace isn’t particularly tight, so it might just break even—but making a significant box office profit seems unlikely.”
“Is that really the case?” Adrian looked at him with a half-smile. “You seem to have forgotten something, Laverne.”
“Forgotten something?” Laverne furrowed his brow, then suddenly his eyes lit up, “You mean…”
“Exactly, this film depicts the Jewish Holocaust during World War II,” Adrian said leisurely, “so, as long as we find the right people, making this film widely known would not be difficult at all.”
Laverne rested his fist under his nose and thought for several minutes, then nodded at Adrian, “I understand.”
“Good, but don’t rush. It’s best to consult with Steven first; he is the greatest contributor, after all. If we’re going to do this, we should do it right,” Adrian said as he stood up. “I’ll go see him now.”
Spielberg hadn’t attended the preview, and the reason was…
“I’ve seen it enough during filming and editing; I really don’t want to go through that experience again,” the nearly fifty-year-old middle-aged man said in his office.
Although he still looked a bit worn out, his mood had greatly improved compared to before.
“I understand,” Adrian nodded, “So why not take a break and relax, Steven? There’s only some final touches left in post-production that others can handle.”
“No, no, no, I’d better do it myself. If I relax and then feel that they haven’t done well enough, having to make changes would be too much trouble,” Spielberg said, shaking his head like a bobblehead.
“Then why not wait until you feel better to continue? Combining work with leisure is the right approach, isn’t it?” Adrian said, looking toward two other men in the office.
One was an elderly man around sixty with a partially bald and gray-haired head and stubble. The other was a middle-aged man in a wheelchair who appeared wealthy and was about the same age as Spielberg, with a very genial, smiling face.
“I think Adrian’s suggestion is quite good, Steven, maybe you should consider it,” the elderly man supported Adrian’s proposal.
“Would you leave your composition to someone else and go relax when your work is nearly complete?” Spielberg then asked the elderly man who was none other than the renowned composer John Williams, with whom he had collaborated countless times.
Williams was taken aback for a few seconds, then broke into a big laugh, spreading his hands toward Adrian, as if to say: I’ve spoken on your behalf, but it was of no use.
“Don’t worry about Steven, Adrian, he will adjust himself,” the middle-aged man in the wheelchair chimed in at that moment. Perhaps because of his plump face, he looked exceptionally amiable when smiling.
“Fine, I won’t insist any longer, but you need to rest properly after it’s all done, because we can’t do without you for the promotion, Steven,” Adrian shrugged his shoulders.
“You’ve already taken over all the promotional work, haven’t you?” Spielberg was taken aback.
“Of course, but that doesn’t mean you can wash your hands of it,” Adrian said, becoming serious. “Think about it, Steven, who made this film? For yourself? Of course not! We have to get more people to see this film, to understand what happened back then! Although there are many works about the Holocaust in the world, it’s nowhere near enough. So, no matter what, we must give it our all!”
He clenched his right fist and smashed it into the palm of his left hand to reinforce the persuasiveness of his words. Spielberg was silent for a few minutes, then nodded: “I understand, I will.”
“Thank you, Steven,” Adrian smiled.
“I should be thanking you for helping me understand my own aspirations,” Spielberg sighed, also smiling.
“It was just a fortunate encounter,” Adrian said modestly.
“Being too modest isn’t always good, Ed,” the man in the wheelchair spoke again, “After all, you and Steven together have created a heart-stirring piece.”
“Without John’s deeply moving score and your outstanding performance, the heart-stirring effect would have been greatly diminished, Izak,” Adrian said as he looked at him. “If we’re talking about credit, everyone here has their share; I certainly can’t take all the glory.”
The chubby middle-aged man sitting in a wheelchair was none other than the famous violin master, Izak Perlman, whom Adrian had originally recommended to Spielberg for the film score!
Upon hearing Adrian’s words, the other three began to laugh.
“I told you all, he’s the most outstanding young man I’ve ever seen,” Spielberg said.
“I completely agree,” Izak, wheeling over to Adrian, extended his hand, “Thank you, young man.”
Williams also came over and likewise extended his hand: “Yes, thank you, Ed.”
“Thank you.” Adrian got up and shook hands with each of them in turn.
The dividend from investing in “Schindler’s List” was already becoming apparent, and it was reasonable to believe that there would only be more situations like this in the months to come—a truly worthwhile investment.
After “Schindler’s List,” there was another screening to attend. Although it was not as important as “Schindler’s List,” Adrian still had to be there—for reasons that were…
On the bright screen at that moment was a silent film. Not only was there no sound, but the actors also communicated with sign language. If it weren’t for the vibrant colors, one might really think it was a silent movie.
Tell me what happened. The main character’s deaf-mute friend gestured and asked.
Oh God, I met Kelly, and she’s separated from her husband. The main character gestured back with a troubled frown.
Charles, you’re getting married today. His friend silently sighed.
Do you have any objections? Unsure of what to do, the main character was finding it difficult to forget the woman who had suddenly reappeared in his life, and he was utterly baffled.
You have three options: one, go through with the wedding; two, tell everyone, sorry, the wedding is off. His friend conveyed through sign language.
Neither option is good, what’s the third? The main character shook his head, clearly hoping for a better and more neutral alternative.
Who knew, after hesitating for a moment, his friend signed: I can’t think of a third option.
A low chuckle spread through the screening room. Although everyone had already laughed at various British humor jokes before, they still couldn’t help but laugh at this scene, including Adrian.
The movie he was now watching was naturally directed by Mike Newell, with Dennis and Julia starring in the new version of “Four Weddings and a Funeral”! (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com; there are more chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)
