King of Hollywood
Chapter 420 - 142: The Dispute Continues

Chapter 420: Chapter 142: The Dispute Continues

Due to the need for publicity, debates about "Eyes Wide Shut" had never ceased in the media; similar to the initial scenario, the majority—including renowned directors and critics—had little faith in Adrian. Particularly those niche yet die-hard Kubrick fans had a less favorable view of him, considering him "over his head" which was already the kindest phrase they used. Many agreed with Ms. Marin Magisha, that his capability to takeover the film under such a contract and still manage to get it released was completely due to Warner duping Kubrick.

Warner, on their part, did not refute such claims but instead maintained a somewhat indulgent silence, which was also one of the promotional tactics. As for Kubrick’s family, the old man had always despised reporters, having moved from the United States to the quiet outskirts of London partly to avoid them. Despite reporters camping outside the small estate, they obtained no news; Regarding Adrian, numerous media outlets had sent him interview requests, all of which he politely declined, including his own networks TBS and ABC. Of course, reporters also camped outside his villa but to no avail—already two years ago, paparazzi had begun to show considerable restraint in his presence, let alone now.

This inclination towards Kubrick in public opinion was actually quite normal. Although it had only been six years and Adrian had achieved such dazzling accomplishments and even broke records to become the youngest director in Oscar history, even if it was not certain whether there would be successors, there was definitely no one who came before him. But, in many people’s eyes, some things were incomparable.

Kubrick had directed just over ten movies until now, yet each one, even the more commercial "Spartacus," was considered a classic by those who valued art above all. Even some critics believed that once Kubrick chose a genre, no one else could surpass him in that genre.

Adrian’s works had also covered many genres and balanced commercial and artistic success quite well, but in the eyes of these people, his films were never as intellectually profound as Kubrick’s; hence, even if he was a genius at creating miracles, he couldn’t prove that he could reach Kubrick’s level.

Such nitpicking, along with fans unprincipledly defending their idols—no matter the situation, zealots are always irrational—plus Adrian and Warner’s lack of response, left even passionate defenses by Adrian’s die-hard fans seeming weightless, leading to the current situation.

Left unchecked, this situation could evolve unfavorably for Adrian, but thankfully, an event that occurred annually around this time slowed down the process—the 69th Oscar nomination list was announced.

The list was surprising and exciting, with the film that garnered the most nominations being "The English Patient," produced by Bossworth and released by Miramax, directed by Anthony Minghella, and starring Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, and Sophie Marceau, which had received thirteen nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Score. The second most nominations went to DreamWorks’ "Saving Private Ryan," with nominations in eleven categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.

This list immediately sparked widespread discussion, especially the fact that Tom Hanks, a consecutive Oscar winner, was once again nominated for Best Actor was a focal point everywhere. Many people felt nostalgic; if this film had been released in 1995, Hanks would have definitely been nominated again and perhaps could have won Best Actor three times in a row—a matchless honor.

Of course, these were all hypotheses, but even a year later, if he could win Best Actor for the third time, that too would be an admirable achievement. Similarly, Spielberg, having won Best Director only two years ago, it wasn’t easy to win Best Director twice within such a short period in the history of the Oscars.

As the primary competitor of "Saving Private Ryan," "The English Patient" shouldn’t be underestimated either; despite lackluster box-office performance, its reputation was extraordinarily good. The vast majority of critics praised the film, and all three lead actors—Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, and Sophie Marceau—left a lasting impression. Especially Sophie, whose portrayal of a World War II nurse in the opening scenes was quite moving and her acting seemed to have improved significantly. If her Best Supporting Actress win for "Braveheart" was somewhat controversial, then her performance in "The English Patient" truly deserved recognition.

But what was more important was that those who knew more details were clear about the relationship between these two movies and Adrian. Although "Saving Private Ryan" was produced by DreamWorks, the script was initially provided by Adrian, and Tom Hanks was recommended by him. "The English Patient" was even more closely tied; he had bought the script early on and designated everyone from the director to the actors.

Moreover, aside from these two movies, the production company jointly invested in by Bossworth and Tom Cruise’s "Jerry Maguire" had not only made over a billion at the box office but had also received several nominations at this year’s Oscars, with Cruise finally getting another Best Actor nomination after "Born on July 4th."

Linking this to the various odd jobs Adrian had done over the years at the Oscars, countless directors and producers were both envious and frustrated. It was really infuriating—why did the movies he handled make big money, and why did the actors he favored become popular and receive significant honors? If it weren’t for the relatively fair judging of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and many were members themselves, someone might have already called for an investigation.

Despite this, many tabloids were still eagerly speculating about all kinds of scandals, with ridiculous gossip such as "Adrian has bribed all the judges" being widespread. This was also one of their strategies; the things they wrote were obviously fake, and only those with a bit of intelligence wouldn’t believe them. It attracted attention without offending Adrian too much—why not do it?

However, in some people’s eyes, Adrian’s near-miraculous vision had instead become a point of criticism.

"Yes, he is a formidable guy, he can spot an actor’s potential, he can curry favor with the Oscars, he can produce movies that are both artistic and popular, so—don’t expect him to understand Kubrick’s thoughts, and don’t expect him to produce a Kubrick-style film. Adrian makes films more to cater to the Oscars and the public, whereas Kubrick made films to provoke thought. Such a gap is not easily crossed," said a non-mainstream acerbic film critic discussing the Oscars and Adrian, casually mentioning the controversy caused by the Miracle Director taking over the Legendary Director’s new project.

Clearly, this was another Kubrick-leaning individual. While the Oscar nomination list had captured the attention of the majority, these folks still rambled on endlessly. But that was as far as it would go; a week after the nomination list was released, the frenzy had mostly subsided, and "Eyes Wide Shut" finally premiered at the end of February at the Florence cinema.

The premiere was small-scale. Warner had been prepared for a loss on this film from the beginning, otherwise, they would not have rushed to release it just one month after starting promotions, even if Adrian’s reputation and the controversies it sparked from the start had added much hype to the movie. Not responding to the biased comments also aimed to maximize the promotional impact.

Despite this, there were still many reporters outside the cinema; the disputes during this period had been noisy, and even a significant event like the release of the Oscar nominations only quieted them momentarily. Warner and Adrian had not responded, but now that the movie had premiered, they would probably not remain silent, right?

They were disappointed, however, as there was still no sight of Adrian until just before the movie was about to start. Was he not planning to attend?

"I just hate the hassle. The movie hasn’t even premiered, and countless people are going on about it. Can’t they just watch it first before commenting?" Adrian said this to Tom Cruise as they walked to the auditorium.

He had arrived at the theater early and avoided the main entrance, so naturally, reporters couldn’t catch a trace of him.

"So you just let us deal with those guys outside?" Cruise asked jokingly.

"Sorry, I should have phoned you and invited you to come in through the back door," Adrian said seriously, then glanced at Nicole clinging to Cruise’s arm.

She was wearing a bright red off-shoulder evening gown, her red-golden hair pulled straight, still as sexy and seductive as ever, only her expression remained as impassive as Charlize’s, who was arm in arm with her.

"I thought you would come alone, or perhaps with a Miracle Girl," Cruise suddenly said, his gaze towards Charlize carrying a hint of disdain, familiar with Adrian’s dealings, he of course knew this blonde and blue-eyed beauty in a black narrow-strap dress was Adrian’s secretary and assistant, and certainly, she must have been in his bed.

"I wanted to, but they were busy, and I had things to do, so I simply brought Charli along. When I have the time, I can discuss some matters with her," Adrian said with a smile, then looking at Charlize, "Don’t underestimate Charli. She’s the best assistant in the world. Without her, many of my tasks would be a mess."

Then, without waiting for Cruise to speak, he changed the subject: "By the way, congratulations on your Oscar nomination for Best Actor. I always said you had the talent."

"Thank you." Cruise immediately showed a pleased expression; after all, which actor in Hollywood wouldn’t want to earn an Oscar statuette? Especially since he had been said to be just a pretty face for nearly a decade.

"In my view, you have a great chance of winning Best Actor this time."

"Really? Why so?"

In this Oscar prediction chat, the four of them moved along with the crowd to the second floor and finally entered a box. Florence Theater is one of the oldest theaters in Hollywood, and like the Chinese Theater, the name already hints at the style of the theater. However, unlike the Chinese Theater, Americans understand Europe better, so the construction of the theater doesn’t seem as mismatched.

The entire interior of the theater featured a complete European decor style, classical yet opulent, and to this day, it retained opera house-like boxes on either side, one of which seated Adrian and the Cruise couple.

Soon, the seats were almost filled, and after a few minutes of small talk, as the lights dimmed, the film—initially prepared by Kubrick and later taken over by Adrian—finally began. It only took a few seconds for the theater to erupt in low murmurs of surprise, as the opening scene showed Nicole turning her back to the camera and slipping out of her dress, revealing her smooth back and perfectly rounded buttocks, exceptionally tempting.

Seated next to Nicole, Cruise’s face soon took on a rather unpleasant look. His good mood appeared to have vanished—after all, there was a difference between a private screening and a public showing. But he quickly adjusted, maintaining a calm demeanor.

Cruise suddenly stood up, and though his expression was not visible in the darkened theater, his abrupt movement made it clear his mood was hardly good.

"Where are you going?" Nicole noticed her husband preparing to leave and asked.

"I’m going out for a bit," Cruise responded, his tone markedly impatient.

Adrian merely shrugged slightly and did not interject, as the movie continued. The male lead, after settling some matters, refused a sudden burst of passion, and on the way back, he began to regret it, thus ended up picking up a prostitute by some freak chance. But in the last stages of preparing to go through with it, he made a phone call home and came to his senses, giving the prostitute money but not touching her. However, the next day when he went to the clinic for work, he uncontrollably began to relapse into bad thoughts.

Embarrassed, Nicole fiercely glared at Adrian, who was chuckling softly—his voice was not loud, but loud enough for people in adjacent boxes to hear, causing several glances to shoot their way. Unable to say anything, she just steadied herself and walked out.

"It looks like I might have angered her," Adrian shrugged, rising to follow her out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation.)