The atmosphere at "Braveheart" was exceptionally oppressive. With only two awards left to announce, they had only managed to snag a trivial award for Best Costume Design, a failure that could only be compared to last year's "The Shawshank Redemption." Many cast members shot cold glances at Mel Gibson.
If it weren't for that idiot's drunken rants, if it weren't for this director dragging the crew down, would "Braveheart" be in such a state? At the very least, they could have competed with "Saving Private Ryan" for the technical awards!
As long as he wasn't drunk, Mel Gibson's mind was relatively clear. He could sense the unfriendly atmosphere around him. Those who had previously deferred to him in the crew now looked at him with resentment and disdain, but he chose to ignore it. As long as he could secure the Best Director award, they would all come crawling back to him!
As long as he could win Best Director, he would have the means to rise again!
Even though hope was slim, Mel Gibson still held on to a flicker of optimism.
He turned his head to look at the area where the "Saving Private Ryan" crew was sitting, noticing a beautiful, sexy brunette whispering something to Duke Rosenberg. Their relaxed and pleasant demeanor resembled that of a standard…
Suddenly, Mel Gibson thought of Sophie Marceau, who had also betrayed him. After the incident, she had retreated back to France and was currently negotiating a split with Martin Bob, reportedly with the support of Ino Martin, which would allow her to leave without much cost.
These damn actresses had no principles or bottom lines when it came to fame and fortune!
If he had the chance to rise again, he would never trust any actress again.
The chance to rise was right in front of him!
"Mel Gibson seems to be looking our way," Catherine Zeta-Jones whispered to Duke. "Does he still have a chance at Best Director?"
Duke shook his head. "Who knows? Let's just wait for the results."
On stage, Robert Zemeckis stood next to the big screen, introducing the nominated directors along with the visuals.
"Chris Noonan, through the fate of Babe in 'Babe,' portrays the gradual awakening of children to the adult world."
"Mel Gibson, your 'Braveheart' has shocked the soul; freedom has always been so precious!"
"Tim Robbins. Though 'Dead Man Walking' is only your second film, it brings us the belief that everyone deserves respect!"
"Duke Rosenberg, with 'Saving Private Ryan' as a milestone war film, teaches us to cherish life and help others!"
"Michael Radford, 'The Postman' is so outstanding…"
The Chandler Hall was exceptionally quiet, with only Robert Zemeckis's voice echoing. His body turned back from the direction of the big screen to face the audience.
Without making anyone wait, Zemeckis opened the envelope. He glanced down, and the air in the Chandler Hall seemed to freeze.
Could it be him?
At this moment, claiming to be calm and uninterested in winning was all false. Duke instinctively grasped Catherine Zeta-Jones's hand. She also held onto him, her smile briefly fading with delight.
Mel Gibson looked at the stage with desire in his eyes. He had never felt that winning the Oscar for Best Director was so important, so crucial to his future!
Tim Robbins tightly held Susan Sarandon's hand. He was last year's loser. His girlfriend had just won Best Actress. He had done a lot of groundwork in advance, and he absolutely did not want to be a loser again!
Who would win?
In the ABC television studio, Roger Ebert had been monitoring the live broadcast. They had done so much work for this Best Director award, with most renowned film critics putting aside their biases, uniting through columns and lobbying to influence the aging members of the Academy, ensuring that Duke Rosenberg would not win the Best Director statuette.
For this moment, he had almost sold his face, considering that after Mel Gibson's scandal erupted, other works were simply too weak, making it necessary to choose Duke Rosenberg.
He wouldn't win!
Thinking about the efforts he had made and the work done by Siskel, David Denby, Todd McCarthy, and others, and considering the fact that Duke was still under twenty-six, Roger Ebert was convinced he couldn't possibly win!
He understood the bottom line of most of the Academy's old members; the Best Director winner would not be under thirty!
"The winner is…" Robert Zemeckis glanced again at the card he had taken from the envelope, "Tim Robbins, for 'Dead Man Walking!'"
As the answer came out, there was no immediate wave of applause in the Chandler Hall; many people had mixed reactions.
It's over!
This was Mel Gibson's first thought as he leaned back in his chair, tilting his head slightly, his eyes a little vacant. His last hope had ultimately shattered!
Catherine Zeta-Jones turned to look at Duke, wanting to offer comfort at the first opportunity. Men were often most vulnerable in moments of setbacks and failures, making it a prime time to win them over.
However, what she saw was a smiling Duke, as if losing the Best Director statuette had no effect on him whatsoever.
In front of the television, Roger Ebert swung his arm in triumph, even involuntarily shouting, "YES!" He saw the broadcast camera focus on the dejected losers and immediately concentrated on watching, hoping to see Duke Rosenberg's disappointed expression. However, he was disappointed; just like every time he had seen him in the past, the young director was resolute, strong, and indifferent.
"There must be foul play! It has to be rigged!"
The chat room for "Explosive Maniac" was buzzing as if it had just been blown apart. "What is 'Dead Man Walking'? Has anyone heard of it?"
"Explosive Duke" commented, "My premonitions have come true; the judges are clearly trying to maintain balance!"
"Such a ridiculous Oscars, I'm not watching anymore!" "Rose Hill" angrily replied, "They're obviously bullying Duke for being young!"
"Don't leave!" "Saving Private Ryan" urged, "The Best Picture award is coming up!"
Allen furrowed his brows tightly. After a long moment, he restrained the urge to curse, typing out a line of text, "Duke is still young; with his pace of creation, he'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."
"What if it's like this again next time? He's only 26!"
Soon after, a torrent of curses against the Oscars and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences flooded the chat room, highlighting the freedom, openness, and timeliness of information flow on the internet.
Tim Robbins took the stage to accept the award. Around Duke, the people nearby gently patted his arms and back in consolation. Duke could only accept it gracefully, looking at the new Best Director receiving the statuette on stage, secretly lamenting how lucky that person was. He had gone to great lengths to undermine Mel Gibson, only to have it backfire and elevate Tim Robbins instead, and he didn't even need to owe him anything.
Mrs. Leah turned to look this way. She had intended to say comforting words but swallowed them back. She understood her son's character; Duke was resilient in his career, becoming stronger with every setback. No failure could truly affect him.
Compared to this, she was more worried about Duke's private life. Although she had just met the British actress beside him, the impression left by her was not good. Her instincts told her that this woman was too ambitious, too calculating, and had too many ulterior motives.
However, she didn't plan to say anything. First, the occasion wasn't right, and second, she believed Duke knew what he was doing.
Duke made her proud in every aspect, but his private life mirrored his father's—an absolute mess.
Seeing his mother looking at him, Duke smiled back, signaling that he was fine, then turned to look at the stage. The awards ceremony was nearing its conclusion, and the most significant award was about to be announced.
Whether "Saving Private Ryan" would be the biggest winner of the night or become the media's sympathy target the next day depended on the final award.
Many people were on edge, eager to see if the Academy would surprise them, wondering if those old-timers were getting bored with their peaceful lives and wanted to stir up some trouble.
Of course, in the hearts of the vast majority, this award was a foregone conclusion. Throughout the awards season, "Saving Private Ryan" had been closely tied to the 50th anniversary of World War II, receiving unanimous recognition from the public, media, and industry.
Sidney Poitier, the first African-American Best Actor in Oscar history, walked onto the stage to present the award for "Saving Private Ryan." This choice seemed carefully considered by the Academy, especially since "Saving Private Ryan" had faced protests from some African-American organizations.
The legendary actor didn't beat around the bush, standing at the side of the big screen and quickly introducing the nominees: "For 'Braveheart,' Mel Gibson and Bruce Davis; for 'Babe,' George Miller and Bill Miller; for 'Saving Private Ryan,' Charles Roven and Robin Grande; for 'The Postman,' Gaetano Daniele; for 'Sense and Sensibility,' Lindsay Doran."
He tore open the envelope with swift movements, pulled out the card, glanced down, and read the answer directly: "For 'Saving Private Ryan,' Charles Roven and Robin Grande, congratulations!"
This time, there was no hesitation. Applause erupted immediately, Duke stood up while clapping his hands, hugged Zeta Jones and his mother, stretched out his arms and gestured to the surroundings, and the people around him stood up one after another, and the wave of people spread quickly to the entire venue like the applause.
The whole audience in Chandler Hall stood up again and applauded!
"Saving Private Ryan" won the last and most important award at the 68th Academy Awards, winning nine Oscars out of eleven nominations, becoming the biggest winner of the night.