[Chapter 184: Anti-War]
As more and more people filled the party, Michael Eisner, who had only stayed for a little over ten minutes, stood up first to excuse himself, saying he had matters to attend to. Eric naturally offered to see him off personally.
"Eric, I hear you got nominated for the main competition at Venice?" Michael Eisner asked suddenly as they waited for the elevator.
Eric nodded. "Yes, but since it's a horror film, the chances of winning are pretty slim. Sending it to Venice is just to raise its profile, which could help with the release in Europe."
"I actually think this movie has a good chance of winning, as long as the promotional direction is right," Michael said as the elevator doors opened, and they both stepped inside.
"Promotional direction?" Eric pressed the elevator button while wondering aloud.
"Well," Michael explained, "even though it's a horror film, I think there are deeper themes to explore, like a person's attachment to life and fear of death, and a mother's sincere love for her two children.
Most importantly, the film is set in the aftermath of World War II, so you can use an anti-war angle in the promotion. You can direct this horror film toward the human cost of war -- the shadow of conflict has long oppressed the heroine's psyche, leading Grace to commit the desperate act of suffocating her children.
Given the current instability in Europe, any misstep could trigger another conflict. If this anti-war message resonates deeply, the Venice Film Festival jury would surely want to make a statement and wouldn't let the film walk away empty-handed. You know, movies and politics have always gone hand in hand."
Eric couldn't help but admire Michael's wisdom. He had been stuck in the mindset that horror films were largely disfavored by the festival judges, failing to consider other perspectives. "Thanks for the insight, Mr. Eisner. I'll get someone started on that right away."
Just being nominated versus actually winning could lead to vastly different receptions from fans. Take the Oscars, for example; everyone paid special attention to the winning films. As for the nominees, while their quality was often close, they rarely garnered as much attention.
As they reached the basement parking lot, the two men walked toward Michael Eisner's car, where his assistant and driver were waiting.
Michael climbed in but didn't leave right away. Instead, he waved for Eric to join him.
After Eric settled into the seat beside him, Michael Eisner said, "Eric, how about teaming up with Disney next year?"
Eric was taken aback; he thought Michael was going to talk about the two films from that day, but he had jumped straight to plans for the next year.
"Mr. Eisner, I can't give you an answer right away. My partnership with Fox has been quite pleasant," Eric replied, shaking his head slightly.
Michael noticed that Eric sounded somewhat disingenuous. Working relationships between the two companies had always been driven by profit. Mixing personal sentiments would only lead to a fractured relationship. After several interactions, Michael felt confident that Eric wasn't an emotional person.
"There's no rush, Eric. Take your time to think it over. The revenue share offer from Disney regarding today's two films will reflect our sincerity," Michael paused before adding, "I also heard that Firefly intends to acquire New Line to establish their own distribution channel. But, you know, I've met Robert Shea a few times. He's very controlling without the matching talent, and his management style is too subjective and irrational. Relying on him to manage the company wouldn't be a wise choice."
...
Watching the Bentley roll away, Eric contemplated Michael's words and connected them to his own memories of New Line. He concluded that Michael's assessment of Robert Shea was quite valid.
In his previous life, New Line, buoyed by the success of its franchises, had been reckless under Robert Shea's leadership, pushing forward projects that resulted in massive losses and causing New Line to lose its independence, eventually merging into its parent company, Warner Bros.
But Eric wasn't worried about that right now. If he could successfully acquire New Line, he'd keep Robert Shea in charge of distribution while firmly holding onto the power of filmmaking for himself, ensuring Robert wouldn't overstep.
...
One by one, representatives from other major film companies departed. There were certainly some individual exchanges during that time. Yet, despite the flattery and charm exuded by executives interested in the two films, Eric made no promises.
After sending off Amy Pascal, he returned to the banquet hall, which had turned into a gathering of familiar faces. The actors from the two crews who had missed the screenings were now at the party. Additionally, others closely associated with Firefly were present, including Drew Barrymore, who had always been a party fixture. Although she had loved hitting the nightlife scene, since getting involved with Eric, she had seemingly kicked that 'bad habit' to the curb, but she still managed to attend various parties.
Spotting Drew in her fuchsia dress, Eric playfully tapped her on the forehead, warning her not to drink. He then walked over to Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender.
...
"Eric, good evening," the two greeted him as he approached.
Eric smiled back, "How's the preparation going?"
Quentin's voice held some excitement as he responded, "Pretty smooth. Mr. Hansen has made things much easier for us; we've locked down most of the roles, and if all goes well, we'll start filming in September."
"Great, then come with me. I'll introduce you to Mr. Blonde," Eric said, gesturing towards another area.
...
"Eric," Virginia stepped forward as he approached but quickly halted, remembering they were in a public space. Even though everyone knew of their relationship, she felt it wasn't appropriate to act too familiar.
Eric smiled at Virginia's cautious demeanor and embraced her, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. It wasn't until she shyly pushed him away that he let go and turned to the tall man beside her.
"Hi, Michael," Eric reached out to Michael Madsen.
"Hello, Eric," Michael replied coolly, harboring some personal dislike for Eric. His aloof response made Virginia anxious; if Eric weren't there, she would have pinched her brother for being rude. However, Eric didn't mind Michael's reaction at all and cheerfully introduced him to Quentin and Lawrence.
"This is Michael Madsen. I think he's perfect to play Mr. Blonde. Michael, these two are Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender. You can discuss specifics with them."
Both Quentin and Lawrence greeted Michael warmly, knowing that Eric had recommended him, hoping to build a good rapport that would benefit their collaboration later on.
Watching the three engage in conversation, Eric took Virginia away.
...
"Vicki, I heard you've been receiving some offers?" Eric took a glass of wine from a server and settled onto a sofa in a corner.
Virginia sat beside him, "Yes, Kepler recommended a few scripts that look pretty good, but I haven't made any decisions yet. I initially planned to ask for your opinion first."
Eric waved his hand dismissively, "Pass on those for now. We should wait until after the film releases to decide. Any movie you sign up for now will likely premiere at the end of the year. If it flops, it could hurt your reputation, and of course, the pay won't be significant."
"Alright, I'll take your advice," she nodded obediently. "Eric, Michael's attitude toward you isn't great. I hope you won't take it personally."
"Of course not," Eric chuckled. "If someone was monopolizing my little sister, I wouldn't have nice feelings towards him either."
"Ha..." She lightly laughed and automatically defended her brother. "You're not monopolizing me."
"Of course I am, Vicki. You've been mine since the beginning."
"Fine," she said, a slight blush rising to her cheeks as she looked down. "Eric, are you coming over to my place tonight? You haven't been there in a while."
"Sure," he smirked. "Why don't we leave now?"
She quickly shook her head, "Eric, you should mingle with the others. Don't just stay by my side."
"No rush. I just sent a group off; I'm tired and need to rest for a bit."
...
On the other side of the party, Elisabeth held a glass of red wine and was chatting with Julia, noticing that Julia appeared somewhat distracted. Until Julia couldn't help but sneak another glance in one direction, Elisabeth followed her gaze and caught sight of the relaxed figure slouching on the sofa, accompanied by a woman in a black strapless evening gown--indeed, the leading lady of the film.
"Julia, do you like him?" Elisabeth leaned in close to Julia, whispering.
"Uh, not really..." Julia flustered, realizing who Elisabeth meant. Her first instinct was to deny it, but perhaps due to the pent-up emotions and Elisabeth's skilled social tactics, Julia had begun to treat her like a close friend. After a brief moment of panic, Julia finally admitted, "Actually, I... don't even know what I feel about him. He's a very complex person."
"Come on, let's go chat with Mr. Williams," Elisabeth saw the turmoil in Julia and quickly grabbed her arm, heading toward Eric despite Julia's protests.
*****
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