Although Tom Cruise was still a few years away from his peak, he was now an A-list male star in Hollywood. Looking at his achievements, although it had something to do with his own hard work, it was still too smooth compared to most people. In addition, his image as a youth idol had always won him a lot of popularity, so it was reasonable for him to be a little arrogant.
However, as an influential celebrity in the entertainment industry, he did not master the skill of hypocrisy. This was a necessary quality for every star, without exception. Otherwise, the entertainment industry would have been finished long ago.
In fact, Cruise did a good job, maintaining a calm and humble appearance from beginning to end. However, although he had acted in a lot of plot movies to change his fixed image since the end of the 1980s to hone his acting skills, and was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 1990, he did not bring his acting skills to life well.
Otherwise, how would Adrian be able to see through that little bit of arrogance? Looking at the Willis couple, who had dealt with Cruise before, after he left, they shrugged and exchanged a disapproving look. It was easy to understand why so many people attacked him when he lost power.
Well, this was only one of the reasons, so there was no need to analyze it carefully. Before Cruise left, Adriaan sent an invitation as usual. He had already obtained the rights to adapt Anne Rice's novel and was considering using the "original cast." Of course, he had his own plans. He might be a part-time producer, but he had to find Neil Jordan as the director.
Cruise was still a little indifferent at first, and he was only perfunctory in the face of the invitation. Although Adriaan said it vaguely, saying that he hoped to cooperate in the future, it was obvious that he did not take it to heart. However, after Nicole Kidman whispered a few words to him, he became enthusiastic again.
"If you need, you can call me or my agent at any time," Cruise said with a smile. Cruise said with a smile. His sincere look swept away his previous arrogance. After all, he was not a fool.
From this, it could also be seen that Nicole Kidman was better than him in this aspect. Speaking of which, Nicole seemed to be only 25 years old, young and beautiful. Although she did not speak much at the cocktail party, her grayish-blue eyes were quite charming.
Until he returned to the hotel, Adriaan was still thinking about something.
After another day, the most important moment of the Cannes Film Festival — the awards ceremony — was approaching. Stars, directors, producers, and entertainment reporters from all over the world gathered outside the Grand Lumière Theater and began the final carnival.
"Do you think I will get the Palme d 'Or tonight, Monica?" Adriaan asked with a smile after he took Monica's arm and walked all the way through the red carpet into the theater.
"No." Monica replied coldly. She was wearing a purple low-cut evening gown, revealing her deep and seductive cleavage. She was obviously very sexy, but when she sat down, her body was slightly slanted.
"Alright, alright. If it makes you feel better, then it doesn't matter if you don't get it." Adrian laughed and put his arm around her waist from behind the seat. They didn't need to hide like they did in the first few days of the film festival.
Although the Cannes Film Festival was supported by the French government, there were still many shortcomings compared to the Oscars. The host's performance could only be regarded as moderate. The judges sat on the stage one by one, and there were basically no performances such as singing and dancing, making the entire award ceremony appear more serious than lively.
Although the Cannes Film Festival was supported by the French government, there were still many shortcomings compared to the Oscars. The host's performance could only be regarded as moderate. The judges sat on the stage one by one, and there were basically no performances such as singing and dancing, making the entire award ceremony appear more serious than lively. The pretentious attitude of the French was evident.
Because of this, even though there were a total of more than a dozen awards to be presented, and some awards had two slots, such as the Golden Camera or the Jury Award. But it still didn't take long for them to enter the most important part.
Although Adriaan couldn't remember all the winners, he was not omniscient. He only remembered what he had seen in his previous life, and the more vague the impression, the more difficult it was to remember. After all, the Cannes Film Festival was not as famous as the Oscars. But he was still very clear about those important awards. He just found that the current 45th Cannes Film Festival had changed a lot. For example, the Best Director Award was awarded to Denmark's Bill August! In the original trajectory, it was his "Kind Betrayal" that won the Palme d 'Or.
When Adriaan heard this name, he couldn't help but hold Monica's hand tightly. Basically, if Bill August won the Best Director Award, it would be impossible for him to win the Palme d 'Or again, because the principle of Cannes Film Festival was much better than the Oscars. It was rare for a film to win multiple awards. As for whether this principle was good or bad, it was difficult to judge.
"You will get it, Eide," Monica said softly. She was just joking when she said "I won't".
Adriaan didn't answer. He just smiled and patted her hand. Next was the Special Jury Award, which had two spots. If "Pulp Fiction" wasn't named, the possibility of winning the Palme d 'Or would be greatly increased. But it wasn't easy. If compared to the Oscars, the Palme d 'Or was an award that combined Best Film and Best Director. Generally speaking, if one could win the Special Jury Award at the previous Cannes Film Festival, the possibility of winning the Palme d' Or would be greatly increased. Of course, there were many films that won the Palme d 'Or directly, but the proportion was relatively smaller.
But as a person with a strong desire to control, Adriaan didn't like this kind of situation where he couldn't control it. It was just that it was quite interesting to try it occasionally. Anyway, the Palme d 'Or was not something that he had to get his hands on in his plan, so it made him feel a trace of excitement.
"The Special Jury Award goes to the Italian film 'Little Thief'! And the Spanish film 'La Fantastica'! "Following the host's announcement, there was a burst of warm applause. Adriaan also let out a long breath. Now it was the last moment.
The two award-winning directors probably realized this as well, so their speeches were very short. After they walked off the stage, the host made a few more jokes and then announced the guest presenter to come on stage. Soon, in the midst of the music, a tall and slender figure walked out from behind a row of framed decorations. She had long curly hair, a young and pretty face, and grayish-blue eyes. Who else could it be but Nicole Kidman?
She was still wearing the dress she wore at the cocktail party the other day, a slim-shouldered evening dress, black transparent stockings, and flat shoes. But with an extra pair of long black gloves, it made her look even more outstanding. Adriaan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
As Nicole appeared on the stage, the host introduced her to everyone, but after a few words, the topic returned to the Palme d 'Or. Nicole stood next to him with a smile and said nothing. Compared to the Oscars, the guest presenters of the Cannes Film Festival were completely useless. Whether they were men or women, the only thing they did on stage was to hand over the list to the host, watch the host call out the names, and wait for the winner to finish his speech on stage before leaving.
French … Adriaan shook his head in his heart, then focused his attention on the host. The middle-aged man in a suit with slicked-back hair, who looked to be in his forties, had already opened the long scroll that Nicole handed over.
"So, now I announce." He said dryly but formally, "The Palme d 'Or winner of this year's film festival is the American film' Pulp Fiction '!"
Involuntarily clenching his fists, Adriaan suddenly waved his hand slightly, a rare look of excitement on his face. He had to admit that it was indeed exciting to do this once in a while.
Applause rang out, especially around him. The seats in the theater were divided according to region, and the people sitting nearby were all Americans. Whether they were jealous or not, they all clapped hard at that moment.
After shaking hands with Travolta, Jackson, Willis, and Denis, Adriaan adjusted his state of mind and walked onto the stage with a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Lermite. Thank you, Nicole." He shook hands with the emcee and Nicole, then took the trophy from the emcee, Lyrmitte. A golden palm coconut was attached to the square, transparent crystal with chamfered corners.
"Thank you, judges, for handing this honor to me. This is really exciting and exciting. When I was making this film, I never thought that one day I would stand here and pick up the Palme d 'Or trophy. Thank you to all the actors, thank you to all the crew, thank you to all the people who supported me. Thank you, thank you very much! "Adriaan said as he raised the trophy in his hand and waved it.
Because this was France, and the host spoke in French from beginning to end, Adriaan's speech was also in French. His French wasn't particularly good. He had no problem listening and speaking, but if he spoke too fast, the words wouldn't match the meaning. Therefore, Adriaan tried to speak slowly during his speech, and the content was short and general.
As a result, his French was clear and rhythmic. After his speech, the French audience applauded him warmly. Even the host and the French judges sitting not far away clapped their hands. In addition, the Americans were also supporting their own country's director. The enthusiasm in the theater was much higher than before.
Adriaan bowed slightly, took the trophy, and was about to go down the stage. Coincidentally, Nicole was about to follow him down the stage. The two almost bumped into each other, and a few people burst into laughter.
"Sorry," Nicole said awkwardly.
"It's okay." Adriaan made a gentlemanly gesture.
Perhaps because she was nervous, Nicole's body suddenly slanted and she almost fell to the ground when she walked down the stage. Fortunately, Adriaan, who was behind her, held her arm in time.
"Don't worry, it's okay," he said in a low voice. After Nicole steadied herself, he let go of her arm. His gentlemanly gesture received a lot of applause.
"Thank you." Nicole smiled at him, then walked back to her seat without looking back.
Adriaan didn't say anything and went straight back to his seat.
