When he returned to the hall again, the singing and dancing on the stage had just ended, and Cristal began to show off his eloquence again. The previous Best Soundtrack was awarded to "The English Patient." Gabriel Yarde's soundtrack was indeed excellent, and the focus of "Saving Private Ryan" was on the sound effects. Naturally, it could not compete in this aspect.
"Where did you go?" Blanchett, who was behind him, leaned over and asked in a low voice when she saw him return to his seat.
"To the bathroom, of course." Adriaan shrugged.
"That long?" Blanchett obviously did not believe it. Based on her understanding of Adriaan, even if she could not be completely sure, she was at least eighty percent sure. So after she finished speaking, she looked around, trying to find out which woman was also seated.
"After I went to the bathroom, I thought about some problems in a quieter environment," Adriaan explained calmly. Literally speaking, this sentence was not wrong.
Blanchett still did not believe it, but she did not say anything more. She snorted and turned her eyes to the stage. Adrian shrugged again and looked up as well. However, he still sneaked a few glances to the bottom right of the map.
He did not see Kirsten's figure. It was understandable because the little vixen was staring at him the whole time. He was so excited that not only did he smear her face, but he also splashed a lot of it on her hair. Fortunately, Kirsten, who had a lot of experience, was very cooperative and did not spill it on her clothes. Otherwise, it would be very troublesome to clean up.
Even so, it would take a lot of time for the little vixen to clean up and return to her seat. She could not come out quickly. Besides, like Julia and Gwyneth, she was just an ordinary guest without any nominations, so her seat was far away from the film crew. Even if she came back, Adriaan would not necessarily notice.
So tempting … Recalling her innocent and lascivious expression. He sighed in his heart. Suddenly, he thought of Natalie far away in New York. It would be great if she could be at his mercy.
But then again, they were completely different people. Although Kirsten was very bold and could do whatever it took to get what she wanted, it could also be seen that she had a strong sense of insecurity hidden in the depths of her heart. So, it was not difficult for Adriaan to control her. Although Natalie took the initiative because she was seduced by him, it could be seen from this behavior that she liked to be in control of everything. So …
Adrian's brows suddenly furrowed. He felt that something was wrong, but when he wanted to reach out to grab it, it disappeared without a trace. Was it an illusion? Adrian shook his head and put these thoughts aside for the time being. He focused all his attention on the ceremony. The last and most important award was about to be presented.
The so-called most important awards were naturally Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, and Best Movie. These four were the most important awards at the Oscars every year. If any movie could win all four awards, it would definitely be a great honor.
"Frances McDormand, 'Iceblood Fury'!" Following the voice of the guest presenter, Nicolas Cage, the soundtrack of the Coen Brothers' "Frozen Fury" sounded. McDormand stood up with an excited expression, holding his face as if he couldn't believe it. Meanwhile, the crew of "The English Patient" let out a sigh when they heard the names, especially Anthony Minghella. He had praised the three main leads in front of Adrian more than once. Now that Sophie and Rachel had failed, of course he would feel sorry.
The crew of "The English Patient" sighed when they heard the name, especially Anthony Minghella. He had praised the three leads in front of Adriaan more than once. Now that both Sophie and Richel had been defeated, of course he would feel sorry. But since the announcement of the Best Actress award, Adriaan had been paying attention to her, so he managed to catch a flash of disappointment on her face.
That was good. There were some things that one would want even more when one brushed past them. Adrian said in his mind as he smiled and applauded McDormand's speech.
"What a touching speech. I also want to thank Mom here. Hey, Mom, are you in front of the TV? I really want to thank you very much. " Crystal began to gag again. His speech, which was like an exaggerated aria with a little golden man in his hand, made the audience burst into laughter again.
"Okay, okay, let's hurry up and give out the next award. Everyone must have been waiting for a long time. I wonder if we can break the curse this time." Crystal said in a serious tone.
The audience suddenly laughed again, but this time it was a little more interesting. Everyone knew what he was referring to. Although "The English Patient" and "Saving Private Ryan" were the fiercest competitors in this award ceremony, as long as they were nominated at the same time as "Mr. Sweetheart", the award would inevitably fall to other films. This had been confirmed by the Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay awards.
Although these two examples didn't mean anything, it was at least fun to argue about it, wasn't it? Now that all three films were nominated for Best Actor, it would be very interesting to guess whether the curse would continue.
Adriaan looked forward and saw Cruise whispering to the people around him from time to time. He seemed a little uneasy. It seemed that he was more or less affected by the two examples. Adriaan couldn't help but chuckle twice. When he complimented Cruise at the premiere of "Wide Awake, Alert," he exaggerated his advantages and his opponent's disadvantages.
For example, Hanks had been nominated for Best Actor for the third time in just four years, and he had won it again. Film school would never give him the Little Golden Man no matter what. As for Fiennes, although he was very good, he had only officially entered Hollywood since "Schindler's List," so he was a little inexperienced. Cruise had the qualifications and acting skills, and the film itself was very mainstream. In addition, there were many people who objected that he should get the Little Golden Man, so the chances of him getting it were very high.
These were the facts. Cruise did have an advantage, but he also had a lot of disadvantages. Relying on his face to make a living was his trademark. His appearance as a disabled person in "Born on the Fourth of July" only made it a little less obvious. As a representative of the suckling generation in the 1980s, the Film Academy had always been unfriendly to him. Moreover, Cruise was not a good person in private. From the few interactions he had with Adrian, it could be seen that these factors could affect the final outcome.
Film school sometimes favored British actors. Although Fiennes was not experienced enough, he was not the only British actor nominated.
"Geoffrey Rush, 'Shining Glamour'!" As Susan Sarandon read the name, the actor stood up and bowed to the applause in a gentlemanly manner before walking back to the stage.
Naturally, "The English Patient" was filled with sorrow. They did not expect that they would lose the Best Actor Award after losing the Best Actress Award. Fiennes, on the other hand, was very open about it. But "Mr. Sweetheart" was different. Cruise did not hide his embarrassed face. Nicole wanted to comfort him with a few words. She didn't know what Cruise said. He looked very impatient, and Nicole's face became ugly.
However, she raised her head as if she sensed something and met Adrian's gaze. She initially wanted to avoid his gaze, but she hesitated and slowed down her movements. She looked at him with a complicated expression before turning her head back.
Unnoticeably shrugging his shoulders, Adrian looked at Blanchett with a grin, "What a pity, I didn't even get a single award in the acting category."
"You look like you're showing off?" Blanchett was a little puzzled and curious.
Adriaan smiled and spread out his hands. He did not say anything. In fact, if he used all the resources he had, whether it was Cruise or Fiennes, he was confident that he could win the Best Actor award. Laffern might not be strong enough, but with the Weinstein brothers, Richel's Best Actress award and Sophie's or Blanchett's Best Supporting Actress award were all possible.
But if he really did this, not only would he have to spend a lot of resources, but he would also have to use some means that might cross the line. Therefore, even if he won, there would be some negative effects, and he might be excluded in the next few years. Why did Adriaan make such a big deal out of Cruise and Fiennes? As for Richel and Sophie, as mentioned before, some things that were too easy to get would not be cherished. It was a terrible feeling to lose it because of some controllable or uncontrollable factors, and then they would want to get it even more. When that time came …
Well, it was finally time for the Best Director and Best Movie awards. According to the usual practice of the Oscars, either "The English Patient" or "Saving Private Ryan" would win all of them. Of course, there was a possibility that they would divide the awards, but the probability of that happening was very small. Film school always liked to show that they were fair.
However, Adriaan's judgment was still wrong.
"Anthony Minghella," The English Patient "!" This was the Best Director award.
"" Saving Private Ryan "!" This was the Best Movie award.
What a surprising result. The Oscars actually had such an obvious situation of dividing the cake. But thinking about it from another perspective, this was a last resort. Whether it was "The English Patient" or "Saving Private Ryan", their reputation was quite good. Although the box office of "The English Patient" was much worse than "Saving Private Ryan", it received more praise from the critics. However, "Saving Private Ryan" was very popular with ordinary people. Although the film was rated as extremely violent and bloody by the MPAA, many veterans who participated in World War II praised Spielberg's 20-minute landing battle for perfectly capturing the tragic situation at that time.
As a result, Film school was in a difficult position. In fact, such examples had happened before, such as "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Real Story of Argan". Oh, that was the situation in Adriaan's memory. Now, it had been replaced by "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Silence of the Lambs". Without an opponent, "The Real Story of Argan" was the well-deserved king of the 67th Oscars.
In short, in this situation, it completely depended on the strength of public relations and the mood of the judges. Whether it was one or two, it was entirely possible. So, the factor of luck played a considerable role. However, Adriaan still felt a little strange. Why didn't Spielberg win the Best Director award, but "The English Patient" won the Best Movie award? Soon, he found the answer.
"It's already very good to win the Best Movie award. I don't expect to win the Best Director award again after winning it for only two years." When talking about this at the subsequent party, Adriaan half-jokingly felt sorry for him, but Spielberg didn't care too much. The other two founders of DreamWorks, Katzenberg and Geffen, also agreed.
The fact was very simple. For DreamWorks, the Best Director award that increased Spielberg's personal honor was far less practical than the Best Movie award that increased the company's reputation. So, most of their energy was spent on the Best Movie award. And while Miramax was responsible for the distribution of "The English Patient," it also took on the public relations work. Although Adriaan didn't ask the Weinstein Brothers to do their best, they also spent a lot of effort on it. So, Mincola won the Best Director award smoothly.
In any case, the 69th Oscars had officially come to an end. Vanity Fair's Oscar night party also went smoothly. So, all they had to do was celebrate.
However, Adriaan wasn't very happy. He definitely had to attend the Vanity Fair party, but Sophie slipped away before the award ceremony ended. Richel came and quickly left. The same was true for Kirsten. Her mother wouldn't allow her to stay here for too long, let alone Scarlett. Even Julia didn't stay for long. She left after saying a few words to Adriaan.
"You'll always have someone to accompany you, right?" Julia, who was dressed simply and looked very refreshing, said. "I have to go back and take care of Emma."
After saying that, she turned around and left. She looked very cool, but the words that she wanted to say were hidden in her words. To be honest, if it were any other time, Adriaan would definitely chase after her and take her for a ride. The problem was that it wasn't easy to make such a decision in this kind of environment. Julia actually understood that, but there were some things that might happen if he said it. If he didn't say it, there would be no chance at all.
The party was very lively. In addition to big and small stars, many tycoons who didn't attend the award ceremony would also come here. The reporters who were allowed to attend were also not stingy with their cameras and films. However, such opportunities were very rare. Vanity Fair itself was an entertainment magazine. Of course, it had to satisfy its own people as much as possible.
No matter how lively and noisy a party was, it would eventually come to an end. People gradually left the place, and Adriaan was no exception. However, he left with his arms around his waist.
"It's a pity that you didn't win the award. At least, in my opinion, you're not much worse than that French woman." Gwyneth, who was standing next to the bar, used a plastic fork to pick up a small piece of cake and sent it to the end. She had already changed her clothes. The gray narrow tube skirt perfectly displayed her curves. Thick bangs covered her forehead, and the long ponytail behind her made her look pure and elegant.
"I have to remind you that that French woman also didn't win the Best Supporting Actress Award. The winner was Barron Bacall." Blanchett, who was leaning on the other side of the bar with half a glass of red wine in her hand, reminded her. She had also changed her clothes. She was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt, tight trousers, and her favorite boots, which accentuated her graceful figure. Her soft mid-length hair hung down, making her look equally noble and charming.
The two women were somewhat similar in temperament and appearance. Coupled with the fact that they often appeared together in public, some busybodies privately called them the Twin Flowers. One had to admit that the title was quite appropriate, but now the Twin Flowers could only belong to one person.
"Still brooding over the award ceremony?" Adriaan walked over and put his arms around the two women's waists.
Blanchett struggled slightly out of habit, and Gwyneth also leaned into Adriaan's arms out of habit. The two women looked at each other without blinking. In the room, only the orange light on the bar was on. The soft light added a touch of romance to the already ambiguous atmosphere.
"I'm the one brooding over it. Kate was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Award, but I didn't get anything." Gwyneth poked his chest with her finger and said in a coquettish tone.
"Don't worry, James's super production has been completed. It will be released soon. At this time next year, you will be brooding over not getting the Best Actress Award. You should learn this from Kate, Gwyneth," Adriaan said with a chuckle.
"Wow, although I know you have confidence in that tyrant, I still can't help but be surprised." Gwyneth showed an exaggerated expression, but her eyes were looking at Blanchett with pride.
"Are you so sure that Gwyneth can't get it?" Blanchett smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"Of course, we all know that Hollywood is a place that cares about qualifications. If Gwyneth had been nominated several times before, or had acted in movies for more than ten years, the Film School would definitely consider her. But now, I can only say that it's a pity." Adriaan shrugged.
"It's really a pity. It seems that she can only be nominated for the Best Actress Award." Gwyneth sighed with regret. Even so, she still stuck out her chest to Blanchett. She was obviously not wearing a bra, and her breasts were like those of a star.
"Oh, Gwyneth, I'm already very envious. At least it's a Best Actress Award." Although Blanchett was talking to Gwyneth, she glanced at Adriaan from time to time.
"Don't worry, Kate." Adriaan laughed. "You will get it the year after next year. And with this year's nomination, the possibility of getting it is very high."
Then he looked at Gwyneth, who was about to speak. "You too."
The two women looked at him in confusion, waiting for his explanation. Adrian laughed and said, "I've got an idea. Why don't you take this opportunity to have a competition?"
