Chapter 659

What Adriaan said to Britney was normal, but he still told her not to tell anyone. His main purpose was to make Christina fall behind. Compared to the simple-minded Britney, Christina had obviously experienced more. She was more of a stubborn person. Otherwise, she would not have insisted on being the best singer in MMC even after being ostracized.

If a person with such a personality found out that the person who lost to her was suddenly ahead of her, she would unleash her great potential or do whatever it took to snatch back the position that she thought belonged to her. Adriaan's memory told him what kind of person Christina was. Of course, this was just the beginning. He had to slowly provoke her competitiveness bit by bit and blind her eyes first. There was no need to rush!

As for Britney, she still had some IQ and some smarts, but her EQ was really terrible. Therefore, there was no need for her to rush. She could instill the concept for two years first.

After that, Adriaan made his own decision, which led to the discussion with Claude. The holidays were almost over, and it was time to return to New York after the two important pre-screenings.

Needless to say, the first screening was definitely not a movie other than Schindler's List. It had taken almost half a year to prepare for this movie, and under Spielberg's constant production, it was finally in the post-production stage.

There were not many people attending the pre-screening. Bosworth Pictures only sent Adriaan and Laffern, as well as a few people in charge of the crew. As for the actors, only Ben Kingsley, who played Stein, attended. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes could not come because they had other things to do.

It was not that they were deliberately looking for an excuse not to come. The pre-screening was a simple version to begin with. Not only did it not have a title and ending, but there was also no music in some parts. Therefore, there was no need for them to come all the way from England. Besides, the movie was definitely going to have a premiere, so it would not be too late to come by then.

The movie played for almost three hours before it ended. After the lights were turned on, there was no other sound except for Kingsley's long sigh. In fact, nobody spoke during the entire screening. Adriaan crossed his arms and thought about something in silence. It was not until everyone in the theater had left that he leaned back in his chair and looked at Laffern, who was sitting next to him.

"What do you think, Laffer?" he asked.

Laffern was used to his way of talking, where he listened to his subordinates' opinions first before expressing his own. He answered without thinking, "The movie itself is very good. The prayer at the beginning, the Holocaust in the middle, and the various things in the concentration camp are all quite shocking and impactful. Especially towards the end, the black-and-white scenes suddenly turned into color, echoing the beginning of the prayer. It was very impressive. It was Spielberg was indeed one of the best. The three leading actors were also very good. Whether it was the cold-blooded SS officer Eimon, the businessman turned rescuer Schindler, or the witty Jewish accountant Stein, they were all very well portrayed. "

He paused and thought carefully before saying, "But, from a commercial point of view, the time is too long, the content is relatively dull, and the pace is not tight, so it can probably keep the cost, but I'm afraid it won't make a lot of money at the box office."

"Really?" Adriaan looked at him with a faint smile. "You seem to have forgotten something, Laffer."

"What did I forget?" Laffern frowned, and then his eyes lit up. "You mean …"

"Yes, this movie is about the Holocaust in World War II." Adriaan said leisurely. "So, as long as we find the right people, it is not difficult to make this movie known to the public."

Laffern clenched his fist under his nose and thought for a few minutes. Then he nodded at Adriaan and said, "I understand."

"Very good, but don't worry. It's best to discuss it with Steven first. He is the biggest contributor. Since we are going to do it, we should do it to the best of our abilities." Adriaan stood up and said, "I'll go see him now."

Spielberg did not come to watch the test screening. As for the reason …

"I have seen enough during the filming and editing process. I really don't want to experience that feeling again," the middle-aged man in his late fifties said in Spielberg's office.

Although he was still a little haggard, his mental state was much better than before.

"I can understand." Adriaan nodded. "So, why don't you go out and relax, Steven. There are only some finishing touches left. Leave it to others."

"No, no, no. It's better for me to do it myself. If I come back and feel that they did not do a good job, it will be too troublesome." Spielberg shook his head like a rattle.

"Then let's just wait until you are in a better mood. The right thing to do is to strike a balance between work and rest, isn't it?" Adriaan said as he looked at the other two people in the office.

One of them was a bald old man with white hair and stubble. He looked to be in his sixties. The other was a middle-aged man in a wheelchair who was about the same age as Spielberg.

"I think Eide's proposal is very good. Steven, maybe you can really consider it." The old man supported Adriaan.

"When you are writing a song, will you leave it to others and go out to relax when you are almost done?" Spielberg asked. This old man was the famous soundtrack master, John Williams, who had worked with him countless times.

Williams was stunned for a few seconds. He then laughed and spread his hands to Adriaan, indicating that he had spoken up for you, but it did not work.

"Don't worry, Steven. Eide, he will adjust himself." The middle-aged man sitting in the wheelchair also chimed in at this time. Perhaps it was because of his plump face, but his smiling face looked very kind.

"Okay, then I won't insist. But after it is done, you have to have a good rest. The publicity work cannot be done without you, Steven." Adriaan shrugged.

"Haven't you already taken over all the publicity work?" Spielberg was stunned.

"Of course, but that doesn't mean you can just let it go." Adriaan became serious as he spoke. "Think about it, Steven. Who are you making this movie for? Is it for yourself? Of course not! We have to let more people see this movie and understand what happened at that time! Although there are many works about the Holocaust in the world, it is far from enough. So no matter what the result is, we must do our best! "

He clenched his right hand into a fist and smashed it on the palm of his left hand to emphasize the persuasiveness of his words. Spielberg was silent for a few minutes, then nodded. "I understand, I will."

"Thank you, Steven." Adriaan smiled.

"I should be the one thanking you for letting me realize my wish." Steven sighed and smiled.

"It was just a coincidence," Adriaan said modestly.

"It's not good to be too humble, Eide." The man in the wheelchair spoke again. "Anyway, you and Steven made a shocking work together."

"Without John's moving soundtrack and your excellent performance, the shocking effect would be greatly reduced, Ike." Adriaan looked at him and said, "If you want to talk about credit, everyone here has a share. I don't dare to monopolize it."

This fat, middle-aged man in a wheelchair was the famous violin master that Adriaan recommended to Spielberg to play the soundtrack, Ike Perlman!

After hearing Adriaan's words, the other three suddenly laughed.

"I told you that he is the most outstanding young man I have ever seen," Spielberg said.

"I completely agree." Ike came to Adriaan in his wheelchair and reached out his hand. "Thank you, young man."

Williams also came over and reached out his hand. "Yes, thank you, Eide."

"Thank you." Adriaan didn't stand on ceremony. He stood up and shook their hands.

The dividends of investing in Schindler's List were beginning to show. There was reason to believe that in a few months, there would only be more and more such situations. It was really a good investment.

There was a test screening after Schindler's List. Although it wasn't as important as Schindler's List, Adriaan still had to attend. As for the reason …

A pantomime was being played on the bright screen. Not only was there no sound, but the actors were also talking in sign language. If it wasn't for the bright colors, people would really think that it was a silent film.

Tell me, what happened? The male protagonist's deaf and mute friend asked while gesturing.

God, I met Kelly. She and her husband are separated. The male lead frowned and gestured as he answered.

Charles, you are getting married today. His friend sighed silently.

What do you think? The male protagonist didn't know what to do now. The woman that he had so easily forgotten was now in front of him again. He felt completely lost.

You have three choices: one, continue to get married; two, tell everyone, sorry, the marriage is off. That's what his friend said in sign language.

Two are not good. What about the third? The male lead shook his head, obviously hoping for a better and more middle path to take.

Unexpectedly, after a moment of hesitation, his friend signed: I can't think of a third option.

There was a burst of low laughter in the screening room. Although everyone had been amused by all kinds of British humor several times before, they still couldn't help but laugh when they saw this. This included Adriaan.

The movie he was watching was, of course, the new version of Four Weddings and a Funeral directed by Mike Neville, starring Denis and Julia!