The crashing waves hit the shore one after another, splashing splashes. Under the clear sky, the Mediterranean town, which retained its architecture from the 1920s and 1930s, looked quiet and peaceful. Men leisurely drank afternoon tea under umbrellas in the small square, women walked together in twos and threes and told gossip that only they would know, and children played football by the long seawall.
"It's still so beautiful, isn't it, my dear?" Standing on the seawall, Adriaan shaded his eyes as he looked at the horizon in the distance and said to Monica.
"Yeah, it's no different from a few years ago. This is indeed a good place to live a leisurely life." Monica held his arm and agreed. She was still wearing the white dress used for filming, a loose black tie around her neck, and a pair of high heels with rings. She exuded a seductive mature temperament.
The sea in Syracuse was muddy, far less blue than the tourist attractions like Cannes, but the town on the island was very peaceful and interesting. When Monica and Adriaan first came here, she didn't expect to come here in another way. Whenever she thought about how Adriaan had planned for this for years, a warm feeling enveloped her heart.
"Mr. Director, we're ready." The script clerk walked over.
"Okay, I'll be right there." Adriaan nodded. After the clerk left, he slapped Monica's butt and said, "Go, baby, show me your most seductive side."
Monica rolled her eyes at him and walked to the trailer that was pulled to the island. Adriaan walked to the set and began the routine questioning before filming. Today was the scene where the male lead, Renado, met Marlena for the first time. On the edge of the long seawall, a group of young people around his age watched her quietly walk by and shouted behind her.
"You've always done well, young man. Continue to work hard today, understand?" Adriaan patted Marino's shoulder.
"Yes, sir." The young man nodded. He had already gotten over the small blow. Especially after he came to Italy, Adrian and Monica had been intimate with each other in front of the public a lot more times. He had already understood.
"Very good, but don't be too depressed, young man. There are many girls suitable for you." He laughed. Marino immediately blushed and lowered his head.
Not wanting to tease the honest child anymore, Adriaan clapped his hands and loudly announced the start of filming. These scenes were easily filmed. The people of the small town were very enthusiastic towards the film crew. In addition, Adrian had sent people to prepare early on. He had also communicated well with the local government, especially when they heard that the famous Hollywood miracle director would be in charge. They even gave the film crew a discount.
Although the town on the island was relatively closed, after the popularization of the Internet, they still knew a lot about the outside world. The local government was very clear that as long as Adriaan filmed a movie here, and as long as the movie caused a sensation, they would be able to earn a lot of money from tourism.
This also made Adriaan sigh of relief. It was not in vain that he had spent so much time looking for people and communicating with them. Most of the content of the movie was shot on location, so even though the interior scenes had been shot in Los Angeles, they still had to stay in this place for a long time. Therefore, it was very important to get along well with the local residents. Fortunately, as mentioned before, most of them were very nice.
"They're all very simple people. They're definitely not the people you wrote in your script. If Marlena lived here, she would definitely be respected." After a scene in the square was filmed, a middle-aged man wearing glasses touched his bald forehead and looked at the extras who were sitting in groups of twos and threes chatting with each other. He was also a local resident, and he sighed with emotion.
"Of course I know that. This is a place full of vitality. There is no better place to film than this." Adriaan shrugged.
"Yes, I know that too. I have to say, Eide, you have better taste than most Italians. I can't believe you found such a place." The man sighed again. "No wonder they always say that your taste is unparalleled."
"As long as I run back and forth a few times in Sicily, anyone can find it, Giselle." Adriaan chuckled.
"Even so, you have to be able to see which scenes are suitable." Giselle's eyes were fixed on the square. Then he sighed. "Why didn't you give me the script earlier?"
"Oh? You are very interested in it? "
"More than that. You don't know how much I … like it after I saw it. If I hadn't heard that you had already started preparing, I would definitely have pestered you to let me direct this movie."
Tornadore spoke very seriously. He kept rubbing his chin with one hand. Obviously, he was speaking from the bottom of his heart. Adriaan was silent for a few seconds. Then he got up and patted him on the shoulder. "Do you remember what I said, Giselle? Half of the inspiration for this movie came from your 'Cinema Paradiso', a movie about growing up. I like it very much, so this is also a movie about growing up, and the story is set in Italy. "
"Thank you." Tornadore finally retracted his gaze. "I'm glad that you like that movie, and I'm glad that it can inspire you."
Speaking of this, he changed the topic and revealed a little interesting look. "What about the other half of the inspiration?"
Adriaan shrugged and did not answer. Tornadore suddenly laughed and looked at Monica, who was in the distance talking to her assistant. "What a beautiful woman."
"Yes, very beautiful." Adriaan also looked at Monica and said very calmly.
Tornadore soon left the set of "La Belle Legend of Sicily". He only stayed for three days. He promised Adriaan to attend the premiere of this movie and invited him to attend the premiere of his own movie that was released in October. His coming to Siracusa was a complete accident. When Adriaan contacted him through someone else and asked him to help find a suitable Italian actor, his main purpose was to test whether Tornadore had already started thinking about the new script.
Needless to say, Adriaan was completely relieved. After all, this movie was "once" Tornadore's work. After seeing the script, he couldn't put it down. As he said, if Adriaan hadn't already started preparing, he might really find a way to get the directing rights. So when he heard that the crew was coming to Siracusa, it was reasonable for him to come to see it.
To be honest, Adriaan had a good feeling about Tornadore. Most European directors seemed to stay away from art if they didn't add sexual elements or weird things to their works. Italian directors were especially bad. What made people want to roll their eyes was that it wasn't that they couldn't tell a good story, but they did it on purpose, as if they were suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, like that old guy Bertolucci.
Although Tornadore couldn't be ignored, at least "Cinema Paradiso" and "Pianist on the Seas", the two most well-known works, had good stories. If it weren't for the fact that "La Belle Legend of Sicily" was the only one suitable for Monica at this stage, Adriaan might not have wanted to plagiarize it. As for whether he would feel ashamed when facing the admiring eyes of the original author, he would soon forget about it and continue doing his own thing. It was like an arms dealer who learned that the weapons he was selling had caused a large number of casualties, he would say "God bless" and then continue to sell.
Because of the cooperation of the local people, the progress had been smooth. Of course, it was also because Adriaan left the most important and troublesome scenes, such as Marlena being humiliated, or people running in all directions due to the bombing of the Allies, to the last. Then, at this time, another guest came to the crew.
"Hello, Monica, I'm Sophie, Sophie Marceau." Wearing a thin trench coat, two small boots were exposed, and her hair was neat and tidy. With a reserved smile, Sophie reached out to Monica.
"Hello, Sophie, I'm so happy to meet you." Monica, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic. "I like your movies very much, whether it's' First Kiss' or 'Fragrant'. I even tried to become an actress because of 'Fragrant'."
Seeing that Monica was talking to her without any barriers, Sophie couldn't continue to maintain her aloof demeanor, so she quickly chatted with Monica. Because they were both Europeans, one from France and the other from Italy, they had a lot in common. Coupled with Monica's deliberate flattery, the two women became more and more familiar with each other until Adriaan walked over.
"Monica, get ready to start." He interrupted them, making the two women stunned.
"Okay, I'll go right away." Monica was the first to react. She smiled at Sophie and then hurried to the set.
"You guys seem to have a good chat." After Monica left, Adriaan smiled and looked at Sophie.
"Then what do you want to see? An argument? Or a fight? "Sophie snorted softly and crossed her arms. She looked like a completely different person from her previous cheerful appearance.
"You know, I'm very happy that you can come to Syracuse, Sophie, especially …" Adriaan stopped in the middle of his sentence and then winked mischievously.
'If I knew this, I wouldn't have come.' Sophie wanted to refute him, but after seeing his smile, she didn't know why she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
"Well, let's not talk about this for now. There are still a few scenes to finish today. After that, let's find a place to have a good chat." Adriaan glanced at the crew and said with a smile, then handed the movie script to her, "This is the story of this movie. Why don't you analyze this movie from your perspective?"
After saying that, he was about to leave, but after two steps, he turned back and whispered into Sophie's ear with a malicious look, "Even though the heels have turned into boots, as long as you're still wearing nothing underneath, I will always like your outfit."
"Eide!" Sophie couldn't help but glare at Adriaan. The latter laughed and quickly returned to the crew.
Damn it! Sophie gritted her teeth and touched her face. It was a little feverish, and it must have turned red. Of course, she knew what Adriaan was talking about. That day in Paris, she was wearing this trench coat, and there was nothing underneath. As long as she thought of a corner or an alley, the two of them would go there and have their fun.
At that time, it was just exciting. After that, every time she thought about it, she felt a little ashamed and scared, even though she was the one who wanted to take the gamble. Adriaan often teased her about this. Coincidentally, she was wearing the same trench coat today, so naturally, she couldn't run away. Just like before, Sophie could only stare at him to express her dissatisfaction. However, after seeing Monica and Adriaan, her dissatisfaction completely disappeared.
"Scene 117 of Scene 229, action!" As the scoreboard sounded, the camera rotated for a few seconds, and Monica walked into the camera.
The plot here was very simple. The bad news of her husband's death was confirmed, and most of the people in the town were ostracizing her. She had no choice but to walk on the road of selling her body. When she came to the small square of the town in sexy clothes with her head held high, she sat down on a chair and took out a cigarette. In an instant, several lighters were handed to her.
“Cut！” Adriaan shouted loudly, and then walked a few steps to Monica. "Not enough, Monica. Remember what I said? She uses her arrogance to hide her weakness. You must grasp this limit. "
Throughout the story, before this turn, every time Marlena came to the town, she would lower her head and look cautious, avoiding the aggressive eyes of the men and the disgusted eyes of the women. But this time, when she didn't need to care about those things, she held her head high for the first time, and came to the square with a little bit of charm. Adriaan needed Monica to show the sadness hidden in Marlena's heart. Therefore, she had to be arrogant and let people see that it was an act. For Monica, this was not easy to do.
"Again." After Monica nodded and returned to her original position, Adriaan clapped his hands and said loudly.
They did it again dozens of times and took four breaks in the middle. Although most people were a little tired, no one said anything. Sophie was slightly surprised. During this time, she had quickly read through the script and basically understood the story. She also knew the importance of this scene. To be honest, she liked this role very much. If it was any other time, she would fight for it no matter what. But now it seemed that Adriaan made this movie especially for Monica, which made Sophie jealous.
At the same time, Monica's performance in this scene could not be better even if she was in her shoes. However, Adriaan was not satisfied and repeatedly made NGs. During the break, she asked one of the assistants and found out that for a long time, every time there was an important scene, Adriaan would repeatedly make NGs to make Monica perform the best. Therefore, Sophie became more jealous.
Finally, before the best time to shoot passed, Adriaan finally passed the scene, which made the crew cheer in a low voice. Then they worked hard to finish the rest of the scene. Finally, they did not delay today's progress.
Night fell, and a bonfire was lit on the beach. The crew had a party here. Many residents of the town joined in, especially those who had served as extras. Everyone sang and danced around the fire happily. It didn't matter if you didn't like the bonfire. The crew had specially prepared another place decorated with all kinds of colorful lights and a lot of food and drinks. It was enough to squander.
Adriaan never saved on daily necessities, even if it was a movie like "La Belle Legend of Sicily" or "Mulholland Drive" that didn't make much money. He was a person who liked to enjoy life. Anyway, because of his control, a lot of waste in shooting was eliminated. The cost was a little lower than the original version, so it didn't matter if it was used in daily life.
"When you have a beautiful thing that attracts the attention of countless people, and at the same time, you can't protect it, the people around you will constantly want to snatch it from you and take it for themselves. She is very beautiful, with a beauty that can cause the downfall of a country. All men want to possess her, while all women are jealous of her. But she can't protect herself, so men keep thinking of ways to violate her, while women deepen their hatred for her step by step. When this hatred reaches a critical point and is broken through by external forces, women begin to vent, destroying the beautiful or ugly things to satisfy themselves. " At the seaside not far from the two places, Adriaan sat at a small round table and explained the story of the script to the two women beside him.
No one disturbed them, although they were all surprised, envious, or praising him in their hearts. He really deserved to be called a playboy to be able to make Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci sit together next to him.
"I believe that the scene in the square will be very shocking, but why not design it to be a tragic ending?" Sophie asked while turning the cup in her hand, and at the same time, glanced at Monica. "Tragedies can give people a stronger emotional impact, and can also leave a deeper impression. Most of the famous plays and operas that have been passed down are tragedies."
"Eide naturally has his considerations, and he's always right." Monica smiled slightly. Deliberately pleasing him did not mean that she had to give in limitlessly.
Seeing this, Adriaan could not help but chuckle, "I don't like to tear beautiful things apart for the audience to see. That's too stupid. There are enough tragedies in this world, and I prefer to give them hope. Even if the hope is very small, it's better than telling the audience that 'it's useless, they will eventually die'."
After a moment of silence, Sophie took a sip of the drink in her cup, and then looked at Adriaan, "Speaking of your analysis, do you think so too, Eide?"
Adriaan raised his eyebrows in confusion, but immediately reacted. He shook his head with a smile, and then looked at Sophie without blinking. Monica also quickly understood, and then she lowered her head and snickered. Although Sophie was at a loss for a few seconds, she quickly reacted, and immediately lowered her head in embarrassment with a red face.
As a man, Adriaan was like this, then as a woman … Sophie, who was a little annoyed and ashamed, refused to raise her head for a long time. Fortunately, Adriaan changed the topic at this time, "By the way, I have an idea, Sophie, an interesting idea. If you are the director, and then you and Monica star in a movie together, what will happen?"
