Chapter 769

In the middle of the amphitheater, a wonderful play was being performed. All around, the audience dressed in colorful clothes, whether it was the poor people at the bottom or the nobles sitting upstairs, all stretched their necks and widened their eyes to watch the actors' performance on the stage, for fear of missing a single detail. This was not only because the plot was very exciting, but also because this was the first time a woman was playing a role on the stage!

"In this state of madness, will I not pick up an ancestor's bone and use it as a stick to break my dizzy head? Ah, look! Isn't that Tybalt's ghost, chasing Romeo to avenge his sword? Wait, Tybalt, wait a moment! Romeo, I'm coming! I'll drink this cup for you! " Half lying on the sarcophagus, the maiden raised her hands and recited in a mournful and passionate tone. Then, she suddenly raised her head and brought the prop bottle in her hand to her mouth, before softly collapsing on top of the sarcophagus.

"Eyes, look at your last glance! Arms, for your last embrace! Lips, ah! Doors of your breath, with a legal kiss, make an eternal contract with death that ensnares all! Come, bitter guide, desperate pilot, make haste now to dash your weary vessel against that rock! For my love, I'll drink this cup! Ah! The medicine seller really didn't lie to me, the medicine quickly took effect. Thus, I die in this kiss. " After that, the man who appeared on the stage saw the maiden's' corpse ', he was heartbroken. After reciting in a sorrowful and desperate tone, he also took out a cup and raised it to his mouth, then immediately poured it down beside the maiden.

The atmosphere in the theater immediately heated up, the plot had already developed to its climax. Everyone knew that the maiden was actually faking her death, while the man was really dead. Then, what would the maiden do after waking up? Yes, the stage was playing one of Shakespeare's greatest works: 'Romeo and Juliet'.

The same was true for the audience off the screen, but their attention was not on the play, it was on the two actors playing the male and female lead, Shakespeare and his lover, Miss Viola. Everyone wanted to know, in the end, whether Viola would be able to get rid of the engagement and be with Shakespeare.

The result, however, was as expected by the spectators as it was by no means expected by the public. Although the officers had brought soldiers to close the theatre on the pretext of conniving at the performance of women, the sudden appearance of Elizabeth I changed the situation. The Queen praised the play, and pardoned Viola and the theatre. However, Shakespeare did not get his lover, the Queen still sentenced Viola to Sir Wether on the grounds that "she could not break up a marriage". Shakespeare could only accept this situation, and in his endless yearning, he wrote the script of 'Twelfth Night' under his lover's name.

"A wonderful film. If 'Elizabeth' from a week ago fully demonstrated Adriaan's understanding of British history, then 'Shakespeare's Love History', which has just been released, shows us his understanding of Shakespeare's works." The famous film critic Schumann Wilson wrote in his column the next day, "The whole film reveals an atmosphere that only Shakespeare has. Those exquisite poetic lines, those small details that can make people smile in Shakespeare's other works, including the names of the female lead and the feelings of the male and female leads, life and death. Adriaan perfectly blends these into the film, turning it into Shakespeare's own story, smooth and smooth without the slightest jerkiness, bringing this joking film to a whole new level."

"Gwyneth Paltrow has given her most wonderful performance so far. The whole film is a Shakespearean play, with unexpected plots and distinctive characters. And she is the female lead who walked out of Shakespeare's play, simple, sensitive, elegant and moving! Denis Knight's acting is also amazing. Based on his performance in the film, no one would think that he is an American actor, and that he has not read and performed many of Shakespeare's works. "The New York Times commented on the acting of the two male and female leads.

"There is no doubt that Geoffrey Rush's acting is the most outstanding in the whole film. When you see the funny theater owner, you will never think of him as the sinister Sir Walsingham in 'Elizabeth' from last week. Judi Dench's portrayal of Elizabeth I is also outstanding. Even though it only lasts for a total of eight minutes, which is very different from the image of Kate Blanchett, it fully demonstrates the elegance of a queen. I believe that if Shakespeare wrote a play related to Elizabeth I, this would be her image. "This was the comment of USA Today.

Almost as Adriaan expected, most of the media gave good reviews, including IMDB, which received a sum of money this year and was preparing to expand, as well as the movie website that planned to change its name to Rotten Tomatoes. Although there were some people, such as the British media, who said that Denis's acting was just passable, and that the image of Shakespeare was the worst in history, it did not cause much of a stir.

Their feelings were understandable. For a movie with a strong sense of humour, yet ingenious and interesting British-style, it was too shameful for the director and the two leading actors to be Americans. After all, the female lead of "Elizabeth" was an Australian who was a member of the British Commonwealth. However, Director Miracle and the others did not dare to criticize him. Adriaan had used countless facts to prove his mastery of the British style of film, and Gwyneth was represented by 'Emma'. Most of the British media thought that she acted well, so after thinking about it, they could only use Denis as an example.

Although Denis had also acted in British roles, it was too few. He had never acted in a classic style work, and had no understanding of Shakespeare. Compared to the other two, it was easier for him to break through. However, this did not make much of an impact. After all, the quality of the film had been recognized, and Denis's acting might not be as good as the original in some aspects, but he still received very good reviews.

What's more, many media outlets had written about how much preparation work he had done after receiving the role, how he had read a lot of Shakespeare's works, and how he had immersed himself in the role, etc. This added a layer of perseverance and indomitable aura to him. As a result, the British media's nitpicking became even more petty.

"They have now changed their approach and started to praise Jeffrey, but it's still useless," Adriaan said as he took a charcoal pencil and scribbled on the paper on the easel.

"Because everyone already knows what they're thinking, right?" Gwyneth, who was sitting on the sofa, asked with a smile. She was basically naked, only pulling a white blanket to cover her lower abdomen, and her perky breasts could be seen clearly. What was more exaggerated was that her legs were widely spread, one on the floor, and the other on the sofa. The light-colored hair and the shape of her steamed bun were clearly visible.

"That's right, dear." Adriaan laughed, then raised his head and looked at her with an appreciative gaze. One must know that it took a lot of effort to make her pose for him to draw. Of course, he had to draw for a long time.

"Eide, can you not be so unscrupulous, okay?" Gwyneth blushed slightly.

"I have to draw it perfectly, so it's necessary to observe carefully." Adriaan chuckled.

"It's not like you haven't seen it before." Gwyneth could not help but roll her eyes, then looked at Blanchett, who was drinking tea at the side, "Did you do the same just now?"

"Of course." Blanchett, who was also naked and wrapped in a white blanket, shrugged, "Do you think he will let me go?"

Gwyneth sighed, then became proud again, "You know, Kate, the media is now saying that I act better than you."

Blanchett snorted softly and did not speak. Then she looked at Adriaan, and a trace of dissatisfaction appeared in her grayish-blue eyes. Adriaan shrugged, smiled and lowered his head to continue drawing. Gwyneth was right. During this time, the media had been praising her as better than Blanchett's Elizabeth I, but this was just a by-product of the previous flattery.

Before "Shakespeare in Love" was released, Adriaan specially arranged several people to flatter Gwyneth in the media. In his eyes, Blanchett's acting skills were indeed better than Gwyneth's, so Blanchett could go with the flow, but Gwyneth had to make some arrangements just in case. This was not a big deal. Every big star would have someone working in the media that they were on good terms with or hired, so that they could wave flags and shout for them.

The so-called freedom of the press should not be taken too seriously. Even media groups would have their own bias, let alone these stars. So it was very normal to arrange people to flatter themselves or attack their opponents. After the movie was released, Gwyneth had received a lot of praise. Coupled with the deliberately arranged people to guide her, and Adriaan did not give specific instructions, a large number of people said that Blanchett was better than Blanchett.

Blanchett and Gwyneth both knew that there was something fishy about it. Blanchett should be proud, because the evaluation of her ability was more important. But now it was the other way around, and Blanchett was a little dissatisfied. Women were so strange.

"Speaking of which, I am the most pitiful one. There were several scenes, but no one paid attention to me. Even if they didn't see the scenes, they should have seen the subtitles, right?" Adriaan sighed at this time.

Gwyneth and Blanchett burst into laughter. As early as when he was shooting "The True Story of Argan", Adriaan had a cameo role in the movie. When he was shooting "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" at the same time, he had the same idea again, so he immediately found two small roles for himself: an audience member in the front row of the theater in "Shakespeare in Love" and one of the many aristocrats in "Elizabeth".

However, no one paid attention to his cameo role at all, although the camera swept past him several times, which made him a little depressed. He did not know whether it was because of his successful makeup or other reasons.

"Alright, ladies, that's enough laughing." Seeing that Gwyneth and Blanchett were still laughing, Adriaan could not help but call them, but this only made the two women laugh even harder.

Well, then don't blame me for being rude. Adriaan spread out his hands, put down the charcoal pen, and took out something from the toolbox next to him. He aimed it at Gwyneth, who was sitting on the sofa with her legs spread apart, and then there was a click. Gwyneth was stunned for a moment, and then immediately reacted. She immediately screamed and jumped up, trying to snatch the thing from his hand.

Adriaan laughed, raised the digital camera over his head, and then adjusted the picture. "Wow, wow, look, Gwyneth, you are so beautiful like this."

"Give it back to me, Eide! Damn it, how can you do this! " Gwyneth's face was red, and she did not care that the blanket had fallen to the ground. She was already naked, and kept jumping up and down, trying to snatch it back.

"Help me, Kate, don't just stand there!" She then turned her head and shouted discontentedly, "This time it's me, next time it's your turn!"

Unexpectedly, Blanchett shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "I've already taken a picture."

"You've already taken a picture?" Gwyneth's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, Kate has already taken a picture. It's right here." Adriaan laughed and pulled out Blanchett's picture from the camera.

Although it was a little far from the small screen, Gwyneth could still see Blanchett's appearance. The picture was taken from behind, and she even used her fingers to separate them, which was much more lascivious than she was just now.

"This … this …" Gwyneth stammered and could not speak. She looked at Adriaan and then at Blanchett. She was too bold, wasn't she? But recalling all the things that Blanchett had done, it was not surprising that she would do such a large-scale thing.

"Don't worry, dear. I just want to take all the beautiful pictures of you. I'll leave the camera here, just like the videotapes that I secretly took in London last year." Adriaan held Gwyneth in his arms and said with a smile, while kneading her bare buttocks.

Gwyneth stared at him for a long time without saying anything, and then Adriaan's smile became wider. "By the way, I haven't taken such a picture of the two of you together."

"Don't even think about it … Ah!" Gwyneth screamed halfway through her words. Blanchett threw away the blanket wrapped around her body and hugged her from behind.

"Wait! You … can't do this! " Gwyneth still wanted to protest, but it was useless. Soon, the shutter sounded again.

Adriaan was very satisfied with the current situation of the two movies, and the premiere was also very successful. The only regret was that there were too many people watching the movie. He, Gwyneth, and Blanchett sat in the middle, surrounded by people, so it was not easy to reproduce the scene of him teasing Naomi and Nicole at the same time at the premiere of Mulholland Pass.

Both movies were released on Friday. The opening box office of Elizabeth was about 5.5 million, and Shakespeare in Love was slightly lower at more than 5 million. It seemed that it was far from Adriaan's previous record, but in fact, it was not so, because both movies were screened in about 300 theaters.

This was very normal. The better the commercial prospects of a movie, the more theaters it could get, especially the popular schedule of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. Whether it was "Elizabeth" or "Shakespeare in Love History", the artistic atmosphere was much more than the commercial value. If it wasn't for the fact that the producer was a miracle director, 300 cinemas might not have been able to get their hands on them.

It was already very good to get a box office of 5 million in three days with 300 theaters, so it was only a matter of time before they increased the number of theaters. Although Elizabeth had an advantage at the moment, it was expected that the box office of Shakespeare in Love would be higher in the end. It was also a British movie, and both were about British celebrities, but Shakespeare in Love had a greater advantage. The main character was Shakespeare!

Shakespeare was quite famous in the United States, far more famous than Elizabeth I. There was a joke about Americans: In the eyes of most Americans, Shakespeare was the most famous writer in the United States. They might not know which country Shakespeare was from, or which era Shakespeare was from, but they would never not know who Shakespeare was.

Choosing to tell the story of such a well-known person would naturally attract more people to watch.

Well, let's not talk about this. Although the two long-awaited movies were released successfully last year, it did not mean that Adriaan could relax, although he had time to discuss cinematography with Gwyneth and Blanchett. It was the end of the year, the popular schedule for movies. There were many movies released every week, so he received many invitations to attend the premiere every week.

"This is what you need to think about, and this is what you must attend." Charlize placed the two invitations in front of him.

"Aren't you going to give me some advice?" Adriaan asked. Unfortunately, when he looked up, Charlize's pear-shaped figure had just disappeared at the door.

So stingy? He could not help but raise his eyebrows, but when he picked up the invitation, he immediately understood. Although the first invitation was within the scope of consideration, it was better to attend when he had time. This was Tom Hanks's "Desert Island", which was jointly invested by DreamWorks and Bosworth.

The script of the movie was first obtained by DreamWorks. Spielberg really wanted Adriaan to direct, and Hanks was very supportive. Unfortunately, he had his own plans, so in the end, he declined. Although the movie was only completed in August this year, and although the movie was released two years ahead of schedule because of the butterfly effect, with Hanks as the lead and Spielberg as the producer, it was believed that the movie would be as good as the original.

As for the other premiere that he had to attend, it was a movie that had been delayed for a year because of him. It was the movie that had been written early in order to win more Oscars for "Titanic", but it had never been filmed. Because of this, two young people had been ruined: "Good Will Hunting", which now starred William Robbins, Jay Finicum, and Natalie.