Chapter 849

His face was pale, his body was thin, and his fingers were shriveled. The man was teetering in the ruins, walking through the sound of shells. He looked as if he would fall at any moment and never get up again. He had lost too much, his career, his family, everything. He had witnessed his parents and sisters being sent to the train of death. He had seen how the Nazis selected laborers from the laborers and shot them for fun. He had even almost died of an illness because he could not get treatment.

But he still worked hard to survive. He did not hesitate to find food in the ruins and drink water from the sewage. No matter how weak his body was, his eyes always revealed the desire to live.

So, when he met the German officer in the ruins, even though his heart was cold, he still sat in front of the piano according to the officer's instructions, stretched out his stiff fingers and played on the keys. He loved music so much that he played the virtual piano more than once when he was hiding. Even if he was going to die, dying in front of something he loved was also a kind of happiness.

So he was saved. The German officer, who was tired of the war and liked music, placed him in the attic of his office and sent him some food every day. Although it was just some bread and jam, the moment he swallowed it, the happiness that appeared on his face was indescribable.

However, ironically, the German officer who had told him that the war was about to end ended up dying in a Soviet concentration camp, and he could not even return the favor.

In any case, the war was over, and he finally returned to his former position. When the sound of the piano, which had been cut off because of the Polish invasion, rang out on the radio again, this story of life, music, and the suffering of the Jews finally came to a successful end.

The lights came on, and the theater was silent for a few seconds. Then, there was a loud round of applause. Adriaan got up with a smile, bowed to everyone, and pulled Brody, who had the same name as him, to his side to accept the applause of the audience.

Although the film had not been shot for a long time, and the cost was only about 30 million, a lot of work had been done. Not to mention shooting in Berlin and Poland, just hiding the news, not letting the media and the industry know the specific content and situation of the film, the effort and time spent was incalculable. But judging from the applause and the shock in people's eyes, whether it was sincere or not, it was all worth it.

Of course, his good luck also played a big role. The situation was under control from beginning to end. For example, the explosion scenes, the street gunfight, and the use of the prop tank were all very efficient. They not only got the desired effect, but also did not let the audience guess the theme of the film. And the leading actors performed very well, especially Brody. Especially Brody. Adrian asked him to lose 30 pounds and starve him in a dark room for a few days. He did as he was told without a word, and the result of the shoot was naturally very good.

As the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival, "The Pianist" was undoubtedly qualified, and it even exceeded the expectations of the organizers. The next day, all the major entertainment media, whether in Europe or the United States, focused on the Cannes Film Festival and described another new film by Miracle Director on the front page in a shocked tone.

"An amazing work. The first time the director has set foot on the subject of the Holocaust of World War." – Liberation

"Together, the two Adriaan created a shocking film." – Le Figaro

"In the film, Spielmann's performance in front of the German officers, from the initial jerkiness to the final passion, is undoubtedly the most classic scene in the whole film." – The Times

"The director once again made an unexpected move. When everyone guessed that he would direct a war film about World War II, the final result was a film about the Holocaust. After "Schindler's List," Hollywood once again focused on the subject, and the angle was even more special. "– Los Angeles Times

People were surprised, very surprised. As the Los Angeles Times said, according to the previous information, almost everyone thought that Adriaan was busy in Europe for two months to shoot a war film, probably about World War II. People were looking forward to it. Even if the crew never responded directly, they were still wishfully comparing it to Saving Private Ryan, which was really exciting.

Unexpectedly, after the final announcement at the Cannes Film Festival, although it was still a competition with Spielberg's work, it was a different subject, a more sensitive subject. Therefore, some people said on the Internet that Adriaan was competing with Spielberg for the number one director in Hollywood.

"I never thought about it that way. These guys are so boring." Adriaan, who was standing at the table in his shirt, looked at the news on the Internet through his laptop and sneered.

"Yeah, your goal is much bigger than this." Ivanka lifted the quilt and put on her clothes. She got out of bed and said in a mocking tone.

"So you have to keep an eye on me." Adriaan smiled and put his arm around her waist, bowed his head, and kissed her soft and plump lips.

"I want to remind you, Eide, after I gave you a kiss last night, I just wiped it with a tissue," Ivanka said calmly.

Adrian immediately showed a choking expression. After knowing that the other party was walking away with a smile, he angrily slapped her on her perky buttocks. As expected of Charlie's tutelage.

His goal was much bigger. The number one director in Hollywood? Don't be kidding, what's there to fight for? Let Spielberg take this title, just like let Bill Gates take the title of the world's richest man. Some people with keen senses should have already realized his goal by now, just like Ivanka, who took care of his business every day. Those involved must be extremely depressed, and the choice would not be so easy to make.

However, to get what he wanted, just relying on "The Pianist" was not enough. Therefore, Adriaan had other plans. This was one of the important reasons he participated in the Cannes Film Festival with "The Pianist."

"Oh yeah, Yini, I need you to help me keep an eye on a few people." Adriaan thought of something and went into the bathroom. He opened the curtain and said to Ivanka, who was taking a shower.

"Can't you wait for me to finish?" Ivanka, who was wiping her face, rolled her eyes at him.

"Actually, I hope you can stay for one more day so we can discuss in more detail," Adriaan said with a smile.

"I don't have a problem with that, but I don't know about the others." Ivanka narrowed her eyes and snorted. "The way they looked at you last night left a deep impression. I think it's a miracle they didn't pounce on you."

"You don't have to be so dramatic, do you?" Adriaan raised an eyebrow.

"Sometimes I really want to arrange a full schedule for you and let them take turns to squeeze every last bit of energy out of you." Ivanka said grumpily, "But now, please let me take a shower alone. Thank you."

As she spoke, she raised her leg to kick him. Adrian laughed and dodged. Even though the view between his legs was very tempting, he still quickly left.

As his secretary, Ivanka had to take care of a lot of things for him. His base in Europe was still in the UK, so he had to run around. Therefore, he did not count her among the women in Cannes. Because of this, when she came over after the premiere of "The Pianist" yesterday, Adriaan had not decided who to spend the night with, so he chose to reward his secretary. Naturally, the other women were not too happy.

But there was a lot of time. After "The Pianist" was released, there were all kinds of good reviews. Although it had not been a long time since the shooting, Adriaan had definitely spent a lot of time and energy on this movie. Basically, the quality was guaranteed. In addition, the political correctness of the Holocaust in Europe was not much worse than in the United States. This year was the 60th anniversary of the victory of World War II. One could imagine what kind of attitude European filmmakers would have towards "The Pianist," so there were a lot of social activities.

"The scene where Spielmann plays Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor in front of the German officers is indeed the most classic scene in the whole movie. It is very close to the theme of the movie, just like the scene where Marlena is beaten in 'La Belle de Sicily'. It is very attractive. You did a really good job, Eide," Giuseppe Tornadore said in a praising tone.

There was also a large circle of people around, all famous people, such as Luc Besson and Henri Puenley, the latter was a senior executive of Gaumont.

"Thank you, Giuseppe. Thank you for your praise. I did put a lot of effort into this movie." Adriaan smiled and said in a humble tone, "When I invested in Steven's' Schindler's List, 'I had the idea of making a similar movie. Of course, as you know, I was still very young at that time, and my understanding of movies was not at the level it is now, so I could only suppress it. "

At this point, he paused for a moment before continuing. "A few years later, a novel published by one of our publishing companies caught my attention. A biography about a pianist during World War II could actually make it onto the New York Times bestseller list. Although it was surprising, there had to be something good about it. After flipping through it, I knew it was what I was looking for. I immediately contacted Mr. Spielman and obtained the rights to edit it. I have to say, thanks to my good luck, and thanks to the fact that the book was published by my company. Not long after I got the rights, Roman Polanski also contacted Spielmann to get the rights to adapt the book. "

There was a burst of laughter around.

"He even got someone to contact me. If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't come to the United States, he would have definitely visited me personally." As Adriaan continued, there were a few more low laughs, but it was more discreet. Everyone present knew the reason why Polanski did not dare to go to the United States.

"Polanski was very sincere, very sincere. There was a period of time when I wanted to give this autobiography to him. After all, he was the person involved and had a deeper understanding of the story. But in the end, I decided to do it myself. It's true that I haven't experienced these things, but this is both a disadvantage and an advantage. It allows me to better interpret the story from a different perspective. So I did a lot of preparation and read a lot of information. I originally wanted to start filming in 2002, but I felt that it wasn't enough, so I delayed it. Fortunately, it looks like I did a good job today. The only regret is that Mr. Spielmann has passed away, so he can't see this movie. "Adriaan said and sighed.

"Yes, it's a pity." Besson added, "But I believe that he will be satisfied with this movie that is full of hope."

"Yes, I believe that too." Adriaan immediately said, "I like hope. I love hope. I hope that all movies are full of hope."

The others chimed in, until a female voice rang out, "I think I heard hope? Hope that I didn't miss anything? "

Then, Nicole, who was wearing a sapphire blue dress with some embellishments, and her blonde hair slanted to one side, and Naomi, who was wearing a beige dress and had blonde hair, appeared in front of everyone with smiles on their faces.

"I don't think so. We were just talking about the connection between movies and hope." Adriaan looked at them and smiled. Although the others also smiled back, they all had ambiguous looks on their faces.

Although he had almost never taken any photos of them dating, the title of "Miracle Girl" was enough for these people to understand his relationship with them, especially the European directors and producers.

"Wow, that's a good topic, isn't it, Nami?" Although Nicole asked her friends around her, her eyes were on Adriaan. Naomi would still greet the others, but she basically didn't move.

"Well … yes, for example, the movie you are showing now, there is also hope in the theme," Naomi said after thinking for a while.

"That's true. My character is a transsexual, a man who has become a woman. She must want to be recognized by others, especially her son." Nicole raised an eyebrow.

"That's not easy, whether it's the plot or the character." Faced with her layers of pressure, Adriaan still smiled very appropriately.

Nicole also had a film to participate in this year's Cannes Film Festival, "Crossing America." It was a road comedy with a "transsexual" theme. The transsexual Brie lived incognito on the fringes of society in Los Angeles, and then, due to various reasons, developed a complicated story with her son, Toby.

This was also prepared by Adriaan for her. Of course, neither of them would admit it. On the surface, it was just an independent film … well, in fact, it was an independent film funded and produced by Focus Pictures, a subsidiary of Universal, and it invited Oscar -winning actress Nicole Kidman to star in.

The film was completed last year, but it didn't make it to the Venice Film Festival. It originally wanted to participate in this year's Berlin Film Festival, but Adriaan suggested taking it to Cannes. It was released two days ago, and the response was not bad. A transsexual was a gimmick, and it was the lead actress of the famous Nicole.

After a few words, the people around, whether it was Beson or Tonaredo, all found excuses to leave. This group of people could see that Nicole was looking for Adriaan. Since that was the case, why should they be there to interfere? As for Naomi … that was the playboy's business, and it had nothing to do with them.

Soon, everyone else left, and the conversation between the man and the two women became heated. It seemed to be very harmonious — if one didn't hear the content of the conversation.

"1500 dollars, no less. There are only so many high-class prostitutes in Washington D.C. who serve the senators. There could have been a discount a few days ago, but unfortunately, you didn't take advantage of it." These words came out of Nicole's mouth, and it made Adriaan want to helplessly spread his hands, while Naomi shook her head and smiled bitterly.

She was used to the two of them talking about prostitution. Occasionally, she would be teased by Nicole that she might as well give it a try. Once, she even accepted Adriaan's "payment" of 100 dollars, but she still couldn't accept discussing it in public. However, she had to keep her ears open and eyes open to observe the surroundings, lest others hear these words.

"Okay, okay, then it's decided. I'm used to it anyway." Adriaan "habitually" compromised.

"Very well, then I won't take a deposit this time." Nicole said happily, "So, when someone comes looking for you, you should know what to do."

There was no need to say who she was referring to.

"No problem, I promise." Adriaan said with a smile, looking a little glib.

Nicole snorted lightly, and immediately said, "You should apply for a VIP card as soon as possible, so that you can get a better discount."

Adriaan raised his eyebrows and was about to answer, but Naomi's voice came from the side, "Nicole, that annoying guy is here again."

Then, a man with a beard and short hair, who seemed to be a little arrogant, walked over.

"So you're here. I've been looking for you for a long time. I want to talk to you about my new script. You will like it, and so will everyone. I promise." The man said loudly, staring at Nicole, not looking at Adriaan at all, as if he didn't exist.

Nicole's face became a little ugly, and she immediately said a little impolitely, "Let's talk about it later, Mr. Tyre. I have something else to do now."

"Why?" The man asked curiously, "We had a good chat before, didn't we?"

Not only did Nicole frown, but Naomi also showed a look of impatience. Obviously, she had been pestered by the man before.

Adriaan saw this and chuckled. He had already recognized the man, Lars von Tyre. He had seen him at the Cannes Film Festival before, and he claimed that he was the best director in the world. There was no doubt that he was a self-righteous guy, and this kind of person was really annoying sometimes.

"Nicole does have something important to do, such as a date," Adriaan said after coughing lightly.

"You are …" Tyre looked at him with an inexplicable expression.

Before he could remember, Adriaan had already held his arm, and Nicole put on a smile and walked out with him, ignoring Tyre. Naomi sighed and slipped to the other side. She couldn't be behind him at this time.

"A guy who only knows how to make boring Jewish stories." Just after Adriaan took a few steps, such a murmur floated into his ears, and he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.