Chapter 855

Once the matter was decided, Adriaan would go all out. The salon was also a good place to stir up trouble. Although there were not many people present, there were a lot of celebrities, and some of them were reporters. Indoors, his voice could be louder, more infectious and persuasive.

Therefore, he pretended to be absent-minded at the beginning. It just so happened that Lars von Trier was there, so he used his words to guide things in the direction he wanted, and casually made the other party bear the notoriety of stirring up trouble. This conceited and arrogant guy from Denmark had never been a threat. Adriaan had confirmed this when he met him the last time he brought "Mulholland Pass" to the Cannes Film Festival. To put it bluntly, this guy was just a packaging for the needs of European filmmakers, so he had no self-awareness at all.

One had to know that Adriaan's question of "sympathizing with the Nazis" was just a casual question from memory. He did not expect the guy to actually nod and agree. It could be seen that he was a self-centered person who never considered others, so his speech was not wrong at all. Since he wanted to be his stepping stone, of course, he should be satisfied.

The speech seemed a little too much, and in the end, he was ashamed to be associated with the group. However, Adriaan did not take it to heart. On the one hand, the bigger the better. If he did not make a big deal out of it, how would Hollywood know that he was on their side? If he did not make a big deal out of it, how could he become the spokesperson and then be crowned king? Besides, this speech had also been carefully planned. If one wanted to win the debate, one should not think about refuting the other party. There was no perfect theory in the world. As long as there was enough time, one could always find a loophole and attack it. Therefore, the purpose of the debate was only to win over neutral onlookers.

Therefore, after establishing the basic logic, such as the history and glory of Europe, which formed the habit of European films to be arrogant and talk to themselves, it was very important to infect the onlookers, resonate with them, and gain their approval. Simply put, it was to stir up emotions.

Therefore, Adriaan repeatedly said that he hoped that someone could compete with Hollywood. Although he did not say it explicitly, everyone knew that even if there were strong competitors, under his leadership, Hollywood was still strong and unsurpassable. The achievements of the past ten years had clearly proved this.

In short, he put himself in a seemingly fair position, then accused the European filmmakers of being selfish, cowardly, ignoring the overall situation, not daring to face the development of technology, and immersing themselves in the past and giving up the future. Even if they knew that he was being biased, it would be difficult to refute in that situation, let alone later.

Moreover, Adrian had also deliberately divided them. Apart from Tyr, he mainly targeted Bertolucci. Who asked this old man to be present that night? He also praised some French filmmakers and specifically called out Luc Besson. As long as people accepted the deliberately created fairness, it would be very easy to accept his out.

Of course, one of the reasons was that he had the support of AC Media. Even if his influence in Europe was relatively weak, Adriaan's voice could still spread quickly and unhindered. Therefore, the European film industry reacted slowly, while the American film industry supported him. Why did such a monster appear in Hollywood?

However, after Adriaan's speech at the airport, the European film industry finally reacted. They either reached an agreement, or they just did not want to let Adriaan continue to provoke them. They began to harden their criticism. For example, the Miracle Director fully showed his rude side, or said that he was ashamed to participate in the Cannes Film Festival, and that it was very rude to return before the end of the festival. Some British media also joined in.

Other than that, Godard also stood up and said a few words like "he's too young" and "he's hanging out with the Jews". Then, the media made a big deal out of it. In short, from head to toe, there was nothing about Adriaan that could not be criticized. It was as if they had not praised him before.

Unfortunately, it was too late. If Adriaan's remarks had just been published in the media, they might have attracted a lot of people. But now, even many Europeans who did not like the Miracle Director's words felt that their criticism was weak and a little unreasonable. The Americans, who had been on Adriaan's side from the beginning, naturally laughed at them.

Then, the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival gave them a hard slap in the face. Before that, they had expelled Lars von Trier. There was nothing much to say. The Holocaust was politically correct in Europe. This year was the 60th anniversary of the victory of World War II. He had actually said that he sympathized with the Nazis in front of a director who had made a film based on the Holocaust. If Cannes had let things go, its reputation would have definitely plummeted.

The European filmmakers could not do anything about it. Even Godard, who had clearly expressed his hatred for Jews, did not say anything. In addition, AC Media, who had been prepared for this, quickly made the matter known to everyone. So, Trier was completely finished. It was impossible to be proud of being expelled like in another time and space. Stepping stones should generally be kicked far away after being used.

But then, four days after Adriaan left Cannes, at the award ceremony, the jury gave the Palme d 'Or to "The Pianist" in his absence!

This was really ruthless. Here, the European filmmakers were still criticizing Adriaan, and over there, one of the three major film festivals, Cannes, awarded the Palme d 'Or to his work. Even though the judges had stated that they did not agree with every word that Director Miracle had said, they would not vent their anger on "The Pianist" because it was a great film and so on. Moreover, they were right, "The Pianist" was indeed a top-notch film and the award was not a big deal. The work and the author should be separated.

But many people still felt their faces burning. Some film critics even complained in private. If they really had to give an award, they could have just given it to "Best Director" or the Jury Award. Why did they have to give it to the Palme d 'Or?

"It's very simple. They have also started to commercialize." Adriaan was very clear about this.

After entering the new century, the Cannes Film Festival was under more and more pressure. In addition, Hollywood was constantly eroding the European film market, and local films were not improving. They even came up with the Dogma 95 manifesto. From this point of view, Adriaan's criticism was not wrong at all. If they did not find a way to innovate and change, it was only a matter of time before they were eliminated.

Anyway, there was the Berlin Film Festival for political indicators, and there was the Venice Film Festival for small-budget independent films. Cannes was more commercialized, and it was just right for it to maintain its leading position in Europe. Therefore, it was not a big deal to build a good relationship with AC Media. Moreover, Adriaan's words revealed his affection for French films. That was how he became one of the few directors to win the Palme d 'Or twice.

To be honest, Adriaan was also very surprised. At first, he had only expected to win the Palme d 'Or the Jury Award. After all, the Palme d' Or represented the highest honor in Cannes. There were very few people who could win it twice. Moreover, he had criticized European films at Cannes and publicly declared that European films were dead.

Who knew that in the end, he would win the Palme d 'Or. Were Gallic chickens really like gray animals? The more they were whipped, the happier they were.

"Anyway, this is a great honor. Winning the Palme d 'Or twice … Some people must feel bad about it. This brings you closer to your goal, doesn't it?" Claude teased with a smile.

"Indeed." Adriaan shrugged. "But I won't change my schedule. The French's flirtatious eyes are not very useful."

"So, I have to clean up your mess again?" Claude raised his eyebrows.

"I believe there won't be anyone that stupid." Adriaan waved his hand, but after a pause, he added, "Of course, it's hard to say if there are any hot-headed guys."

No one was invulnerable. Even if Adriaan's achievements could make European filmmakers speechless, the "Matrix" trilogy, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, any one of them was enough to benefit a director for a lifetime. But there was also an area of attack, and that was his private life. Not to mention other things, just the fact that he and Nicole returned to the hotel in Cannes had caused an uproar. If it weren't for that, he might not have made up his mind to carry out his plan at the Salon.

So when the Europeans had nothing to say, it was hard to say whether they would find a way to reverse the situation in this regard. Of course, Adriaan had revealed through various channels a long time ago that it was fine if you wanted to write some reports that crossed the line. That was the rule of the game, but if you went too far and affected his goal, or if it involved your child, then don't worry about it.

For so many years, entertainment reporters had basically tacitly agreed to this line, including a large number of paparazzi from The Sun. But this time, he had made such a big fuss that he had offended most of the European filmmakers. Maybe some unintentional or indulgent guy would come out and make a fuss, so Claude's reminder was necessary.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Krau. I'm going to make the final blow now," Adriaan said, then got up and left the office with Ivanka.

Even at this point, the confrontation between the two sides of the Atlantic had been successfully created, but the whole thing was still not over. There was still a small tail. Even if Cannes gave him the Palme d 'Or, it could not stop him. The long-term plan was about to be realized, and Adriaan would not let anyone stand in his way. That was why Claude gave him such a half-warning, half-joke.

So what was it?

"Welcome to the latest episode of Ellen's Show. I'm Ellen DeGeneres, and today we have an important guest. As for how important, you will find out from the recent newspapers." Ellen DeGeneres said the opening remarks in front of the camera. "Welcome to our miracle director, Adrian Kewell!"

Amidst the music, Adriaan, who was dressed casually, walked up from backstage.

"Hi, Ellen, nice to see you." He greeted DeGeneres cheerfully.

"Me too, Eide. I'm glad you came to my show." DeGeneres smiled and made a gesture of invitation.

"Now you won't nag me that I've never been on your show, right?" Adriaan joked after sitting down.

"Oh, of course not. I'll only nag you to give me a better contract," DeGeneres joked.

"Damn it, why are you always like this? On Jon's show, you talk about this, and on your show, you talk about this," Adriaan complained, which immediately caused a burst of laughter.

"Well, then let's change the topic. Recently, you've really attracted a lot of attention. At first, everyone was surprised that you made a movie about the Holocaust in World War II. Then, you and Nicole Kidman went in and out of a hotel. Then, Europeans suddenly changed their love for you to hate you. It happened so fast that it was unbelievable." DeGeneres went straight to the point. "What made you say that? Was it an impulse? "

"I was a little impulsive at the time. I didn't want to talk too much at first. I didn't agree with what they said, but I couldn't argue with them, so I was a little absent-minded. But later, I thought that it was necessary to express my attitude clearly, so I simply said all the words that I had accumulated. I don't think there's anything wrong with what I said. I may have seemed a little emotional at the scene, but everything I said was the conclusion of my observation over the years. "Adriaan said as he made hand gestures to strengthen his tone.

"But the European directors didn't think so. They thought that as a famous film artist …" DeGeneres was interrupted by Adriaan before he could finish.

"No, no, no, Ellen, you're wrong. Art has nothing to do with me at all." He smiled and said seriously, "The famous science fiction writer Robert Heinlein once said that he wrote novels just to make some money and drink a little. I'm the same. I'm just telling stories, stories that can make people love, hate, be touched, be sad, or be happy, and make some money along the way. "

"Ha, this is the first time I've heard of this," Ellen said with an exaggerated expression. Alan put on an exaggerated expression. "But you have indeed produced and directed many films of great artistic value, haven't you?"

"That's none of my business. Those pearls were right there. I just walked over and picked them up to show them to you." Adriaan shrugged indifferently. "As for how they interpret it, that's up to the audience."

"Why do you want to separate art and film so strongly?" Degeneres asked, getting to the crux of the matter.

"No, no, no, I didn't want to separate them." Adriaan shook his head and said, "I just think that people nowadays seem to think that the word art … is too cheap."

"Too … cheap?" DeGeneres blinked, and the audience gasped in confusion.

"Can you tell me what art should be like in your eyes?" She then asked.

"Of course, but we have to put it at the end. We need to take a big detour." Adriaan laughed. "All forms of art today, architecture, painting, novels, dramas, singing and dancing, and even movies, when they were first born, were never art, but entertainment! Only when these things meet people's most basic needs for entertainment can they be sublimated into art. It's not like you can make a few shapes with wire, throw them in a corner, and wait for them to be covered in dust, and they will become art! "

"Look at the European movies now. What else do they have? As I said in Cannes, other than women's nudity, fragmented clips, and the director's self-talk, what else is there? They don't even have the most basic function. I'm very curious what gives them the right to wear the crown of art on their heads. "

"Are you against women showing their bodies in movies?" DeGeneres suddenly asked with a curious look. "There are basically no such scenes in the movies you produced, except for See, See, Ring."

"Whether they need to show their bodies or not is up to the director and the actors. It's also their freedom. The key is what kind of effect they want. Is it to really show the beauty of the women's bodies, or is it just to tease the audience's emotions?" Adriaan spread his hands and said honestly.

"Oh?" DeGeneres raised her eyebrows, and there was a sound of surprise from the audience.

"There are many photos in this world that show the beauty of the women's bodies, especially black and white photos. The beauty that they convey is indeed very moving, but the key is that they are static, peaceful, and allow people to fully observe the details." Adriaan continued, "And in the movies, the images are always moving, so no matter how they are shot, there will be a sense of teasing, and you can't watch it repeatedly. So, when these scenes appear on the big screen, will people's attention be on the beauty of the women's bodies? Or will it be on that pair … Hmm? "

He didn't say the word out loud, but everyone knew what it was. Degeneres immediately burst into laughter, and the audience followed suit, laughing ambiguously or awkwardly.

"Your description is really …" DeGeneres, who had always been known for his spicy topics, could not help but stick out his tongue. This talk show was a live broadcast, and if this topic was brought up, there would basically be no possibility of reconciliation with the group of people in Europe for a long time.

"It's very difficult to show this in front of the camera." Adriaan continued calmly, "I really want to do this, but I can't find the right opportunity. As for See, See, See, See, that is not my work. So, I'd rather deal with it in a more vague way, and deal with it in a more subtle way, than to show it rashly. Because art is not allowed to be profaned! "

"Does this count as artistic fundamentalism?" DeGeneres asked jokingly.

"Of course not!" Adriaan shrugged. "I just want to emphasize the nobility and preciousness of art, just like I want to emphasize that I am just telling a story."