King of Hollywood-Chapter 246 - 244 An Uncommon Test Screening
Chapter 246: Chapter 244: An Uncommon Test Screening
Chapter 246 -244: An Uncommon Test Screening
A dim light flickered in the pitch-black theater, and if one observed closely, they could see the dust floating in the air, but at this moment, no one paid attention to these things; their focus was entirely on the screen. Moreover, everyone held their breath, and if it were not for the sorrowful sound of a violin constantly echoing in the room, this place would probably be quieter than a graveyard.
Finally, the black-and-white image turned to color, and as the last small stone was placed upon a tombstone, the screen finally darkened, and then the credits slowly rose. The screening room remained silent until the complete end of the credits, and it was still a long time before there was any sound as Spielberg, sitting next to Adrian, couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the armrest.
The next second, a sound of clapping began, which then spread like wildfire, and the entire screening room was filled with nothing but enthusiastic applause. It was unclear who stood up first, but then others also stood up, continuously clapping in Spielberg’s direction, which made him so excited that he nearly sat down again as he got up, but luckily Adrian steadied him in time.
The applause continued for more than ten minutes, and then the audience members came over to shake hands or embrace Spielberg one by one.
“A marvelous film, this is the best movie I’ve seen about that painful history.”
“Congratulations, Steven, my eyes were moistened by a movie for the first time.”
“I never thought a black-and-white film could have such charm, Steven, you’re a genius!”
More and more people gathered around him, crowding around him like stars around the moon. Spielberg, after his initial excitement, had regained his composure, smiling and engaging in conversation with them, with a very modest and elegant demeanor.
Not everyone ignored Adrian; these fellows, all above the age of 60, were all cunning with age.
“Congratulations, Adrian, this is an outstanding film, one that cannot be sufficiently praised with words,” said an old man in a suit who bypassed Spielberg and came straight to Adrian with an outstretched hand.
“Thank you, Mr. Duvall, but the real hero is over there.” Adrian said, shaking his hand and smiling, pointing to the director in the crowd. “I merely provided the funding; without him, this movie wouldn’t exist.”
“Yes, I know Steven has been preparing for this movie for ten years, which is truly admirable, and the quality of the movie has not wasted his wait,” Duvall said with a smile. “But without you, the movie would probably lose half its charm.”
“That’s right,” another old man said with a smile as he walked over, “the three most outstanding actors were recommended by you, that little girl in color in the film was your idea, as well as your warnings and dissuasions to Steven, we’re all aware of these things.”
“Duvall and I are used to discussing everything in detail after we have a clear understanding,” added Fels, laughing.
“Know every detail of the other person, then you can understand what they really want, is that it?” Adrian recited a Jewish maxim casually.
“Yes,” both old men showed an appreciative look, and then Fels continued with a serious face, “I want to thank you, Adrian, for your suggestion to Steven, the idea of constructing a new Jewish district in Krakow, it was excellent.”
“I just didn’t want the tormented souls who have passed away to be disturbed again,” Adrian said, becoming serious.
“May they rest in peace,” seeing the atmosphere become somewhat heavy, Duvall immediately broke the tension, pausing and then looking at Adrian again, “If there’s a need, please feel free to let us know,”
“I will,” Adrian nodded with a smile, understanding the other’s intentions completely.
Today’s screening was for “Schindler’s List.” Dozens of people had been invited to watch, a slightly large number for a screening. But this was necessary, as they were all Jewish, and also directors or heads of major Jewish foundations!
This was the strategy from the beginning, simply as individuals these people had quite the influence, not to mention the power behind them. Adrian had put in a lot of effort to invite these old men, thankfully his past network not only made up for it but, with the help of Regret and Claude, expanded even wider. With some help from The Godfather and Spielberg’s own connections, eventually, everyone from the plan’s list was invited.
As for the effect, it spoke for itself from what had just happened; since these individuals affirmed it, the promotional work for “Schindler’s List” no longer had to worry.
“Now you can also put your mind at ease,” Adrian said teasingly to Spielberg after all the attendees had left, “everyone thinks it’s an outstanding film.”
“Yes, I know,” Spielberg let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, “Even though it’s not officially released yet, I’ve really let go. It’s just the box office…”
“Don’t worry, Steven, I don’t care about it, so why should you?” Adrian said with a smile as he shook his head. Then he looked at Spielberg meaningfully and added, “Besides, who knows what the final outcome will be, my goal is to astonish the entire world with this movie!”
Spielberg raised an eyebrow in surprise but soon came to terms with it. He was no fool; Adrian had invited such prominent figures to the screening, it was not hard to guess his intentions. Besides, deep down in his heart, he was very keen on having the movie appreciated and praised by more people. Only then could more people understand the suffering of the Jews, become more vigilant, and perhaps… fulfill a long-held wish of his.
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“Maybe I should be envious of you, Ed, having everything under control. That way, whether it’s a success or failure, you have the most accurate judgment,” Spielberg joked.
“Really? Why don’t you set up a film company yourself?” Adrian laughed casually.
“Start a film company?” Spielberg was taken aback, but before he could say anymore, Adrian, glancing at the time, promptly said goodbye: “Sorry, Steven, I have other arrangements. If I don’t head out now, the staff might just revolt.”
“What could possibly make your staff so discontent?” Spielberg asked curiously.
“Just a minor matter… making a cameo in a TV series produced by the company,” Adrian replied as he shrugged helplessly.
After relentless persuasion from the entire “Friends” crew and its six main actors, Adrian finally agreed to make a cameo. However, due to various reasons, he had repeatedly delayed it, until now. Even the honor of being the first celebrity to guest-star on “Friends” was snatched by NBC host Jay Leno – being near water gets you first dibs, after all. And of course, the production team couldn’t keep postponing their plans just for him.
Now, with the first season nearing its completion, if Adrian were to postpone again, he would have to wait until the second season, which wouldn’t start filming until at least March or April of the next year. Who knew what schedule he might have by then? Thus, under a joint request from the “Friends” crew, Adrian had to temporarily set aside his current affairs and finish the guest appearance first.
He chose to play himself in the show, which meant that Joey got an audition for the new movie by Miracle Director Adrian Cowell, leading to a series of comical events.
Adrian had initially written a specific scene for it, directly bypassing the casting phase and giving Joey the role. It wasn’t an important role, and…
“Hey, guys, did you know? I passed the Miracle Director’s audition!” Joey announced jubilantly as he burst into the room.
“He cast you as a monkey?” Chandler sized him up and teased.
“No, no, no, Chandler, you’ll never guess what role I’m playing,” Joey took a deep breath, then widened his eyes, “I’m going to play Al Pacino’s butt! You know, Al Pacino’s butt!”
“Hmm…” Chandler thought for a moment, “Doesn’t Al Pacino have a butt?”
Quite a funny scene, isn’t it? Joey in the Miracle Director’s new movie was playing the butt double for Pacino! Besides this, Adrian had also borrowed some segments from “King of Comedy.”
“Mr. Director, I think this character is actually quite simple, so, could I add a bit of conflict in my performance?” Joey pontificated during the actual shoot.
“Oh, of course you can,” Adrian answered nonchalantly, not taking him seriously at all. After all, it was just a butt – what did it matter what conflict was added?
There was also a part for Dennis, who played himself and would be appearing in a role in the Miracle Director’s new movie. So he was present on set and watched the whole process of Joey’s cameo, and the first thing he said to Joey was, “Hey, buddy, nice butt.”
“Of course, my butt is the best,” Joey replied boldly.
As a result, everyone on set, including Adrian, looked at them with strange expressions. Dennis immediately realized his slip-up, but Joey, oblivious to it all, kept insisting that his friends, Ross and Chandler, thought the same.
It was a scene that could make someone cringe and laugh at the same time, but unfortunately, it was rejected by the production team. As for the reason, since Adrian was just making a cameo, why not leave the directing to the crew for a change, wouldn’t that be better?
Clearly, they—especially the writers—had been ordered around by Adrian too many times and wanted to seize the opportunity to know what it felt like to direct the boss. Since that was the case, Adrian let them arrange everything, and soon he found out that the TV department crew had more or less honed their skills. Although he did not know how the filming would turn out, they were quite successful from a scriptwriting perspective. They came up with a plot completely different from Adrian’s own in just two days, and its comedic level was equally high. (To be continued. For further developments, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available and support the author and genuine reading!)
