King of Hollywood-Chapter 257 - 255 The Person Who Profits the Most

Chapter 257: Chapter 255 The Person Who Profits the Most

Chapter 257: Chapter 255 The Person Who Profits the Most

Schindler’s List finally premiered at the end of ’93, and after extensive early promotion and attracting countless people’s attention, it immediately received numerous rave reviews.

“Spielberg has once again shown his astonishing talent; with a black and white film, he achieved what color films have not, silencing those who doubted him.” — Los Angeles Times

“Heavy, oppressive, yet hopeful, this masterpiece is about humanity. Spielberg may no longer be filled with childlike innocence, but he has given audiences a film that is hard to watch yet impossible to ignore.” — Hollywood Report

“‘To save one life is to save the world’, producer Adrian was indeed not wrong, and although I still insist that the historical Schindler’s motives were not so pure, I agree that this is a masterpiece.” — Chicago Tribune

Including the sharp-tongued film critic Roger Ebert, who likes to take a dig at even the best movies, also praised this film highly in his own column and gave it his thumbs up.

“Since the ’60s, when films began to have color, black and white films, though not completely vanished from the silver screen, have certainly become a realm for individual expression. Directors make black and white films more to show off their unique tastes because the more colors there are, the richer the expression.

But Spielberg now has broken through this. Although Schindler’s List has only two colors, we can see more than just black and white. When the one-armed old man is beaten to death in the snow, the stark contrast between the spilling blood and the snow; when the women in the concentration camps have to cut their fingers to smear blood on their faces to appear healthier and avoid being picked out by the Nazis; when the children hide in the cesspit underneath the toilets to avoid the Nazis’ raids; when the women run naked, circling within the camps. Although there are only two colors, the shock and impact make us see more, a weight that color cannot bring.

The entire film is filled with Spielberg-style montages, full of simple yet profoundly meaningful metaphors, such as when Amon pulls out a Jewish worker, aims at his head, and fires several shots, which due to a fault, do not discharge. Even then, he still keeps pulling the trigger, a glimpse into the obliteration of humanity.

However, what is most admirable is the only girl who traverses the massacre with color, using such a touch of bright red to symbolize the atrocity, instinctively making one want to stand up and applaud. But Spielberg himself admitted that this very Spielberg-style idea was not his own but provided by his friend Adrian Cowell. And not only did Cowell help a lot with this film, but he also provided the investment for the entire film. Undoubtedly, this young man truly deserves the title ‘Miracle Director’.”

Of course, there were critical articles as well, but most were not very compelling, especially from the more well-known media, which often critiqued shooting techniques and perspectives, yet all while praising it as a great work full of humanitarian spirit. After all, anti-Fascism is politically correct in any country, and with a whole bunch of old-timers backing it, even the most extreme anti-Semites dare not openly express opposition now.

It was precisely because of such momentum that the movie secured 300 theaters prior to its release and then quickly expanded to 400 afterward. However, that was it; although the old-timers hoped more people could appreciate the film, they couldn’t go against market rules unless they completely monopolized the theaters.

That didn’t matter, though, as this start was relatively good for an art film. Adrian had set his mind on a long-term release from the very beginning; if the current trend continued to rise, theater owners would also have to follow market rules.

In any case, from the end of ’93 to the beginning of ’94, the film that Americans discussed the most was “Schindler’s List.” There was a plethora of praise coming from every direction, and Jewish communities in major cities across the United States held grand memorial events; even Clinton called out during a press conference, “I urge you to go see this film.”

Whether he sincerely believed this or was trying to please voters, or perhaps had made some deal with certain individuals, was unknown. Regardless, this added fuel to the fire for “Schindler’s List,” making it burn more vigorously in the United States. Three weeks later, not only had the number of theaters increased to 800, but the North American box office had also hit $20 million, and this momentum showed no signs of weakening; it seemed like every Jewish family in North America had seen the film.

The situation in Europe was even hotter, as that was where the Jewish people were majorly victimized. When the film was released in European countries, many Jewish families took the initiative to promote it. Coupled with the unprecedented solidarity of the Jewish community following World War II’s devastation, the old-timers in the United States only had to reach out a bit for German Chancellor Kohl to appear at the German premiere of “Schindler’s List.”

Of course, such results and such an uproar were not unrelated to the excellence of the film. As Adrian had said long ago, the key to why “Schindler’s List” was favored, pursued, and looked upon favorably by those old-timers, lay in its entertainment value, or rather, its closeness to the feelings of ordinary people.

Whether it was “Ulica Graniczna” or “Annie’s Diary” or “Naked Among Wolves,” they were either too long— “Ulica Graniczna” was from ’49— or had too narrow of a perspective. “Annie’s Diary” and “Naked Among Wolves” both started from an individual’s perspective, depicting the events of one or a few families.

“Schindler’s List,” on the other hand, had three perspectives and presented a comprehensive picture of that period in history. More importantly, Spielberg was clear about what kind of plots and characters the audience preferred to watch— “Schindler’s List” achieving good box office in Germany, aside from German self-reflection, was not least because the protagonist was German.

Naturally, audiences would be moved and shocked by these elements, and the Jewish community would recognize the promotional impact of the film. Hence, “Schindler’s List” was warmly embraced.

Because of this film, Spielberg’s position in Hollywood became even more solidified. It’s worth noting that at least half of the founders of the Seven Major Film Companies were Jewish, and the other half had some connection with the Jewish community.

Likewise, Kingsley received more acclaim, and Nissen and Fiennes’ prospects in Hollywood opened up because of this. Especially for Nissen, every outing during the film’s release required a disguise, otherwise, wherever he went, crowds of people would surround him. Sometimes he even encountered those who treated the film as reality and repeatedly thanked him as if he were Schindler.

Fiennes wasn’t so lucky, since he played the villain, after all. Still, many film producers sought him out, but this English lad’s ambition wasn’t in that direction, as he seemed to prefer British films. Of course, he’d take a good Hollywood script, but they were already verbally promised to Adrian.

However, the biggest profits from this movie did not go to them.

“You’re an incredible young man, Ed, with both brains and vision, and you’re so talented,” an elderly, slightly overweight man, around 70, said to Adrian amidst a group of well-dressed individuals.

“That’s true, Steven personally said that without you, the film could have lost a lot of its luster,” another, shorter old man added, prompting nods of agreement from the others.

“You flatter me, this was the result of everyone’s collective effort,” Adrian said with a smile, then straightened his face and lifted his glass, “Although it might not be quite appropriate in this setting, I still would like to ask you all…”

“It’s okay, this is necessary,” one of them said, also adopting a serious demeanor and raising his glass.

“To those who perished in suffering, may they rest in the Lord’s embrace,” Adrian declared.

After emptying his glass, he spoke a few more words, then promptly took his leave and joined a father and son who were deep in conversation.

“Have you finished chatting?” Benedict asked with a smile, looking at his protégé.

“Yes, Godfather,” Adrian nodded, “It went quite well.”

“You’ve done outstandingly, Ed,” Benedict patted his shoulder, “to think of such a method.”

“It was just a coincidence, if I hadn’t met Steven, we wouldn’t have this situation,” Adrian said with humility.

“No, no, Ed, there aren’t so many coincidences in this world, everything happens for a reason. If you hadn’t gotten your act together, hadn’t made movies, hadn’t achieved so much acclaim, even meeting Steven wouldn’t have led to this,” Benedict said with a gentle smile, “So you’re outstanding.”

“Dad,” Claude couldn’t help but call out a reminder.

“Fine, son, you’re outstanding too,” Benedict suddenly laughed out loud, “Both of you are outstanding, and I’m proud of you, very proud.”

He then patted them each forcefully, before speaking seriously again, “However, I must remind you, Ed, those are old foxes, friendship aside, business is business.”

“I know, Godfather, don’t worry. I might not be great at this, but I have a sharp guy helping me,” Adrian chuckled, glancing at Claude as they bumped fists.

“Let’s leave it at that, I won’t disturb your conversation any further,” Benedict said with a smile before leaving.

“I never thought a movie could be so powerful,” Claude said after his father had gone.

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“It’s just the right moment, they just happened to need such a movie, so naturally they spare no effort,” Adrian shrugged, then looked at him and asked, “Did you handle it?”

“Handled,” Claude nodded towards an elderly man still in conversation among the group, and lifted his chin slightly, “Mr. Bloom helped a bit, and the party sold their shares quite readily.”

He exhaled deeply and displayed a victorious smile, “The chips in Ted’s hands are dwindling.”

(To be continued, for what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)