Chapter 597: Chapter 598: Foreshadowing
?
[Chapter 598: Set Up]
This year, Firefly Films originally nned to push two films for the Oscars: Interview with the Vampire and Pulp Fiction. However, after the Oscar nominations were announced, Eric realized that, although Interview with the Vampire received good industry reviews and grossed a substantial profit for Firefly, vampire movies, likeedies, were generally not favored by the Oscar voters. Despite the extensive PR efforts put into promoting the movie for the Oscars, it ultimately only garnered nominations for Best Makeup and Best Sound - categories that were considered less significant.
In the end, the responsibility of pursuing an Oscar fell solely on Pulp Fiction. Eric jokingly told Kapler that he might very well fall asleep during the awards ceremony, which was often mocked for being too long. However, aside from the older guests who might truly struggle with the energy, most people found it hard to feel sleepy in the tense and heated atmosphere of the Oscars.
It had to be said, watching an awards ceremony that was so different from what existed in the original timeline was quite intriguing. Originally, Schindler''s List had been pushed back a year, and among the more popr nominated films this year, besides Pulp Fiction, there were also In the Name of the Father, The Piano, and The Remains of the Day.
Additionally, Eric noted Jane Campion, who was nominated for Best Director for The Piano. This Australian female director inevitably fell short at just the nomination stage. Although he hadn''t researched it thoroughly, Eric knew that very few women had received Best Director nominations in Oscar history and none in thest decade. This presented a significant variable for next year''s Oscars regarding Best Director. If Kathryn were nominated for Best Director for Saving Private Ryan, the Oscar voters might have to consider the public rtions risks of ignoring female directors for two consecutive years.
After going home empty from Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, Quentin also inevitably lost out to Robert Altman for Best Director. Altman was renowned for crafting political satire films and had already been nominated for Best Director three times before. Although he lost to Steven Spielberg in the original timeline, this time, no one could point out the Oscar path for this seasoned director.
When Robert Altman left the stage with presenter Clint Eastwood, Eric anticipated that Pulp Fiction would likely walk away with just the Best Original Screeny award. Nevertheless, Eric didn''t mind that as long as Pulp Fiction brought in enough box office revenue.
Hearing the announcer call his name, Eric walked towards the stage, holding the envelope containing the Best Picture results. As he made his entrance, the audience burst into warm apuse. Eric smiled and approached the microphone, initially expecting the apuse to fade, but to his surprise, it only grew louder.
The Oscars were essentially a gathering where everyone supported each other, akin to what a host once joked about: a game where millionaires awarded each other. Eric''s rising prestige and influence in Hollywood over the past few years made such treatment quite expected.
The apusested a full thirty seconds before Eric raised his hand to settle the audience, scanning the crowd and remarked, "To be honest, when I received the invitation to present this award, I felt rather anxious."
Although there wasn''t anything particrly funny about this line, it elicited softughter from the audience.
"I always felt that such an important award should at least be awarded by someone over sixty, but the director immediately rebutted that I had already aplished things that others wouldn''t achieve until they were eighty, so I came up here."
Amid theughter from the audience, Eric deadpanned, "But don''t hold any expectations. Even if I''m the one presenting the award, the little gold man is definitely not made of solid gold."
The audience recognized this as Eric''s jest about his personal wealth, prompting another round ofughter. Clearing his throat, Eric said, "Of course, Best Picture represents an honor -- a recognition of a film''s value by over six thousand professional voters in the Academy. It surely can''t be reced by money. Now, let''s take a look at this year''s outstanding nominees."
After finishing his statement, Eric gestured toward the screen and stepped to the side. Clips from Pulp Fiction, The Remains of the Day, The Piano, In the Name of the Father, and The Fugitive appeared in sequence on the screen.
As Eric watched the snippets of these films, he couldn''t be sure who would win Best Picture this year.
Compared to the rtively smaller pools of voters for Best Director and Best Actor categories, Best Picture was determined by a total of over six thousand voters from different guilds. This implied that the association of important awards with specific films could somewhat indicate Best Picture''s winner. If a film garnered several significant awards, it could essentially be considered locked for Best Picture.
However, this year was undoubtedly a mediocre one for the Oscars, with no film emerging as the clear favorite. Best Director went to Robert Altman for Short Cuts, Best Actor was awarded to Daniel Day-Lewis for In the Name of the Father, Best Actress went to Holly Hunter for The Piano, and Best Original Screeny was taken by Pulp Fiction. Best Supporting Actor and Actress went to different films, with therger guilds making starkly different choices. It seemed the determination of Best Picture would now rely on grassroots public rtions efforts.
While there was uncertainty about who would take home the award, Eric felt confident that mediamentary post-Oscars would be notably busier than usual.
After the introductions concluded, Eric approached the microphone once more, opened the envelope in his hand, nced at the audience, and quickly found one film crew members, narrowing his eyes as he spotted two familiar faces among them: Elisabeth in a white gown and a certain hefty Weinstein.
Due to Eric''s brief hesitation, everyone in the Los Angeles Music Hall turned to follow his gaze, apanied by soft murmurs.
Eric quickly refocused and announced, "So, the Best Picture of 1993 goes to, The Piano, Jane Campion."
As apuse erupted, a woman in her forties with short hair stood up from The Piano''s crew, hugging her fellow crew members and excitedly making her way to the stage. "Congrattions, Ms. Campion," Eric said as he handed her the golden statue, politely hugged her, and stepped aside.
While Jane Campion delivered her eptance speech, Eric nced back at the audience. During this era, Oscar-winning cast and crew did not rush the stage together. The crew members of The Piano still sat in their seats.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Noticing Eric''s gaze, Harvey Weinstein politely nodded at him, while Elisabeth smugly raised her chin and tantly drew a ''C'' sign in front of her with her finger, then made a fist and abruptly opened her hand, performing a gesture that symbolized disillusionment.
Even if Elisabeth hadn''t made those gestures, Eric could guess her intention. Jane Campion''s female identity served as both an advantage and a disadvantage. Without the support of Robert Altman, who had several Oscar nominations under his belt,bined with Weinstein''s media maniption and award promotion abilities, plus the News Corp''s vast media support, he might actually be able to make Jane Campion the first female director to win an Oscar.
Yet because of Robert Altman, Weinstein was aware that the odds of winning Best Director were slim for him. Thus, he shifted focus towards Best Picture and sessfully introduced a female producer; this was clearly groundwork for next year''s Braveheart.
In that case, if Kathryn were nominated for Best Director for Saving Private Ryan next year and failed to win, the Academy would have sufficient reasoning to argue that since they awarded Best Picture, such an important category to a woman this year, the media would have no basis
to use them of gender bias.
Since he had already decided to support Elisabeth and even pushed for Fox to acquire Miramax, Eric wouldn''t be upset by the girl''s small antics. After all, whether Braveheart or Saving Private Ryan emerged victorious next year, to Eric, it was just a matter of left hand versus right hand. Otherwise, Eric wouldn''t have postponed the production of Forrest Gump by a year. Moreover,pared to Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart clearly required award support to recoup more profits.
...
Eric initially nned to head home for a rest after the ceremony, but thinking about Forrest Gump and that Tom Hanks was also attending the ceremony, he decided to chat with Hanks about the project. As the crowd departed from the Los Angeles Music Center to the Hilton Hotel''s Vanity Fair Oscars party, even though Eric had changed Hollywood''s history, the Vanity Fair party still took ce on time, albeit he hadn''t been able to attend in recent years.
In the bustling party hall, Eric and Hanks moved to a quiet corner where Eric briefly described the plot of Forrest Gump to him.
Hanks listened attentively and nodded, "Eric, since this is your chosen script, there''s no problem. I''ll have my agent cancel those offers tomorrow. This story sounds intriguing; maybe I should get a copy of the original to read."
Eric quickly shook his head, "The original story is a rather absurd satire novel, and I don''t rmend you read it before seeing the script. I n to adapt it into an inspiring film showcasing America''s history from the 50s to the 70s. The character Forrest represents a simple and sincere approach to life. If you read the original story first, it might negatively affect your entrance into the character, as first impressions and biases can be quite strong." "All right, just let me know when production begins," Hanks said with a chuckle, acquiescing. As for matters like pay, he wouldn''t be negotiating with Eric directly; such issues were typically left to producers and Hanks''s agent to handle.
...
After casually chatting for a bit, they parted ways. Eric greeted a few acquaintances and handled interactions with guests who approached him, spotting Penelope and Kate. He intended to sneak off with the two women early. However, just as he was about to approach
them, Elisabeth led a group from The Piano towards him.
"Eric, this is Ms. Campion, and Ms. Campion..."
Eric smiled and shook hands with everyone in turn. Knowing Elisabeth had a close rtionship with Eric, they exchanged polite greetings before dispersing.
Once the crowd thinned out, Elisabeth asked, "Why weren''t you talking to me? You''re not
really upset, are you?"
Ericughed, "I thought if I got close, I might block your shine surrounded by all those
people."
Elisabeth let out a small huff, but realizing that Eric wasn''t really angry, she rxed and asked, "What were you discussing with Tom Hanks just now?"
"A film; I n to have him star as the lead. Just giving him a heads up," Eric said nonchntly without trying to take credit for the postponed production of Forrest Gump. He noticed Penelope and Kate looking over and gestured for them to wait outside.
Elisabeth followed Eric''s gaze and noticed the two women leaving. With a hint of jealousy,
she teased, "Those two look like the leads from Charlie''s Angels. Why didn''t you get all three
girls together?"
Eric chuckled, "I''m too busy, so I only managed two, and I''ll get to thest one slowly."
"Just do whatever you want," Elisabeth lightly kicked Eric''s leg in mock discontent. Then recalling something, she asked, "When are you going to have that script ready for Julia?" "At least after I finish with things in New York," Eric said, casually cing his wine ss on a passing server''s tray. He leaned in slightly and kissed Elisabeth on the cheek, whispering, "If there''s nothing else, I''ll be leaving now. I haven''t had a decent night''s sleep in a week." Elisabeth drew back slightly. She had an important topic she wanted to discuss with Eric, but seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes, she figured it could wait and nodded for him to
leave the party.
*****
https://.patreon/Sayonara816.