America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 501 Eliminating the Competitor

On this day, the Lumière Hall of the Palais des Festivals was bustling with activity once again, as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the most expensive film in the competition section, held its grand premiere.

Besides David Fincher and Martin, many celebrities also came to join in the fun.

Unfortunately, this is one of the film festival's revenue-generating projects; films that premiere during the festival can get red carpet tickets for just 1.5 euros.

Compared to those little-known art films from small countries, the premiere of "Benjamin" had a much greater impact.

Apart from the jury and organizing committee members, the production team did not invite any guests, but more than 100 red carpet guests showed up to support "Benjamin".

The film festival earned a whopping 200 million euros.

In the arts, one should strive to elevate the artistic level, but when it comes to making money, it's not shameful either.

The judging panel included Isabelle Huppert, James Gray, Shu Qi, Lee Dong-chang, and Elsa Argento.

John Travolta, mindful of Harvey and Quentin, did not come over, but sent a message beforehand.

Martin wasn't worried. Although he didn't ask in detail, he could roughly guess that Tom Cruise, the Holy Son, had contacted Travolta through Hubbard, the leader of the church.

The cult leader had a much greater influence on Travolta than Xavi.

After taking a group photo with the cast and crew, they entered the Lumière Hall together.

Aisha Argento recalled some rumors she had heard in Hollywood and quietly approached Martin.

"I attended the premiere of Inglourious Basterds yesterday and heard someone say that Harvey originally wanted you to be the lead, not Josh Brolin?"

"That's right, I rejected him," Martin said. "Actually, it's no secret that we don't get along, and there are many problems between the foot-and-face factions in Hollywood."

Elsa Argento, thinking of that old pervert Quentin Tarantino, laughed: "Feet? That's so apt!"

Martin shrugged: "Me, Leonardo, and Nicholson are the Face Gang."

Elsa Argento nodded: "I've heard of it."

Martin then entered the theater and found Isabelle Huppert standing by the third aisle, leaning on the back of her seat, chatting with Menez.

Although Isabelle Huppert's English wasn't particularly fluent, they still had a pleasant conversation.

Finally, he accepted Menez's invitation and planned to go out for a late-night snack together after the movie premiere.

Just like Leonardo DiCaprio is to supermodels, Menez is unique in the eyes of women of his auntie age.

Amidst enthusiastic applause from the audience, Martin, along with the main cast and crew, went to sit in the front row.

David Fincher, who was standing next to him, asked, "Is the progress going smoothly?"

"It's alright," Martin said roughly. "We have quite a few judges who support us."

Because of his strategic decision to forgo the Palme d'Or, David Fincher's enthusiasm for competing for the award inevitably waned. There were some things he simply didn't like, so he decided to stop participating altogether.

As the film began, the Lumière Hall quickly fell silent.

Viewers are drawn into the unique life of Benjamin Button through the film's plot.

This is a film full of fantasy and beauty. The plot obviously discusses themes such as time, love and life, and the background is the changes in American society throughout the 20th century.

This is not a typical Fincher film.

It is more optimistic, magical, touching and positive than any of Fincher's films, and has almost no dark elements.

Upon seeing the ending, director James Gray, also from Hollywood, said to the other judges, "I can't believe David Fincher actually laid down his sword!"

Li Dongcang agreed with this view, saying in awkward English, "The usually gloomy and eccentric genius Finch has actually shown some humanity!"

Shu Qi said, "Martin's eyes, those eyes are full of emotion."

Elsa Argento chimed in: "From old age back to infancy, Martin is Benjamin, flawless, it's pushing the limits of acting."

Isabelle Huppert, as the jury president, rarely expresses her opinions, but as a renowned actress known for her artistic talent, she greatly admires Martin's performance in this film.

Martin not only successfully portrayed the character's growth and vicissitudes, giving the character a vivid image, but also led the audience into a thought-provoking space, allowing them to explore the wonders of life, time, and love through his performance.

As the subtitles appeared, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Compared to a regular premiere, the applause at a film festival is much more enthusiastic and longer-lasting. Not to mention the already high-quality film "Benjamin," even some films that barely passable often receive applause that lasts for more than five minutes.

Don't take it too seriously when a film uses a seven- or eight-minute standing ovation at a film festival for publicity.

Near the side door of the theater, Melanie walked out, picked up her phone, and made a call: "Notify the media, it's starting."

As soon as the premiere of "Benjamin" ended, many media reporters and critics rushed to write articles, publishing their reviews of the film and its lead actors.

France's oldest and most prestigious film magazine, *Cahiers du Cinéma*, highly praised David Fincher's new film, also mentioning Martin Davis's performance: "Young Hollywood actor Martin Davis delivers a superb performance as Benjamin Button, vividly portraying Benjamin's complex inner world and emotional state through nuanced facial expressions and body language!"

Le Figaro's entertainment section also praised Martin's performance: "Martin successfully portrayed the protagonist's reverse aging process, from old age to young age. He brought a unique charm and depth to the transformation, allowing everyone sitting in front of the screen to truly feel Benjamin's growth and changes."

The official program of the Cannes Film Festival gave "Benjamin" a professional score of eight, and also published a review by Isabelle Huppert: "Martin's seemingly plain performance is precisely a return to the essence of acting. He vividly presents the character's childhood curiosity, middle-aged exploration, and old-age reflection to us!"

Several days into the film festival, at least a dozen films have been screened in the competition section, but Isabelle Huppert has only publicly commented on two male actors—Christopher Waltz and Martin Davis!

The direction for Best Actor is gradually becoming clear.

Inside the conference room of the Wuyang Hotel, the film crew was holding their daily routine meeting.

David Fincher had left the meeting, while Bruce had joined in.

Melanie gave an update: "It is now confirmed that Shu Qi, Li Dongchang, and James Gray will support us, and our biggest competitor is Christopher Waltz from Inglourious Basterds."

Martin held up his pen: "John Travolta has stated that he will support me."

Catherine Kennedy was quite curious about how Martin had managed to persuade Travolta, given that Travolta had an excellent relationship with Quentin and Harvey.

Melanie said, "That means we have the support of at least four judges. The next key step is Isabelle Huppert."

Bruce chimed in, "Our men are trying to persuade Isabelle."

Menez returned very late last night; he said he talked with Huppert until very late.

Martin had been reading the newspaper, and now the situation was very clear: he and Waltz were far ahead of the other male actors.

Frankly speaking, in terms of role and performance alone, Waltz is in no way inferior.

In a race, if two people are far ahead and the others have almost no hope of catching up, how can you ensure victory?

In this respect, Harvey is definitely a good teacher – eliminating competitors.

Melanie, the professional PR person, had also thought of this approach, and looked at Martin: "I've already contacted the media, what about you?"

Bruce replied, "Ready."

Ivan took many photos, and the first batch was delivered to him last night.

Martin said, "Melanie, since you're able to keep track of the jury's progress, I suggest releasing the information a day or two before the jury makes their decision, leaving them no room to back down."

Melanie thought about it carefully and said, "Okay."

After the brief meeting, Martin went outside to meet David Fincher for an announcement.

After the premiere last night, actress Cate Blanchett returned to London, citing the fact that she was filming a new movie.

Melanie continued to mobilize the media to promote Martin.

…………

Inside a meeting room at the Grand Hotel Provence, the cast and crew of "Inglourious Basterds" were also having a meeting.

As always, Harvey was in control.

"We have two awards in front of us: the Jury Grand Prize and Best Actor," he said. "My primary goal is Best Actor."

Quentin didn't care; without the Palme d'Or, he had little interest in the Jury Prize.

Christoph Waltz bowed slightly to Xavi to express his gratitude.

The deputy, who knew Harvey well, chimed in, "Right now, the biggest competitor is Martin."

Harvey said, "It's simple, the old way: ruin his reputation for now!"

He was prepared in advance, handing a large stack of documents to the production team's public relations department: "Contact the media and release it as soon as possible."

The PR person quickly glanced through the document and left the meeting room to get busy.

That same afternoon, a French entertainment website revealed that during the filming of "Benjamin," Martin bullied Cate Blanchett on more than one occasion, leading to Blanchett being ostracized by the crew.

Some of the child actors from the film crew also appeared in videos to share their experiences.

These cannot be entirely fabricated. It was no secret that Martin Scorsese and Blanchett were at odds on set. Scorsese was more popular with the crew, while Blanchett inevitably faced isolation.

Subsequently, more media outlets joined in the exposé.

The website interviewed Cate Blanchett in London, but Blanchett declined to comment on the matter.

This in itself expresses an attitude.

Screen magazine claims that Martin Scorsese's portrayal of Benjamin relied not on his acting skills, but on extensive CGI, with special effects playing a crucial role in the character, completely contradicting the spirit of acting and the art of performance advocated by the Cannes Film Festival.

Another media outlet reported that F. Scott Fitzgerald's descendants were very dissatisfied with the film's significant adaptations, believing that the protagonist portrayed by Martin Scorsese was not the character Fitzgerald had created.

Some media outlets have also claimed that "Benjamin" cost as much as $1 million to produce, making it a thoroughly commercial film.

(End of this chapter)