Across America, Starting with the Boxing Champion

Chapter 415 Paris Baby

Although Link also wants to become an actor soon, he has little chance this time.

"Midnight in Paris" was invited by the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival because of its subject matter. As the opening film, it was not director Woody Allen's initiative to participate in the Cannes Film Festival Awards.

For a director, being invited by the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival to screen his work at the opening ceremony of the film festival is a kind of recognition and honor. It is no worse than winning the Palme d'Or, and there is no need to continue to participate in subsequent awards. .

 For Link, there is one less opportunity to compete for awards.

Of course he also asked Director Allen why he didn’t sign up for the Cannes Film Festival, where he could win a few trophies and help promote the film.

Director Allen said in a disdainful tone that he had already won awards from major European and American film festivals, but now that he is older, he has little interest in winning awards for his films.

  I am not willing to compete with a group of young people.

 Finally, he said loftily, "I want to leave opportunities to young people."

Link felt that what he said was a little forced.

Director Allen said that because of his age, he has little interest in film awards, but he still participates in the selection of the Golden Globe Awards, Academy Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

This shows that it’s not that he doesn’t want to win an award at Cannes, but that he can’t win it.

This has to do with the selection system of the Cannes Film Festival Awards. The Cannes Film Festival can be regarded as the "youngest", "most open" and "most inclusive" film festival.

 Most of the directors participating in the Cannes Film Festival every year are young and emerging directors from all over the world.

The jury of the Cannes Film Festival is not fixed. Every year, nine famous filmmakers from all over the world are invited to form the jury. There are people of all ages, and the gender is half and half.

For example, the nine jury members of this year's film festival are Robert De Niro, Jude Law, Johnnie To, Olivier Assayas, Uma Thurman, Shi Nansheng, Lyn Ullman, Mohammed Saleh Harun, Martina Guzman.

Except for the chairman, Robert De Niro, who is over 60 years old, these nine judges are all under 60 years old. Their qualifications in the film industry are also much lower than that of director Woody Allen. Some of them are even less qualified than Allen. Have cooperated.

Let these people judge Allen's director's work. They would be embarrassed, and Woody Allen would be embarrassed too. It would be fine if it won the Palme d'Or, but it would be too shameful if it didn't.

 So in the film industry, many veteran filmmakers will not compete for awards in the main competition unit of the Cannes Film Festival once they reach a certain age or seniority.

"Link, you are still young. Don't always worry about a few awards. What you should consider is how to improve your acting skills. As long as your acting skills are good enough, the film festival judges will take the initiative to award awards to you. In addition to the Oscar."

Director Woody Allen said.

Link nodded. Before his net worth reached one billion, the purpose of being an actor was mainly to become famous and get more pay. But now it is more about interest. Winning awards is the icing on the cake, so he is really not in a hurry.

“Good morning, Mr. Baker, Director Allen, nice to meet you here.”

While the two were talking, a girl wearing a light green gauze skirt came to where they were and said hello.

He is young, in his early twenties, blond and fair-skinned, tall and beautifully dressed. But when he looked at Link, his face was slightly red, showing a kind of uncontrollable excitement.

 “Hello, Miss Olson, are you going to Paris too?”

 “Mr. Baker, do you know me?”

The girl looked at him in surprise.

“I’ve seen your movie, and the acting is very good.”

 “Thank you Mr. Baker for the compliment.”

Elizabeth Olson laughed excitedly.

Link shook her hand and invited her to sit down and chat.

 He ​​just said that he had seen the other party’s movie, not the current one, but the future one. Elizabeth Olsen became famous for her role as the Scarlet Witch in “Avengers 2” and also appeared in “Captain America 2”.

There are also the more popular 'Olson sisters', her two twin sisters. They are famous in the film and television circles and music circles due to the popularity of the TV series "All in the Family". They are worth hundreds of millions. They were also on the list of celebrities in 2004. Listed on Forbes' list of the "100 Richest Women in the World".

  Comparatively, Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister, is much less famous and is still a new actress who has just debuted.

After Omei sat down, she told him and director Woody Allen that she was also going to attend the Cannes Film Festival. The literary film "Martha" she starred in was shortlisted for the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival.

Link congratulated her.

Omei also excitedly told him that she was a sophomore at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and was an alumnus of the same class as him. She also saw him at the school sports event this year and worked as a cheerleader for him.

Link smiled softly and greeted her in the same way as a classmate.

Omei covered her mouth and laughed, and asked him when he would return to school. He was the most famous student at NYU, and many classmates wanted to know him.

Link said that after finishing the work at hand, he would go back to school to take the exam, and then they would go to the library to read together.

Omei nodded excitedly, and after getting his contact information, she left with satisfaction.

“It’s better to be young. When I was your age, girls often came over to me and wanted to date me. Unfortunately, at that time, I only wanted to read and write and become a writer, and I missed many opportunities to experience love.”

 Director Woody Allen said with emotion.

Link glanced at him. The old man was not tall. He was probably less than 170 centimeters tall when he was young. His body was thin and his appearance was not amazing. At that time, shortly after the end of World War II, the whole world was in a period of advocating bravery. People like him , there will also be many girls taking the initiative to pursue?

Director Allen is a director with sharp eyes. He immediately understood his micro-expressions and said unhappily: "I am a genius. Do you understand, a genius? I published many articles in newspapers when I was in college, and those girls were all My talent attracts.

Unlike some people who only rely on their face and body to pick up girls, and they brag about how strong their bodies are in the media for hours. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to say it. "

Link shrugged his shoulders and did not refute, because the sourness in the old man's words was too strong, like a jar of pickled cabbage that had been stored for seventy or eighty years.

  —

 It was past six in the afternoon when the plane landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport, and the sky was getting dusk.

Because of its basin terrain, Paris is hotter than the surrounding areas in summer. It is like a small stove. When he and director Woody Allen walked out of the airport, they immediately felt waves of heat hitting their faces. It felt a little hotter than Los Angeles.

From Paris to Cannes, you have to fly to Nice, a coastal city in southern France, and then take a bus from Nice to Cannes. Woody Allen is old and can't stand the back and forth, so he decided to rest in Paris for one night and take the train to Cannes tomorrow.

Link didn't object. After sending Director Woody Allen back to the hotel, he changed his clothes, got into Bob's rented car, and came to Marion Cotillard's small villa in the Sixth District, near the Luxembourg Gardens. .

Outside the small villa, there are Wutong Avenue, rose gardens, fountains, and many statues of ancient celebrities. The environment is very good.

When Link got off the car, the sky was already dark, the lights on both sides of Wutong Avenue were dim, the lights of the Mermaid Fountain flickered on and off, and the surroundings were quiet.

He put on his hat, said a few words to Bob and Wallace, walked outside the villa door, and rang the doorbell.

　　The servant waiting at the door in advance helped him open the door and politely shouted "Good evening, Mr. Baker".

Link came here once in March, and it would be no stranger to come here again.

He followed the maid to the bedroom door on the second floor, thanked the maid, and then opened the bedroom door.

There was a desk lamp on in the room, and Marion Cotillard was sitting on the bedside, with her long golden brown hair spread out, holding a book in her hand, and a glass of red wine on the bedside.

Her face is a little rounder than the last time we met, and it has a gentler and softer flavor. Combined with her unique elegance and sexiness, she seems to have become more charming.

“I just saw a video of you playing the piano at the Los Angeles Airport. When you sang “AllOfMe”, were you thinking of me?”

Marion Cotillard put down the book and smiled.

"Yes, you are a woman who fascinates me deeply. Every time I want to see you, I always feel impatient. When I sing, I am also looking forward to the flight arriving early so that I can hold my hand tightly. Hug you." Link looked into her eyes lovingly.

 “Dear, what are you waiting for?”

Marion stretched out her arms and smiled.

Link leaned down and hugged her tightly, smelling the scent of perfume on her body and the faint smell of disinfectant in her hair.

Marion asked him for a kiss passionately, and he responded enthusiastically, kissing her moist and soft lips with a faint taste of red wine.

After a long kiss, Marion leaned into his arms and said that she could feel his love from his kiss and that he had not changed her mind.

Link asked her curiously why she thought she would change her heart?

 Marion said she was worried that a woman's charm would be reduced by half after giving birth, and she was worried that she would no longer be able to attract him.

Link stroked her hair and said that she thought too much and that he would only love her more after she gave birth to the child.

Marion asked him what he would think if the child was not his.

Link said that he would be jealous of that idiot Guillaume, but he would still love her and the child.

Marion put her hands around his neck and kissed him passionately again.

Link saw that Marion was a little tired, but he didn't ask to look after the child immediately. He took a shower and put on the pajamas he had prepared earlier, hugged Marion and chatted before falling asleep.

 The next morning he saw the little guy who was only two days old in the baby room.

Huddled up in a small ball on the crib, the little guy was still sleeping when he went there, with his eyes closed, breathing softly, and his little hands would sometimes move around, like a little monkey.

Link stayed in the baby room for a while until Guillaume called him out with a dark face and not to disturb Cassel's sleep.

Casel was the name Guillaume chose for the child. As if he was worried about being snatched away by Link, he registered the child right after birth.

Link went out to chat with Guillaume and asked him how his current job was.

Guillaume was originally a first-line French movie star. He starred in "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio, in "One Night of Love" with Sophie Marceau, in "Little Children" with Marion Cotillard, and with Emmanuelle Beard, Austria Del Rey Tautou, Keira Knightley and other movie stars have collaborated, and are well-known in the international film circle.

 In recent years, he has switched to being a director and producer, with mediocre results, and is barely considered a second-tier director in the French film industry.

Link asked him if he could take good care of Cassel. If not, he would take the little guy to the United States to take care of him.

 Guillaume said unhappily that it was okay and that he didn’t need to worry about it.

Link asked him about the film company. The Artist Pictures he invested in France also had Guillaume and Marion as shareholders, and the three of them were also partners.

  Guillaume reluctantly told some about the company's situation.

 Since last year, he has invested in two movies, one of which is "New Button War" starring him. The production has been completed and is expected to be released in September.

There is also "Intouchables", which Link named and invested, which is currently being filmed, and the release date is unknown, as well as "Rust and Bone", which is in preparation and will not start filming until Marion recovers.

Link asked the company how much money was left in its account. If it was not enough, it could make additional investment. If there was any left, it could invest in more small-cost films.

This kind of question could have been asked about the company's finances, but Guillaume just wanted to know that he didn't care about the company's affairs.

  Guillaume said that he still has more than 6 million euros, which is enough to invest in a small-budget film.

Link asked him to discuss with the company's producers to invest in projects with box office potential first, and then consider artistry after making money.

Guillaume was very disdainful, saying that he was a Jew who only knew how to make money, smelled vulgar and was not worthy of Marion's love at all.

Link would not argue with him. In the film industry, whether art or making money is more important is like the difference between the two sword sects of the Huashan School. The debate lasts for days and nights.

Link just reminded him that now that he has Cassel, he must find a way to make more money to give his children a richer life. If he continues to make money but not save as before, he will bring his children to live in the United States and not let them live with him. Suffering in France.

Guillaume retorted with a dark face, saying that there is nothing wrong with having less money. Being too rich will corrupt people's souls, just like him. If Cassel grows up to be like him, talking about money when he opens and shuts up, that will be too much. It's a pity. He should touch the children less, lest the children get his vulgar smell.

Link shook his head and returned to the bedroom to have breakfast with Marion.

It was almost noon when he got on the TGV high-speed train to Cannes at the urging of director Woody Allen. Originally, he wanted director Woody Allen and the crew to leave first, and he would come back later, in time for the opening ceremony. Just show up.

Director Allen said that there will be interviews and promotional activities before the opening ceremony, so you need to go early.

Link could only put the little guy down and accompany the old man to set off early.

 “Marion is married and has children, so you should pay attention.”

 Director Woody Allen said while flipping through the newspaper.

"It's an engagement! And Marion Guillaume and I are both friends. We co-founded a film company. I went to them to talk about the company and to see Marion by the way."

"that is it?"

Director Woody Allen adjusted his glasses and stared at him with a gossipy face, trying to find the answer from his micro-expression.

"certainly!"

Link shrugged his shoulders and turned his head to look at the continuous Alpine mountains again. There was white snow on the top of the mountain, the sky was clear and clear, the air was very fresh, and it seemed that the fragrance of Provence lavender not far away could be smelled.

 Through this mountainous area to the west, he reached Switzerland. He planned to transfer to Switzerland after the Cannes Film Festival to see where the cold-blooded woman put her child.

 Woooo!

The train blew its whistle and rushed into the deep tunnel amidst bursts of clanging sounds.

  —

 The Cannes International Film Festival was founded in 1946 and is held in mid-to-late May every year for two weeks.

It is the most influential and top international film festival in the world today. Together with the Berlin International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival, it is known as the world's three major international film festivals.

 There are award units such as ‘Main Competition’, ‘Directors’ Fortnight’, ‘Un Certain Regard’, and ‘Film Critics Week’, with the highest award being the Palme d’Or.

 The organizing committee of this year’s film festival received a total of 3,304 films from more than 100 countries, including 1,715 feature films and 1,589 short films.

  In the end, 49 films from 33 countries were shortlisted for various award categories. Only two Japanese films and one Israeli film were selected from Asia this year.

 Because there are many movies and some movies with great commercial potential are exhibited here, it has also become a trading platform for film producers from various countries.

  Not only the Cannes Film Festival, but also the Sundance Film Festival, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Rotterdam and other film festivals are also the most active places for international film producers, hoping to find films with commercial potential among the many participating works.

For example, "Blood Labyrinth" by the Coen brothers, "Reservoir Dogs" directed by Quentin Tarantino, "Sex, Lies, Videotape" by Soderbergh, "The Devil Is Coming" directed by Jiang Wen, and "Farewell My Concubine" directed by Chen Kaige ", as well as the dark horse movie "Little Miss Sunshine" in 2007, etc. are all films that came out of major film festivals.

At this film festival, Lionsgate Pictures also has two films participating in the exhibition, "The Devil's Stand" and "Fighting Warriors". They also arranged for people to come and watch the films. The leader of the team was Andrew Kramer, international business operations officer.

Link is also ready to see if there are any movies worth salvaging.

 (End of this chapter)