Chapter 197: Not Dead Yet?

In the western suburbs of London, Buckinghamshire, at the production office of Galaxy British Cinema, the post-production edits of Emma and The Crying Game were progressing smoothly!

In the town of Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire, more than ten miles from Heathrow Airport, it is one of the UK's most important film bases, boasting studios like Pinewood and Shepperton Studios as well as numerous film companies nearby.

Currently, the main studio for Mrs. Doubtfire was located in Pinewood Studios, while Winona Ryder's film The House of the Spirits was being filmed in Yorkshire!

That evening, in the bed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jennifer Connelly lay on top of Arthur. "Isn't London's weather just awful?"

"Yeah, I've been here for days, and it has rained every single day," Arthur replied helplessly, as the cold rain of April's London weather was indeed unpleasant.

Jennifer Connelly chuckled, "You won the Oscar for Best Picture, and I haven't congratulated you yet. I never expected The Silence of the Lambs to achieve such great success!"

Arthur caressed Connelly's voluptuous body as he said nonchalantly, "This is just the beginning. I assume we won't be going back to America this month?"

"Going back? You want me to accompany you? But I can't stay away for too long. Mrs. Doubtfire is a family comedy, and I have a significant role," Connelly's sensuous 34D pressed against Arthur, making him burn with desire.

"No, I need to go to France in a few days. You stay here and continue filming."

Returning to Los Angeles was out of the question; being affected by riots and such would be troublesome.

During the few days in the UK, Arthur indeed felt the downturn in the British film industry. Productions at studios like Pinewood and Shepperton were either backed by Hollywood or European co-productions.

Purely British films were very rare.

No wonder it was so hard to secure investment for The Crying Game previously?

In the office of the Palace Cinema, Arthur met with Stephen Woolley, the former owner of Palace Pictures and also the producer of The Crying Game!

"Was The Crying Game really suggested by director Neil Jordan's friend, Stanley Kubrick?" Arthur asked with a smile.

Stephen Woolley nodded, "Mr. Stanley Kubrick believed that movies with religious or military titles usually scared off audiences and often didn't do well at the box office. Therefore, he suggested using a more abstract title!"

Stanley Kubrick, being a Hollywood film master, made a valid point.

Director Neil Jordan's original title was straightforwardly called The Soldier's Wife!

Arthur tapped on the table. "The biggest highlight of The Crying Game is the twist at the end. Make sure to maintain secrecy during the promotion. Revealing the twist too early will only lower the film's anticipation. You must be careful when dealing with the media."

That night, near Greenwich Park on the south bank of the Thames, a car was parked by the roadside.

Elizabeth Hurley, who had just returned to the country, came by car to pick up Arthur. "How come you've been here for so many days and didn't inform me?"

In the UK, cars have the steering wheel on the right, opposite to the United States. Arthur, in the passenger seat on the left, reached out to pat Hurley's thigh, "Weren't you supposed to be in America?"

A few days ago, Arthur had had drinks with Hugh Grant, and he felt a sliver of guilt thinking about it.

"I have a lot of business here in the UK, and the Hollywood film Passenger 57 I'm working on won't be released anytime soon," Hurley responded.

"Recently, I have a European film The Long Winter coming out," Elizabeth Hurley said as she leaned towards Arthur's ear. "Arthur, I've auditioned in Hollywood many times but always failed. They just wanted to use me as eye candy and sleep with me!"

Arthur laughed, "Don't I have a film Se7en with Brad Pitt for you to work on in the second half of the year? That's also a Hollywood movie. Emma will be released this year too, and you have a part in it, don't you? Eliz, you won't fade from the public eye. Why worry about it?"

Elizabeth Hurley nodded, "Winona seems to have gone to Yorkshire for filming. I'll stay with you for the next few days!"

Arthur placed his hand on the mesmerizing 36C of the beauty in his arms. "A few days ago, I had a drink with Hugh Grant!"

Elizabeth Hurley's devilish body was still very much to Arthur's liking. She just snorted at Arthur's words, "We broke up. Last year, when I was filming in Florida, he was caught soliciting a prostitute. And it was even a black woman who looked like a man!"

Arthur twitched his mouth at the thought of Hugh Grant's peculiar tastes. "With a girlfriend as beautiful as you..."

Before he finished his sentence, Elizabeth Hurley had already leaned down. "Hmm," the rest of Arthur's words got stuck in his throat.

Of course, this was just a saying. It seemed that Hugh Grant wasn't that famous back then, and Arthur felt he understood women like Elizabeth Hurley well.

Soon after, Elizabeth Hurley drove Arthur back to her double apartment near Greenwich Park.

The next morning, Arthur woke up in bed holding Elizabeth Hurley. As he walked to the living room and grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, he began drinking.

Elizabeth Hurley brought breakfast to the table and looked at the weather outside, shaking her head. "It's a cloudy day again, Arthur, are you going out?"

Arthur shook his head, "Nothing urgent," and casually switched on the TV in the living room.

Sky Broadcasting was reporting on a speech by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

"Thatcher isn't dead yet?" Arthur suddenly asked.

Elizabeth Hurley was taken aback and looked at Arthur, "Mrs. Thatcher just retired from office last year. She officially retired from Parliament this year at 67 and was awarded a life peerage!"

Arthur felt a bit embarrassed, thinking the old woman had already passed away.

"Retired, doesn't look like it?" Arthur watched Thatcher's political speech on TV, showing a large crowd.

Elizabeth Hurley came over, hugged Arthur, and nuzzled against him, "People like them never really leave the political scene even after retiring."

"Let's eat something first!"

Arthur nodded but then remembered that Sky Broadcasting was the largest digital TV pay operator in the UK, formed by the merger of Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting two years ago.

Moreover, News Corporation owned 39% of Sky Broadcasting's shares and had the operational control!

News Corporation now owned The Times, The Sunday Times, News of the World, and The Sun in the UK. Now it also controlled Sky Broadcasting; Allowing an Australian to control so much media power, the British media industry must be full of worthless people!

*****

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