Chapter 206: Pathé Films

Andrzej Żuławski watched Sophie Marceau and Arthur Smith step into the dance floor, feeling helplessly furious. 

When they were together, people often whispered behind their backs. After their breakup last year, many believed Sophie Marceau had finally made the right decision, freeing herself from this sleazy old man who only damaged her image as a goddess.

"Arthur, don't you think your words were a bit harsh?" Sophie Marceau kissed Arthur on the neck and asked reluctantly.

"No," Arthur held her waist and whispered in her ear, "How did we run into him here? Could it be on purpose?"

"Look, your participation in his films L'amour braque, My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, and The Blue Note has completely turned you into a sex symbol. Now, without you, no one wants to invest in his movies. His works are absurd and lack logic or plot, not even qualifying as films!"

Sophie Marceau had given her all artistically to Andrzej Żuławski. My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days was practically an erotic film.

"Well, we've broken up, haven't we? Don't you think you're better than him?" Sophie Marceau laughed. "I know Hollywood doesn't welcome sex symbols, so I won't do such erotic films anymore."

Arthur laughed, "French women, your words are the most deceptive."

Sophie Marceau playfully grabbed Arthur and whispered in his ear, "But isn't it true that you can't resist a French woman's kiss?"

"You're such a temptress," Arthur said as he kissed her...

The next day, Sophie Marceau flew to Cannes to attend the Cannes Film Festival, while Arthur had someone negotiate the North American distribution rights for The Three Colors Trilogy and the production details for Fanfan.

In the suite of the Raphael Hotel, after finishing a call with Los Angeles, Anna Walker came in to inform Arthur of some news. "Pathé Films has invited Jérôme Seydoux to become CEO. This is the invitation to the reception!"

Arthur took the invitation and looked it over, "What is Jérôme Seydoux's relation to Nicolas Seydoux, the chairman of Gaumont Films?"

"Jérôme Seydoux is Nicolas Seydoux's younger brother!"

"I see," Arthur was quite surprised.

After all, Gaumont and Pathé are the world's oldest film companies and the largest film companies in France. 

Last year, after Crédit Lyonnais took back control of MGM and Pathé Films from the Italian fraudster Giancarlo Parretti's consortium, Arthur had been keeping an eye on them.

After coming to France, Arthur noticed that Crédit Lyonnais did not put MGM up for sale, but MGM had not produced any films either.

"Has the Cannes Film Festival started? Are there any significant films?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, Howards End, which premiered at the beginning of the year, is adapted from E.M. Forster's novel and stars Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Also, last month's release from Pathé, The Player starring Tim Robbins, has garnered a lot of attention."

Arthur shook his head, "These are all Hollywood films. Galaxy doesn't yet have the capacity to distribute films internationally."

Galaxy had just established a presence in the UK and was setting up in France, but Japan was where Galaxy had invested heavily to set up Galaxy Japan, focusing on distributing its own films for now.

The six major Hollywood studios have their own mature distribution systems, enabling them to push their films worldwide and distribute films from various countries to different markets. Given the intense competition in the American movie market, distribution costs are high.

In recent days, Arthur had been discussing cooperation with Gaumont, Pathé, and UGC, all of which had their own chain cinemas and were leading companies in the French cinema market. UGC was also a well-known commercial cinema chain in Europe!

"Sir, actually, France has quite a number of art cinemas. Many artistic films have a certain market in France," Anna Walker reminded him.

Arthur smiled, "Anyway, Europe is pretty much Hollywood's backyard, so it doesn't matter much. By the way, did someone from the German UFA film company arrive in Cannes yesterday?"

Anna Walker nodded. UFA is part of the Bertelsmann Group, a large German film company. Since the time of the acquisition of ESPN and Mirror Group, Bertelsmann had developed a strong connection with Galaxy, making UFA Galaxy's first choice for business in Germany!

In the evening, Arthur attended the reception and met Pathé's new chairman, Jérôme Seydoux. 

Arthur was familiar with his brother, Nicolas Seydoux, making the conversation enjoyable.

"Pathé and MGM will likely collaborate more in the future?" Arthur smiled. They were both owned by the same investment group after all.

Jérôme Seydoux said helplessly, "You know the situation with MGM, Arthur, and Crédit Lyonnais is facing significant losses. Pathé is also looking for new investors. MGM will probably be sold too. Running a large film group isn't easy!"

"But there's no news yet," Arthur shook his head.

Jérôme Seydoux continued, "It won't happen quickly. Crédit Lyonnais is conducting internal audits. MGM won't be on the market soon, but United Artists Theatre Circuit will be sold this year!"

United Artists Theatre Circuit is a large American cinema chain, initially established as an art cinema brand by United Artists. Over the years, it has grown significantly, with many owned and affiliated cinemas and theaters.

Arthur nodded, then raised his glass to Jérôme Seydoux. The Galaxy-invested Carmike Cinemas could not compare to United Artists Theatre Circuit. Still, if Carmike were interested in United Artists, Arthur would support it. Galaxy's Hollywood Galaxy Multiplex Cinemas had also opened, with the number of cinemas representing distribution capacity!

Arthur, taking a sip of his drink, suddenly noticed a beautiful woman, like a rose with sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the stars and the sea.

Arthur glanced a few times, "Damn, is this that feeling of falling in love again?"

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.