Chapter 234: The Send-Off

[Chapter 234: The Send-Off]

On September 15, the 46th Venice Film Festival wrapped up successfully.

Although the Venice Film Festival consistently touted its artistic nature to differentiate itself from the increasingly commercial Cannes Film Festival and the politically-oriented Berlin Film Festival, the anti-war film The Others ultimately snagged the Silver Lion at Venice amidst the tumultuous global climate, thanks to a wave of promotional efforts by the media.

Once the award results were announced, Disney's relentless marketing ensured that The Others overshadowed A City of Sadness, this year's Golden Lion winner.

The Others, which won the Silver Lion, would undoubtedly be recognized by international distributors as a commercial film. They could tell that it was a story with strong potential for box office hit. Thus, after The Others added the Silver Lion to its accolades, it quickly attracted a slew of distributors from around the world who were already in discussions with Disney about releasing the film.

On the day the results were made public, Disney successfully sold the distribution rights for the film to twelve countries. Numerous others were also still in negotiations.

Of course, Disney had not forgotten to promote the film domestically. The influence of European films had diminished significantly in North America with the rise of Hollywood, yet it was still a point of pride for Americans when a Hollywood film won awards abroad. Following a media blitz, The Others rapidly became quickly popular.

Soon after, Disney announced the release date for the film: November 1, Halloween. While this wasn't the most popular release period -- some even suggested it could be held off until the next summer -- after discussions with Eric, Michael Eisner determined to stick with this date that many doubted.

Eric's reasoning behind his suggestion revolved around the film's focus. The Others wasn't one of those traditional horror films that drew audiences in with blood and violence; instead, it relied on psychological suspense and plot twists. The PG-13 rating also meant that families could comfortably go to see it together during the holiday period, making a release around this time wholly appropriate.

Moreover, who said that horror films couldn't have a New Year's release? Eric clearly remembered that famous Scream, which had released during Christmas and made over $100 million on a budget of just over $10 million. That film was truly an R-rated horror film that thrived on violence and gore; sadly, a certain someone didn't last very long in that flick...

...

In early September, most of the crew members for Sleepless in Seattle had already headed to Seattle ahead of the film's pre-production efforts. It wasn't until September 16 that Eric wrapped up some pressing business for Firefly Films and prepared to head to Seattle to start filming.

Sleepless in Seattle and Home Alone 2 were to be filmed back-to-back, so after finishing up Tom Hanks's scenes in Seattle, Eric would head to New York to shoot Nicole's major parts. After that, Sleepeless in Seattle would be finished, followed immediately by Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Given that this sequel had also been quite successful, Eric had no intention of changing the script.

Though time was tight, Eric, accustomed to this shooting rhythm, felt little pressure. Instead, he felt somewhat awkward while waiting in the Los Angeles airport terminal. Besides the staff joining him for the trip to Seattle, several women had gathered around him: Drew, Elisabeth, and Julia on one side, while Jennifer Aniston and Nicole stood on the other.

Flashes from cameras went off nearby. Besides those persistent paparazzi who had repeatedly been stopped by airport security, even casual tourists raised their cameras to get a shot.

After all, among these women, four were renowned stars, excluding Elisabeth. Although Eric had been trying to keep a low profile, aiming for a quieter behind-the-scenes role, the attention around him only increased, making it impossible for travelers at the airport not to recognize him.

One could easily imagine that tomorrow's papers would run headlines like "Playboy Crew Departs, Five Beauties Send Off Sweetly," laden with insinuation.

However, sweetness was definitely absent from the scene. If looks had physical form, he might as well be skewered and ready for the barbecue right now.

Look at those women. Though all were dressed beautifully, their expressions told a different story. The mischievous glint Drew's eyes indicated trouble, Jennifer looked full of melancholy, Nicole's teasing demeanor had spilled over, while Elisabeth was acting indifferent but still stepped on toes, completely unaware of her high heels. And Julia -- what was with that expression? One moment looking resigned, the next moment filled with despair, then back to a carefree attitude, only to show a flicker of sadness -- was she trying to prove that she had the best acting chops among this group?

Though they came to send him off, it felt like the women had agreed to leave him hanging. They split into two groups to chat amongst themselves.

Eric could grasp why Aniston and Nicole were getting along so well; the tabloids had been all over their friendship. They were spotted shopping, dining together, and even had numerous photos snapped when Nicole visited the set of Friends.

Several newspapers credited Nicole's lead role in Sleepless in Seattle to Aniston's recommendation to her boyfriend. Nicole cleverly refrained from denying it. Naturally, Eric saw this as a plus since out of his current film leads, he found himself feeling the most "innocent" with Nicole due to their time together in the past.

It seemed that was why Aniston had become friends with Nicole. Eric even suspected the young starlet may have had ulterior motives in keeping her close, possibly out of fear of him straying.

As for the other three women, Eric found himself puzzled. They seemed quite familiar with each other. He knew Elisabeth and Julia well enough, but what was the deal with Drew?

After the agonizing wait of half an hour, the airport announcer's melodious voice finally declared that boarding had begun.

*****

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