Chapter 165: Cannes Film Festival Arrangements

The Cannes Film Festival is a rigorously hierarchical cinematic event.

Stars of different calibers have their respective circles, media reporters with different backgrounds and credentials possess badges that represent varying levels of access, and guests of different types appear on the opening ceremony's red carpet in a clearly delineated order.

As the most anticipated main competition entry of this festival, the crew of "Pulp Fiction" arrived at the Cannes Palais des Festivals near the end of the red carpet ceremony. Even so, upon alighting from their vehicle, a staff member rushed over to ask Simon and his group to wait a moment.

After signing autographs for the screaming crowd on both sides of the entrance, the film crew was allowed to enter.

In the 1980s, the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet was just a short section at the entrance of the Palais, covering the twenty-four steps of glory. As Simon and others approached the media corridor from the roadside to the steps, the reporters on both sides erupted into frenzy.

Besides Simon and Janet, the "Pulp Fiction" crew included Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Madonna, Sean Penn, and Robert Redford, who had already walked the red carpet with the "Battle of the Beanfield" crew and came out specially for this event. Over half of the nine people were top-tier celebrities, drawing all eyes.

Most guests had entered before the red carpet ceremony, leaving the "Pulp Fiction" crew as the sole focus of the reporters on the media lane.

After posing for a while, Simon intended to move forward with Janet but was politely stopped by a staff member for more photos before they could finally ascend the steps of glory, followed by another photo session.

At the top of the steps for a group photo, Simon noticed the arrival of the main competition jury members at the end of the media lane, typically the last to walk the red carpet. Clearly, "Pulp Fiction" was scheduled as the second-to-last group.

Entering the Lumière theater, which could accommodate over two thousand people, the festival's opening ceremony began soon after.

Compared to the lively red carpet, the opening ceremony inside the Cannes Film Festival seemed lackluster.

The ceremony was hosted by French actress Mathilda May, whom Simon remembered for her role in the last part of Bigas Luna's "Iberian Trilogy."

The half-hour ceremony followed a fixed schedule, lacking the Oscars' casual and humorous tone, starting with formal opening remarks, followed by the introduction of the main competition jury members, a brief introduction, a dance performance, introduction of the nominated films, and then conclusion.

As Mathilda May in a blue evening gown began her closing speech, Janet, leaning on Simon, whispered, "How boring, Simon, do we really have to stay for the opening film?"

Simon nodded, "If you don't want to watch, you can go back first."

Janet snuggled closer, "I'll stay with you, of course."

After the ceremony, some guests usually chose to leave early.

However, Simon decided to stay for the opening film after seeing its information.

The opening film was "The Big Blue" directed by Luc Besson. In the original timeline, "The Big Blue" was one of France's most successful films of the 1980s, running in theaters for a year, a testament to its excellence.

Simon had also seen this film in his previous life through a pirated DVD and liked it very much. Now, with the chance to see it on the big screen, he wouldn't miss it.

Knowing Simon planned to watch the opening film, the rest of the crew also stayed with interest.

After a brief intermission, the film screening began.

"The Big Blue" had two storylines: the competition between two top divers played by Jean Reno and Jean-Marc Barr, and the romantic plot between Jean-Marc Barr and Rosanna Arquette's characters.

In Simon's view, the story's focus was actually on Jacques, played by Jean-Marc Barr, a man obsessed with the sea and dolphins who ultimately decides to return to the ocean, forsaking everything else.

Inside the theater, Simon quickly became engrossed in the film's beautiful seascapes. After a while, he noticed Janet had unconsciously clung to his arm, a habitual gesture he didn't mind.

However, as the film progressed to the latter half, during a phone call between the separated protagonists, when Jacques shared a story about encountering a mermaid, Simon finally noticed Janet's unusual behavior.

"Do you know how to meet a mermaid? You have to dive to the bottom of the sea, where the water is bluer. There, the blue sky becomes a memory, lying in silence, you decide to stay there, with a resolve to die, and then the mermaids appear. They come to greet you, to test your love. If your love is sincere enough, pure enough, they will accept you and take you away forever..."

As this prophetic dialogue ended, Simon heard a trembling voice beside him: "Simon, I want to go home."

Turning his head, Simon saw Janet, usually carefree and slightly crazy, with tears streaming down her face.

Immediately setting aside the movie, Simon took a handkerchief from her purse to wipe her face, and without hesitation said, "Okay, let's go back."

Nicole Kidman, sitting on the other side of Janet, noticed her distress and quickly made way for them. Simon, with Janet clinging tightly to his arm, left the hall and got into their car. Patting Janet, who was snuggled against him like a kitten, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Janet looked up, not answering his question but instead asking, "Simon, you'll never leave me, right?"

Simon nodded immediately: "Of course."

Janet's gaze still held worry as she said, "Actually, you and Jacques from the movie are quite similar, that kind of alienation from the world. I'm afraid that one day you'll lose interest in everything and just disappear."

Simon shook his head with a smile, "How could that happen? I've made so much money, and I don't even have an heir yet. How could I just disappear?"

Janet paused, then said, "I saw some documents in your study the other day."

"What?" Simon was puzzled. "I usually keep a lot of things in my study."

"It's about... about a will. You've made a will, haven't you?"

"Isn't that what many people do? Just in case," Simon didn't deny it and leaned his head against her soft hair, "If I suddenly die, you'll become the richest young widow in the world. Hey, let's discuss it in advance, you can date women then, but please don't go for pretty boys; otherwise, I'd be really embarrassed."

Ignoring Simon's joke, Janet raised her voice slightly, "I don't want your money."

Simon quickly hugged Janet again, softly patting her waist, "Jenny, you're really overthinking it. Well, maybe some of your guesses aren't wrong. But, um, if you want a story, my spaceship is broken, and Earth's technology can't fix it, so I guess I'll have to stay here forever and ever."

Carrying too much that a young person of his age shouldn't possess, Simon knew that with Janet's intelligence, after spending so much time together, she must have made many guesses. He just didn't expect her to react to a movie like this tonight.

Hearing Simon's words, Janet's breathing eased a bit, and she hugged him tighter, "Simon, I love you. No one in this world loves you more than I do."

"I know."

"But you don't believe in love."

"I do. I just never thought a girl would fall in love with me," Simon smiled, "I'm quite selfish. Remember that interesting question, between the person you love and the person who loves you, whom would you choose to spend your life with? I would choose the latter. So, as long as you don't run away from me, I'm sure I'll stick with you for life."

Janet softened further, leaning weakly against Simon, whispering, "You can come to Jenny's room tonight, she likes you too."

"I know, so I kept her close. Am I terrible?"

"Yes," Janet nodded vigorously, hugging Simon's arm tighter, "But you have to promise never to leave me."

"I promise."

Janet paused, opened her mouth as if to say something more, but ultimately swallowed her words.

Jennifer hadn't joined everyone for the opening ceremony. When Simon and Janet returned to their mansion in Le Cannet, their female assistant was sitting alone in the spacious, almost empty hall, silently organizing some documents.

Upon their entrance, seeing Janet's state, Jennifer immediately stood up with concern, asking, "What happened?"

Janet didn't answer, and Simon said with a smile, "She got too caught up in the movie and cried."

Hearing Simon's casual tone, Jennifer gave him a light glare, pulled Janet to sit on the sofa, and said, "Ms. Pascal just sent some faxes from New York about those reality shows. I've organized them already."

Simon nodded, took the neatly stacked faxes from Jennifer, and sat down on the adjacent sofa, casually chatting with the two women while browsing the documents.

The Hollywood writers' strike was ongoing, but the May TV pitching season arrived as scheduled. Although this year's season was bound to end quietly, the necessary procedures were still in place.

While Simon was in Cannes, Amy took the four reality shows that Danerys Productions had been developing for months to New York. Considering the time difference, although it was already past 9 p.m. in Cannes, it was not yet 4 p.m. in New York, still within working hours.

Originally, Simon planned to return to the U.S. after the opening ceremony and the premiere of "Pulp Fiction."

However, the schedule didn't allow for it.

The Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony was on May 11th, today. The premiere of "Pulp Fiction" was scheduled by the organizers for May 15th, the festival's first weekend. If that were all, Simon could have left on Monday after confirming any awards for "Pulp Fiction" and then come back.

But after the premiere of "Pulp Fiction," he also had to attend the Cannes premiere of Robert Redford's "Battle of the Beanfield" on May 17th, a commitment he couldn't avoid.

Then, on May 19th, was the Cannes premiere of "When Harry Met Sally," which, although its overseas rights were sold to Disney, was still a production of Danerys Productions. It would be damaging to the company's reputation to sell the rights and then disengage completely.

After May 19th, another weekend followed, and since not everyone could work through the weekend, returning to the U.S. wasn't feasible.

The closing ceremony was on May 23rd, a Monday, so Simon eventually decided to stay until the end of the festival. This was also why he had bought a house in Cannes in advance; if it were just for a few days, there would be no need for such arrangements, but for two weeks, he didn't want to stay in a hotel.

From May 11th to May 23rd, including travel time, this took up most of May. Unable to return to the U.S., the promotion of the reality shows was left to Amy, whom Simon trusted completely in business operations.

Moreover, Simon had promised Amy a 5% net profit share of the company. If he had to personally oversee everything, that money would be wasted.

Reviewing the documents from Amy, two of the four reality shows garnered interest from major TV networks: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Survivor." Simon wasn't surprised, as these two were the most popular reality shows in the U.S. in the 1990s and initiated the reality TV craze among American TV stations.

The other two shows had fewer interested parties. Simon admired the networks' discernment, as these shows were indeed less successful in their original timeline: "Big Brother," which wasn't as successful as the first two, and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," a cable TV program that was part of a successful "Real Housewives" franchise, though only "Beverly Hills" stood out in Simon's memory.

The reason for this selection ultimately came down to Simon's inability to resist adding a bit of his own twist.

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