Hollywood (我就是好莱坞) Part I

CHAPTER 184- The Anti-War Theme

As more people were gathering at the party, Michael Eisner who had just stayed for about 10 minutes took his leave with the excuse of having other things to deal with . In this case, Eric needed to see him off .

"Eric, I hear that The Others has entered the main competition of the Venice Film Festival . Is that true?" Michael Eisner asked suddenly while waiting for the lift .

Eric nodded and replied："Yes . But this is, after all, a horror movie and there is little hope of winning a prize . It was sent to Venice just for the purpose of making it better known and this is helpful for its distribution in Europe . "

"However, I think that it is quite likely to win a prize, as long as the promotion gets right," said Michael Eisner . Then the lift opened and the two walked in .

"Right promotion?" Eric asked in confusion when pressing the lift button .

"Yes," answered Michael Eisner . "The Others is a horror film, but I believe it can present deeper meaning, such as the mankind's longing for life and fear of death, and a mother's deep love for her two children . Most importantly, the movie was set in a time after the Second World War ended . Then you can promote the film in the name of fighting against war . The aim is to show that war has done great harm to the mankind . It is because war has cast a lasting shadow on the heroine Grace that she has gone so far as to suffocate her two children madly . Now Europe is in turmoil and a slight move can lead to another conflict . In this case, if The Others presents the anti-war theme in promotion, and exerts a good influence as expected, then it will surely win a prize since the jury of the Venice Film Festival needs to show its stance . After all, films and politics are always linked with each other . "

"Experience truly counts," Eric thought to himself . He had been troubled by the fact that horror films were not favored by the judges of the film festival and had not tried to break a new path . "Thanks for your great advice, Mr . Eisner . I will soon ask others to deal with the promotion . "

If The Others just entered the competition without winning a prize, the impression on the movie fans would be less deep . Likewise, all paid great attention to Oscar-winning films while little attention was attracted to those Oscar-nominated movies that might be as outstanding as the winners .

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The lift sent the two to the underground parking lot and they walked towards Michael Eisner's car . Waiting there were his assistant and driver .

Michael got into the car but did not leave immediately . Instead, he beckoned Eric to get in as well .

After Eric sat by his side, Michael Eisner asked："Eric, how about cooperating with Disney next year?"

Eric was distracted for a moment . He had thought that Michael Eisner was going to talk about the two films shown today . Unexpectedly, Michael started to talk about the schedule of next year .

"Mr . Eisner, I am sorry that I cannot give you an immediate reply . Now I have been working smoothly with Fox . " Eric shook his head slightly and answered .

Michael Eisner could see that Eric did not tell the truth . Interests were always prioritized in their cooperation . If personal feelings were involved in the work, interests would be influenced and the relationship would break up eventually . Michael knew through his contact with Eric that Eric was by no means an emotional person .

"You don't need to reply immediately, Eric . You can take your time in thinking about my proposal . As for the two films shown today, Disney's profit division and offer will fully show our sincerity for cooperation . " Michael said and then stopped for a moment before continuing："I hear that Firefly will acquire the New Line Cinema to establish its own distribution channel . But I need to point out that Robert Shea will not do a good job in managing your company . I have met him several times and I feel that he is a control freak with no matching abilities . Moreover, he is not rational enough and his management seems too subjective . "