After ordering a simple cup of coffee, Ronald and Antonia sat down and started chatting. Time seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, and it did not move at all on the two of them. It seemed that Ronald and Antonia were still together yesterday.
Talking on Staten Island, the two only temporarily separated for a few days and continued on the streets of Paris.
Everything is so natural.
"Why are you in Paris? I have seen many of your movies, and they are very good." After chatting about some old things, Antonia took a sip of coffee and asked Ronald how he was doing.
"I'm here to talk about cooperating in a new film, and I'm going to visit my friend's class. They are filming locations in Paris. Have you seen all my movies? Which one do you like best?"
"My favorite part of The Dragon King is the second one. The Japanese girl's dream is the dream of all ballet dancers. But I guess you don't watch the New York City Ballet's performances very much..."
"Uh...", Ronald felt something strange. In the sequel to The Dragon King, he used footage of Antonia in "Famous". The heroine Kumiko was also a poor child who dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer.
…
As for the performance of the New York Ballet, I have never gone to see it. Maybe I have subconsciously avoided this question? In fact, movies are popular art, and it is normal for Antonia to have seen them, but she has not gone to see a niche such as ballet.
Art is also normal.
Strangely, Ronald felt that such a conversation was not awkward. Instead, he was like an old best friend whom he hadn't seen for many years, chatting about many things after separation, including some very personal issues.
For example, why did Antonia suddenly resign and come to Europe? She was making very rapid progress in the New York City Ballet. If Balanchine had not passed away, she might have been able to reach the position of principal in a few years. But this kind of leapfrog promotion also
This aroused the collective jealousy of the other dancers.
After being ganged up on by other female ballet dancers, only one clarinetist was still kind to her, her current boyfriend Gerhardt. Originally, when performing "The Nutcracker" on stage, the classic Candy Fairy variation
The part is the main melody of the clarinet solo.
The two were close friends in art, and their dancing and playing complemented each other perfectly. After Antonia completely lost the chance to compete for the premiership, she went to the European continent to look for opportunities.
After consideration, Gerhard finally decided to come to Europe with Antonia and find a new job. You must know that in a general symphony orchestra, the position of the clarinet is not as important as that of a ballet orchestra.
Ronald took a sip of the coffee, which was a bit bitter. He took two sugar cubes and added them to it. He looked at Antonia and asked, "I want to ask you a question. How did you make sure he was the right person?"
"It's actually very simple. After I decided to go to Europe, I thought I would say goodbye to him. But in those two days, I always felt that something important was missing, which seemed to have a great impact on my life and destiny. It just so happened that he also
When he came to me, he felt the same way, so all subsequent decisions were very easy. We sold the car, returned the rented house, bought two plane tickets, and went to London first.
But he had better luck in London than I did, and I didn't get a chance at the ballet company there."
"What if you find a job in Paris? What will you two do?"
"We will find a way, maybe we can't? I plan to go to London first, work as a ballet teacher for a period of time, and then continue to apply for other ballet companies to try my luck." When Antonia said this, the smile on her face gave people
A feeling of ease.
"Maybe you still have a chance. When I was a director selecting roles, sometimes I didn't give the admission notice right away..."
Ronald did not mention the donation to the National Ballet in London, and neither did Antonia. This promise from that year transcends their relationship today.
Antonia finished her coffee and expressed that she would continue to prepare the materials for the next application. Ronald did not stay with her, but just handed over his contact information, "When you and the lucky guy settle down in London, give me
Just give me a call and we can find time to get together when I come to London or you go back to New York."
"I will." Antonia accepted the business card, opened her bag, took out her wallet and put it away. Then the two hugged, and she turned and left.
"One more thing," Ronald hesitated again and again. Finally, seeing Antonia about to leave, he couldn't help it anymore and asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time.
"If I had gone back to find you..." Ronald recalled that time, he also had the feeling that a person's destiny was about to change, but at that time...
"But you didn't..."
Antonia smiled. At that time, both of them felt that career was the most important thing in life. She stepped forward and hugged Ronald again, and then kissed him tenderly on the face, "Neither did I..."
…
Antonia has been gone for a long time, and Ronald is still sitting on a chair in the Café de Flore, lost in thought. Those choices he thought were right in the past now seem to be not completely costless.
But what is slightly comforting is that Ronald finally found a breakthrough in the knotty knot in the script: the reason why Harry changed his mind and proposed to Sally. People often only discover the value they once had after losing it.
He asked the waiter for a pen and started writing on the napkin.
Ronald wrote about the rise, and after half an hour, three large napkins were filled with words. At this time, a sweaty young man with a crooked suit that was out of shape and full of wrinkles was pulling a large trolley suitcase.
He ran in. He looked around and came towards Ronald.
"Ronald!"
"Huh?" Ronald looked up.
The visitor was none other than the agent Richard. He didn't bother to sit down, but stood beside the table and asked, "Ronald... where is Antonia?"
"How did you know I was here?" Ronald put away the napkin with the script written on it and pulled out a chair for Richard. This guy seemed to have been on a plane trip and his hair was messy.
This chapter is not over yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "McPike called Niceta. I found out when I hung up the phone with Niceta at the airport. Why isn't Antonia here?"
"She's gone. What, do you want to sign her agency contract?"
"You didn't...?" Richard took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat beads that were constantly flowing due to nervousness and running.
"Nothing?" Ronald smiled, "We have finished what we need to talk about... You sit down for a while and I will ask the waiter to give you a cup of iced coffee..."
"Huh..." Richard took a deep breath and sat down on the small chair in the Café de Flore. He used too much force and pushed the not-so-firm chair back.
He slid out, and under the influence of inertia, he staggered and almost sat on the ground.
"Be careful." Ronald quickly grabbed him. Richard had no strength left in his body. "You go to the hotel to have a rest first. I just want to leave..."
…
A crackling sound sounded in Ronald's hotel room. He asked the hotel to borrow a typewriter and began to rewrite the messy records on the napkin onto the paper.
After Sally's ex-boyfriend got married, Harry went to comfort her, and they went to bed smoothly. But the next day, Harry still treated Sally as a friend, got dressed, and left as usual. He thought he had finally found true love.
Sally was very unhappy. She thought that the two of them could start their relationship from now on.
After Harry left, Sally didn't even want to be friends. Harry also thought that the two parties could return to the position of friends. The two parties had a big fight at the wedding of their mutual friends Mary and Jesse. Harry finally understood.
For women, there is always a man in a special position. I was right when I said that friends of the opposite sex can only take many steps back.
After writing three full pages, Ronald got up to rest. The preparation for the reversal in the last scene was completed. All he had to do was find an opportunity for Harry to change and go back to find Sally.
"Ding dong..."
The doorbell rang. It was Richard who came over to find Ronald after taking a rest.
"Have you rested?" Ronald asked.
"I'm fine. It's just a long journey and no rest..." Richard's worries were gone. Now the alarm about his most important client's seizure was lifted. After a few hours of rest, he felt refreshed again.
"Why are you coming here in such a hurry? Just wait in London. I have to go back soon." Ronald didn't quite understand.
"I'm just too worried. You suddenly flew to Europe. Rick (Nisita) and I were both worried about what you would do without careful consideration." Richard already knew that Ronald had returned to normal.
, so he also expressed his agent’s concerns.
"This is not normal. I am an artist first..." Ronald finally understood why those artists who are good at expressing emotions through various methods and conveying them to the audience must first be a sensitive person. Without feelings
ability, it is even less likely to resonate with the audience.
"Well," Richard said to himself, your talent as a businessman is not bad. "From an artist's point of view, you have lost a muse. But this may be a good thing. Many famous directors in Hollywood use this
opportunity to successfully create the most satisfying work."
Richard and the others didn't want Ronald to stop at all. He was an artist who was passionate about beautiful girls and was often an artist with a strong desire for expression.
"Annette Bening is filming in Paris. She has repeatedly expressed that she wants you to visit her. She misses you very much. Are you interested in meeting her? It's at the Palace of Versailles."
"I actually don't want to..." Ronald felt that Richard cared too much about him.
"Um...she is also starring in a movie adapted from the play 'Dangerous Liaisons'. I have heard a lot of rumors that it is even more exciting than Michelle Pfeiffer's movie, and it is more faithful to the original work and drama." Richard
Seeing that Ronald didn't seem to be very interested, De quickly recommended, "Annette plays the Marquise de Merteuil, the badass woman whose looks make men fascinated."
"Maybe next time." What Ronald had just experienced made him temporarily uninterested in this matter.
"The director is Milos Forman. He has won the Best Director Oscar twice for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and Mozart. This adaptation was produced and distributed by Orion. They are a rare director-led production company.
Film producers, compared to the Warner Bros.-led 'Dangerous Liaisons', many people who visited the studio said that the costumes and casting were better."
Ronald actually believed that Milos Forman was a Czech. His view of the European costumes at that time was definitely closer to historical facts than the exaggerated Hollywood style in "Dangerous Liaisons".
It can also be seen from the casting that Annette Bening plays a seductive lady who sows discord among men, and she is obviously more convincing than Glenn Gross, who is already a bit old.
"Is director Milos Forman available? I would like to chat with him for a few words and then observe his directing method. I wonder if he is willing."
Ronald's biggest regret is that he has never worked with these directors who are famous for drama and performance, and closely observed their methods of guiding actors. There is always a lot of useful inspiration in observing other people's methods.
"Milos Forman? No problem, I'll contact him right away." Richard immediately ran back to the room to contact Niceta in Los Angeles.
…
"Hello, Director Foreman, I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet you."
Niceta used his best ability to quickly arrange a meeting between Ronald and Milos Forman. The movie he made based on "Dangerous Liaisons" is called "Valmont", which is directly based on the Warner version of John.
Named after Malkovich's character.
"Ha, Ronald. I didn't expect you to be in Paris too. It would be great to have a colleague from Hollywood come over to meet me."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Milos Forman behaved like a gentleman, and he also participated in the investment of this movie. Since he was on vacation in London, he was dragged there by a friend
After watching the drama "Dangerous Relationships" starring Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman, he was deeply attracted by this strange story.
At that time, Warner Bros. was already negotiating to change the rights. He directly found Orion. With his history of winning the best picture for Orion with "Mozart", he quickly obtained investment. He started from scratch and made another film.
"I heard Alan (Rickman) talk about you. He said that he was very lucky to meet you in his first movie in Hollywood. Without you, he would not have become a Hollywood actor."
"Ha, it should be said that I was lucky to meet him. Film directors are like this. We cannot discover the chemical reaction between actors during rehearsals and rehearsals. Many times, casting depends on intuition and luck." Ronald and Milos
Foreman walked and talked in the Palace of Versailles.
"That's very well said. Movies are really a magical art..." Milos Forman admired Ronald quite a lot. His agent told him that Ronald was not only a director of commercial films, but also invested a lot of money himself.
Project, for a director like Forman who spares no effort in making movies, it is very important to have an investor friend who understands the director.
"I have a little question. If you don't think it's appropriate, you don't have to answer it." Ronald walked slowly, and Richard, who was following him, automatically fell several steps behind, allowing him and director Foreman to
Talk about something personal.
Milos Forman made an invitation gesture, and the two of them walked into the corner of the palace, and the front led to the lounge.
"I heard that Warner Bros.'s movie with the same script change has been completed and is in post-production. Aren't you afraid of conflicting with their themes? According to the usual schedule, your movies will be released next year..." Ronald was curious in his heart.
What confidence does Foreman have that he will be able to suppress the opponent's box office?
"We are actually not shooting the same movie. You saw the name of my movie is Valmont. I want to make a real love story between the nobles of the country. This is not a Hollywood adultery and conspiracy movie, but a Hollywood movie about adultery and conspiracy.
It expresses the real emotional world of human beings. Valmont is not a simple Don Juan-like playboy, he has his own emotions and persistence..."
Ronald nodded while listening, sighing in his heart, these artists... No, we artists really like this kind of works that explore human nature and love.
But... can ordinary audiences appreciate such a complex story equally? Maybe the two-time Oscar winner for Best Director knows better than me.
Ronald did not presume to judge this "Valmont" this time, because Milos Forman's first two works that won Oscars were actually pretty good at the box office, and they are typical movies that win both art and box office.
.
"Let me tell you something, I have done research on the costumes in this movie. They are fully in line with the attire of the Parisian upper class at that time. They are not the Hollywood clichés of corsets and bustles..."
Milos Forman clearly knew something about Warner Bros.' "Dangerous Liaisons," where Michelle Pfeiffer dressed like a British Victorian woman, almost identical to Glenn Gross's character.
Not very pretty.
"Look, that's Annette's costume, Annette... I'll introduce you to a director." Milos Forman saw Annette Bening in the lounge and called her over.
"Ah ha, Ronald, you finally came to see me. I'm so happy to see you." Annette Bening pulled up her skirt, ran over quickly, and made a performative salute gesture, and then suddenly
into Ronald's arms.
Annette Bening is wearing a bright green dress. The low-cut skirt is not as restrictive as the last Warner version. There are gorgeous lace decorations on the arms, red hair tied up high, and an equally bright green hair on her swan-like neck.
A colorful necklace and low-key yet sexy large pearl earrings on her ears.
Ronald immediately sensed Bening's "enthusiasm". He looked at Milos Forman, who gave him an appreciative look in return that said, "A good boy, like a great director."
Ronald also responded with a look, "You are still an old man who knows how to play, and this costume makes people very excited."
The two directors burst out laughing, making Annette Bening stunned for a moment.
"Anyway, I'm glad you came to see me." Annette Bening quickly returned to normal, took Ronald's arm, walked with him forward, and then turned to Milos Forman
He said, "Director Foreman, could you lend me Rona for a while?
"Is this your first time coming to the Palace of Versailles?" Bening said like a gentle woman.
"No, another movie was shot here last time, and I came to see it too."
"The one with Michelle Pfeiffer, right? I know they were filming here, and we were the ones behind it."
"You and she are not playing the same role. She is playing a chaste virgin..." Ronald saw that Annette Bening meant to compare.
"So do you prefer a chaste woman or a slut?" Bening raised his head, with a smile on his face that invited you to explore more, and lightly licked his lips with his tongue.
"I like all the roles that make you stand out."
"Ah ha ha ha..." Bening smiled with joy. Ronald really understood the needs of actresses. It would be great if she could continue to get benefits from him.
"Who plays Valmont in this movie?" Ronald remembered and asked Bening.
"A young British actor named Colin Firth."
"New actor?" Ronald thought to himself that the director is really a talented person and bold, since Warner is full of big-name stars.
"Who plays the virginal Lady Tourville?"
"This is a close relative of the director. She was previously preparing to play the role of an actress in the Biography of Mozart. Unfortunately, she broke her leg while playing football the day before filming started. It was very embarrassing to change actors at short notice. However, she liked the director very much, so she was cast again this time.
She's here..." Annette Bening was unhappy when she thought of this Bichi. She was not as good-looking as herself, but she had more roles than herself.
"Huh? What's her name?" Ronald heard this story and wondered why it looked so similar...
"Meg Tilly is the wife of a Hollywood producer. Do female stars with producer boyfriends have better luck?" Annette Bening began to hint wildly.
"Um..." Ronald felt that Paris was a strange place. Why were all his ex-girlfriends gathering here?