With the full momentum of "Titanic" unfolding, the powerful effect of word-of-mouth finally exploded throughout North America!
Even long-established magazines like "The Village Voice", "The New Yorker", and "The New Republic", which are usually only interested in avant-garde, art, and independent films, have published articles commenting on this movie.
Of course, with the nature of this group of film critics, there was more criticism than praise. For example, they believed that the love between Jack and Rose was too idealized, the plot development was too dramatic, and the portrayal of humanity in the face of disaster was far from enough... In short, this was a fairy tale for adults.
However, everyone expressed their appreciation for Kate Winslet's performance.
Last year at the Oscars, Kate was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and Oscars for her role in Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility." And for the next Oscars, Kate Winslet has almost secured a nomination in advance.
Compared to the niche art film reviews, the mainstream newspapers' comments were overwhelmingly positive, with praise spreading like a virus to every corner of the United States.
Even in the face of the impact of "The Fifth Element," the momentum of "Titanic" was unstoppable, with daily box office exceeding 10 million US dollars.
Dunn even dared to assert that even if the scandals reported in the tabloids were not addressed, it would not affect the movie's box office trend.
"Titanic" was unstoppable!
However, a special report from the "Los Angeles Times" quickly caught Don's attention.
This was not a tabloid, nor a niche literary magazine, but a comprehensive newspaper with a wide audience!
And the interviewee in this report was also Don's old acquaintance - Jon Landau.
"Dunn Walker is a young man, yes, he is indeed very talented, but you have to know that he was only eighteen years old when he directed the movie last year! Can an eighteen-year-old child manage a crew of over a hundred people? In fact, he made a lot of jokes on set."
Jon Landau's remarks were groundless, basically openly smearing Don. He was almost certain that it was Don's behind-the-scenes tactics that forced him out of the "Titanic" crew. This was the shame of his life, and he naturally wanted to fight back!
Just yesterday, Jon Landau saw many magazines and newspapers publishing breaking news that Dunn and Kate lived together during the filming!
He didn't know about this news, but his guess was the same as Dunn's back then. Was it Universal, or Sony, or Warner Bros. who couldn't hold back and started to take action?
With the support of big companies like Universal and Sony behind the scenes, Jon Landau became bolder and felt that the opportunity had come. It was time for revenge!
So this interview from the "Los Angeles Times" came into being.
"In fact, we assigned five assistant directors and eight production assistants to Don... No, no, no, I'm certainly not denying Don's ability, but he's still a child after all, you know, children inevitably lack experience, knowledge, understanding, imagination, their dialogue design is simple, their shot design is impetuous..."
"Yes, everything in the crew was under James's control. After all, Dunn is not a producer, he is only responsible for a small part of the work... I can't say his work is not important, after all, the daily shooting schedule and work progress are controlled by him, aren't they? As for the important work, naturally there are more suitable people to be responsible."
"Kate? Oh, she is a very good actress, I will not spare any words of praise for her! But... you know, she is just an actress after all, in front of the director, she has no chance to refuse... Of course I tried to dissuade him, in fact, who in the whole crew didn't try to persuade him?"
"Dunn is young, at such an age to direct a movie like "Titanic", it is inevitable to be impetuous, unable to listen to advice, stubborn, and maverick. I deeply regret what happened to Kate, but I still have to say that Kate is innocent in this matter, and I hope it will not affect her engagement."
"I'm sorry, I really don't want to talk too much about Dunn and Kate, it's too unfair to Kate. I believe that with this lesson, Dunn can improve? The director's power is granted by the film company, and you can't use this power to seek personal gain, this is very unprofessional behavior."
"Oh, I really don't want to say more, in fact, I still appreciate Don, if he can have the courage to admit his mistakes, take responsibility, and get rid of bad habits, maybe in twenty or thirty years, he can really stand on his own and become an excellent director? But Don's personality... alas!"
Looking at the article in the newspaper, Dunn could even feel Jon Landau's "good intentions" of hating iron for not becoming steel.
"He really is a famous producer, to be able to contact such a major newspaper!" Dunn sneered and dialed Cameron's number. "Do you know about Jon Landau?"
Cameron was silent for a long time before sighing. "Don, I need to apologize to you."
Dunn said coldly, "James, we are friends, I don't need your apology, but your old buddy seems to have been targeting me?"
"Jon... is indeed a bit excessive." Cameron felt caught between the two, quite embarrassed.
Dunn didn't make things difficult for him, and said bluntly, "James, this has nothing to do with you, I'm just informing you, Jon Landau has provoked me!"
Let alone this being nonsense, even if everything Jon Landau said was true, it absolutely could not be exposed!
Hollywood's matters should be resolved within Hollywood, giving the outside world a reasonable explanation. Who would dare to truly reveal the dirty and ugly inside story?
Jon Landau's actions, let alone without the support of big companies like Universal and Warner Bros., even if there was, it was destined to be a case of everyone pushing against a falling wall.
This guy must have lost his mind!
Dunn called Bill Mechanic again. "Have you heard about Jon Landau?"
Bill Mechanic didn't hide his feelings and sincerely said, "Dunn, I'm very sorry about what happened between you and Kate. Tom just talked to me and has already given up control of the next two movies. This matter ends here. As for Jon Landau, Tom and I have the same attitude: for someone who disregards industry rules, we must come down hard!"
Dunn raised an eyebrow, realizing there was a lot of information packed into Bill's words.
His relationship with Kate being exposed was likely the result of power struggles among Fox Films' higher-ups. Now that Tom Rothman had backed down, Bill Mechanic didn't want to pursue the matter further.
After all, compared to the company's overall power, the minor reputations of two small individuals were insignificant.
It seemed that Tom Rothman had recognized the unstoppable momentum of *Titanic*, and felt that playing small tricks was no longer necessary.
And Jon Landau's nonsense in the *Los Angeles Times* was entirely his own doing, unrelated to Tom Rothman.
After all, Jon Landau's actions... broke the rules!
Every industry has its own rules, and Hollywood is no different!
The control that higher-ups exert over the lower ranks is Hollywood's biggest unspoken rule and the common interest that those at the top fiercely protect.
Anyone who dares to challenge the upper ranks faces a dead end!
In front of actors, directors and producers are absolute higher-ups.
It's just like Harvey Weinstein in the previous life, who harassed, manipulated, and assaulted actresses for decades. He was Hollywood's biggest casting couch predator, yet he was still treated like a god. Even when a woman occasionally stood up to accuse him, the accusations quickly disappeared without a trace.
Later, the scandal was fully exposed due to internal power struggles within the company, but what was the result?
All those who stood up to accuse Harvey Weinstein were third-rate, second-rate, and fading stars. Did any of the company's top executives, top agents, producers, directors, or top stars who held power in Hollywood step forward to accuse Harvey?
Because these people are a community of shared interests and would never undermine each other!
Although casting couch auditions are not as common as they were in the 60s and 70s, they are still beloved by many producers and directors, just in a different form.
For example... having a two-month-long romance with the leading actress? Traveling to Europe together? Going on a vacation at sea?
These are Hollywood's rules. When you're at the bottom, you're heavily oppressed, but once you reach the top, don't you still enjoy the privileges and authority of the higher-ups?
This is a Hollywood community!
Even a notorious scoundrel like Harvey Weinstein had to be protected, let alone a promising director like Dunn Walker who had only made a small mistake.
Jon Landau was deluded, thinking that by standing up for "lower rank" Kate Winslet, he could win the most and broadest sympathy, but he was gravely mistaken.
Because his target was "higher rank" director Dunn Walker. And behind Dunn stands a large group of shared interests!
Jon Landau wasn't just challenging Dunn; he was challenging all of Hollywood!
Otherwise, with the relationship between Cameron and Jon Landau, Cameron would surely have said something.
"Bill, I plan to have the core members of the crew appear on *The Tonight Show* to promote the movie," Dunn said with a cold smile.
Bill Mechanic readily agreed, "Sure, I'll arrange it right away. By tomorrow at the latest! Rest assured, this time, all of Hollywood is on your side!"