[Chapter 357: Liv Tyler]
Ring, ring!
The phone on the desk rang; it was Woody Allen, the director and lead actor of Mighty Aphrodite, calling. Woody was dissatisfied with the box office performance of his film and urged Harvey to take bold actions by ramping up promotion and expanding the movie's release. The quality of Mighty Aphrodite was too high to settle for just a mediocre box office, especially not to be overshadowed by that lousy sequel, Paranormal Activity 2.
"Woody, I want Mighty Aphrodite to sell more tickets too, but the first-week box office numbers are disappointing, and we are confirmed to be running at a loss. Blindly expanding the promotional scale might make the box office figures prettier, but it will lead to bigger losses for the company -- and that's just not worth it," Harvey calmly advised.
"Why not consider other options? As long as that horrendous Paranormal Activity 2 suffers a bit at the box office, ours will naturally see improvements," Woody shot back.
"I've considered that too, but Guess Pictures has substantial funding and is masters at publicity. Miramax alone can't affect the box office performance of this movie," Harvey replied with a sense of helplessness.
"Damn it! That lousy Guess Pictures just pumps out junk films. Back in the '40s and '50s, these movies wouldn't have even made it to screens," Woody exclaimed angrily.
Hearing Woody's outburst sparked a flicker of excitement in Harvey; he could tell Woody Allen was just as frustrated with Guess Pictures as he was. Woody was a mastermind in cinema, possessing substantial connections in Hollywood, and was one of the most influential figures in independent film, rivaling the likes of Spielberg.
If Woody were willing to get involved and help take down Guess Pictures and Link, it would make navigating many future challenges much easier.
Harvey quickly echoed Woody's sentiments, lambasting Guess Pictures and Link, stating the rise of Guess Pictures seriously disrupted Hollywood's traditional order and diminished the art of filmmaking, allowing bad films to thrive while good ones struggled to make a profit. He also pointed out that this rise harmed the Jewish community, who were losing their foothold in Hollywood.
He planned to unify others from the community to eliminate this threat and hoped for Woody's support.
After thinking it over, Woody agreed to help reach out to his contacts but insisted that Miramax continue to promote Mighty Aphrodite. He didn't want to see its box office at such pitiful levels.
Harvey happily agreed.
...
"Woody is actually going to help?" Bob, leaning over his desk, asked excitedly.
"Yes, the more successful Guess Pictures becomes, the more filmmakers they offend, and the more enemies they create. That's good news for us," Harvey replied with a grin as he picked up the phone to call Ron Meyer at Universal Pictures, Barry Diller at 20th Century Fox, Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz at Disney, as well as Jewish executives at Paramount and Warner Bros.
...
In the Big Seven studios of Hollywood, there was an unwritten rule that if a company was controlled by Jewish individuals, the president would usually not be Jewish. Conversely, if the controlling powers were non-Jewish, they often appointed a Jewish president to maintain balance.
For instance, Sumner Redstone, the owner behind Paramount Pictures, was a third-generation Jewish immigrant, while president Sherry Lansing was not, but the company's governance adhered to Redstone's instructions.
Rupert Murdoch, not Jewish, became the president of the Fox Film Corporation after acquiring it in 1984, hiring Jewish executive Barry Diller as head.
Originally, Disney operated similarly. Founders Walt and Roy Disney were not Jewish and were rumored to have a disdainful attitude towards that group. When Walt died in 1966, the Disney family took over most of Disney's shares. It was not until the 1970s, when they faced severe losses competing against other major film companies, that they hired Jewish executive Michael Eisner to manage the company. Eisner then diluted the Disney family's stock holdings while consolidating his own and the backing Jewish consortium's stakes; acquisition of Miramax Films was also one of the important measures to further dilute the non-Jewish shares within Disney.
Conflicts within Disney's board were, in fact, conflicts between capital and community interests. Eisner recruited Ovitz to Disney for the sake of leveraging his network to expand Jewish influence. The conservative faction within Disney noted Ovitz's ambiguous stance and hoped to utilize him against Eisner.
The situations at Warner Bros. and Universal were quite similar, as was the case with Columbia Pictures. While Columbia's boss was Sony, which was increasingly reliant on America in many sectors, Columbia couldn't afford to ignore the landowners' opinions for establishing itself in Hollywood.
...
Given the immense power of the Jewish consortium in Hollywood, Harvey took the initiative to connect with Meyer and others, hoping they could unite against Guess Pictures.
If everyone joined forces against Guess Pictures and Link, they could defeat them within a year. Once Guess Pictures collapsed, Harvey's position in Hollywood would naturally rise, giving him a great chance to surpass Link and ascend to the throne of Hollywood.
That was his goal.
However, two concerns troubled him. The first was that the relationships among Jewish factions weren't particularly harmonious, often marked by conflicts of interests and ideology, making it challenging to achieve unity against Link. The second was that the investors behind Guess Pictures, like Vanguard Capital and J.P. Morgan, also belonged to the Jewish consortium. Persuading them to abandon profits and collaborate to crush Guess Pictures would be difficult.
Yet, in pursuit of greater power, Harvey pushed himself to have the courage to highlight the risks his community faced in Hollywood, aiming to unite them against Guess Pictures and Link.
...
"Harvey, you articulate your thoughts well, and have foresight too. Yet, these points were mentioned by Michael before, which is one reason we are willing to partner with him to suppress Guess Pictures," Ron Meyer said over the phone. "We know Link has disrupted Hollywood's traditional order and is encroaching on our community's interests, and we recognize the urgency to prevent Guess Pictures from expanding further. However, we need solutions, not reminders. What solutions do you propose for tackling the steady box office success of Guess Pictures' films and their grab of market share?"
Harvey frowned upon hearing this. "We are many; united we can monopolize the market. Toppling Guess Pictures shouldn't be too hard."
"We've attempted that strategy many times and have failed just as often, which illustrates its ineffectiveness. Including exploiting gossip about Link failed to bear fruit, so I hope you can provide a more constructive approach," Meyer replied.
Harvey pondered. "What I mean is a real coalition. The Big Seven studios should stop infighting and unite to take down Guess Pictures. As long as we can achieve that, dismantling Guess Pictures should be straightforward."
"We cannot do that; we mustn't. The Big Seven studios don't genuinely belong to us, neither do the audiences. We lack an overwhelming advantage in the Hollywood film industry. Should we attempt such a thing, even if we succeeded, we would draw the enmity of all communities, and at that point, we would truly lose Hollywood," Meyer clarified.
Harvey frowned upon realizing his approach was overly extreme and lacking consideration.
"Harvey, your insight into Guess Pictures' dangers and your initiative to contact others to combat them is excellent. Still, we should be cautious and not act rashly against Guess Pictures. Last summer, winter, and this summer, the Big Seven studios attempted to jointly confront Guess Pictures, but we failed continuously. Did you think the failures were due to Michael Ovitz's incompetence, or that the Big Seven studios weren't united?" Meyer asked gravely.
Harvey paused, realizing the truth. Previously, he and many others saw Ovitz's attempts to cooperate with Paramount to promote The Firm, which ended in failure, and he deemed Ovitz ineffective, thinking he held the cards but couldn't play them. Later, Ovitz partnered again with the Big Seven studios to strike against Guess Pictures during the summer and winter seasons, ultimately failing as well. He too joined others in mocking Ovitz's ineptitude and chided the Big Seven for their disunion.
Looking back on it now, it was not so. The Big Seven had considerable power when they partnered against Guess Pictures that summer. If it had been against Miramax or any of the Big Seven, it would have led to severe losses and even bankruptcy.
The real reason the Big Seven failed was not their unity but rather the sheer strength of Guess Pictures' output. For instance, this summer, even though the Big Seven battled Guess Pictures, they succeeded in holding their ground. Unfortunately, independent studios like Miramax encountered disastrous results, with all their summer releases tanking completely.
This illustrated the terrifying strength of the fight between the Big Seven and Guess Pictures.
Realizing this, Harvey felt an inner shame, "Ron, I understand. Thank you for your advice."
"Don't mention it. Taking down Guess Pictures is our collective goal; no one wants to see their box office taken by them. However, in conflict, we mustn't rush in without strategy," Meyer advised, outlining their plan. Currently, this wasn't the right time to confront Guess Pictures; they should wait until the company faces setbacks and becomes weaker before launching a surprise attack, ensuring a decisive blow.
Harvey asked what they would do if, in the coming years, Guess Pictures continued to thrive without faltering, turning into Hollywood's dominant force. What would they do then if they wanted to confront them?
Meyer reassured him not to worry; the capital consortium also strived to gain control of Guess Pictures. As long as they acquired most shares, even if Guess Pictures prospered, it would still mean profits for everyone.
Harvey inquired what if Link refused to hand control of Guess Pictures to the Jewish consortium. Meyer scoffed, stating that Link would have no choice but to agree.
Harvey nodded, anticipating seeing Guess Pictures under their control.
...
After hanging up, Harvey remained troubled. Although Ron Meyer had assured him that the Jewish consortium was confident in managing Guess Pictures, he knew it was a long-term process -- perhaps five years, maybe ten, similar to how Michael Eisner took two decades for full control over Disney.
In the future, the Jewish consortium might absorb Guess Pictures, but it would take ages. Miramax didn't have that luxury of time. The films Miramax had participated in producing this year, aside from The Butterfly Effect, had all flopped, displeasing their parent company Disney.
If Miramax couldn't turn a profit in the film market in the next three years, there was a real risk they'd end up fully absorbed like Castle Rock Entertainment, leading to both him and Bob being ousted from management by Disney.
This issue directly impacted the company's survival and his career's future, thus requiring serious attention. But facing a ten-billion-dollar mogul and a strong Guess Pictures, how was he to defeat such an opponent?
---
On its second week, Paranormal Activity 2 grossed $29.92 million from 3,239 theaters in North America, maintaining the box office champion position.
In second place was MGM's newly released comedy, Get Shorty, which opened in 1,673 theaters and made $22.70 million during its first week.
In third was Powder, bringing in $8.37 million this week, with a cumulative total of $15.62 million.
Fourth was Copycat with $5.62 million, totaling $12.77 million over two weeks.
Woody Allen's art film, Mighty Aphrodite, earned $1.25 million this week in 287 theaters, with a total of $2.01 million over two weeks, placing seventh -- fewer earnings than the eight-week run of Sense and Sensibility.
Paranormal Activity 2 achieved consecutive weekly championship, with a North American box office total of $70.59 million. Its production cost-to-revenue ratio reached 23 times, making it undoubtedly a box office dark horse of the fall season.
...
Media analysis concluded three reasons for the film's success: First, the immense fame of the original film, which grossed over $600 million globally while pioneering the "mockumentary" genre, created a massive hype for its sequel upon release.
Second, Guess Pictures invested over $20 million in promotional efforts, securing a simultaneous launch of Paranormal Activity 2 in over 3,000 theaters -- larger than several major summer releases.
Thirdly, October was off-peak, with few commercial blockbusters debuting concurrently, leading to less competition, while the sequel excelled in production quality, establishing it as a top-notch thriller.
...
Total Film magazine praised Paranormal Activity 2 for its success, claiming it was a film that led to despair among the Big Seven studios.
In this summer season, in attempts to team up, the Big Seven studios launched several blockbuster commercial films, only causing Guess Pictures' films like The Butterfly Effect, The Shawshank Redemption, and To Die For to underperform, particularly with The Butterfly Effect -- notably one of Link's films with the second-lowest box office returns.
Without suppression, its North American earnings were projected above $200 million. As autumn arrived, the Big Seven studios struggled to maintain momentum, allowing Guess Pictures to step in and release Sense and Sensibility and Paranormal Activity 2 consecutively.
The previous week, thanks to its good reputation, it grossed over $50 million in North America, tripling its earnings. The latter grossed over $70 million within two weeks, would be surpassing the $100 million mark in North America effortlessly.
Faced with this situation, the Big Seven were powerless to seize box office revenues. They could only watch helplessly as Guess Pictures continued to grow stronger and watched Link earn significant profits in the market.
Total Film magazine concluded with sensationalism, stating that the Big Seven studios faced the most severe situation in history, and if they could not reverse this disadvantage in the next five years, at least two of them would be on the brink of bankruptcy.
...
The Business Daily similarly reported that the formidable rise of Guess Pictures intensified competition within the film industry, driving the market into chaos. The stress on industry professionals was higher than in previous years, with layoffs correlated with financial issues in film companies increasing by 4.1% compared to the same period, and this figure was on the rise.
...
Woody Allen recently discussed the current state of American cinema during an appearance on an ABC talk show with producer Larry David.
Allen expressed disappointment with contemporary American films, remarking that nearly all movies chased money. In pursuit of high box office, film companies shamelessly catered to the market and audiences, generating numerous popcorn flicks.
Although these films performed well at the box office, they neglected the most precious artistic, educational, and societal qualities of cinema, sinking into vulgarity, immaturity, and superficiality.
Such actions corroded the foundation of cinematic art; if changes didn't occur, American films would decline and fall behind European cinema that held fast to artistic values.
"Allen, are you implying that the box office champion, Paranormal Activity 2, is among those bad films?" the host chuckled.
Woody replied, shrugging, "I haven't seen Paranormal Activity 2, but I've heard from reliable reviewers that it's not worth my time, and the term bad film isn't specifically directed at Paranormal Activity 2 but rather at this genre of commercial films lacking artistic merit."
"Haha, Link probably won't be too pleased with that assessment," producer Larry David joked.
"No worries, I had a chat with Link at the Venice Film Festival. He is a very talented director; it's just a pity he places too much importance on money, wasting his talent. If my critique leads him to focus more on the film's artistry rather than its commercialism, even if he resents me for it, I still consider it a meaningful critique," Woody stated sincerely.
Applause erupted from the host and fans of Allen in the audience.
...
"How boring!"
In Florence, Italy, on the set of The English Patient, while on a break, Link received a tip from Lily and decided to watch the segment of the interview but quickly switched off the television and walked out before finishing it.
"Link, don't you take offense at Woody Allen criticizing you for following box office success at the expense of artistic integrity?" asked Juliette Binoche, keeping pace alongside him with a mischievous grin.
"Am I really that type of director in your eyes?"
"Of course not!" Juliette replied without hesitation.
If Link were that kind of director, he could never have produced films like Se7en and The Butterfly Effect, which were of high quality and thoroughly engaging.
Moreover, while filming The English Patient, Link always exhibited great professionalism and meticulousness, even bordering on harshness.
To evoke better performances from actors, he would utilize various methods to coach them, ensuring they delved deep into their roles. If their performance fell short of his standards, he would never simply say, 'that's good enough.'
Sometimes, he had them redeliver a single scene over twenty times from morning to night, causing leading actors like Kristin Scott Thomas, Aamir Khan, and Colin Firth to crumble under the pressure, believing he was somewhat intimidating.
Juliette also faced similar pressure during filming; thankfully, her acting skills and mental fortitude saw her through.
Looking back now, she had to admit that Link's directing abilities were remarkably high, always pushing just the right amount to enrich her performances.
So, no matter how others evaluated Link, in her mind, he was an excellent director.
"If I'm not that kind of director, why would I get upset?" Link shrugged.
"I suppose that makes sense," Juliette smiled slightly, catching Link's calm expression. She suddenly felt that Sophie Marceau had great taste, having chosen Link, a talented, capable, and engaging man from among countless suitors. That surpassed anything her past three boyfriends brought to the table; none of them could match his charm.
But soon, she was prepared to change her mind.
...
As they arrived at the set, two stunning girls approached. One was the alluring Angelina Jolie, wearing a white cropped T-shirt that revealed her midriff, paired with light gray ripped jeans, radiating youthfulness and vitality. She was one of Link's known girlfriends and, upon seeing him, leaped into his arms, giving him an intense French kiss.
The other, a youthful Liv Tyler, around 18 or 19, donned a blue long dress, her long chestnut hair cascading down her shoulders, tall and fair-skinned, exuding a pure and ethereal vibe. She stood behind Jolie, looking at Link with admiration.
Juliette Binoche could only roll her eyes; during the filming period, Link's girlfriends came in one after another. They had been shooting the movie for nearly two months, and he had yet to have all of them visit.
This guy was really something.
...
"Angela, Liv, why are you here together?" Link inquired, releasing Angelina from his embrace.
"Liv's here shooting a movie in Italy; it's Bernardo Bertolucci's new film, Stealing Beauty. I didn't have anything to do at home, so I came along to keep her company," Angelina explained, smiling.
"Link, didn't you miss me?" Liv asked with bright eyes.
"I'm very happy to see you here," Link replied with a gentle smile, giving the rosy-cheeked Liv Tyler a light embrace, letting them sit down at the set while he finished shooting before hosting a welcome for them.
Jolie and Liv urged him to get back to filming and not worry about them; the scenery was enchanting, and they planned to explore a bit before coming back to find him.
...
Link resumed filming, diligently capturing each shot, remaining undistracted by the appearance of Jolie and Liv Tyler.
...
By 6 PM, the crew wrapped the day's work, and Link took Jolie and Liv Tyler back to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Having had some Italian white wine, the atmosphere was pleasant amongst the three at dinner. With Jolie's encouragement, they ended up spending the night in the same place.
*****
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