Normally, Duke rarely behaved impolitely in public. When he saw the actress surnamed Fan, he initially planned to let his bodyguards allow her through, but then noticed a few photographers from the East nearby. They were aiming their cameras in this direction, seemingly ready to snap a picture of him speaking with her at any moment.
She had come to Cannes just to crash the red carpet, and in Duke's vague impression of her, she was basically a symbol of crashing every film festival's red carpet.
Although he didn't particularly mind the media using him for hype, Duke certainly didn't enjoy it. Perhaps it was due to the habit he'd developed over the years of viewing the world through a cynical lens, so he said to Tina Fey, "Send her away."
Maybe he was indeed overthinking things, but Duke had no interest in becoming the subject of some tabloid-fueled scandal pushed by this headline-grabbing actress.
According to his speculation, if those cameramen she hired captured photos of her speaking with him and sent them back to her home country, it was highly likely they'd become stories like: "So-and-so actress gains Duke Rosenberg's appreciation and will star in his new film," or even "Duke Rosenberg pursuing so-and-so actress."
Given her past conduct, such rumors could easily turn into "reality."
Tina Fey walked over and casually said a few words like Duke didn't want to be disturbed and dismissed the actress.
"She seemed a bit reluctant," Tina Fey said as she returned.
Duke shook his head. "Ignore her."
With that, he continued walking ahead, not taking the matter to heart. There was no need to.
Walking along the Boulevard de la Croisette, Duke made his way to the yacht harbor area in Cannes. It was just a shallow marina, and only small yachts were docked here. Bigger vessels like the Duke could only anchor offshore.
Since he was already here, Duke decided to check out the marina. But just as he stepped onto the long dock bridge, a tall woman coming toward him slowed her pace. That face, which didn't blush even when baring cleavage on the red carpet, now showed signs of awkwardness and fear.
She stopped and stood to the side of the bridge, looking a little lost. She wanted to turn back, but hesitated; she wanted to walk past Duke as if not hing happenedbut couldn't.
Of course Duke noticed all this, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly when did he become a devil in other people's eyes?
"Hey, Sophie." He walked over and stopped about four feet away, extending his hand. "Don't recognize me?"
"Hi, Duke." Sophie Marceau cautiously greeted him, quickly brushing his hand in a brief handshake. "I... I just didn't expect to run into you here."
Not far ahead was a yacht bar. Sophie Marceau seemed to have come from that direction. Duke glanced at the now-empty yacht bar and pointed. "Shall we sit over there?"
Sophie Marceau hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I can't stay long."
Maybe the world was praising this director's talent and fame, praising his kindness for charity and social causes but Sophie Marceau knew all too well, beneath that calm exterior lay a devil's heart!
Sitting at a table on the yacht, she only ordered a soda. Staring at Duke across from her this famed director it was he who had single-handedly ended her path to Hollywood.
Sophie Marceau took small sips of her soda, not saying a word. Though this was France, she still felt no sense of security.
Even though he hadn't done anything more after she left Hollywood back then, and she had gradually forgotten that chapter and given up on ever developing her career there again, sitting across from him now still made her anxious and uneasy.
After all, he still held something that could utterly destroy her reputation.
Thinking of that, Sophie Marceau put down her soda and asked softly, "Duke, it's been many years. I think there's no longer any entanglement between us."
"I said before…" Duke gently tapped the oak table, "As long as you stay out of Hollywood, there's no grudge between us. You've kept that promise all along that's good."
Sophie Marceau bit her lip and said, "Then can you give me back the videotape?"
"Videotape?" Duke was momentarily confused, then recalled it and shook his head. "Sophie, I'm a man of my word too. It's been so many years have you ever seen anything related to it leak out?"
To be honest, he had completely forgotten about the tape. If Sophie Marceau hadn't reminded him, who knew when he would've remembered that absurd thing he once did.
"It's just… just…" Sophie Marceau still wasn't reassured.
After all, only when it was in her own hands could she truly feel safe.
Duke was never the type of person who'd go mad with obsession otherwise, he wouldn't have just let Sophie Marceau quietly leave Hollywood after she turned on Mel Gibson and helped him. But at the same time, he wasn't some saint who forgives everything, nor foolish enough to believe someone like Sophie Marceau would keep a promise without certain… guarantees.
"You keep your promise…" Duke picked up his soda water and raised it toward her. "And I keep mine."
Taking a sip, Duke motioned for Tina Fey to pay the bill, then stood up, ready to leave.
Sophie Marceau still hadn't given up. She looked up at him and said, "What if I could help you win the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes?"
Duke looked down at Sophie Marceau and said, "Thanks but no need!"
Compared to how popular she was with general audiences, Sophie Marceau wasn't particularly well-liked in European film circles. In recent years, her path had only grown narrower.
After getting off the yacht, Duke waited for a bit. Tina Fey soon caught up.
As the two walked back along the long dock bridge, Duke asked, "Do you still remember the tape I gave you more than ten years ago?"
"I put it away," Tina Fey said, frowning slightly as she recalled. "That night, I locked it in the manor's underground vault and never touched it again. It should still be there."
She then asked, "Do you need me to find it when I get back?"
Duke shook his head. "Leave it in there."
Although he wasn't morally squeamish, unless necessary, he didn't want to do anything too tasteless.
Some people in the North American film industry had been trying to bring Mel Gibson back to Hollywood. Maybe when the time came, he could bring Sophie Marceau back too, and put on another great show?
Using a Frenchman's beloved to deal with the Australian savage might be a good strategy.
Since he was temporarily staying in Cannes, Duke also attended several premieres of Hollywood films. In this world, cultural products like films do share commonalities, but regional differences are also an undeniable reality.
To some extent, unless they're brainless, Hollywood filmmakers are naturally inclined to protect the reputation and interests of this big circle.
Just like Martin Scorsese despite the European media's praise, he firmly identifies himself as a Hollywood director.
Duke was no exception, so after receiving an invitation from Quentin Tarantino, he attended the Cannes premiere of Inglourious Basterds.
During the festival, Inglourious Basterds set many firsts. At its first media screening, the moment Quentin's signature title appeared on screen, applause began; when the names of Quentin and Pitt showed up, there was another round of enthusiastic applause. Fifteen minutes before the film ended, people started leaving not because the film wasn't good, but to rush and get seats at the press conference.
It was a very interesting movie about a group of bastards taking down another group of bastards.
For Quentin's fans, Inglourious Basterds was a truly delightful film.
The film carried on Quentin's usual dark humor, sudden outbursts of violence, and his signature blood-splattered scenes all of which were present.
Interestingly, the entire story was Quentin's own fiction. He even gave Hitler a particularly unique ending having him die under the machine guns of furious Jews.
Other than Brad Pitt and the main villain, Quentin arranged for the rest of the characters to "go die."
In the film, the scene of the theater fire was particularly unforgettable. The Germans, like lambs to the slaughter, were locked inside, suffering both fire and machine-gun fire before ultimately being blown to pieces by bombs.
This kind of scene was the complete opposite of the massacre scenes in previous World War II films Quentin's sense of humor was clearly on display.
The reporters who stayed until the end of the film were all blocked outside the press center, unable to get in. All the photographers swarmed to the aisle side of the press center, and when Pitt and Quentin walked by, the entire press center was in chaos. This was the most grand scene at the Cannes Film Festival so far second only to Fury Road.
The European film circle is very resistant to Hollywood films, but they have to face the reality that during the three major film festivals, the media and audiences are most passionate about and chase after Hollywood films.
There are some realities in the world that will never shift because of an individual's will or a small group's ideas. European cinema, to put it nicely, focuses on core ideology; to put it bluntly, it's just inexplicable.
As everyone knows, a good story is one of the foundations of a film. But how many of the so-called good films from the self-absorbed European cinema scene can actually tell a good story?
Moreover, a good story can attract people to the theater, while profound ideological depth never can not because the audience doesn't like to think, but because if they want to think, there are far better choices than film—philosophy, history, psychology, sociology...
As a result, a strange phenomenon has emerged: European filmmakers see themselves as incredibly highbrow and look down on other genres, yet their films have a very narrow reach, leading European cinema into continuous decline and losing its past position as the center of global film.
Every movie has its reason for existing. These people may not like widely spread, more influential, and more audience-friendly commercial films. They may even hate them. But it is precisely because of those films that the film industry has been able to grow, becoming the leader in the cultural industry, surviving and further expanding its global influence.