Chapter 167: Lauder

The test screening had just ended, and Fox staff were still collecting audience questionnaires. Some attendees couldn't wait to leave, and Mike Scott was among them. He needed to hurry back and compile his data to submit to his sponsors. Getting paid to do a job was the industry's most basic rule.

This was an unavoidable reality of every test screening. Just as Warner and Fox could pay informants for details on Braveheart, the power of money was all-pervasive. Nobody paid much attention to the early departures. The promotional and PR staff from Fox had already thrown themselves into their work, preparing for the massive press conference scheduled shortly after.

The press conference was held in the grand banquet hall of a hotel next to the theater. When Duke, Tom Hanks, and the others walked onto the stage, the audience exploded like a boiling pot, clamoring incessantly.

Every arrangement was tailored for promotional needs. After Duke, Tom Hanks, and Leonardo DiCaprio sat down, their respective publicists moved to the front of the stage, ready to prompt their clients at a moment's notice.

The host rattled on for a bit, and Charles Roven introduced some basic information about the film before moving on to the Q&A session the reporters were most interested in.

The biggest draw on stage was, of course, Tom Hanks.

It was easy to guess the nature of this press conference. Many of the questions had actually been coordinated and planned by the organizers' PR team.

After being called on by the host, a reporter stood up and asked directly, "Mr. Hanks, if I remember correctly, you received many offers last year. Why did you choose this film?"

"I have always been fascinated by the history of World War II, and I've been looking for books and scripts that depict the war from the perspective of human nature or emotional experience, rather than just strategic operations."

Tom Hanks focused his points on the film. "Saving Private Ryan captures this perfectly and brings it to life. This movie isn't just an epic war story; it's a tear-jerking analysis of human nature in the midst of war."

"What was your biggest takeaway from shooting this film?" another reporter asked.

"Before this, I had never experienced that sudden rush of adrenaline," Tom Hanks said, looking over and smiling at Duke before continuing. "In this collaboration with Director Rosenberg, I finally experienced it.

"Because as soon as filming started, the entire set descended into chaos. Men were constantly falling, and bombs were exploding one after another right next to you. I could imagine the soldiers falling in droves under a hail of bullets back then. Our eyes were full of fear. We knew none of it was real, but that was exactly why we were truly terrified!"

The venue remained orderly, with only Tom Hanks's voice echoing. "We shot the landing battle scenes at the very beginning of production, and that completely changed our attitude when shooting the subsequent combat scenes. No one could have predicted just how horrifying the landing would be. You truly feel the life-and-death trials those soldiers had to bravely face."

Many reporters nodded in agreement. The film's opening landing battle was indeed incredibly realistic and shocking!

After Tom Hanks, the reporters asked Leonardo a few questions. A few from Fox Television specifically pressed him about the rumors involving Claudia Schiffer. As long as it attracted eyeballs, movie promotion tactics were infinitely varied.

Finally, the reporters' eyes turned to Duke.

"Director Rosenberg, how do you view this collaboration with Tom?" The reporter's question still revolved around the Best Actor winner.

Naturally, this was also a pre-arranged question. Tom Hanks was the cast member with the strongest box-office appeal.

"I'm thrilled to have worked with Tom. I have deep respect for him. He is my favorite actor, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him my idol."

Since highlighting Tom Hanks was the promotional focus, Duke naturally didn't forget to praise him. "I've always wanted to work with Tom, and Saving Private Ryan finally made my dream come true. This filming experience made me admire Tom's character and acting skills even more. Tom was often able to offer crucial suggestions, and whenever I explained my views on shaping the characters, he was always willing to listen with an open mind."

Later, under the host's deliberate guidance, the topic shifted to the film's near-realistic battlefield scenes. Several veterans and historians were also interviewed.

David Brown was one of them. Facing the reporters' microphones, he didn't hide his praise for the film. Though his words were brief, they were resounding. "In my opinion, this is the most realistic and shocking movie about World War II ever made!"

Other veterans chimed in to agree with him. "The film recreated the real battlefield to the greatest extent possible."

"I never thought I'd see such a realistic war movie. It was like going back to that beach."

As a renowned historian and an authoritative scholar on the Normandy landings, Stephen Ambrose also stood up to sing its praises. "Saving Private Ryan authentically recreates the circumstances of the battle. Without a doubt, this is the most realistic and accurate war film I have ever seen in reflecting the cruelty of war. Whether it's the combat deployments, or the soldiers' expressions, language, arguments, complaints, and mutual respect and love—every single aspect is exactly the same as the soldiers from back then!"

All of this was for promotion, to attract the public's attention.

The test screening and promotional activities lasted until evening. While Duke was driving toward his home in Malibu, Tina Fey, sitting in the passenger seat, received a call from Fox. The statistical data from the test screening had been released.

"Fox collected 363 questionnaires. The A-grade approval rating is 92 percent."

In Tina Fey's view, this was an incredible level of audience word-of-mouth. Although it wasn't unheard of for a film with good reception to bomb at the box office—like The Shawshank Redemption—her employer's previous three films had demonstrated a terrifying conversion rate from word-of-mouth to ticket sales. If calculated based on past conversion rates, Saving Private Ryan was highly likely to be yet another massive hit.

"What about the theater chains?" Duke asked.

"Thirty-seven screening experts from the North American Theater Alliance attended," Tina Fey said concisely. "Twenty-three gave an A+, twelve gave an A, and the remaining two gave a B."

"Theater screen share shouldn't be a problem then." Duke breathed a sigh of relief. Without enough theaters and a high screen share, even the best film couldn't become a massive hit. He added, "Notify Zack, John, Mike, and Sofia about the results."

"Mhm..."

Nodding slightly, Tina Fey took out her mobile phone and began making calls.

Just as Duke was driving home and Tina Fey was notifying the team, the exact same results were placed in an office at Century City CAA.

Mel Gibson and Martin Bob sat across from each other at a desk, both flipping through the materials for Saving Private Ryan.

"The bloody cruelty of this film is far greater than we anticipated," Mel Gibson said to Martin Bob as he read. "We can definitely do some work with the Parent-Teacher Association and have them urge students not to watch it. Although the film is rated R, I imagine no parent would be willing to accompany their child to such a gory movie."

"Mel, did you notice another detail?" Martin Bob tossed the materials onto the desk. "Two reporters mentioned simultaneously that the US Military in the film features white and Jewish soldiers, but no other ethnic minorities..."

"Once the film is officially released," Mel Gibson said, understanding perfectly, "as long as we give it a few pushes behind the scenes, some ethnic minority organizations will definitely be dissatisfied. They might even protest and boycott the film!"

"They're denying the contributions of people of color in World War II." Martin Bob smiled faintly.

Protests from certain organizations might not amount to much on their own, but once sensationalized by the media, they would inevitably bring trouble to the film and could even trigger widespread resentment among many ethnic minorities.

"Martin..." Mel Gibson remembered another matter. "Do you remember the suggestion I made about Sophie Marceau?"

"Hold off on that for now," Martin Bob said, shaking his head. "These female stars won't drop their pants unless they see enough benefit. Moreover, if Duke Rosenberg gets involved in a scandal while the movie is in theaters, it will only attract more eyeballs, which could potentially drive up the box office."

"Are we just going to let it go?" Mel Gibson wouldn't easily forget the trouble Duke had caused during filming. "He caused us a lot of unnecessary losses."

"Of course not."

Martin Bob looked at Mel Gibson and cautioned him seriously, "Mel, you're still thinking like an actor. Directors are different. The public focuses much more on their work than on their scandals. Unless it's something on the level of Roman Polanski, it won't deal him a fatal blow at all."

"Roman Polanski..." Mel Gibson pinched his chin, seemingly deep in thought, and muttered in a voice only he could hear, "It's all those damn Jews!"

"Mel!"

Perhaps seeing that Mel Gibson didn't care much, Martin Bob knocked hard on the desk. The actor was an important cash cow in his hands. He reminded him again, "Setting Duke Rosenberg aside, Sophie Marceau isn't a completely unknown actress either. She won't be easily manipulated, not even by CAA!"

Mel Gibson nodded, though he disagreed in his heart. Whether or not someone was willing to be manipulated just depended on whether the bait was tempting enough.

Of course, he knew very well that in the upcoming release window, they still had to target Saving Private Ryan itself. Duke Rosenberg wasn't going to leave Hollywood anyway. The anger Gibson had built up in Ireland would find an outlet to vent one day.