Chapter 213: The Storm Begins

"This is ABC Television reporting live from the Los Angeles Music Center. The 68th Oscar Awards Ceremony is about to begin. Who will emerge as tonight's biggest winner?"

The moment the reporter on the television finished her question, Kunitz pumped his fist from the couch.

"Duke Rosenberg and Saving Private Ryan, of course!"

"Can you keep it down?" his girlfriend Hailey asked, looking slightly annoyed.

Knowing that his girlfriend wasn't a fan of Duke's movies, Kunitz simply shut his mouth. The broadcast cut back to the studio.

"Will Saving Private Ryan sweep the board? Will Braveheart mount a comeback? Or will Sense and Sensibility pull off an upset? Let's turn to renowned film critic Roger Ebert for his analysis."

This was the standard preview show preceding every Oscar Awards Ceremony, and Roger Ebert's appearance had become something of a tradition in recent years.

"...I believe Saving Private Ryan will take Best Picture, but Duke Rosenberg will miss out on the Best Director Golden Statuette. He's still very young. He has plenty of room to grow in the future..."

Kunitz scowled as he listened to Roger Ebert on the TV. He utterly despised the pudgy man. Ever since the nominations were announced, Ebert had been churning out columns praising the themes and values of Saving Private Ryan while tearing down its directing techniques. Ultimately, he just didn't think Duke Rosenberg deserved the Best Director award.

"These bastard critics!" he muttered.

"Don't underestimate them." Hailey worked in film-related media, and their shared love of movies was what had brought them together in the first place. "There's a rumor in the industry that critics like Roger Ebert, David Denby, and Gene Siskel have been actively discouraging School voters from casting their Best Director ballots for your favorite director. With them around, Duke Rosenberg's chances of winning are dragged down by at least thirty percent."

Despite his dislike for critics and his refusal to choose movies based on their reviews, Kunitz had to admit his girlfriend made a good point.

"The critics have been pulling little stunts behind the scenes. You need to be mentally prepared, Duke."

Hearing Charles Roven's words, Duke raised his right hand and tapped his chest.

"I've been ready."

"We're about to steal your chance to go up on stage!"

Standing on the other side, Robin Grande laughed.

"Don't forget, only two producers can go up to accept the award for Best Picture."

"Have you two figured out how you're going to thank me?" Duke joked.

This era wasn't like later years; many of the School's rules were still quite rigid. Take the Best Picture award, for example. Over the past dozen years, it had been common for the entire cast and crew to crowd the stage, but now, only two producers were allowed up.

After exchanging a few more jokes with Charles Roven and Robin Grande, Duke escorted Catherine Zeta-Jones to their seats.

"Mom..."

He slipped his arm from Zeta-Jones's grasp, walked over, and gently hugged his mother as she stood up.

"I'm so glad you could make it."

"I always need to witness your most important moments with my own eyes."

Mrs. Leah smiled faintly, then turned her gaze to the woman standing next to Duke, looking rather intrigued.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Mom, this is Miss Catherine Zeta-Jones, the female lead of my new movie," Duke said simply. "Kate, this is my mother."

"Hello, Mrs. Rosenberg."

Zeta-Jones's smile was exceptionally warm. Mrs. Leah offered her a nod in return.

"Hello."

By the time the three of them sat down, the theater had quieted considerably. After a few minutes of waiting, the announcer's voice rang out, and Whoopi Goldberg took the stage. She was barely a few sentences into her opening monologue before her jokes plunged straight into the gutter.

The Oscar Awards Ceremony was one of the highest-rated broadcasts in North America, consistently ranking in the top five, or even the top three. It drew an especially massive audience whenever a blockbuster film was among the nominees.

"Who is getting the first award?"

Sitting at his computer, Allen typed on his keyboard as he watched the television. Ever since Microsoft's latest Windows operating system launched last year, he had discovered a great new way to share information and discuss movies: the internet. He quickly found a film and television forum. What surprised him the most was that there was an exclusive sharing and chat section called "Explosion Maniac," filled mostly with young people who loved Duke's style of cinema, just like him.

"Whoever it is, it definitely won't be us."

He refreshed the webpage. Several replies had already popped up beneath his post. A user named Duke of Destruction left a comment:

"I have the program list here. The first award is Best Costume Design, and Saving Private Ryan isn't nominated."

"Is Braveheart nominated?" asked a guy going by the name Rose Mountain.

"There's no way they'll win, right?" Allen quickly typed out a line. "Don't forget Mel Gibson's scandal."

"Dammit! The first award got snatched by the most annoying crew."

A comment from Ryan Saving Private popped up on the screen.

"Braveheart actually took Best Costume Design!"

"A bunch of men's skirts with no underwear underneath can win an award?"

Duke of Destruction clearly had issues with the result.

"Are you kidding me?! The Oscars are rigged! It's definitely rigged!"

"Could it be that the scandal didn't actually affect Braveheart?"

Staring at the television screen, Allen typed anxiously.

"Maybe it ended up promoting the movie instead? Honestly, I feel like Braveheart has become even more famous since Mel Gibson's scandal broke."

"That is a possibility..."

Inside Chandler Hall, the Braveheart crew was cheering and celebrating, prompting Duke to glance over at them. The crew had been under immense pressure because of Mel Gibson, and it seemed they were letting it all out right now. After all, they had just secured the first victory of this year's Oscars.

With just a glance, Duke noticed Mel Gibson sitting over there with the rest of the crew. It had been a long time since he last made a public appearance.

"We won?"

Even though he wasn't the one receiving the Golden Statuette, it ignited a spark of hope in Mel Gibson's heart. Perhaps the Oscars hadn't abandoned Braveheart? Maybe the scandal wasn't as terrible as it seemed? It wasn't as if Hollywood had never given the Best Director award to someone plagued by scandal before!

He turned his head and looked toward the Saving Private Ryan crew. If he could win Best Director and use it to stage a comeback, he wouldn't have to go bowing and scraping to that bastard to apologize!

Even the most desperate person harbors a shred of blind hope, and Mel Gibson was no exception.

"Mom, this is just my own opinion, but the School is sending a message to the public. It's just a consolation prize."

When his mother asked him about it, Duke leaned in and lowered his voice.

"I think the School is broadcasting this exact narrative: 'We are very fair. We gave the very first award to Braveheart, and we were completely unaffected by the Mel Gibson incident.'"

Whether this guess matched reality would be glaringly obvious just by watching who took home the next few awards.

After Kevin Spacey took Best Supporting Actor for The Usual Suspects, Alicia Silverstone stepped onto the stage to present the award for Best Makeup. Both Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan were nominated.

Mel Gibson stared intently at the stage. One award could be a fluke, but two awards would prove a lot!

The fire of hope burned fiercely in Gibson's chest.

Alicia Silverstone's voice instantly snuffed out those flames.

"And the winner is Talia Shire, Saving Private Ryan!"

"Yeah!"

A few cheers immediately erupted around them. Duke clapped his hands hard. Zeta-Jones stood up.

"This is our first award!"

"There will be more to come."

Duke stood up as well, sharing a hug with the makeup artist he had worked with on three consecutive films, and was about to work with on a fourth.

"Congratulations, Talia."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

This was her first Oscar Golden Statuette, and Talia Shire was visibly thrilled.

Glancing over at the Saving Private Ryan crew standing up, Mel Gibson's eyes flashed with a hint of resentment. Could it be that the School was really just throwing Braveheart a bone?

Despair welled up inside him, but right on its heels came even more blind optimism.

"Braveheart still has a chance! I still have a chance!" Gibson muttered to himself softly.

"YES!"

In front of his television, Allen pumped his fist. Seeing his favorite movie defeat a hated rival to win a major award naturally made him thrilled. His fingers flew across the keyboard.

"We got our first Golden Statuette! And we'll be taking home even more Mr. Oscars!"

"See? I told you the Oscars are the fairest movie awards!"

Reading the reply left by Duke of Destruction right after, Allen rolled his eyes. Wasn't he the exact same guy screaming about the Oscars being rigged just a minute ago?

"Let's go, Saving Private Ryan! Let's go, Duke Rosenberg!"

Rose Mountain's words were echoed by the others, and the chat room flooded with messages cheering for Saving Private Ryan.

Saving Private Ryan's performance did not disappoint its supporters. In the categories where it competed directly against Braveheart—Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Sound Effects Editing—it triumphed completely, taking home four consecutive technical awards!

Barely an hour into the 68th Oscar Awards Ceremony, Saving Private Ryan had already secured five Golden Statuettes. It had a one-hundred-percent win rate for its nominated categories thus far, establishing an absolute five-to-one lead over all its competitors, including Braveheart.

The tall and lanky Liam Neeson walked onto the stage. He glanced at the envelope holding the name of the Best Original Screenplay winner.

"The screenplay is the foundation of a film," he said. "Every successful script is the culmination of a screenwriter's blood, sweat, and tears. I saw many excellent films last year, and they all shared the same trait: an equally excellent script."

"Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite carries that classic Allenesque, dialogue-driven flair. The very lines of Randall Wallace's Braveheart brim with the spirit of freedom. Duke Rosenberg's Saving Private Ryan is imbued with a deep sense of humanistic care..."