Chapter 725: A Great Irony

The Cannes Film Festival had two great traditions. The first was a passionate French exuberance reminiscent of palm trees along the Mediterranean Sea and bikinis on golden beaches. The second was a polarizing eccentricity. Some critics argued that commercial gimmicks eclipsed the light of art, while others blamed the erratic tastes of each year's wildly different jury panel.

If the eighty-year-old Oscar was a doddering octogenarian, then the sixty-two-year-old Cannes was absolutely a menopausal housewife. Figuring out her temperament was harder than reaching the heavens.

Media outlets that accurately predicted the Oscar repeatedly fell flat at the Cannes Film Festival. Guessing the winner for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, or Best Actress was a rare enough feat on its own. Usually, all their meticulous calculations ended in "complete emptiness," to say nothing of the Palme d'Or and the Grand Prix.

Throughout the history of the Cannes Film Festival, countless universally favored films had gone home empty-handed.

On closing day, countless fans and reporters once again gathered outside the Festival Palace. Compared to the grand opening ceremony, however, the red carpet for the Cannes Film Festival's closing ceremony was far smaller in scale. Everyone had their eyes fixed on the upcoming awards ceremony.

"I think whether we win an award is secondary."

In the interview area, Duke faced the reporters and said calmly, "As long as the audience likes Fury Road, I'll be satisfied."

He had no desire to say more. Leaving the interview area, he headed toward the Festival Palace. After ascending the grand staircase, he spotted a familiar figure standing a short distance away. Remembering the news Harvey Weinstein had mentioned, he strode over.

Natalie Portman had just finished exchanging pleasantries with someone when the corner of her eye caught the tall figure approaching from behind. She did not walk away, choosing instead to face him directly.

She feared no one, and she certainly wasn't going to let this man become her nightmare. Duke Rosenberg possessed a resounding reputation and consistently ranked at the top of the Hollywood power list, but he couldn't control everything single-handedly.

In reality, Natalie Portman knew perfectly well that outside of Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox, Duke held almost no sway over the other studios. She rarely collaborated with those two companies to begin with, and despite his vast influence in Hollywood, she didn't need to hide from him.

Within Hollywood's Jewish Club, she was highly popular. The old men, in particular, deeply appreciated everything she did. These same men, however, cared little for Duke Rosenberg, despite his own Jewish descent.

This was an exceptionally complex circle anchored to a massive industry. Duke Rosenberg had plenty of enemies and detractors within it. The idea that any one person could rule over such a sphere was a joke.

Therefore, Natalie Portman saw no reason to fear Duke. At worst, she would simply avoid working with him and the two major studios he could influence.

They barely had a working relationship to begin with anyway.

Duke stopped in front of Natalie Portman. "Hi, Nat."

Natalie Portman smiled faintly. "Hi, Duke."

Judging solely by their demeanor, they looked like the best of friends.

Duke knew exactly what the woman standing across from him had done. But he was also well aware that he had no immediate way to deal with her.

He wasn't foolish enough to believe he could dictate someone else's future. This was a hundred-billion-dollar industry; as long as there were substantial profits to be made, why would those studios care about his opinions?

Moreover, Natalie Portman was far more popular within Hollywood's Jewish Influence than he was.

As Natalie Portman watched Duke, her smile gradually faded. She could see traces of her own nature in him. Just as he had said in the past, they were ultimately the same kind of people.

"You know, Nat, there is one thing I never imagined..." Duke said slowly. "I never imagined we would be standing here like this."

"Actually, you should have expected it," Natalie Portman said, looking at him with utter seriousness. "I gave up my most precious asset, yet I didn't receive the return I was owed."

Duke tilted his head, watching her. "Do you need me to apologize, my dear?"

Natalie shook her head. "I only hope that from this day forward, we have absolutely nothing to do with each other."

Natalie regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. Wasn't that just a disguised admission of fear?

Her hands slowly clenched into fists. She took a long, deep look at Duke, but could read nothing on his placid face. Then she turned around, preparing to leave.

"Nat!"

Just as Natalie turned around, Duke called out to stop her. "I'm very grateful for everything you did this time."

He had never been a magnanimous saint.

Natalie looked back at Duke. His sharp-featured face remained completely still, as if the sky itself could collapse and his expression wouldn't so much as flicker.

But she knew they were the same kind of people. This matter was unlikely to end here.

Natalie Portman hesitated no longer. She strode away, disappearing into the Festival Palace. Within Hollywood, Duke Rosenberg faced powerful enemies like Walt Disney, David Ellison, and Artists Management Company, alongside studios well beyond his reach, such as Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Sony Columbia. She had plenty of broad avenues left to walk in her future. She would undoubtedly become Hollywood's most iconic female star.

Moreover, she had been continuously preparing for a new film. It was the role of a schizophrenic—an absolute favorite of the School. Just as her mother always said, as long as the timing was right, what belonged to her would eventually fall into her lap.

Why else had she attended Harvard? Why else had she temporarily set aside her acting career after graduation to study in Jerusalem? It was all to win the favor of those old men in North America's Jewish Circle.

And she had achieved exactly the result she wanted.

Although her career was facing a temporary snag and missing out on such an exceptionally brilliant role filled her with deep regret and bitter jealousy, Duke Rosenberg was hardly the only brilliant director in Hollywood!

However, Natalie Portman's regret only deepened shortly after.

She had participated in the voting process for various awards but did not know the final results. So, when the announcement that Charlize Theron had won Best Actress echoed across the stage in Lumiere Hall, she maintained a radiant smile on her face, even as her hidden left hand crushed the hem of her dress into a wrinkled wad.

Her jealous gaze followed Charlize Theron's tall back until she disappeared backstage, and then she withdrew it. Natalie let out a slow breath. Since she started in the industry, she had always been renowned for her acting skills, yet she had never secured any heavyweight acting award. Meanwhile, that flower vase from South Africa, after already claiming an Oscar for Best Actress, had now unexpectedly snatched the Best Actress title at Cannes.

This was truly a great irony...

But on second thought, an inexplicable smile crept onto Natalie Portman's lips.

The Three Major European Film Festivals had always treated their awards like dividing up a cake. Since Fury Road had already claimed the Best Actress slice, its chances of winning the Palme d'Or were now significantly lower.

Judging from Isabelle Huppert's attitude, Fury Road's odds of winning the Palme d'Or were not high. But with the voting wrapped up, she did not know what the final results were, or whether the outcome would ultimately align with her wishes.

"I'm very sorry..."

Returning to her seat, Charlize Theron flashed Duke a deliberately apologetic smile. "I've made it less likely for you to win the Palme d'Or."

Duke shrugged. "Not necessarily. Don't forget, these are the most unpredictable Three Major European Film Festivals!"

Unlike the Oscar, the Three Major European Film Festivals did not have overly rigid judging criteria and were very clearly influenced by the personal tastes of the jury.

For instance, this year's Jury Prize unexpectedly produced an award tie, shared between the British-Dutch co-production Fish Tank and South Korean director Park Chan-wook's Thirst.

This wasn't actually strange or unusual. It wasn't as if the Cannes Film Festival had never produced an "award tie" in its history. In the year Sunglasses King served as the jury president, the festival even handed out eleven Best Actor and Best Actress awards in one fell swoop, forever cementing itself as a laughingstock in the film industry.

If an award tie wasn't too bizarre, then Filipino director Brillante Mendoza unexpectedly winning the Best Director Award completely exceeded everyone's imagination.

Brillante Mendoza was actually a regular at the Cannes Film Festival. He had been shortlisted for the competition section the previous year with Service, and he had made it into the competition section again this year. However, the reception for his new film, Kinatay, was abysmal; it was universally acknowledged as the worst film in this year's competition section.

When the Filipino director stepped onto the stage to accept his award, a chorus of jeers and boos erupted from the media section, leaving Brillante Mendoza deeply embarrassed.

The awards ceremony wasn't as tedious and commercialized as the Oscar. It moved at a brisk pace, and soon, only the final suspense remained—the fate of the Palme d'Or.

Isabelle Huppert and French director Luc Besson stepped onto the stage together.

Natalie Portman first looked at Isabelle Huppert, then turned to look at where Duke was sitting. Her gaze eventually settled on Michael Haneke, the director of The White Ribbon. She was seventy percent certain the Palme d'Or would go to the Austrian director.

The Palme d'Or was undoubtedly the most prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Up on stage, Isabelle Huppert didn't waste any words. Staring straight ahead, she announced directly, "The film awarded the Palme d'Or is... Fury Road!"

Applause instantly erupted. In an awards ceremony filled with boos, there was a rare absence of jeers.

"Congratulations!"

Charlize Theron pulled Duke into a tight hug. Duke gave her back a gentle pat before turning to embrace James Franco. The three of them were the only members of the production team left; Tom Cruise had left to join the set of Mission: Impossible 4 following the opening ceremony.

Natalie Portman watched Duke stride toward the stage, unable to mask the disappointment in her eyes no matter how hard she tried. But she was ultimately a cool-headed person, and she quickly forced herself to accept this reality.

Duke walked onto the stage, shared brief hugs with Isabelle Huppert and Luc Besson first, and then accepted the Palme d'Or from the latter's hands.

Without a doubt, having secured two major awards, Fury Road became the biggest winner of this year's Cannes Film Festival.