Chapter NaN

"Bill Clinton is full of praise for Saving Private Ryan, believing the film reflects the American spirit..."

Like the news reports of Duke and the others attending commemorative events, many media outlets the next day featured stories about Clinton and Saving Private Ryan. Using the president to promote a film was not a new trick in Hollywood. Fox was still relying on highly traditional promotional methods. If necessary, they wouldn't mind teasing the untold story of Bill Clinton and Saving Private Ryan to generate hype.

In the media's promotional campaigns, the man sitting in the White House never had a sacred aura; he was always a scapegoat and a target of ridicule.

Driven by the film's own quality, along with the push from three major companies and their media backers, Saving Private Ryan had already set off a craze across America.

Although Black protesters were still blocking the entrance to the Fox Building, the mainstream media turned a blind eye to them. Instead, the voices praising Saving Private Ryan grew louder. Opinion-leading outlets like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times couldn't wait to crown it 'the best war film in history' and 'a milestone in the history of war films' right after Memorial Day.

Even Sidney Coleman, the rotating chairman of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said as much in an interview: war films could henceforth be divided into the pre-Saving Private Ryan era and the post-Saving Private Ryan era!

Amid the wave of praise, only one group's voice was missing: professional film critics!

This group, which loved pointing fingers at the film industry more than anyone else, seemed completely blind to the craze surrounding Saving Private Ryan. In their world, it was as if the film didn't exist. They had lost their voices entirely.

"Yesterday, on Memorial Day..."

Sitting at a small round table in the garden, Gene Siskel looked across at Roger Ebert, who was slowly sipping his tea. "The box office for Saving Private Ryan rebounded, taking in $19.25 million in a single day! The cumulative North American box office has reached $78.49 million!"

"It'll break a hundred million in another two or three days."

Roger Ebert set his teacup down, his expression unreadable. "He's going to succeed again?"

"Under the current circumstances, it should break a hundred million in two more days," Gene Siskel said, looking very reluctant to admit it. "Independence Day also broke a hundred million in North America in six days. Could it be..."

"No, Saving Private Ryan won't turn into Independence Day." Roger Ebert shook his head. "Its massive box office explosion is tied to the film itself, as well as the current timing. Once Memorial Day and the anniversary of the Normandy landings pass, its box office will plummet."

Gene Siskel didn't respond. Roger Ebert was an authority on predicting the Academy Awards, but judging a film's box office trend? In that regard, he was just like other professional film critics—completely unreliable.

After a long moment, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and sighed deeply. "Fortunately, most film critics took your advice and didn't go toe-to-toe against Duke Rosenberg over this movie."

If they had attacked Saving Private Ryan the way they did Independence Day last year, they would have been drowned out by the mainstream media. They might even have ended up like those Black protesters in front of the Fox Building—completely ignored by mainstream society.

"Roger, I've received reliable information," Siskel continued. "The producers of Saving Private Ryan have already decided to make a push for next year's awards season."

"Duke Rosenberg will not win!"

Roger Ebert's gaze turned incredibly sharp. "Duke Rosenberg will absolutely not win!"

Perhaps film critics couldn't contend with Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, and Walt Disney, but when it came to the highly influential Academy Awards, sniping a specific individual wouldn't be too difficult.

Duke had long since been informed that Saving Private Ryan would make a run for the awards season. This was perfectly normal; a film like this naturally had to maximize its profits. If it could pick up a few Oscars, its subsequent videotape and television broadcast rights would see a surge in value.

After leaving Washington, Duke and the main cast rushed to major cities across North America for their promotional tours. Although the most popular person on the team was Tom Hanks, Duke was no longer a stranger to audiences as the director. He even met quite a few die-hard supporters.

As the Memorial Day holiday ended, the box office for Saving Private Ryan dropped, but Tuesday's $11.57 million and Wednesday's $11.05 million steadily pushed its North American total past the $100 million mark within six days, reaching a staggering $101.11 million!

Meanwhile, Braveheart, which was seen as the biggest competitor to Saving Private Ryan, grossed just $8.79 million at the North American box office during the same period, failing to even cross the $10 million threshold.

With Braveheart underperforming and the hype for Die Hard with a Vengeance fading, the North American film market was completely dominated by Saving Private Ryan before the weekend even arrived. Going into the next weekend, the film's biggest competitor would be The Bridges of Madison County, directed by the old cowboy Clint Eastwood and starring Meryl Streep.

On Friday, the crew arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, the holy land of American music. After finishing his routine promotional duties, Duke tried dialing a number he had barely called since receiving it.

"Hello, this is Twain... Who is this?"

The voice coming from the receiver was as sweet and charming as ever, yet felt much more distant. Duke said plainly, "Hello, Shania."

"Duke..."

Just ten minutes later, Duke took a hotel car out of downtown Nashville, heading toward the address Shania Twain had given him. He hadn't expected Shania, whose album was currently selling like hotcakes, to be in the city. Since parting ways in San Francisco, the two hadn't seen each other.

The car drove into the western suburbs of Nashville, bypassed a small white building with colonnades, and stopped at the back door of the house. The driver honked the horn a few times, and the back door opened from the inside. Duke put on his hat and sunglasses, pushed the car door open, and quickly headed inside.

Shania Twain stood just behind the door. She wore a light blue sheer miniskirt and a tight white sleeveless T-shirt. Her long brownish-red hair draped naturally down her back, and her beautiful face was adorned with light makeup.

"Long time no see, Shania," Duke said, handing over the bouquet of flowers he had brought. "You're still as beautiful as ever."

"Thank you!"

Gesturing for him to come in, Shania led Duke inside. "You haven't changed much, it seems."

The two walked into the living room. After telling Duke to make himself comfortable, Shania placed the fresh flowers into a vase, turned her head, and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Black tea or coffee, either is fine."

Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other in so long, or perhaps because they had never shared a true friendship to begin with, there was a distinct sense of alienation between them. Shania brewed two cups of coffee, brought them over, and sat opposite him. Duke could clearly feel the unfamiliarity and distance.

"I remember your new album was released not too long ago, right?"

Before coming, Duke had done a little prep work. He took the initiative to break the slightly awkward silence. "Aren't you out on a promotional tour?"

"Promotions have temporarily wrapped up," Shania replied with a smile, setting down her coffee cup. "The label is preparing for a national tour, so I'm getting ready for that."

"Congratulations, Shania." Duke recalled their conversation from back then. This was a woman who had always been chasing her dreams, and she was one of the rare few who had actually caught up to them. "You've realized your dream. You're a famous pop star now, renowned all across America."

The reception for Shania's first album had only been average, but her second album, released earlier this year, had spawned multiple chart-topping singles. The album's overall sales continued to climb, quickly achieving gold status.

"Thank you!"

Perhaps thinking about how popular she was now, Shania revealed a radiant smile. "Duke, my success isn't worth mentioning next to yours."

She looked across at Duke. The once-ordinary director was now standing in the upper echelons of Hollywood. If...

Shania shook her head. Setting aside the fact that the possibility was slim, she didn't want to become merely a man's accessory even if it were possible. Moreover, a film director wouldn't be of much help to her career.

After finishing the pot of coffee, Duke and Shania tacitly left the living room and walked up to the second-floor bedroom. Neither of them were green, romantically inclined youths anymore. Duke's purpose in calling her had been very clear, and by agreeing to his visit, Shania had obviously prepared herself for what would happen.

When Duke left the next day, Shania explicitly told him that they would only be ordinary friends moving forward.

Duke understood what she meant. Things like this couldn't be forced. In truth, staying friends was basically impossible anyway. Both had their own careers to focus on, and their paths would only cross less and less.

After leaving, Duke had originally intended to take a drive around Nashville. After all, this was North America's famous music hub, and the former residences of celebrities like Elvis Presley were nearby. It was said that walking along the streets, one could often see busking musicians, and any one of them might just step onto the big stage one day and become a superstar.

Of course, much like a rookie screenwriter submitting a script and having it bought by a Hollywood production company, the chances of that were infinitesimally small.

The car hadn't gone very far—it hadn't even left the street—when Duke received a phone call that forced him to cancel his sightseeing plans. His PR manager, Penny Kalis, had rushed from Los Angeles to Nashville. She had urgent matters to discuss with him regarding their Oscar campaign.

Despite knowing that he was still very far from winning an Oscar, Duke rushed back to the hotel immediately to meet with the well-prepared Penny Kalis.

His PR manager's purpose was clear: to prepare for Saving Private Ryan's Oscar run and consult with Duke on some basic matters. The subject matter of the epic war film catered so well to the needs of mainstream society and political correctness that it would be an absolute waste not to make a showing at the Academy Awards.

Furthermore, in this era, the Oscars were far from trending toward niche audiences like they would in the future. Films that could snag heavyweight Academy Awards often managed to achieve strong market responses. The promotional boost it offered to the offline videotape and television broadcast markets, in particular, was incredibly obvious.