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Chapter 153: Irish Spring Wind
🕑 Added 2024-12-26 17:49:21 +0000 UTC"Whoo..."
Flames scattered, and a bunker was cleared. Even from more than ten meters away, one could feel the energy brought by the heatwave.
The difficulty of shooting the scenes on Omaha Beach was beyond imagination. Although the Irish side sent a 1,600-man unit to assist in the filming, the crew still endured great hardship.
The landing battle, which lasted more than twenty minutes in the film, took over two months to shoot, and was only roughly completed by the end of December, just before Christmas.
This doesn't even account for the time and money spent on the preliminary construction of the beach; the shooting of this part alone cost 12 million USD.
Michael Ovitz came to the set as a noticeable package but left afterward, without interfering with the crew's operations.
He probably knew that the crew of Saving Private Ryan was led by the director, so there was no need to cause trouble.
"OK, this shot is done." Gilbert clapped his hands and finally sighed in relief.
The last shot on the beach was finished, and the crew would soon move to England to film the rest of the war scenes.
"Charles," to reward the crew members and actors whose nerves had been greatly strained, Gilbert suggested, "I heard the pubs in Dublin are very famous. After we're done, let's go there for a drink, my treat!"
Charles Rowen's eyes lit up. He was good at drinking, and fearing that Gilbert might back out, he quickly agreed, "I'll contact them."
"Good," Gilbert then said to Sophia, "After the crew moves to London, you stay here to restore the beach, and contact me if there's anything."
When working, Sophia Coppola was very professional. She nodded, indicating she understood.
After more than two months of arduous filming, it was clear the actors were worn out. Upon hearing that Gilbert would treat them to drinks in Dublin, everyone cheered loudly.
Even Tom Hanks rarely showed a hint of excitement and relief, specifically telling Gilbert, "When we get there, I'll have to drink with you properly."
"Tom, you're not planning to get revenge on me, are you?" Gilbert joked for the first time.
Tom Hanks laughed along, "Yeah, these months have been the most exhausting of my career. Of course, I have to get back at you."
"Wow, I'm so scared. Leo, you'd better help me out," Gilbert said, pulling Leonardo DiCaprio to act as a shield.
Leo scratched his nose and said, "My situation is worse than yours. Looking at their dangerous eyes, I think I'll probably never leave Dublin after I get there."
"Hahaha..."
Everyone laughed at this. Tom Hanks even patted Leo on the shoulder and said, "Who told you to just watch us film while rolling around on the beach? The crew's got a big issue with you."
Leo felt innocent. "Captain, you're being unreasonable. I was arranged to be there by the director. I'm innocent."
Tom Hanks shrugged, "Then go talk to the director..."
This was indeed arranged by Gilbert. To make the actors angry about Leo's role as James Ryan, Gilbert deliberately arranged for Leo to relax on the set while the leads were filming, rolling around on the beach.
Once, he even invited his model girlfriend, and the two showed off their sweetness, which made the leads, who were filming the landing battle, angry enough to gnash their teeth.
The goal, of course, was to keep the leads in this angry state, so it could continue into the final battle.
Speaking of which, credit had to go to James Cameron. Originally, he planned to start filming Titanic in December.
But as time dragged on, the preliminary preparations were still not finished.
James Cameron moved the filming location to Mexico, planning to recreate half of the Titanic ship one-to-one. Much of the early preparations were spent on this.
Thus, Leo's entry into the set was delayed time and again. Now, James Cameron had informed Leo to join the set in February 1996.
Compared to Gilbert's high-efficiency crew, James Cameron could be said to take his time, with painstaking attention to detail.
Moreover, James Cameron was filming while simultaneously doing research and development, which wore out the crew of the Titanic.
It was a grand project, and only a director like James Cameron could handle it.
Although Gilbert knew what the final product would look like, the work he did couldn't be reduced much, and the time invested was enough to film two or three movies.
Of course, Titanic's box office would be enough to offset the cost of two or three, even four or five movies, but that was another matter.
Filming Titanic was a tormenting process. It was said that because of James Cameron's tyrannical behavior on set, some crew members even considered poisoning him.
If they had really poisoned James Cameron, things would have escalated.
At the same time, James Cameron also wore out 20th Century Fox, the film's investors.
It was said that James Cameron even wanted to add more investment, and 20th Century Fox was in a panic, planning to bring Paramount into the project.
Originally, the film was scheduled to be released in the summer of 1996, but now James Cameron had changed his mind, and the release would be in the summer of 1997.
But looking at the current situation, even by the summer of 1997, the film might not be ready for release.
There was no way around it, that was James Cameron, and that was his charm.
If Gilbert hadn't been busy with his own projects, 20th Century Fox, which also invested in Saving Private Ryan, had planned to ask Gilbert to take over Titanic.
After finishing the shoot, the Saving Private Ryan crew headed straight for the pub in Dublin to relax.
Dublin's nightlife is as famous in Europe as Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with the entire city center full of pubs.
Especially around St. Stephen's Green, areas like Summerhill Street, Camden Street, Wexford Street, and Leeson Street are home to some of Dublin's most popular nightclubs and bars.
On the south side of the Liffey River, the Temple Bar is internationally known as a nightlife area, and it's become a tourist hotspot, with travelers often coming from England on weekends to throw hen and stag parties.
Many of the bars have long histories, some dating back to the last century.
Some of these old bars even have signs posted at the door saying they don't serve English people.
As is well known, English people are British, but not all British people are English.
Being a representative of Hollywood's unlearned, Leo didn't know about these historical roots, so he asked, "Why do these bars not serve English people?"
"Charles, do you know?" Gilbert also asked.
He didn't understand European history; he only knew that the Irish and English had a deep hatred for each other, but didn't know why.
Charles Rowen explained, "This is because during the Great Irish Famine in the last century, the British government stood by and let the Irish population sharply decline.
Since then, the Irish have held a grudge against the English."
"Oh," Leo said, realizing. "So the Scots aren't involved in this, right?"
"Uh, not exactly," Charles Rowen said, "but the Scots have always wanted to follow Ireland's example and break away from Britain to form an independent nation."
"So," Gilbert added, "Mel Gibson's Braveheart was put on the British blacklist."
Although Mel Gibson was on the blacklist, he didn't care much about it anymore.
The latest trial results were out, and Mel Gibson was sentenced to thirteen years in prison. By the time he got out, Hollywood and the world would have changed dramatically.
As for the women who had sued him, they received corresponding compensation, which was generous enough for them to live comfortably.
Of course, this didn't include Sophie Marceau, who had already returned to France.
Upon hearing that Gilbert was filming in Ireland, Sophie Marceau specially came to meet him, setting the meeting in a pub in Dublin.
Leo had originally planned to pull Gilbert along to enjoy some company, but after seeing Sophie Marceau, he gave a knowing smile.
"It seems you're not lacking beautiful women, Gilbert," Leo said, leaving behind a cryptic line before heading off on his own quest.
Sophie Marceau was wearing a red dress, seemingly aware of Gilbert's preferences, and with her eye shadow and lipstick, she appeared charming and lovely.
Since it was winter and slightly chilly in Ireland, she added a white shawl.
Gilbert greeted Sophie Marceau first, "Hi, Sophie, how have you been lately?"
Sophie Marceau gazed at Gilbert with her big eyes, smiling at the corners of her lips. "Very well, away from the Hollywood drama, I just miss you a little."
"Miss me?" Gilbert pointed to himself, "Well, that's an honor."
The two found a private spot in the pub, and Sophie Marceau had already ordered drinks. They began to sip on their drinks, chatting.
The rest of the crew was thinking about getting the director drunk, but when they saw the director had a beauty accompanying him, they wisely decided not to disturb them and quickly went off to find their own company.
Charles Rowen even told Kane Wexman, "Look at our young, handsome director, there's always a woman following him wherever he goes."
"Yeah, no one likes old guys like us." Just as Kane Wexman finished speaking, a beautiful woman walked by, and suddenly, he became energized.
"Charles, I think I'm still young," he said, leaving a dumbfounded Charles Rowen, and went over to chat with the woman.
Charles Rowen cursed and doubted whether Kane Wexman was still okay. Just then, another beauty walked by, and Charles Rowen perked up.
"There are so many beautiful Irish women!" he exclaimed, and then joined the battle.
Inside the tavern, Gilbert and Sophie Marceau were happily chatting. Without Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau found herself enjoying this conversation with Gilbert for the first time.
He was humorous, witty, and a much better conversationalist than the rough Mel Gibson.
If she had met Gilbert from the start, perhaps her Hollywood journey would have been very different, Sophie Marceau thought.
"I almost forgot what it felt like to be with you," Sophie Marceau said.
"Uh," Gilbert paused, remembering how last time it might have seemed like he was taking advantage of the situation.
However, the atmosphere had already reached this point, and Sophie Marceau had come all the way to Ireland from France, so she wasn't here just for a chat.
The dim lights of the tavern, the dancing crowd in the dance floor, provided the perfect cover for the two of them. Gradually, their figures overlapped.
"Darling, not here. Let's go to the room," Sophie Marceau stopped Gilbert from going any further.
With that, Gilbert barely held himself back, took Sophie Marceau's hand, and headed straight for the hotel room, where they had a passionate night...
The romance of the French was also reflected in the bedroom. Sophie Marceau really enjoyed the process. She was a woman who loved romance.
Although, due to her parents' discord in her early years, Sophie Marceau was a staunch anti-marriage person, this didn't mean she didn't enjoy these beautiful moments.
The two of them spent the night together, leaving traces all over the room, and finally, Sophie Marceau was gasping for breath.
After a long while, Sophie Marceau, with a satisfied look, said, "No wonder Naomi said she had to team up with other women to deal with you."
"A man like me, isn't that what women love most?" Gilbert said, pinching Sophie Marceau's delicate little face, which was flushed red, making him want to bite it.
Sophie Marceau said, "Indeed, if you were in France, you would be very popular. Next time you come to France, I'll introduce you to other French beauties."
"Sure, but I'll only take the pretty ones," Gilbert replied, making a small joke.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're satisfied. They're all beautiful women, all trying to climb into your bed, hoping to get a chance," Sophie Marceau laughed.
"And you?"
"Me? I've already gained plenty of opportunities. I just don't want to go back to Hollywood for now."
Sophie Marceau shared her plans, "Once this incident is forgotten, in a year or two, I'll return to Hollywood."
In the Mel Gibson incident, Sophie Marceau played an unsavory role. Though she was forced into it, it inevitably left a bad impression on some.
That's why Sophie Marceau decided to stay away from that place of turmoil for now. After enough time passed and people had forgotten, she would reassess her next steps.
A lot of big things happen in Hollywood every day. After hiding for a few years, no one would care about what Sophie Marceau had done in the past.
After resting, Sophie Marceau moved down: "Darling, let's continue. I want to make sure you can't get out of bed tomorrow."
This was a provocation, and Gilbert certainly couldn't stand it: "Sophie, you asked for this."
With that, he pounced on her like a hungry tiger, starting the second round of battle.
After a night of passion, Sophie Marceau, with a satisfied smile, left for France.
Becoming someone like Naomi Watts, directly living in the Melon Manor, or even becoming the mistress of the house, was not something Sophie Marceau had ever thought of.
But she thought occasionally having a one-night stand, a romantic encounter, wasn't bad. This kind of relationship was quite nice.
Sophie Marceau didn't make any demands, and Gilbert didn't ask anything either. If Sophie Marceau needed his help, she would speak up.
After the fun at the Dublin tavern, Gilbert gave the crew a Christmas holiday. After the holiday, they would gather in England to shoot the remaining scenes.
Saving Private Ryan was the largest film production Gilbert had ever been involved with, and the months of filming had worn him out.
During the Christmas break, Gilbert also returned to North America to spend a short holiday with his family.
Of course, during this period, he couldn't completely rest, as he still had a lot of work to handle.
