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Chapter 110: Word of Mouth Spreads
🕑 Added 2024-12-11 17:56:18 +0000 UTCThese past few days, when Ethan passed by the movie theaters, he could still hear the discussions of the audience as they exited.
"I love Renée Zellweger's dance, wow, that mirror dance was so sexy."
"I prefer Catherine, don't you think her explosive energy is better? Plus, that silhouette dance was amazing."
"I admit Catherine's good, but Renée is better!"
"No, no, no, buddy, Catherine is better!"
"Shut up! Why do you always have to go against me?"
"Of course! I only like Catherine Zeta-Jones!"
"SHXT!"
"FXXK!"
Ethan watched as the two men started arguing outside the theater over which female lead was better in the movie, and it quickly escalated into a wrestling match.
The onlookers didn't try to stop them; instead, they whistled and cheered them on.
And besides here, audiences at other theaters were also enthusiastically discussing Chicago, posting many comments about the movie on their blogs and review websites.
A specialized magazine collected these reviews and published them in a compilation.
"It successfully replaced Moulin Rouge in my heart. From now on, Catherine Zeta-Jones is my angel!"
"Renée Zellweger's dance amazed me. I first saw her in Bridget Jones's Diary when she was still chubby, and I never imagined she could slim down this much! And her legs are so long!"
"I recommend everyone go see Chicago. It's definitely worth the ticket price, especially that prison group dance! It's amazing!"
"Actually, the long opening shot was also stunning. I watched it three times but still couldn't find the cut. Could it have been one continuous shot? Does anyone know?"
Many viewers shared the same curiosity as this commenter, and many critics published their thoughts on this long shot on their blogs and columns.
For example, Ralph, the founder of Femtosecond Reviews, wrote: "I don't think the shot in Chicago was edited. The smoothness of the camera following, with slight shakes, clearly indicates that the cameraman was holding the camera throughout! No editing could achieve such a seamless transition, and no two shots could be linked so perfectly."
Many agreed with this view, and many viewers claimed that the long shot in the movie was unedited, a true continuous take.
However, some critics disagreed. Renowned film critic Mulan wrote on her blog: "Was the long shot in Chicago truly uncut? I don't think so. I'm certain because I have worked on film sets. Such tight turns and fast tracking shots couldn't have been held by the cameraman throughout.
"So I went back to the theater and tried to examine the frame for clues. After watching the movie four times, I can confidently say the cut point is just before the manager walks into the stairwell. In that frame, the camera accelerates slightly, and the manager's silhouette covers about 70% of the frame before the next shot opens up.
"And when the manager meets Catherine after walking down the stairs, you can see only one of her hands entering the frame, which is the second cut point.
"I have to admit, the cinematographer of Chicago is very clever in seamlessly linking several shots. Of course, this is just my little interest as a critic. As a viewer, you can simply enjoy the shot without worrying about the technique used."
However, this speculation was refuted by other critics.
Nikita from Film Review stated in her column that Ralph's argument was incorrect: "In my view, the first cut point in the long shot of Chicago isn't at the silhouette but at the moment the camera turns. It's fast enough and blurry enough that the audience's attention isn't concentrated enough to spot the cut."
As for the second cut point, sorry, I couldn't find it. In just a few viewings, it's difficult to distinguish the cinematographer's technique."
Besides them, many other critics shared their opinions, some saying the cut was at the silhouette, others at the turn, and some claiming it was at Catherine.
This discussion atmosphere caught the attention of many viewers, who, as soon as the movie began, stared intently at the screen with their friends, vowing to find the cut points to prove their views.
As a result, new "cut points" were discovered daily, accompanied by headlines like "Decoding Chicago's Long Shot" and "Examining the Use of Long Takes in Chicago," attracting the audience's attention.
However, the majority still insisted that the long shot in Chicago was unedited and a true continuous take.
After all, they had seen it with their own eyes and found no flaws.
At the same time, the Hollywood buzz surrounding the film was also intense.
"Renée, oh, long time no see." When Renée Zellweger joined the Cold Mountain cast, Nicole Kidman immediately came over to catch up.
Though this was their first time working together, they had met at award ceremonies before but were not very familiar with each other.
But friendships in the world of fame work like this—before you're famous, no one recognizes you, but once your work becomes a hit, even the usually aloof people will come over and greet you.
After chatting for a while, the conversation naturally turned to the movie.
Nicole Kidman smiled and said, "I saw your Chicago. Your dancing was really beautiful."
"Thank you... Nicole, but I think I still have a lot of room to improve. I prefer your performance in Moulin Rouge."
"Don't say that. You could go star on Broadway now, especially that mirror dance scene. It was amazing, the mirrors highlighted your features and body so well, you literally glowed in the movie!"
Renée smiled, "That's all thanks to the cinematographer. I really didn't do much, the lighting in those scenes, he was entirely responsible for that."
"Really? But I read in the paper that the cinematographer was a last-minute replacement?" Nicole Kidman had seen the related reports and, out of curiosity, was quite interested in the truth behind the scenes.
"This is what happened..." Renée began to explain the events that had occurred in the crew.
"I see!"
At the casting site for The Terminal, Catherine Zeta-Jones also told Steven Spielberg the full story.
Now that the casting was settled, they were in the casual chatting phase, and while discussing Chicago, Zeta-Jones mentioned the happenings in the crew to the director.
"Sounds like this cinematographer, Ethan, is quite good," Steven Spielberg said, having not yet seen the movie. He had been busy preparing for a new film and casting, but after hearing about Ethan, he became curious about the camera work in Chicago and wanted to check it out, maybe get some new ideas.
Of course, he hadn't considered changing cinematographers. In Hollywood, every director has their "exclusive cinematographer," and he was no exception. For his new movie, he had already chosen his longtime friend, Janusz Kamiński, with whom he had collaborated many times and knew each other's style well.
"Yes, he's young and full of ideas. I think Rob will continue working with Ethan for future films."
"Looks like they'll be a great team." Steven Spielberg laughed and continued discussing his thoughts about his new film with Zeta-Jones.
Meanwhile, as everyone was discussing the plot and visuals of Chicago, the movie's box office was steadily climbing.
In just half a month, Chicago's box office had already reached $60 million!
Many newspapers predicted that the film's final box office would surpass $100 million, a clear sign of a successful investment.
Miramax's higher-ups had already begun popping champagne to celebrate the wonderful forecast. In contrast, many other films released around the same time were complaining about their poor performance.
Especially family-friendly films, whose box office was largely stolen by Chicago.
After all, musicals are suitable for all ages, and kids love watching beautiful women dance on the big screen.
Just like Ethan's two younger brothers, Louis and Regius, who were glued to the screen in the theater and, after the movie ended, loudly declared they wanted to marry a wife like Renée or Catherine.
Then, Ethan witnessed the two little guys fighting over the best position and, just like the two older men earlier, wrestling in the street.
Even Carmella couldn't stop them, and in the end, Ethan had to separate them, giving each a little smack on the head before they calmed down.
"Ding ding ding!" Suddenly, his phone rang, and it was Anne Hathaway.
As soon as he picked up the call, he heard an excited scream: "Darling! Clint Eastwood picked me for his film!"
"Congratulations, babe! What happened?" Ethan smiled and sat back in the passenger seat of the car, looking through the rearview mirror at Tom, who was helping Camilla with her things.
"It's because of the cover you shot for me! The casting director saw it and said my looks were perfect for the daughter role," Anne Hathaway's voice was full of excitement, speaking so fast Ethan could hardly make out her words.
"Slow down, take it easy, babe." Ethan placed his hand on the car window, "So, which film is it?"
"Mystic River! Clint Eastwood's new project! I really loved his The Bridges of Madison County! I can't believe I'm actually meeting him in person!"
Anne Hathaway paused and continued, "It's all thanks to you, Ethan. After the casting director saw that cover, they passed it on to Clint Eastwood. Now he's confirmed me for the daughter role in Mystic River..."
"That's amazing! Anne, congratulations!" Clint Eastwood is one of Hollywood's top directors. Being part of his film and delivering some great moments on screen would definitely benefit her future career.
However, Ethan remembered that the original Anne Hathaway hadn't had the experience of working on this film, and clearly, this was the change he had brought about.
"It's all thanks to you… Ethan. Do you have some free time later? I want to thank you in person." Anne Hathaway's voice had a slightly shy tone at the end.
"Of course," Ethan replied, hanging up the phone and whistling.
Looks like today, he'd unlock some new moves again.
