The Best Director

Chapter 507: Chapter 507 Everything Has Just Begun

“One of them ultimately proved to be a good man, another proved to be a bad man; one was a conflicted diamond smuggler, one a brutal military dictator, and another a lecherous old man. Each role was a challenge, but each was brought to life by outstanding lead actors in their films. Here are the nominees for Best Actor: Leonardo Dicaprio, ‘Blood Diamond’;”

The television screen showed a riveting clip from ‘Blood Diamond,’ and sparse applause echoed in the Kodak Theatre. Leonardo, his hair slick and shiny, smiled at the camera. Witherspoon continued reading, “Heath Ledger, ‘The Deceased’;” Behind her, the big screen lit up with a scene of “Billy” talking to a psychiatrist. As the camera cut to a smiling Heath Ledger and Wang Yang vigorously applauding him, the audience erupted in thunderous applause for the evening’s favorite, who might set a new record as the youngest ever Oscar Best Actor.

“Peter O’Toole, ‘Venus’;” A loud applause arose. O’Toole’s wrinkled old face was expressionless. The elder actor, with the most nominations without a win (0/8), if he won at 74, would become the second oldest to create such a record (the record holder being Henry Fonda at 76). Maybe he really wanted this award, or perhaps it no longer mattered to him. Nobody knew.

“Michael Pitt, ‘The Deceased’;” Another round of loud applause followed, as Michael Pitt smiled and Wang Yang clapped vigorously at his side. “Forest Whitaker, ‘The Last King of Scotland.’” Warm applause broke out. Whitaker smiled benignly, nothing of the semblance of Amin from ‘The Last King of Scotland.’ If he won, he would be the fourth black Best Actor following Sidney Poitier, Will Smith, and Jamie Foxx.

The applause slowly faded, and the big screen in the theatre smartly lined up the posters of the five characters from left to right, then switched back to the live feed. The hushed Kodak Theatre brimmed with tension as Witherspoon opened the envelope and announced, “And the Oscar goes to… Heath Ledger, ‘The Deceased.’”

“Wow—” “Woohoo—” The Kodak Theatre instantly erupted into a frenzy of applause and cheers. The camera zoomed in on the second nominee. A radiant Heath Ledger had already hugged Wang Yang, exchanged a few laughing words with Michelle Williams and Michael Pitt, and began walking towards the stage. Wang Yang whistled, and Jessica and others laughed and clapped.

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Incredible! Following Geoffrey Rush, another Australian Best Actor; and now the youngest ever Oscar Best Actor! Heath Ledger broke Adrien Brody’s record of winning at age 29 by winning this title at the age of 27 years and six months, marking a new history! This was also the second Oscar Best Actor to emerge from a Wang Yang directed film.

“Heath Ledger is a three-time Oscar nominee, one-time winner, and the youngest ever Oscar Best Actor,” the ceremony’s voiceover briefly introduced Heath Ledger’s credentials amidst continuous applause.

Before the TV, fans of Yang and Ledger were thrilled. Finally, an Oscar! Ledger’s win was certainly due to his miraculous portrayal of “Billy,” but his performances as “Ennis” and “Blue Glove” last year also bolstered critical support, and of course, the significant investment and operational capabilities of the film company contributed to this success. Regardless, the Australian man had forged a new legend.

“Wow, uh, thank you!” Heath Ledger, somewhat at a loss, took the little gold man from Witherspoon, completely unsure of what to say. He had been advised to read from a written speech, but he didn’t want to do something that uncool. Now he was genuinely speechless! Under the gaze of thousands, he almost wanted to head straight backstage. But after looking towards ‘The Deceased’ team, he steadied himself, adjusted his emotions, and slowly began to give thanks.

“Uh, thank you! I love acting. When I was a child… I never imagined being here today, I really want to thank the film company; they gave me many roles that every actor dreams of; thank you to the Academy, thank you to the Hong Kong film ‘Infernal Affairs’ for writing such a great story; thank you to everyone on ‘The Deceased’ crew, you guys are too great, Yang, Michael, Jack Nicholson…”

Amidst his rambling, Heath didn’t deliver any particularly touching speech, but he did thank many people. He looked down at the trophy and added, “I really want to give special thanks to Wang Yang, thank you Wang Yang!” The live broadcast showed Wang Yang grinning below the stage, as Heath continued, “I can’t express just how thankful and admiring I am of you, I want to work with you for ten years, twenty years… for a lifetime, thank you!” He lifted the Oscar statuette and concluded, “Thank you to my fiancée Michelle, my daughter Mathilda, my sister, my family, I love you all!”

“Whoo-hoo!” Waves of thunderous applause erupted in the Kodak Theatre, and Michelle on the television screen had tears in her eyes while Wang Yang and Jessica were clapping and laughing about something.

This was truly an exhilarating moment for all the movie fans and followers; the youngest Oscar-winning Best Director at 27, and the soon-to-be 28-year-old youngest Oscar-winning Best Actor. Undoubtedly, everything was just beginning. At 37, at 47, they would still be in the prime of their careers, with a very long road ahead of them.

As Heath Ledger made his way to the backstage area of the ceremony, it was time for the Best Director award to be presented. Amidst the resounding applause of the audience, 67-year-old Francis Ford Coppola, 62-year-old George Lucas, and 60-year-old Steven Spielberg emerged from the right side of the stage – three legendary directors jointly presenting the award! @@novelbin@@

The three directors, along with 64-year-old Martin Scorsese, were known as the four great directors of Hollywood in the 1980s, although back then they were referred to as “movie brats”. It was clear to everyone present that tonight’s recipient of the Best Director award would be none other than the venerable Martin himself, not the Pokémon master Wang Yang, not Finch, Frears, or Iñárritu.

The three great directors took their places in front of the microphone, and when the applause subsided, Coppola on the left calmly said, “We three are standing here today because we know very well what it feels like to win an award.” Spielberg on the right, holding the envelope, seriously agreed, “Yes, it was one of the best moments of my life.” At that moment, Lucas in the middle furrowed his brows, looked puzzled, and glanced at the others, “Hey guys, I’ve never received this award.”

“Ha ha ha!” Laughter filled the Kodak Theatre. As they watched Lucas with his clueless expression, many couldn’t stop laughing, despite the fact that Coppola had won Best Director once (1/4), Spielberg twice (2/6), and Lucas had been nominated twice (0/2), the laughter soon subsided out of respect.

Coppola and Spielberg looked at him as if they didn’t understand, with Spielberg asking, “Then what are you doing up here?” The audience burst into laughter again, and Lucas shrugged and said, “Uh, I don’t know, people don’t watch ‘Star Wars’ anymore.” Spielberg added, “Nor do they watch ‘The Godfather’.” Coppola chimed in, “Nor ‘E.T.’” Amidst the roars of laughter, the broadcast swiftly panned to Wang Yang, the hot favorite.

Subject to the collective teasing of three legendary directors, perhaps even the Pokémon master didn’t know what expression to make, but his smile remained.

Of course, the somewhat sour comments from the three old men were also a form of self-mockery and dissatisfaction with the Academy, especially since classic sci-fi films and the most classic ‘The Godfather’ hadn’t won, and Martin had been overlooked for so long. Nonetheless, the focus of the evening was indeed Martin Scorsese, and when the camera panned to him, he displayed a serious and calm demeanor.

“Well, that means there are two of us who are very clear about the excitement of winning an award.” Lucas was about to say something more, but Coppola interrupted the squabbling, with Spielberg gesturing at him and then at himself. Lucas, with an innocent look, went on, “What I mean is, the joy is not in the receiving but in the giving.” The two directors exchanged glances, moved closer to the microphone and loudly said, “No, that would be strange!”

“Ha ha!” The audience laughed once again, and the three presenters, having finished their jest, composed themselves and Coppola began to read, “The following are the nominees: ‘Babel,’ Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu; ‘Blood Diamond,’ Martin Scorsese;” as they read out the names, the camera focused squarely on the nominees, with old Martin finally managing a smile, “‘The Deceased,’ Wang Yang; ‘The Producers,’ David Fincher; ‘The Queen,’ Stephen Frears.”

Spielberg slowly opened the envelope, then suddenly looked up, walked to the center and said, “Step aside!” Lucas begrudgingly made room, unable to suppress his laughter; amidst the laughter, Spielberg reached the center, opened the envelope, and with a smile announced, “And the Oscar goes to, Martin Scorsese!” Before he could even finish, the two directors next to him were already clapping joyfully, and the whole audience erupted into a frenzy. Martin calmly rose to his feet, exchanging cheek kisses, handshakes, and hugs with his wife, colleagues, and the nominees for “Blood Diamond”…

“Martin Scorsese’s road to the Oscar began in 1956, when he was attending a seminary. After that, he poured his passion into the film industry.”

The entire audience stood and applauded as Martin finally received the long-awaited Best Director Oscar. Wang Yang and the other nominees also clapped their hands, offering their sincere congratulations,

Ascending the stage, Scorsese embraced each of his three old friends in turn and gratefully took the little golden man from Spielberg’s hands, then turned and loudly said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Quiet down, PLEASE, PLEASE! Thank you, can we check the envelope one more time?” A happy smile appeared on his wrinkled face, and after a pause he added, “Getting this award today, I am overwhelmed with excitement, and it’s an honor to receive it from my good friend of 37 years. I am very touched…”

After thanking many people, including Warner Brothers, Martin walked towards the backstage amid applause. Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton came on stage to present the Best Picture, and “The Deceased” defeated “Babel,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” and other films to win Best Picture at the 79th Oscars!

Two years in a row winning Best Picture! In the past, it had only happened once, with “Gone with the Wind” in 1940 at the 12th Oscars and “Rebecca” in 1941 at the 13th Oscars, accomplished by David O. Selznick, the symbolic producer of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Now it was the second time, with “Firefly” at the 78th Oscars and “The Deceased” at the 79th Oscars, achieved by the unprecedented magic of Wang Yang!

“Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—” Amidst the wild applause, cheers, and congratulatory laughter from around, Wang Yang and Stephen Cauley, the film’s other producer and his long-time collaborator, took to the stage together, “Thank you, thank you so much to our team’s efforts, every member of ‘The Deceased’ crew. You all are the greatest. Thank you to the Academy, all our colleagues at Flame Films, thank you to ‘Infernal Affairs’ from Hong Kong, my friends, my family…”

After their sincere and moving speeches, they lifted the Oscars high and walked backstage to the enthusiastic applause. Host Ellen DeGeneres came out and delivered the closing words, “Thank you for watching the show, good night!” As the music from “The Deceased” played, the curtains slowly closed on the 79th Oscars.

“Wow, wow—,” “Incredible!” “Oh my God!” In front of the TV screens, countless fans of Yang celebrated ecstatically, with Evelyn nearly going mad with excitement and Clair constantly screaming! Yang’s fans around the world had already started their festivities; two times Best Picture, two times Best Director, one time Best Original Screenplay, one time Best Adapted Screenplay, one time Best Editing, the miraculous 27-year-old Yang continued to shock the world!

As the award winners, nominees, and guests headed to Vanity Fair’s Oscar Night and other celebratory parties, media outlets worldwide were reporting and commenting, Scorsese’s wish fulfilled, Helen Mirren crowned Best Actress, Heath Ledger’s record as the youngest Best Actor, Wang Yang holding two awards…

This year, Flame Films once again reaped a rich harvest, with “The Deceased” winning Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay out of 7 nominations; “Little Miss Sunshine” took home Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay out of 5 nominations; in total, Flame Films proudly took home 5 shiny golden trophies, proving itself as the leader among independent film distributors, the smartest company in Hollywood, a miracle wholesaler… the reputation is well deserved!

Media and fans in the Asian region, which was in broad daylight, were naturally stunned as well, with major Chinese-language websites updating their headlines to “Infernal Affairs Wins Oscar for Best Picture.” Fans of Wang Yang and critics alike clashed in the comment sections, but none of them quite expected this outcome! Infernal Affairs truly deserved its status as a national treasure of Chinese cinema! China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the whole world buzzed with diverse opinions.

No matter what, this year’s Oscars gave birth to many new legends. For the veterans, it was a satisfying conclusion; while for the younger generation, these glories were just the beginning of a long journey in life and in cinema. One day, they would stand on that stage again, with another film.

The media’s entertainment sections were still hot with news of this year’s Oscars when another eye-catching piece of news broke: Heath Ledger, the new Oscar-winning actor, had married his fiancée, Michelle Williams!

The couple met and fell in love during the filming of Brokeback Mountain, and their daughter, Matilda, was already over a year old. Their marriage received blessings from fans and skepticism from the tabloid media. Only they knew if they were truly happy or not; the couple didn’t have a grand wedding but opted for a modest gathering with family and close friends. Needless to say, Wang Yang and his family attended in full attire, with Jessica fully indulging in her role as bridesmaid on and off the set.

However, the occasion was not entirely warm and fuzzy when Keke made Matilda cry again. The incident was straightforward: The two little ones were shouting over something they couldn’t agree on, perhaps Keke was too fierce, causing Matilda to burst into tears suddenly. Before the adults could figure out what had happened or offer comfort, the girls had already moved on, laughing and playing together as closely as ever. The parents could only sigh in wonder at the unfathomable thoughts of children.

Time flew, and with February becoming a memory, the fervor surrounding the Oscars and awards season gradually faded. Films like The Deceased and Little Miss Sunshine ended their theatrical runs, and a new week dawned as 300 seized the North American box office crown for March 9-15 with a staggering $96.28 million opening.

On March 16th, Sandra Bullock’s thriller Premonition (produced on $20 million budget) was released, along with Chris Rock’s self-directed comedy I Think I Love My Wife. But more importantly, global fans eagerly awaited the release of the superhero comedy The Green Hornet (budgeted at $120 million), starring two comedy giants, Stephen Chow and Jim Carrey.

When it premiered in 3,560 North American Cinemas, and in the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan… Firefly Films officially announced its new film journey for 2007.

The week of March 16-22nd passed, with The Green Hornet effortlessly claiming the North American weekly crown. Meanwhile, six distributors released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shooter, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Starting Out in the Evening, and Pride, all vying to unseat The Green Hornet from the top spot. As the week of March 23-29 came to a close, the outcome was clear, with time marching into April…

Amid all the hustle and bustle, Wang Yang kept to a steady daily rhythm: working on post-production for I Am Legend and other matters during the day, and spending the evenings with his kids and wife; weekends were for family outings or gathering with friends.

There were days when “Kathy” had scenes to shoot and Keke hardly saw her parents, occasionally leaving her a bit unhappy. But on this particular day, as Annie Fletcher called out, “CUT! GOOD TAKE!” the nearly two-month shooting of Bridesmaids reached its conclusion! Jessica, in the acting area, immediately sprinted to the side of the set towards Wang Yang and Keke, lifting Keke up for a torrent of passionate kisses, “MUMA——!!” (