The sky over Venice in August was clear and enchanting, with the water as calm as a mirror, not even a ripple to disturb the reflection of the sun. Looking up, the sky was a serene, uninterrupted blue, blending seamlessly with the water. At this time, Lido Island was entering its busiest period of the year, as the renowned Venice Film Festival kicked off on August 27th.
A long red carpet stretched from a distance all the way to the docks, welcoming the guests arriving by boat.
Today's guests arriving by boat included not only the jury members of this year's Venice Film Festival but also the crew of "Spotlight." Not only was "Spotlight" competing in the main competition section of this year's festival, but it was also unusually selected as the opening film of the festival.
As the crew of the opening film, Murphy and his fellow Stanton party members were the last to walk down the red carpet.
The red carpet felt quite desolate to Murphy, with plenty of media journalists but very few fans.
According to the news he had read in the papers, this year's Venice Film Festival had at least one-third more media reporters than previous years, many of whom were there for "Spotlight" and the Stanton party members.
Murphy didn't underestimate himself. In early March, he had won the Oscar for Best Director, and Stanton party members James Franco and Margot Robbie had won Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. These achievements attracted a significant amount of media attention, especially given his conflict with the Catholic Church, which had escalated to the level of Hollywood films. 20th Century Fox had heavily promoted "Spotlight," making it difficult not to attract media attention.
The dense crowd of protesters not far from the red carpet was the best proof of this.
Before the "Spotlight" crew arrived, the 71st Venice Film Festival had already opened amid protests and whistles. The noise came from a large group of Catholic demonstrators beside the red carpet, who outnumbered the fans watching the red carpet by far.
The lack of fan attention was not a new issue; it had been a recurring problem for the Venice Film Festival over the past decade or so.
However, Murphy had his own purpose for being here—to create a stir as close to the Catholic Church as possible. A similar crew had done the same in the past, and the results had proven to be very effective.
"Look over here!"
In front of the Venice Film Palace, Murphy, Gal Gadot, and all the Stanton party members stood in a row, letting the media photographers take pictures.
This was also a grand gathering for the Stanton party members.
"Quite a few reporters."
After the group photo, Robert Downey Jr. looked around. "Pathetically few fans."
James Franco shrugged. "The Venice Film Festival has declined."
Murphy and the others nodded slightly, completely agreeing with James Franco's assessment.
Indeed, as the crew of the opening film, such a comment might seem ungracious, but the reality was right in front of them. Pretending otherwise wouldn't change the situation.
"If it weren't for those protesters," Jonah Hill glanced at the gathered protesters, "this Venice Film Festival would be even more deserted."
Margot Robbie seemed unconcerned. "The more protesters, the better—it creates more buzz."
The group walked to the front of the Venice Film Palace, greeted the jury members led by Alexander Desplat, and then, guided by the event staff, entered the main entrance of the Film Palace.
"You and Gal don't look too well."
Seth Rogen noticed that Murphy and Gal Gadot were particularly quiet today. "Did you not adjust to the time difference?"
"Don't mention it." Murphy shook his head. "Last night was a nightmare."
Compared to Venice's famous reputation, the hotel service here was terrible.
Last night, his experience at a certain Venice hotel was horrifying. Around two in the morning, a scream woke him and Gal Gadot from their sleep, followed by loud door slams, windows creaking in the wind, and the constant sound of moving furniture, creating a bizarre symphony…
After nearly two hours of this, Murphy had to switch rooms.
If it weren't for having a purpose here—to create a buzz for the film and show those who had attacked him what was what—Murphy might have already taken the "Spotlight" crew and left Venice.
In these past two days, including today's opening ceremony, the impression was very clear—Venice Film Festival was truly in decline.
Not just Murphy, but many attendees of the festival shared this sentiment. Shrinking markets, fewer guests, dimmed star power… The world's oldest film festival was facing another crisis. In the past, several setbacks had plunged the Venice Film Festival into stagnation or even temporary closure, but the recent years' struggles were particularly acute.
For all films premiering or screening during the festival, the best ticket sales were for "Spotlight," the opening film. Yet, even with ten screenings, the average pre-sale was only about one-fifth, which was quite low for this era. The other films had even worse pre-sales, not even averaging one-fifteenth.
Murphy had spoken with several journalists who remarked that less crowded screenings were a good thing, yet this only highlighted the festival's lack of popularity. Future screenings would likely never be fully booked, always leaving rows of empty seats, a stark contrast to the packed theaters of Cannes, making the scene rather pitiful.
In recent years, the Venice Film Festival had faced numerous troubles. Marco Müller's resignation left behind an unfinished cinema building. The new director, Alberto Barbera, favored the artistic and pure aspects of films but happened to encounter the rise of the Toronto Film Festival and the lingering effects of the European economic crisis. Barbera wanted to revitalize the market for the festival but found no one buying it, facing internal and external challenges.
Before this festival, there were various rumors. Some claimed that Venice might change its dates to avoid competing with Toronto. Even Italy's mainstream media, "Corriere della Sera," reported a sharp decline in registered attendees.
The shrinking European market and Italy's faltering film industry couldn't save Venice from its decline. At the opening ceremony, it was evident that the biggest draws were always Hollywood stars.
Hollywood movies were the main culprits behind this.
Since the 1990s, the globalization of Hollywood films had brought "divine beings to earth" at various film festivals. Whether Venice, Cannes, or Berlin, none could maintain the youthful vigor of the previous century.
The fading of the "Golden Lion" was obvious. In the past 20 years, the Venice Film Festival had been the favorite starting point for Oscar contenders and a crucial battleground for Hollywood studios, especially those with Oscar hopefuls. Many Oscar-winning films had begun their long Oscar journeys here.
But times had changed. Taking this year's festival as an example, apart from the highly discussed "Spotlight," other films with seemingly "cold" lists were complained about as boring.
In media reports from various countries, terms like "dim star power," "anticlimax," and "cold awards" became labels for the Venice Film Festival in recent years. Though somewhat harsh, they were fitting.
Now, under Barbera's leadership, the Venice Film Festival prioritized discovering films from the world's fringes and countries with no film history. Early in his tenure, Italian media suggested that "Barbera is trying to separate the Venice Film Festival from Hollywood, making independent art the new feature of the festival."
This was something Murphy hadn't known before. He was too unfamiliar with the Venice Film Festival.
Therefore, seeing how Venice had distanced itself from Hollywood in recent years, with fewer Hollywood films and none winning major awards in years, Murphy had significant doubts about whether "Spotlight" could win the Golden Lion.
In such festivals, the personal will of those in charge greatly influenced the final award results.
Over the past two days, Murphy had realized that Venice Film Festival agreed to let "Spotlight" compete and selected it as the opening film partly because of the declining influence of the Catholic Church in modern society and partly because the festival needed the buzz and attention that he and "Spotlight" could bring.
In other words, the festival organizers wanted to use Murphy's fame to attract more attention.
However, Murphy also needed the Venice Film Festival platform to show the Vatican what they were up against.
As Margot Robbie said, countless Hollywood colleagues eagerly awaited Murphy to show the invading Catholic Church what's what.
Entering the film palace, Murphy and the crew soon arrived at the screening hall, greeted by a round of enthusiastic applause.
"Spotlight" was about to begin screening.
In the Vatican, in a sunny office, the elderly Pope Benedict XVI suddenly put down his pen and asked the person standing beside him, "Is the Venice Film Festival opening today?"
"Yes, Your Holiness." The middle-aged priest glanced at his watch. "The opening film should be starting soon."
Pope Benedict XVI stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the small square outside. "You're the Vatican's public relations expert. Tell me, could this be a heavily altered or poorly made film?"
"No." The middle-aged priest was honest. "The film's director is Murphy Stanton. This man only produces high-quality films. Every film he has made since becoming famous has had a global impact. We…"
He shook his head. "We shouldn't have any illusions. I believe we must prepare for the worst."
"I have already proposed at the Cardinals' meeting to remove Marquez Costello from his position as archbishop," Pope Benedict XVI's eyes looked somewhat cloudy, "and to reassign him to the Vatican library."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]