thefictionvixens Page 720
Page 720
Of course, aside from these areas, the most attractive part of the Titanic was the space in the first class cabin.
Accompanied by Howard Hughes, Xu Fu entered an extremely luxurious private room. From Hughes's introduction, he understood the purpose before him.
This was the rest area for first-class passengers on the Titanic: there was a special Turkish bath, exotic tiles on the walls, and deck chairs, a stark contrast to the relaxation activities Xu Fu had previously participated in.
In addition, the ship had a dedicated swimming pool and a gym equipped with rowing machines, exercise bikes, and electric scooters—all amenities reserved for first-class passengers on the Titanic. The rowing machine, in particular, was repeatedly assured to him by H. Howard Hughes that it was the same as the one on the Titanic, even with photographic evidence, before he reluctantly believed this wasn't a development of dark humor.
Or rather, this passenger, who had practiced rowing skills on the Titanic, could not have imagined that he would use those skills a few days later.
There was also a special café on the ship, which was said to be a popular spot where many young first-class passengers spent an afternoon overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
"Give me fish and fried duck."
Sitting in the coffee shop, Xu Fu placed an order with the waiter on the giant ship.
There is no doubt that Howard Hughes not only restored the interior of the Titanic, but also hired actors to play the crew members, making the whole ship work for him.
During Xu Fu's tour of the giant ship, he saw several "passengers" playing their roles on board. If he hadn't known the details of what had happened, Xu Fu might have even thought he was actually on the Titanic.
Even the menu he ordered was similar to what first-class passengers on the Titanic had ordered.
Picking up his coffee, Xu Fu took a sip of the coffee that had once been served in first class on the Titanic, glanced at the bustling crowds in New York Harbor, and then looked at Howard Hughes standing in front of him.
"So you really want to drown him?"
Hughes, holding a cigar with a view of New York Harbor in one hand, spoke without turning around.
"Of course, only in this way can it be real."
Even if it's true, and it adds up to millions of dollars in investment.
With his hands on his hips, Xu Fu popped a piece of roast duck into his mouth, savoring the tender and savory duck meat and the luxurious atmosphere of the giant ship. However, he felt more regret than anything else. Everything before him was destined to be short-lived, as Howard Hughes had already decided to sink this giant ship.
Chapter 867 What do you mean?
His goal was simply to film the sinking of the Titanic.
Even in the history of Hollywood, Howard Hughes is unique because no one has ever invested so much money in a film as he did, whether it was the 87 fighter jets he bought for the filming of "Hell's Angels" or the massive ship he turned into a replica of the Titanic.
In some ways, perhaps Howard Hughes was a true film enthusiast.
"If that's the case, why not let everyone know?"
After composing himself and suppressing his regrets, Xu Fu took a sip of coffee, then looked at Howard Hughes standing in front of him and made a suggestion.
"What do you mean?"
Noticing the implication in Xu Fu's tone, Hughes couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Since this great ship is destined to sink in your hands..."
Putting down his coffee, Xu Fu spoke slowly, looking at Hughes and at him.
"As a farewell ceremony for the sinking of a great ship, the more lively the better, so that all of New York, yes, the whole world, can witness this moment."
"The whole world."
After Xu Fu pondered what he had said, Howard Hughes's eyes brightened even more.
Hughes glanced at Xu Fu, who remained silent across the table, and naturally sensed his intention.
"So, you're planning to advertise this."
Howard Hughes did not forget that Xu Fu, in addition to being the screenwriter of the movie "Titanic", is now the owner of the largest newspaper in New York City.
His daily newspaper, The Messenger, recently surpassed The World to become the largest-circulation newspaper in New York City.
"As a screenwriter, it is my responsibility to promote the film."
Xu Fu did not deny his purpose, and incidentally mentioned his identity as the screenwriter of "Titanic".
However, as a screenwriter, he was seriously incompetent, rarely engaging with the film after handing the script to Howard Hughes.
"If that's the case, then I, as the director, have no reason to say no."
In response to Xu Fu's reasons, Howard Hughes took a puff of his cigar and said, "I'm just saying this."
Howard Hughes was planning to make a movie about the Titanic, so there was no reason for him to keep it a secret. Although Xu Fu's proposal was flawed, he didn't care.
"Maybe I can get a few Volkswagen cables at the dock then."
In the first-class café, Xu Fu and Howard Hughes were discussing the promotion of their film when a new customer broke the café's initial tranquility.
Noticing the slightly chaotic atmosphere in the restaurant, Howard Hughes subconsciously frowned.
Although the actors in the café had been rehearsing for some time and had basically adapted to their roles as waiters, they were clearly not yet fully immersed in the role.
Looking in the direction the waiter was greeting, Howard Hughes's initially furrowed brow immediately relaxed. He glanced at the cigar in his hand and then extinguished it.
Having absorbed the change in Howard Hughes' facial expression, Xu Fu no longer needed to turn his head; he could clearly see the approaching person through [super vision].
Katharine Hepburn, star of the movie "Titanic".
Hughes chose Katharine Hepburn as the female lead in the film.
Although, according to Xu Fu, there are obvious differences between Katharine Hepburn's image and Ruth DeWitt Booker in his own script, this is, after all, a film produced and funded by Howard Hughes, and everything is based on Howard Hughes' own wishes.
However, upon seeing Katharine Hepburn again, Xu Fu was clearly surprised by the presence of another woman.
Her golden wavy hair and evening gown remained unchanged, but Katharine Hepburn's demeanor underwent a noticeable transformation, a change that matched the script's description of Rose. Even on Katharine Hepburn's face, Xu Fu could clearly see that another woman's originally somewhat thin cheeks had become slightly rounder than before. Obviously, when creating the role of Rose, Katharine Hepburn also considered a lot about how to portray Rose.
From this, Xu Fu understood why Katharine Hepburn became Holliday's undisputed queen.
Also appearing at the café alongside Katharine Hepburn was Lisley Howard, the star of the movie "Titanic".
This shows that while Howard Hughes sympathized with Katharine Hepburn, he did not involve her in the film's production. Leslie Howard, an actor who rose to fame in Hollywood during the Great Depression, appeared in a small number of films, but in all of them, he played outstanding roles.
His film "Free Spirit" won him the fourth Academy Award for Best Actor, and although Leslie Howard only played a supporting role in it, his performance was undeniable.
Of course, Leslie Howard is better known as a superstar, having risen to fame in Europe and America for his role as Ashley Wilkes in the classic Hollywood film "Gone with the Wind." In fact, prior to "Gone with the Wind," Leslie Howard had received two Academy Award nominations for his roles in "Berkeley Square" and "The Red Man."
Leslie Howard is known for playing witty, creative, yet heroic characters, which fits Jack Dawson's script.
It is worth noting that, in addition to being a celebrity, Leslie Holliday was also a U.S. spy in real life. According to later intelligence reports, Holliday secretly met with then-Spanish head of state Francisco Franco and provided him with information about then-U.S. Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This led Franco to abandon his idea of joining the Axis powers, preventing Spain from participating in World War II.
He himself later died from a mistaken shot fired by German troops.
In June 1943, as Churchill was preparing to fly back to the United States via the Portuguese city of Lisbon, he learned from German codes deciphered by the British authorities that the German Luftwaffe was attempting to shoot down his plane en route.
To prevent an assassination attempt, Churchill ordered his personal bodyguards to sabotage the plane he was to board, thus delaying its departure. Since Churchill was to return to England that evening on the same route as Leslie Howard, the unsuspecting German Luftwaffe mistook Leslie's plane for Churchill's and remained convinced of this for the next three days.
Perhaps Leslie Howard's life has been more eventful than any of the Holliday movies depict.
Chapter 868 Countdown to Sinking
In the script for Titanic, Jack Dawson plays an unfortunate artist who wins a bad ticket in a gambling game at the docks.
Lisley Howard played the role well, wearing simple clothes and a baseball cap that was common in that era, which made him look very down-to-earth.
Compared to the Jack in Xu Fu's memory, Lisley Howard's performance was noticeably more confident; even though his clothes were cheap, it couldn't hide the radiance of that confidence. This reflects the different understandings of the characters by different actors, whether it's Katharine Hepburn or Lisley Howard, after all, neither of them were the original cast of *Titanic*.
Therefore, even if they play the same role and script, their different understandings of each other will result in completely different styles.
Not to mention the film's director, Howard De Hughes.
This is a more perfect guy than James Cameron, who ultimately failed to sink the real ship for this movie.
Good afternoon, Hepburn.
"Good afternoon, Director Howard Hughes."
Xu Fu could tell from the greetings between Katharine Hepburn and Howard Hughes that their relationship was still in its very early stages.
Although Hughes never hid his admiration for Katharine Hepburn, she clearly continued to keep her distance from another woman.
She was a very ambitious woman. In fact, her relationship with Howard Hughes eventually soured because he interfered with her film work. In a fit of anger, Katharine Hepburn simply spent $20 to buy out her contract and joined another company.
Now, Katharine Hepburn's love life and career have declined, but she has not yet divorced her husband, so it is natural that she does not agree to Howard Hughes's pursuit.
Katharine Hepburn's measured tone did not discourage Hughes too much; he himself was a person who liked challenges, whether it was test flights of airplanes or filming of the Titanic.
When introducing Howard Hughes, Xu Fu also greeted the two stars of the film, Leslie Howard and Katharine Hepburn.
"Mr. Leslie Howard, I was very impressed with your performance in 'Free Spirit'."
Xu Fu was more interested in Leslie Howard than Katharine Hepburn, not only because he was the male lead in Titanic, but also because of the other man's legendary life.
If I remember correctly, Lisley Howard became a spy during this period.
What could be more dramatic than an American spy passing through Holliday District?
"Thank you."
Leslie Howard accepted Xu Fu's praise with a smile, adding, "The newspaper I read most during my time in New York was Mr. Xu Fu's Daily Messenger. In fact, I have become a loyal reader of Superman and can't wait to see new comics every day."
Lisley Howard is a spy who managed to make a name for himself in Holwood and become a big star; he clearly knows how to talk to people.
Of course, Xu Fu also felt that Lisley Howard was eloquent, including his ability to recount the process of becoming the Messenger, and it was clear that someone else had done a lot of work in this regard beforehand.
Just as with other actors, Xu Fu might simply take it as someone bragging about themselves to the other person.
However, when Xu Fu thought about another aspect of Leesley Howard's personality, his opinion became clearer.
The fact that the person in the conversation took such initiative to engage in the conversation clearly shows that he appreciates the connections behind him, which is precisely the professionalism that an intelligence worker should possess.