mesbooks Chapter 322 Dream Space
Chapter 322 Dream Space
Chapter 322 Dream Space
May 1999, Cannes, France.
The Mediterranean breeze, carrying the unique moisture and extravagance of the French Riviera, caressed this mecca of world cinema. The 52nd Cannes International Film Festival welcomed one of its most ambitious and awe-inspiring main competition nominees in its history.
Shutter Island.
This psychological thriller, which has already achieved phenomenal box office and critical acclaim in North America, arrives in this French town, which prides itself on being the highest temple of art films in the world, with a domineering and powerful aura.
The red carpet outside the Palais des Festivals was packed with top media from over eighty countries around the world. Those veteran European film critics who usually held aloofness and scorned Hollywood blockbusters were now craning their necks like the most fervent believers, waiting for the man to appear.
A black, extended Rolls-Royce slowly came to a stop at the end of the red carpet.
The car door opened, and the first person to step out was Nicolas Cage, the male lead of "Shutter Island." This Oscar-winning actor, already hailed as a "god of acting" in North America, did not rush to take the center stage. Instead, he consciously stepped aside, bowed slightly, and waited for the other person in the car.
A long leg wearing a handcrafted leather shoe stepped out of the car.
Kitahara Shin stepped out of the car with an air of nonchalance, wearing a dark-patterned tuxedo hand-sewn by Savile Row's top tailor over three months. He wasn't wearing a bow tie, and one button at the collar was casually undone. His unique aura, somewhere between the understated profundity of the East and the wild flamboyance of the West, instantly took everyone's breath away.
Just as Kitahara Shin was about to step onto the red carpet.
A small commotion suddenly arose at the edge of the crowd. A tall, aloof figure broke through the outer media perimeter and walked straight up to Kitahara Shin.
It's Eva Green.
By this time, she had long since shed the rigidity and arrogance she displayed on the cliff edge of Blackwood Island, burdened by the baggage of the old Qian family.
She wore a daringly tailored haute couture deep V-neck black backless evening gown, her long, flowing black hair cascading casually over her snow-white shoulders.
She walked up to Kitahara Shin, a charming smile playing on her lips, a smile that was both ambitious and carefree, and her emerald eyes shone with an astonishing brilliance.
"I've taken care of everything in Paris. My flight to Los Angeles is booked for tomorrow, but I was thinking, coming to Cannes first and being your date on the way might be a good idea for your job interview?"
There were no hysterical declarations, nor any bitter, bitter breakups. The directness of Western girls often carries a crisp, confident assertiveness. She declared her determination to fully enter this world of fame and fortune in the most relaxed tone.
Looking at the "Gothic goddess" before him, who was completely unfazed and exuded a dangerous charm, a genuine admiration flashed in Kitahara Shin's eyes. He didn't dislike ambitious and intelligent women.
"The job interview is no easy feat, Ms. Green. You'll have to prove first that you won't tremble in front of the world's flashing lights." Kitahara Shin smiled calmly, without any unnecessary words, and politely offered her his left arm, slightly bent.
Without any hesitation, Eva Green extended her snow-white arm and naturally and confidently took his arm, her red lips slightly parted: "We'll see, Director."
The next second, Kitahara Shin, with the future Hollywood dark goddess who would stun the world on his left arm and the Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage, who had completely submitted, on his right, calmly stepped onto the Cannes red carpet!
"boom!"
The flashes from the cameras on both sides of the red carpet burst forth in that instant, a blinding white light like a supernova explosion! The roar of the shutters even drowned out the sound of the waves.
All the Western journalists present, and the European filmmakers who had once viewed Asia with cultural prejudice, now looked at the Asian man walking in the center of the red carpet and felt only a silent sense of awe.
Too composed, yet too intimidating!
With his left arm linked with one of Europe's most stunning classical beauties, and his right hand clutching a masterpiece worthy of being etched in world film history, he walked the Cannes red carpet looking less like a contestant and more like a king who had just conquered the entire Western world, surveying his domain!
Among the crowd, several veteran journalists from Japan couldn't help but have tears well up in their eyes as they looked at the radiant, arrogant figure in the center of the red carpet.
The camera captured Kitahara Shin's calm yet unfathomable smile as he faced the lens.
The moment this photo reached Japan, countless seasoned film fans and media professionals felt a chill run down their spines. They all recalled the night many years ago when Shin Kitahara, fresh out of university, won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Newcomer for his role in Takeshi Kitano's "Violent Cop."
Back then, Kitahara Shin stood on the podium, exuding an untamed wildness. His smile was like that of a lone wolf that had just torn apart its prey, blood still trickling from its mouth, filled with disdain and anger towards the world.
And now, it's the same smile facing the camera.
On the red carpet, Kitahara Shin was still handsome, still wild. But the lone wolf had completely transformed. Now, he possessed an aura that could swallow a thousand miles of land like a tiger. His smile no longer held the ferocity of someone climbing from the bottom to the top, but was filled with an ultimate divinity that trampled all the rules of the world underfoot and looked down upon all living beings!
From a "violent man" to a "global dreamer," he has completed a path to godhood that others could not achieve in several lifetimes.
Let's rewind to two months before the Cannes Film Festival.
Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, the top-secret conference room of the Kitahara branch headquarters.
The success of "Shutter Island" has completely penetrated the North American market, but for Shin Kitahara, this is just the final stepping stone to his throne. With the new millennium approaching, he needs a true "blockbuster" to completely end the old era of 20th-century cinema and usher in a new era of 21st-century dominance.
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Seated around the conference table were Kitahara Production's top visual effects supervisor, art director, and financial advisor from Wall Street.
"President, we have an inexhaustible cash flow right now. The entire Hollywood is waiting for your next move." Sasaki pushed a blank document to the center of the table, his eyes gleaming with suppressed fervor. "Just give the order, and even if it's about aliens destroying Earth, we can buy out the best special effects company in America and have it done for you!"
"Aliens, zombies, gang shootouts—these things will soon become cheap, mass-produced industrial products in the 21st century."
Kitahara Shin stood in front of the huge whiteboard, holding a marker in his hand, his eyes terrifyingly deep.
He had mentally reviewed countless masterpieces from his past lives. While The Matrix was stunning, the Wachowski brothers were already preparing for it in this timeline, and he didn't want to compete for something that risked copyright clashes. Although Avatar was a box office phenomenon, the computer hardware and 3D rendering technology of 1999 still had physical limitations, and forcing a similar production would only result in a subpar product.
To truly amaze the world and convince the Oscar connoisseurs to willingly hand over their golden statuettes, a groundbreaking masterpiece must be found that perfectly blends "commercial visual spectacle" with "philosophical and artistic depth," and possesses a revolutionary and unrepeatable filming style!
"When the new millennium arrives, what will be humanity's greatest fear and desire?" Kitahara Shin asked slowly, looking at everyone in the conference room. "It will be the loss of control over technology and the loss of self-awareness."
He turned around and wrote four large characters heavily on the whiteboard—
Inception.
"This is a sci-fi action film about dream robbers." Kitahara Shin began to explain this crazy idea that was enough to shock film history to his team, "But we're not going to outer space, nor to the ocean. The place we're going to is the human subconscious."
"In this world, there's a technology that allows people to infiltrate others' dreams and steal trade secrets. But our protagonist's goal isn't to steal, but to implant." He wants to implant an idea deep into the target's brain.
Kitahara Shin's voice echoed in the quiet conference room: "To prevent the subconscious defense mechanisms from backfiring, they must construct a dream within a dream. The first layer is a car chase in the city on a rainy night; the second layer is a weightless hotel corridor; the third layer is a snow-capped mountain fortress; the fourth layer is the ruins on the edge of the subconscious—"
Hearing this grand, meticulous, and mind-bending concept that made everyone's scalp tingle, all the top Hollywood producers and art directors present gasped in shock!
too crazy!
This script, which combines multiple layers of dreams with changes in the flow of time, is simply a dimensional reduction attack on human imagination!
"President—this concept is simply a miracle." The special effects supervisor swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. "However, if we want to depict scenes that defy the laws of physics in a dream, such as folded cities or hand-to-hand combat in a corridor under zero gravity—with current CGI special effects technology, although it's possible, the traces will be very obvious, and it will definitely not achieve the realistic sense of oppression you want."
"Who said I was going to use CGI effects?"
Kitahara Shin tossed aside his marker, turned around, and his eyes revealed an artistic obsession and capitalist tyranny that would make any Hollywood producer tremble.
"I want to film it for real."
"What?!" All the executives in the room exclaimed in surprise.
"For that zero-gravity corridor scene, I want you to build a giant hotel corridor centrifuge, 30 meters long and capable of rotating 360 degrees infinitely, in the studio using aerospace-grade steel!" Kitahara Shin's hands were on the table, like a commander issuing war orders. "I want all the actors and cameras fixed inside, engaging in realistic physical combat as the corridor rotates!"
"Not only that, the script has a scene where a runaway train crashes into the streets of Los Angeles, and I won't allow it to be computer-generated. Go buy a real locomotive, attach a truck chassis to it, and have me actually drive it into the street and smash those cars!"
"As for the snow mountain fortress explosion scene, we won't go to a green screen studio. We'll take the entire crew to the extreme cold of Canada or the Alps, build the fortress on location, and then blow it into the sky with real explosives!"
The conference room was deathly silent.
Everyone was completely stunned by Kitahara Shin's filming plan, which was full of "violent aesthetics" and "burning money without blinking an eye".
In 1999, when everyone was obsessed with computer-generated special effects, Shin Kitahara went against the grain and used the most primitive, hardcore, and incredible physical filming techniques to build the most sci-fi dream world!
Building a 30-meter-long rotating corridor? Driving a real train onto the street? These groundbreaking filming concepts are simply beyond the reach of ordinary film companies. They require near-obsessive engineering calculations and a terrifyingly unlimited budget!
This "real spectacle," which cannot be replicated by future generations, would absolutely shatter the eyes of Oscar judges and audiences worldwide once it is brought to the big screen!
"The initial budget for this film is tentatively set at $160 million." Shin Kitahara, looking at the group of financial advisors who were practically in a state of limbo, made the final decision. "I don't need Hollywood co-investment; the Kitahara Group will finance it entirely. I want this film to shake the world before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve."
Early summer of 1999, Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles.
Kitahara Group's North American branch held a high-level global press conference.
When Shin Kitahara stood under the spotlight and announced to the world's media that he would be launching a groundbreaking sci-fi thriller action blockbuster called "Inception," with a budget of $160 million, the flashbulbs went off for a full three minutes without stopping.
Kitahara Shin did not release the complete script; he simply displayed a huge concept image on the big screen: a bustling Paris city center, with streets, buildings, and sky that appeared as if they were being held in the hands of God, presenting a terrifying scene of folding and connecting elements against the laws of gravity!
Below the drawing was a highly authoritative slogan: "Your mind diss the scene of the
"Crime. (Your brain is the crime scene.)"
When the reporters heard keywords such as "immersing themselves in dreams and implanting thoughts" and "real footage of a zero-gravity rotating corridor," the entire press conference fell into a half-minute-long silence.
It's so grand! So breathtaking!
In an era when computer-generated special effects are still in their infancy, a director dared to make the bold claim of using physical filming techniques to construct a multi-layered dream world! This has gone beyond the scope of the traditional film industry; it's practically creating his own universe!
With the conclusion of this press conference, an unprecedented earthquake swept through the entire Hollywood acting community.
"Spare no expense," "Pursue the ultimate quality," "Directed personally by Shin Kitahara," "Budget of 160 million" —
These labels combined have allowed Kitahara Shin to establish an unshakeable aura of "dream-making god" in Hollywood. Audiences have formed an absolute consensus: any film directed by Kitahara Shin can never be a poorly made cash grab; it must be a masterpiece that breaks the limits of human imagination!
This almost blind trust and expectation belongs not only to the audience, but also to Hollywood's top actors.
The day after the press conference, Kitahara's casting email and physical mailbox were flooded with resumes from major Hollywood talent agencies!
In Los Angeles, at a private, high-end celebrity club.
A young and somewhat arrogant Hollywood actor, who had just become famous with a teen comedy, looked at the Los Angeles Times article about Inception on the table and curled his lip in disdain.
"This is insane. I heard even Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's agents are frantically calling that Asian guy's company to ask for auditions." The young actor took a sip of his martini, his face full of disbelief. "They haven't even seen the full script, they don't even know what role they're going to play, and these Hollywood A-list stars are blindly sending out resumes like newbies? Is it really worth giving an Asian director such a huge favor?"
Upon hearing these ignorant words, the man sitting opposite him couldn't help but let out a mocking sneer.
That was Kevin Spacey. This veteran actor, who had just won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor three years ago for "The Usual Suspects" and was now exactly forty years old, was looking at the young man with a self-satisfied gaze, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"Face? You think Hollywood is a place that cares about face? Here, only absolute power and profit matter."
Kevin Spacey put down his cigar, his gaze turning cold: "You have no idea what kind of monster Kitahara Shin is. Do you think everyone's just after that $160 million salary?"
He lowered his voice, his tone filled with deep awe and longing: "Go see Nicolas Cage in *Shutter Island*! Before Shin Kitahara, Cage was just an action star who could shoot guns and act cool. But in Kitahara's lens, he becomes a work of art with a shattered soul; his Oscar nomination for Best Actor next year is a foregone conclusion!"
Kevin Spacey slammed his hand on the newspaper on the table, pointing at Kitahara Shin's photo: "There are plenty of wealthy producers in Hollywood, but only one madman is willing to build an entire revolving corridor for a single shot! Let me tell you bluntly, if you can snag a supporting role with room to shine in this Asian film, at least half the male actors in Hollywood would be willing to cut their pay in half! If you don't send them your resume, then you don't deserve to talk about acting in this industry!"
These words were like ice water poured over a young actor's head, completely shattering his ridiculous white arrogance.
Meanwhile, in Kitahara Productions' casting meeting room.
Stacks of audition materials piled up like mountains. Leonardo DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, Christian Bale—those top stars who wield immense influence in Hollywood and are extremely selective about scripts—were like candidates waiting for the examiner to choose their names; their fates rested entirely on Kitahara Shin's decision.
Kitahara Shin sat upright in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the Los Angeles headquarters, overlooking the City of Angels that had completely bowed down to him.
He had the first draft of the script for "Inception" tucked between his fingers.