MHS – Chapter 140

Cannes is one of the most popular towns on the French Riviera.

Its beaches, Mediterranean climate, and exceptional geographical location near Nice, Monaco, and Saint-Tropez attract around three million visitors from around the world each year.

Of course, when talking about Cannes, we inevitably think about the International Film Festival and la Croisette, the unmissable seafront promenade. An English politician and writer, Lord Henry Brougham, fell in love with the town in 1834 and subsequently introduced it to his compatriots.

Today, Cannes is no longer the fishing village as it was before. Instead, the capital of cinema is known worldwide for its trade fairs and its prestigious luxury hotels (Le Martinez, le Carlton...) frequented by film stars and other wealthy tourists. In Cannes, the famous Palais des Festivals rolls out the red carpet every year for the stars of world cinema.

It is here that the International Cannes Film Festival is going to be held. Will had just arrived with June and the rest of his crew in the beautiful Mediterranean city and had booked a Yacht for himself and June to stay in for the nights. They wanted peace and quiet, away from the jam-packed hotels and beaches, while enjoying themselves to the fullest in the city and away.

They had all received invites to the prestigious occasion and were here for the event. Dream Vision Studio's new film [1917] was going to premiere the very next day, and Director Lucas Amspoker, who had arrived earlier than scheduled, was ecstatic. For Renly and Elijah, the film would mark their debut in Hollywood, and for it to be premiered during the prestigious event, they were certainly over the moon.

Amanda had elected to stay back in Los Angeles. She was a single mother, who wanted to enjoy time with her kids, and wanted to get some work done while most of the upper echelons of the Studio were away on vacation.

Will was confident that [1917] would sweep many awards under its belt here, and he was hopeful that the 'Palme d'Or' would be one of them. The movie did win seven awards at the BAFTA film festival in his previous reality, so he was looking forward to its showing here.

"Are you nervous? You don't have to be. The movie will do wonderfully." June said to Will as they made their way out of the jet that they had used to arrive in France. "Plus, we're here in Cannes; you should relax. Why don't we head on over to the yacht, and have some food, then we can tour the city for a bit?" She said, squeezing Will's hand.

In truth, he was a bit nervous, for despite being reassured and confident about the film, due to its accredited nature from his previous life, there was always that niggling sense of uncertainty that remained at the back of his mind. He was quite appreciative of the support that June showed to him.

He smiled at her and said, "Just a few jitters, nothing much." And helped her into the car that was waiting for them on the tarmac of the airport where they'd arrived. Their customs and regulations were to be done privately away from the general public that used the airport.

He was looking forward to enjoying his time at the festival.

*****

Taking a walk down the allées de la liberté alongside June, he could see the hustle and bustle of the city, as it had become more crowded than it normally was due to the increased celebrity presence in the city. It was a surprise no one had recognized either him or June yet. But he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth and decided to enjoy the moment.

"You've lost all nervousness about tomorrow's premiere. That's good. I am glad I joined you on this trip." June said as they walked down the street, admiring the city's streets and taking in its vibrant atmosphere.

"Yeah, this takes me back to [The Blair Witch Project], it too had premiered at a film festival. We were so nervous back then too. The whole idea about the marketing stunt we pulled back then had given me so much anxiety; it's kind of the same now. But, a little diluted." Will said as he guided her to where he knew a good restaurant that he had booked for the evening.

She smiled fondly at the memories, "Yeah, that was a really fun shoot. We had so much both with the filming and during the release." She said as they reached the end of the street and waited at the intersection.

Will gently took her hand and guided her down a few narrow streets, and they reached a quaint little place in the heart of the city, which was named "Gusti Italiani".

"Italian restaurant in a French City?" June commented.

"To be honest, I have heard that Paris has some of the best Italian food and restaurants in the world." Will shrugged.

Will walked up to the attendant who was waiting at the entrance, and said "Bonsoir, j'ai une réservation sous le nom de Will Evans."

The man who looked at Will, widened his eyes as he recognized the star director but slowly regained his composure. He nodded to Will and June and said "Oui s'il te plaît. Attendez un instant, et je vérifierai notre liste de réservation. " and checked his computer, for the name in the list "Ah oui. Une table pour deux, oui ? Suis-moi s'il te plait. "

He guided them inside the restaurant to their reserved seats and handed them the menus for them to peruse.

"Since when do you speak French?" June asked, not having known that Will knew the language.

"Oh, didn't you know? They taught that as an added language back in my university. I thought it was a beautiful language to know how to speak, so it stuck." Will replied nonchalantly.

June smiled at him, impressed yet again by him. "It is a beautiful language, true."

The attendant returned a moment later and said in clear English, with just a hint of an accent, as he placed the warm cutlery on the table, poured them each a glass of water, and placed some bread on the table, "Good evening, Mr Evans, I am Angelo, I will be serving you today. I hope you're having a wonderful time in Cannes and at the festival. Would you like some drinks to start things off?"

Will looked at the attendant, "Good evening Angelo; Cannes is a wonderful destination, some Vernaccia di San Gimignano would be a good starter for us."

Angelo nodded and asked with a smile, "And would you like more time to decide on your choice of the meal? Or are you ready to order?"

Will looked at June, who nodded, and then he said, "I would like Risotto ai Frutti di mare alongside constelette D'Angleo grigliate, would be wonderful."

Angelo wrote down Will's order and turned to June. "And what about you, mademoiselle?"

June looked at the menu and finally said, "I would like a Risotto ai Frutti di Funghi, with a tagliata di Manzo, please."

Angelo wrote down their chosen orders and smiled at the two of them. "I will bring your food to you in a moment; please feel free to call on me any time during the course of your stay with us." He said, bowed slightly and left.

The duo sat and talked for a while as they waited for the food to arrive.

In under a few minutes, Angelo returned as he brought them their selected wine.

They conversed among themselves as they sipped their wine. Their conversation slowly moved towards June's latest project and her encounter with the irritable European movie director.

"Oh, I was frightened when I opened the door. I had clutched my pepper spray so tightly that I was sure that I would have dented the bottle. Then we talked for a while, and the old director said that he was impressed by my acting and looks; he said he wanted me to work on his new project. Apparently, John said that he's recently diversified into commercial films, and he was taking a major risk. I am still a little hesitant about the whole thing, but reading the script, I quite like it. I think it will be a good movie if he does it right." June said.

Will listened, enraptured by the tale she was telling, and he finally asked, "Who is this director? What is the film going to be called."

The answer he received shocked him to his core. "Oh, it was Director James Cameron, and he is making a sci-fi flick called Terminator."

…

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