Chapter 149: Discovering the Problem

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Discovering the Problem

This project was spearheaded and distributed by Michael Eisner.

Previously, when the script for James Cameron’s Titanic project first came out, they had approached Disney, but Michael Eisner had bluntly rejected the project, which he viewed as having a "bleak future."

However, the film’s later phenomenal success clearly triggered Michael Eisner’s sensitive nerves, so he wanted to make a war version of Titanic himself to prove his own vision.

Thus, the current Pearl Harbor came into existence.

The film was infused with a large number of romance subplots to attract female audiences and expand the target demographic. The idea was good, but the imbalance would likely backfire.

Afterward, he picked up the next document, a report from the historical consultant, where a red "Not Adopted" stamp was marked next to the signature on the title page.

The report detailed several plot points that were inconsistent with historical facts: "Rafe participating in combat as a US pilot for the Royal Air Force did not conform to US military regulations at the time,"

"The scene where the nurse Evelyn rushed onto the battlefield to treat the wounded during the bombing of Pearl Harbor violated the gender division of labor regulations of the time," and "The love triangle plot is seriously inconsistent with the experiences of the real historical figures, raising suspicions of exploiting history."

At the end of the report, the historical consultant wrote: "The film excessively pursues dramatic conflict, sacrificing historical authenticity, which may trigger dissatisfaction among historians and veterans, thereby affecting the development of its reputation."

Robert’s heart sank.

Although Hollywood commercial films allow for artistic license, when it comes to major historical events like Pearl Harbor, audiences are exceptionally demanding regarding authenticity.

Once historians publicly criticize it, it could likely trigger a chain reaction, causing the film to fall from an "epic blockbuster" to a "historical nihilistic romance film."

He then opened the marketing plan and found that the focus was entirely on the "wartime love triangle" and the "attractive cast combination," with the poster featuring an intimate photo of the three leads, while the war scenes had instead become the background.

Seventy percent of the marketing budget was invested in promoting the romance subplot. Even in the trailer, shots of the bombing scenes totaled less than 10 seconds, with the rest entirely focused on the protagonists’ emotional entanglements.

"This is misleading the audience," Robert tapped his fingers on the desk, his tone grave.

Audiences are attracted to the theaters by the marketing, expecting to see a grand war epic, only to find the core is a cliché love triangle. The psychological gap will inevitably lead to a collapse in word-of-mouth.

Especially after The Italian Job became a hit thanks to its "tight pacing and dense exciting moments," audiences will be even more sensitive to dragging plots.

Robert closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and wearily rubbed his temples.

At this moment, he finally understood Jerry’s deeper meaning. Jerry did not undervalue the core interests of producers, but had long since seen through the fatal flaws of Pearl Harbor, and therefore did not want Pirates of the Caribbean to repeat the same mistakes.

After all, Director Irene had achieved this in The Italian Job: the action scenes served the plot, character emotions drove the story, and the pacing was tight and not dragging—which was exactly what Pearl Harbor was lacking.

The night outside the window grew deeper. Robert picked up his phone and dialed Jerry’s number, his tone carrying a hint of relief. "Jerry, I understand what you mean now. The problems with Pearl Harbor are more serious than I imagined."

Jerry on the other end of the line chuckled. "Don’t worry too much. After all, the foundation is there, it won’t lose as much as Cutthroat Island."

Robert was speechless. If another disaster like Cutthroat Island occurred, even he, as the newly appointed president, would be implicated.

"I will arrange an emergency meeting to talk to Michael Bay about the editing issues and try to salvage it," Robert said.

Jerry’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. "Good luck, but remember, once some flaws are formed, they cannot be completely remedied by post-production fixes. All we can do is minimize the losses."

After hanging up the phone, Robert looked at the Pearl Harbor files on his desk, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had originally thought that Pearl Harbor would become this year’s box office champion, but now he realized that this highly anticipated blockbuster would very likely be overshadowed by the lingering heat of The Italian Job, and might even underperform at the box office due to a collapse in word-of-mouth.

The premiere of Pearl Harbor was still held on a grand scale. Disney had rented out the Dolby Theatre, and both sides of the red carpet were packed with reporters and fans, with camera flashes as dense as daylight.

When Director Irene, dressed in a simple black long dress and wearing low-heeled shoes, walked into the theater, she was immediately surrounded by reporters.

The continued hit status of The Italian Job had made her the most watched director at the moment, and her direct competition with Pearl Harbor naturally became the focus of media questioning.

"Director Irene, do you think Pearl Harbor will surpass the box office of The Italian Job?"

"Michael Bay said your film was ’child’s play.’ Are you here attending the premiere today to respond to him?"

Director Irene just smiled gently. "Pearl Harbor is the most anticipated epic war blockbuster of this year, and I am here to learn. As for the box office, every film has its own destiny. It’s best to leave it to the audience to judge."

After speaking, she was guided by staff into the interior of the theater.

Jerry Bruckheimer was already waiting for her in his seat, with Robert Iger sitting beside him.

Seeing Director Irene come over, Jerry stood up to signal her to sit down and asked in a low voice, "What do you think of the atmosphere today?"

Director Irene scanned the packed screening hall. Most of the audience wore expressions of anticipation.

"It’s quite good, star-studded and in the spotlight," Director Irene said truthfully.

One had to know that Disney’s marketing budget for this film was one-third more than that of The Italian Job, so having this effect was normal.

But Robert Iger’s face was clearly not that certain.

He sighed and took the initiative to bring up the previous topic, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Jerry, I tried talking to Michael about what you reminded me of earlier. I suggested he urgently cut some of the dragging romance scenes, at least compressing the runtime to two and a half hours, but he flatly refused, saying there were only ten days left until the release, and editing, dubbing, and submitting for review would be impossible in time."

Jerry raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of understanding. "Did he also say that this film is ’epic’ and doesn’t need to cater to so-called ’fast pacing’?"

"How did you know?" Robert was a bit surprised.

Jerry shook his head. "He has always been like this, constantly talking about how Pearl Harbor will go down in history, stubborn to the point of not listening to any advice."

Director Irene did not respond, just silently looked toward the screen.

As the lights dimmed, the film officially began.

The grand war scenes were indeed shocking. The special effects in the Pearl Harbor bombing segment were excellent, the cinematography was highly impactful, and low sounds of admiration arose from the screening hall from time to time.