[Chapter 410: Pregnant Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci]
After Link arrived in France, he was interrupted by a personal matter before starting filming -- Sophie Marceau was pregnant.
Back when they were traveling in Italy, Sophie Marceau and Monica were the most enthusiastic about having children.
They always wanted him to finish inside and often slept with pillows under their hips to increase the chances of conception.
By early October, Monica's period didn't come, and a pregnancy test confirmed she was expecting. Link called Sophie to ask if she was also pregnant.
Sophie smiled and said no but urged him to come to France quickly to start filming.
...
When Link arrived, Sophie greeted him at the Paris airport and immediately threw herself into his arms, excitedly telling him she was pregnant. She said it was more meaningful to tell him in person.
Link had never been a father before, but he was happy to hear the news. He hugged and kissed Sophie until she pushed him away, worried about the baby.
To show how much he cared about the child, he personally took care of Sophie's needs and security arrangements, spending three days making everything right before saying goodbye and returning to the film crew.
---
Saving Private Ryan is about the latter part of World War II. On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces launched a massive landing in Normandy, France, aiming straight at the German headquarters in Berlin. Before the ground troops landed, some units parachuted into inland France, far from Normandy, to disrupt German defenses before linking up with the landing forces.
Private Second Class James Ryan was in that group -- at the frontline with extremely high casualties.
James Ryan was a sergeant in the H Company, 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and the youngest of four brothers, all of whom had recently been killed in various battles.
After receiving the news, the U.S. command decided to send a special squad to rescue Ryan so his mother wouldn't lose another son.
Captain John Miller was ordered to lead the mission.
Captain Miller's squad had just endured the brutal Omaha Beach landings with heavy losses.
To complete the mission, Miller picked seven capable soldiers from his troops. While other units rested, Miller's team penetrated enemy territory to find James Ryan.
At the frontline, the squad faced many difficulties: lack of manpower and equipment, unfamiliar terrain and language, and occasional encounters with enemy forces.
One by one, members of the squad fell, and doubts arose about whether risking eight lives to save one was worth it.
Despite their doubts, the squad stayed committed to orders, continuing their search amidst the harsh battle.
Eventually, after many hardships, they found Ryan in a fierce firefight.
But Ryan, driven by strong will and sense of duty, refused to leave the battlefield.
With enemy forces rapidly approaching, a battle broke out.
Ryan and Miller's team threw themselves fearlessly into the fight.
Though Ryan survived, six members of the squad, including Captain Miller, were killed.
That's the storyline of Saving Private Ryan.
...
It was a war movie, a genre with hundreds of titles post-WWII. To stand out, it had to offer something unique.
Its key was 'authenticity' -- using real soldiers for filming, recreating the battlefield, real gunfire, all while ensuring crew safety to produce the most realistic combat scenes.
To add realism, the main actors underwent over two months of military training with the Marines before filming.
Costume designer Jonah Johnston created 3,000 authentic military uniforms. The production even contacted the WWII-era company that made US Army boots to produce 2,000 pairs of boots with vintage aging.
Prop master Simon Atherton spent over two months sourcing and modifying 2,000 weapons. Every weapon was carefully maintained and designed to look indistinguishable from WWII firearms.
Besides the leads, most extras were active-duty soldiers from the US and UK Marine Corps and Irish Defense Forces, over 2,500 in total.
Director Link and cameramen used handheld cameras to follow soldiers closely on the battlefield, employing a documentary-style shooting method rather than rigidly following the script.
...
Because of Link's strict demands, filming proceeded slowly, averaging three days per scene. It took more than a month to film the first 25 minutes depicting the Normandy landing.
This was Link's slowest-paced film to date.
Though slow, the footage was phenomenal. Art director Thomas E. Sanders and Major Evans Carlson of the Marines praised the shots' realism and brutality -- they looked identical to real battlefields.
After filming the war scenes, Link and crew moved to Thurmer Park in England to continue shooting.
...
"Link, you've been busy for over a month with the crew. Want to take a few days off before filming again?" Jennifer Connelly asked one evening at their hotel in London.
Jennifer sat on the sofa with wet, long curly hair cascading down, her smooth legs stretched out, toes painted a soft pink.
"I can't stop! The actors are really in the zone after more than a month. Finishing scenes now saves a lot of time and money," Link replied while flipping through the director's script, jotting down notes.
"Workaholic!" Jennifer teased, kissing him and resting her forehead on his shoulder, her hand on his chest softly. "Now Monica, Sophie, Michelle are all pregnant. I want to have a baby too."
Link put down his pen, gently running his fingers through her fragrant hair. "Monica and the others are eager because of their age and weaker career ambitions, but you're young and busy. Why think about kids so early?"
Jennifer Connelly, born in 1970, was 26 and one of the youngest in the girlfriend group.
In recent years, with support from Link and her agency, she starred in at least two films a year, considered an up-and-coming A-lister in Hollywood, commanding over $5 million per movie.
Her chin rested on his shoulder, cheeks gently puffed as she said, "Monica and Sophie are so excited since they got pregnant, showing off their still-flat bellies daily. I want to have kids too -- more than them -- make them jealous."
Link smiled and held her close. "Alright, if you want kids, then let's have them. Lots of them if you want."
"Great!" Jennifer happily embraced him, tilting her face for a kiss, ignoring her robe nearly slipping to the floor.
...
"We're back!"
Before they could mess around on the sofa, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kate Beckinsale, and Julie Delpy returned from shopping, carrying dinner for everyone.
Catherine had come to visit after the crew moved to England.
Kate Beckinsale was a newcomer, having come to Hollywood in 1994. She was cast by Link as lead in The Sino-Dutch War 1661, later becoming entrenched in his life.
At 23, the London native was a stunning English beauty who would later star in Pearl Harbor and become internationally famous for her looks and charm.
Kate's work and look in The Sino-Dutch War 1661 were promising, and the film would boost her fame.
Julie Delpy was an old acquaintance, lead actress in Before Sunrise, and friends with Sophie Marceau and Emmanuelle Beart.
Because Sophie couldn't accompany Link while pregnant and Emmanuelle couldn't satisfy him alone, Sophie introduced Julie to him. Julie unexpectedly agreed to help and later followed Link from France to England.
...
"How was the shopping?"
Link and Jennifer stood to greet them and checked the food they brought.
The food run started because Julie complained that English food was terrible compared to French cuisine.
Catherine and Kate disagreed, listing over a dozen English foods like Cornish pasties, fish and chips, haggis, and beef Wellington.
Julie argued those were adaptations of French and Italian dishes, not authentic English food.
Catherine and Kate kept debating and convinced Julie to come buy food together.
"It's great! We bought eight kinds. You'll love it," Catherine said with a smile.
Julie set down the dishes and turned to Link with a smile. "Link, one dish is especially for you -- don't waste it, remember to eat it all."
As she spoke, Catherine, and Kate covered their mouths, giggling.
"Dark cuisine?"
"No! It's called 'Stargazing' -- a lovely name. It's about fish and the sky, a beautiful and moving story. When Kate introduced it, we all decided to bring it for you to try," Julie said brightly.
"Alright, thanks for the thought. I'm happy to taste it," Link said, taking Jennifer to the dining room, kissing the faces of Kate and the others before sitting down to enjoy English cuisine.
They also saw the beautifully named 'Stargazing' -- a baked dish with six fish heads facing upward, some with open mouths and hollow eyes, a truly grisly platter.
Jennifer screamed upon first sight and turned away, urging Link to take the dish away quickly.
The prank was a success! Catherine, Julie, and the others laughed joyfully.
*****
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