Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 100
I visited the Strait of Dover in England to select a filming location.
This is the last place after visiting McWay Falls in the U.S. and Etretat Beach in France.
Henry Marceau is facing the wind at the end of the White Cliff with sunglasses on.
‘I wish I could push him into the deep sea.’
I don’t know why he’s doing this to me.
We are working together because he invested in ‘The Strange Castle’.
At first, I thought he liked my paintings, but now he’s acting increasingly incomprehensible.
It’s frustrating that he doesn’t answer properly even if I ask.
“Oh, I want to push that punk into the deep sea.”
Grandpa who was standing next to me sighed deeply as he watched Henry Marceau.
He felt the same way as I did.
I didn’t care about what had already happened anyway and just looked around.
It’s said that many Artists have put this place on the canvas, and like them, I’m also amazed by the White cliffs carved by waves in a really picturesque place over the years.
I want to take a closer look at the unique white fault surface, but I can’t even imagine how steep the slope is.
You can feel the wonder of this place properly only when you go out to the coast by boat.
Director Nolan approached.
“What do you think?”
“It’s like a different world.”
It’s like a scene that can be found only in someone’s imagination.
“How can a cliff be this color?”
I asked grandpa.
“I don’t know the details, but they said it was made by accumulating microbial corpses.”
“Here?”
Grandpa nodded.
In school, I learned that a microorganism is a very small creature.
And this huge cliff seems to have been formed by the accumulation of such creatures.
I don’t know how long it took to become like this.
The world is really full of incomprehensible things.
“But what about the inside of the hideout if you shoot here?”
I can’t see the cave.
“We have to go in from the bottom by boat, do you want to go?”
I have to see it in person to draw a picture based on it, so of course, I have to go.
After a while, we went to the cave on the White Cliff by boat.
The passage was fairly wide.
It is high enough for an adult man to walk around without bending his back.
The width doesn’t matter much if two people walk side by side.
It is by no means a cave that can occur naturally.
“Is it man-made?”
Henry Marceau’s voice rang inside the cave.
“Yes,”
Nolan began explaining the secret of the cave on the White Cliff.
“This has long been Britain’s symbolic line of defense. The high cliffs made it easier to stop the enemy’s offensive.”
Certainly not high enough for people to climb up.
“Then World War II broke out and we had to stop the Nazi offensive. Winston Churchill, then prime minister, ordered the establishment of a strategic defense base here.”
I didn’t understand most of the words uttered by Nolan.
Others, however, seem greatly surprised.
“It was a military secret base, wasn’t it?”
Uncle Bang asked.
“Yes, it was to stop the German ship passing through Dover Beach here. They used the shell as a storage space.”
It’s like hearing a huge secret of history.
“It goes down to about 23 meters below the coastline and has a total area of 1,066 sq.m. There were 185 soldiers living here.”
“…Are we 23 meters below the sea? ”
If it collapses, everyone here would die.
Nolan smiles carelessly when I ask in surprise.
“You don’t have to worry. The British government has finished renovating and opened it to the public. Let’s go further in.”
I took grandpa’s hand.
It’s a precautionary measure to run away with grandpa if I had to.
“Hahaha. Is Little Hun scared?”
“I’m not scared, I’m being careful.”
“Huh, you are scared”
Henry Marceau snorted.
I went inside, determined to flatten his nose someday.
After passing the long passage, the road got divided.
A large space is connected to the left, and another passage is curved to the right.
Surely this place could be decorated as Arsene Lupin’s hideout.
It was used as a military secret base in the first place.
Everyone looked around in admiration.
With five large rooms, including a room used as a hospital room and accommodation.
On one corner of the room which seemed to be a bedroom was inscribed with the phrase <Russia bleeds while Britain Blancos>.
‘Britain Blancos?’
Blanco is a white paint used for leather, and it felt impossible to grasp the meaning of the sentence.
“What does this mean?”
“Probably means it’s under check. At that time, they used a paint called Blanco to censor the equipment.”
Nolan explained.
It seems to be slang used in the military at that time.
After looking around for about 30 minutes and taking pictures, Nolan and all the crew decided to film ‘The Strange Castle’ here
I’m so excited.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
We gathered in Christine Nolan’s room to discuss the future schedule.
“Hun, you will be going to Germany tomorrow, right?”
“Yes,”
Nolan looked up as he circled the scheduler.
“Jane, are you ready for the shooting?”
“No problem.”
“I need at least four days. Emily will go back tomorrow and pick up the size.”
Props manager Emily Lever nodded.
It looks like they’re trying to measure the interior of the White cliff cave.
In a situation where you don’t have permission to shoot, preparing in advance is to speed up the time as much as possible.
“I’m confident that we’ll get permission, so we’ll start.”
“But…”
Emily Lever cautiously opened her mouth.
“It was rejected this time as well. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and the British Museum.”
It seems that they have not been able to procure art for Arsene Lupin’s collection.
In fact, from the perspective of the museum, it makes no sense to hand over the original product to film.
Many people suggested using imitations, but Christine Nolan never broke his stubbornness.
There are times when he is reliable and on the other hand, it is difficult to make a movie with him.
Nolan, who was agonizing with his eyes closed, asked for the next measure.
“The private collector’s side?”
“We’re in touch, but they’re asking for ridiculous amounts so far.”
“How much?”
“Ivan Morozov called in $10 million to rent out [Portrait of Jean Renoir] and the [cafe terrace on the place du forum].
It’s my painting and Renoir’s work.
I wondered where it was because it was not in the Van Gogh Museum, but it seems that a Russian had it.
Ten million dollars.
It doesn’t make sense to ask for that much money to lend it for just one day.
Nolan bit his lip.
“What’s the negotiating table? You said they’d take out insurance.”
“No, they asked for it together with insurance ……..”
The production team was depressed.
I tried to figure out another way somehow, but it’s actually difficult for me.
At that time, Henry Marceau, who attended the meeting as an investor, spoke.
“What are you looking for?”
“We’re looking for a collection of Arsene Lupin. Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, and so on. Or an equivalent work before the 20th century.”
Art director Nathan Evans replied.
Henry Marceau frowned upon hearing the explanation.
It is ridiculous to list a country’s national treasure-class works not only for the value of the work itself but also for historical significance.
Henry opened his mouth.
“There’s one Raphael.”
Me, Nolan, and everyone in the room looked up at the same time.
Raphael’s work was already considered a historical work even in my previous life.
I can’t believe he has one piece of that genius.
I knew he was a collector, but this was on an unexpected scale.
“What is it?”
“Small Cowper Madonna. 1505.”
“Nonsense.”
Nathan Evans reacted as if he had heard something outrageous.
“Should I show you?”
Everyone joined me when I nodded.
Henry Marceau, who raised one corner of his mouth, opened his smartphone.
When he called somewhere, a middle-aged woman showed her face.
-Ho-ho Henry, how are you doing? Are you eating well? When will you come home? Oh, you’re with other people.
“….”
Everyone stared blankly without saying anything.
Henry Marceau’s face turned red.
“Hello,”
I greeted her with a warm welcome.
-Oh, you’re Ko Hun, right? I hear a lot of stories about you. Ho-ho are you two together?
“Noisy! Stop talking nonsense and go to Exhibition 2 and take a picture and send it to me!”
“My-my. You called me after a long time and now you are acting temperamental. You never change Master Henry. Everyone, he’s never been like this. Please take good care of our Little Hen…….”
Henry Marceau turned off the phone and sent a message saying something.
She’s a friendly person, I think she’s Henry Marceau’s mother.
No, Caroline Streak said in ‘Let’s Talk’ that he grew up without parents, so maybe she’s his nanny.
No one said anything.
The people who participated passionately in the meeting are acting differently by looking at their smartphones for no reason.
After a while, Henry Marceau’s smartphone rang.
Henry checked the message and opened his smartphone and put it in front of people.
“Oh, my God.”
It’s my first time seeing Raphael’s work.
It would be nice to see it in person, but I am happy just to capture the image of a benevolent saint with my eyes.
This will surely be a symbol of how great Arsene Lupin is as a thief.
Nolan stepped up.
“Can you lend me this piece?”
“I refuse unless it’s on the condition that there won’t be any damage.”
“I will definitely do that. Whatever happens,”
Henry Marceau shrugged his shoulders and suggested that we tune in.
At times like this, he may look normal, but I don’t know why he usually act like that.
“Do you have anything else besides this?”
I asked, curious about his collection.
Henry raised his head triumphantly.
It is very annoying to see him raise one corner of his mouth.
“Do you want to see it?”
“……Yes.”
“Then ask me. Politely,”
Henry Marceau said while laughing.
