The Winner Stands Alone (14 page)

And with the passing years, what had once seemed a miracle or the luckiest of chances and
which he had always promised himself he would never become enslaved by, has gradually
become his sole reason to go on living. Then he looks ahead and feels a twinge of anxiety
that it all might end one day. There were always younger actors prepared to accept less
money in exchange for more work and more visibility. Hes noticed that people talk only
about the great film that propelled him to fame and which everyone knows about, even
though hes made another ninety-nine films since that no one really remembers.

The financial conditions are no longer the same either because he made the initial mistake
of thinking he would always have work and forced his agent to keep his fee very high. As a
result, he got fewer and fewer offers, even though now he charges only half his normal fee
to appear in a film. Feelings of despair are beginning to stir in a world which, up until
then, had been made up entirely of the hope that he would get ever farther, ever higher,
and ever more quickly. He cannot allow himself to lose his value just like that, and so
now, whenever a script arrives, regardless of its quality, he has to say that he really
loves the part theyre offering him and that he is willing to do it even if theyre unable
to offer him his usual fee. The producers pretend to believe him, and his agent pretends
that hes managed to pull the wool over their eyes, but he knows that his product needs to
keep being seen at fes- tivals like this one, always busy, always polite, always slightly
distant, as movie legends should be.

His press officer has suggested that he should be photographed kissing a famous actress so
that the resulting photo can appear on the cover of one of the scandal rags. Theyve
already been in con- tact with the actress in question, who is also in need of a little
extra publicity, so now its simply a matter of choosing the right moment during tonights
gala supper. The clinch should appear spontane- ous, although theyll have to be sure
theres a photographer nearby, without, of course, seeming to be aware that theyre being
watched. Later on, when the photos are published, theyll hit the headlines again, denying
any love interest and declaring that the photo was an invasion of privacy; lawyers will
start legal proceedings against the magazines, and the press officers of both parties will do their best to keep the affair
alive for as long as possible.

Despite his many years of work and despite being internationally famous, his situation is
not so very different from that of this young actress.

You would have to give up all else, I alone would expect to be your sole and exclusive
standard.

Gibson interrupts the thirty-second silence
thathas fallen upon this perfect scene: the yacht, the sun, the iced drinks, the cries of
the seagulls, the cooling breeze.

I assume youd like to know about the role youll be playing be- cause the title of the film
could change between now and its premiere. Well, youll be playing opposite him.

And he indicates the Star.

That is, youll be playing one of the principal roles. Your next question, logically
enough, must be: why me and not some big-name movie star?

Exactly.

Money. For the script Ive been asked to direct, and which will be the first film produced
by Hamid Hussein, we have a very limited budget, half of which will go on promotion rather
than on the final product. So we need a big name to pull in the crowds and a complete
unknown, wholl be cheap, but will get lots of media attention. This isnt anything new.
Ever since the movie industry became a force in the world, the studios have always done
this in order to keep alive the idea that fame and money are synonymous. I remember, when
I was a boy, seeing those great Hollywood mansions and thinking that all actors must earn
a fortune.

Well, its a lie. There are maybe ten or perhaps twenty stars world- wide who can honestly
say that they do earn a fortune, the rest live on appearances: in a house rented by the
studio, wearing clothes and jewelry lent by couturiers and jewelers, driving cars on
short-term loan from companies who want their name to be associated with the high life. The studio pays for all that glamour, and the actors earn very little. This
isnt the case of our friend here, of course, but it will be with you.

The Star doesnt know if
Gibson is being sincere and if he really does include him among the major stars, or if hes
just being sarcastic. Not that it matters, just as long as they sign the contract, the
producer doesnt change his mind at the last minute, the screenwriters manage to deliver
the script on time, they keep strictly to the budget, and an excellent PR campaign is set
in motion. Hes seen hundreds of projects come to nothing; thats just a fact of life.
However, his last film went almost unnoticed by the public, and he desperately needs a
run- away success. And Gibson is in a position to produce just that.

I accept, says the young woman.

Well discuss everything with your agent. Youll sign an exclusive contract with us. For the
first film, youll earn five thousand dollars a month for a year, and youll have to attend
parties and be promoted by our PR department, go wherever we send you and say what we want
you to and not what you think. Is that clear?

Gabriela nods. What could she say? A secretary in Europe could earn five thousand dollars
a month, but it was either take it or leave it, and she doesnt want to appear even a tiny
bit hesitant. She understands the rules of the game.

So, Gibson says, youll be living like a millionairess and behav- ing like a big star, but
always remember: none of that is true. If all goes well, well increase your salary to ten
thousand dollars for the next film. Then well talk again because youll probably be
thinking: One day, Ill get my revenge. Naturally, your agent has heard our terms and knows
what to expect. Or perhaps you didnt realize that.

It doesnt matter, and I have no intention of seeking revenge. Gibson pretends not to have
heard. I didnt call you here to talk about your test: it was great, the best Ive seen in a long time. The casting director thought the same. I called you here to make
sure you understand, from the start, just what youre getting into. After their first film, when they feel like the world is at their feet, a
lot of actresses or actors want to change the rules. But theyve signed contracts and know
thats impossible. Then they fall into a kind of black depression, go into auto-destruct
mode, that kind of thing. So our policy now is to set out plainly how its going to be. If
youre successful, youll have to learn to live with two women: one of them will be adored
by people around the world, while the other will be constantly aware that she has no power
at all.

So, before you go to the Hilton to collect your clothes for the night, think long and hard
about the consequences. When you enter that hotel suite, youll find four copies of a vast
contract waiting for you. Before you sign it, the world is yours and you can do what you
like with your life, but the moment you sign, youre no longer the mistress of anything. We
will control everything from the way you cut your hair to where you eat, even if youre not
hungry. Obviously you can use your new-won fame to earn money from advertising, which is
why people accept these conditions.

The two men get up. Gibson asks the Star: Do you think youll enjoy acting with her? Shell
be great. She showed real feeling in a situation where most people are simply trying to look competent. Oh, and, by the way, dont go thinking this
yacht is mine, says Gibson, after calling someone to accompany her to the launch that will return her to shore.

She gets the message.

Lets go up to the terrace and have a coffee, says Ewa. But the show starts in only an hour
from now, and you know what the traffics like. Theres still time for a cup of coffee. They go up the stairs, turn
right, and walk to the end of the cor-

ridor. The security guard there knows them already and barely ac- knowledges them. They
walk past glass cases full of jewelry studded with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, and
emerge into the sunlight on the first-floor terrace. The same very famous jewelry firm
hires the area every year to receive friends, celebrities, and journalists. Its furnished
in the very best of taste, and theres always a table groaning with a con- stantly
replenished supply of delicacies. They sit down at a table shaded by a parasol. A waiter
comes over, and they order a sparkling mineral water and an espresso. The waiter asks if
they would like something from the buffet, but they decline, saying that theyve already
eaten. In less than two minutes, hes back with their order.

Is everything all right? he asks. Yes, thank you, excellent. No, thinks Ewa, things
couldnt be worse, although at least the coffees good. Hamid knows that something strange is going on with his wife, but prefers to leave that conversation for another time. He doesnt want to think about it. He doesnt want to risk hearing something along the lines of Im leaving
you. He is disciplined enough to control his feel- ings.

At one of the other tables sits one of the most famous designers in the world, with his
camera beside him. Hes staring into space, as if hoping to make it clear that he doesnt
want to be disturbed. No one approaches him, and whenever some ill-advised person attempts
to do so, the hotels PR lady, a pleasant woman in her fifties, asks them po- litely to
leave him alone; he needs a respite from the constant barrage of models, journalists,
clients, and impresarios.

Hamid remembers their first meeting, so many years ago now that it seems like an eternity.
He had been in Paris for eleven months, made a few friends in the fashion world, knocked
on various doors and, thanks to contacts furnished by the sheikh (who may have known no
one in that particular world, but had influential friends in high places), had landed a
job as a designer for one of the most respected names in haute couture. Instead of making
sketches based on the materials he was given, he used to stay at the studio until late at
night, working with the fabrics he had brought from his own country. During that period,
he was twice summoned home. The first occasion was when he learned that his father had
died and left him the small family business. Even before hed had time to think about it,
he was informed by one of the sheikhs emissaries that someone would be taking over the
business and making the necessary investments to ensure that it prospered, but that
ownership would remain in his name.

He asked why, since the sheikh had shown no knowledge of or in- terest in the subject.

A French luggage manufacturer is setting up business here. The first thing they did was
seek out local fabrics, which theyve promised to use in some of their luxury goods. So not
only do we already have one client, we can continue to honor our traditions and keep
control of the raw material.

Hamid returned to Paris knowing that his fathers soul was in Para- dise and that his
memory would remain in the land he had so loved. He continued working late into the night,
making designs with Bedouin themes and experimenting with the fabrics he had brought back with him. If that French
companyknown for its innovative designs and good tastewas showing an interest in local
products, then news of this would soon reach the capital of fashion and there was sure to
be a big demand. It was only a matter of time, but news traveled fast.

One morning, he was called in to see the director. This was the first time he had entered
that inner sanctum, the great couturiers office, and he was astonished to see how untidy
it was. There were newspa- pers everywhere, papers piled high on the couturiers antique
desk, a vast quantity of photos taken of him with various celebrities, framed magazine
covers, fabric samples, and a vase full of white feathers of all sizes.

Youre very good at what you do. I had a look at the sketches you leave around for all to
see. Id be careful about doing that if I were you. You never know when someone might
change jobs and steal any good ideas they picked up here.

Hamid didnt like to think he was being spied on, but he said noth- ing, and the great
couturier went on:

Why do I think youre good? Because you come from a country where people dress very
differently, and youre beginning to under- stand how to adapt those fashions to the West.
Theres just one prob- lem: we cant buy those fabrics here; also your designs have
religious connotations, and fashion is, above all, about clothing the body, al- though it
does inevitably reflect a great deal of whats going in the soul as well.

He went over to one of the piles of magazines, and as if he knew exactly what was there,
he picked up a particular copy, possibly bought from the bouquinistesthe booksellers who
have been selling their wares on the banks of the Seine since the days of Napoleon. It was
an old Paris Match with a picture of Christian Dior on the cover.

What makes this man a legend? Ill tell you: his ability to under- stand human beings. Of
all the many fashion revolutions, one merits special mention. Immediately after the Second
World War, when cloth was in such short supply in Europe that there was barely enough to
make clothes at all, he started designing dresses that required an enor- mous amount of fabric. By doing so, he was not only showing off a beautiful woman
beautifully dressed, he was selling the dream that we would once again return to a time of
elegance, abundance, and plenty. He was attacked and insulted for doing this, but he knew
he was going in the right direction, which is always the opposite direction to every- one
else.

He put the magazine back exactly where he had taken it from and returned, holding another
one.

And here is Coco Chanel. She was abandoned by her parents, became a cabaret singer, and
was just the kind of woman who could expect only the worst from life. But she seized the
one chance she hadin her case, a series of rich loversand transformed herself into the
most important female couturier of her day. What did she do? She liberated women from the
slavery of corsets, those instruments of tor- ture that imprisoned the torso and prevented
all natural movement. She made only one mistake: she concealed her past, when that would,
in fact, have helped her become an even greater legendthe woman who had survived despite
all.

He put that magazine back in its place too. Then he went on:

You might ask: why didnt they do that before? Well never know. People must have
triedcouturiers who have been completely for- gotten by history because they failed to
reflect in their collections the spirit of the times they were living in. Chanel needed
more than cre- ative talent and rich lovers to have the impact she had. Society had to be
ready for the great feminist revolution that took place at the same time.

The couturier paused.

Now its the turn of the Middle East, precisely because all the ten- sion and the fear that
keep the world in limbo are coming from your country. I know this because Im the director
of this company. After all, everything starts with a meeting of the main suppliers of dyes.

Hamid glances again at the
designer sitting alone on the terrace, his camera resting on the armchair beside him.
Perhaps he had noticed Hamid arrive and is now wondering just where Hamid got the money that had enabled
him to become his biggest competitor.

The man now staring into space and feigning indifference had done everything possible to
prevent Hamid from being admitted into the FŽdŽration. He believed Hamid was being
financed by oil money and felt that this constituted unfair competition. He didnt know
that the di- rector of the label Hamid was working for at the time had offered him a
better job (not that better meant his name would appear anywhere; the company had
contracted another designer to shine in the spotlight and on the catwalk), nor did he know
that two months after this and eight months after the death of his father, Hamid had been
summoned to a face-to-face meeting with the sheikh.

When Hamid arrived home, he
found it hard to recognize the city that had once been his. The skeletons of skyscrapers
lined the citys one avenue; the traffic was unbearable; the old airport was in near chaos;
but the sheikhs idea was beginning to take shape. The city would be a place of peace in
the midst of war, an investment paradise in the midst of turbulent financial markets, the
visible face of a nation that so many people took pleasure in criticizing, humiliating,
and stereo- typing. Other countries in the region had also now begun to believe in that
city being built in the middle of the desert, and money was starting to flow in, first in
a trickle and then like a rushing river.

The palace, however, was the same, although another much larger one was being built not
far from there. Hamid arrived at the meet- ing in an excellent mood, saying that he had
just received an excellent job offer and no longer needed the sheikhs financial help;
indeed, he would pay back every penny invested in him.

Hand in your resignation, said the sheikh.

Hamid didnt understand. He knew that the business his father had left him was doing well,
but he had other dreams for his future. How- ever, he couldnt defy this man who had done
so much to help him not a second time.

At our first meeting, I was able to say no to Your Highness be- cause I was defending my fathers rights, which were always para- mount. Now, though, I
must bow to your will. If you think you have lost money by investing in my work, I will do
whatever you ask. I will come home and look after my inheritance. If I have to give up my
dream in order to honor the code of my tribe, I will do so.

He spoke these words without a tremor. He dared not show any weakness before a man who so
respected other mens strength.

Im not asking you to come home. The fact that you were pro- moted is a sign that youre
ready to set up your own company. That is what I want you to do.

To set up my own company? thought Hamid. Did I hear him right?

More and more of the big fashion companies are setting up busi- ness here, the sheikh went
on. And theyre no fools. Our women are beginning to change the way they think and dress.
Fashion has had an even bigger impact on our region than foreign investment. Ive spoken to
men and women who know about these things. Im just an old Bed- ouin who, when he saw his
first car, thought it would have to be fed like a camel.

Id like foreigners to read our poets, listen to our music, to sing and dance to the songs
that were passed down from generation to genera- tion by our ancestors, but no one, it
seems, is interested in that. There is only one way in which they can learn to respect our
tradition, and that is via the world in which you work. If they can understand who we are
by the way we dress, they will eventually understand everything else.

The following day, Hamid met a group of investors from various other countries. They
placed at his disposal an enormous sum of money and gave him a deadline by which it had to
be repaid. They asked him if he was ready and prepared to accept the challenge.

Hamid asked for time to think. He went to his fathers grave and prayed all afternoon and
evening. That night, he walked in the desert, felt the wind freezing his bones, then
returned to the hotel where the foreign investors were staying. Blessed be that which
gives your chil- dren wings and roots, says an Arabic proverb.

He needed his roots. There is a place in the world where we are born, where we learn our
mother tongue and discover how our ances- tors overcame the problems they had to face.
There always comes a point when we feel responsible for that place.

He needed wings too. They reveal to us the endless horizons of the imagination, they carry
us to our dreams and to distant places. It is our wings that allow us to know the roots of
our fellow men and to learn from them.

He asked for inspiration from God and began to pray. Two hours later, he remembered a
conversation he had overheard between his father and a friend in his fathers shop:

This morning, my son asked me for money to buy a sheep. Should I help him, do you think?

Since it clearly isnt a matter of urgency, wait another week before giving him your answer.

But I have the means to help him now. What difference will a week make?

A very great difference indeed. Experience has taught me that people only give value to a
thing if they have, at some point, been un- certain as to whether or not theyll get it.

Hamid made the investors wait a week and then accepted the chal- lenge. He needed people
who would take care of the money and invest it as he wanted. He needed staff, preferably
people who came from his own village. He needed another year in the job he was doing, so
that he could learn what he still needed to know. That was all.

Everything starts with a meeting
of the main suppliers of dyes.

Well, that isnt exactly true: everything begins when the compa- nies involved in studying
market trends (cabinets de tendence in French, trend adapters in English) take note of the
different thingsamong them fashionin which each layer of society is currently interested.
This research is based on interviews with consumers, the close moni- toring of samples,
but, above all, on careful observation of a particular cohort of peopleusually aged between twenty and thirtywho go to nightclubs, hang out on
the streets, and read the blogs on the Internet. They never look at whats in the shop
windows, even at name brands, because everything there has already reached the general
public and is therefore condemned to die.