"Tell me, why did Oliver Stone make a movie like The Assassination of JFK? I once worked for General Lyndon B. Johnson, and he was the smartest man I know. Stone's movie is completely
It's a cheap scam and I don't know why they would insult a leader who may be the most capable leader."
The chairman of the MPAA, Jack Valenti, was very happy to see Ronald visiting and took out brandy and smuggled Cuban cigars to share with him. He and Ronald had been to the other side of the Pacific together and were very fond of the young man.
He had a good impression. So he didn't shy away from complaining about the movie "JFK".
"Don't ask me, this is invested by Chinese people and distributed by Warner Bros. I don't know why they would release such a movie, but obviously many people will believe some conspiracy theories about the assassination of JFK after watching it."
Ronald took the opportunity to say something bad about Warner Bros. Jack Valenti has been in this position for more than twenty-five years. Under his tenure, Hollywood implemented a rating system and added PG-13, many
The studios all rely on the MPAA's rating system, so he has a lot of power.
In addition, before working in Hollywood, Valenti was actually Lyndon Johnson's press officer. The assassination of JFK was a very derogatory portrayal of Johnson, who was still the deputy commander at the time, which made his staff at the time very dissatisfied.
Almost a year has passed and I still talk to people when I see them.
"Forgive the old man's nagging, Ronald. I owe what I am today to Lyndon Johnson. If I stood by and let some movie producer sully his memory, I would never be able to help myself." Jack Wallen
Dee laughed at herself, "You are very good. I see the spirit of old Hollywood in you. Nowadays, those people seem to be unable to make movies without scolding America. Back then, John Ford went to Midway to shoot a documentary in person...
…Forget it, I’m nagging again, why did you come to see me today?”
"You mentioned old Hollywood, I'm here to restore some of the style of old Hollywood..." Ronald pretended to be mysterious and handed him a copy of the instructions, "Back then, the Great Brightness on the Bund could
I saw the new Hollywood movie at the same time, Gone with the Wind was released only one week later than in China..."
"You mean?" Jack Valenti couldn't read Chinese, but he could tell that it was Chinese. He also understood Ronald's hint that there was a possibility of opening up the market on the Pacific West Coast, and his voice became excited.
, if he can accomplish this, he will become the greatest chairman in the history of MPAA!
"Let's go over there..." After hearing Ronald translate the instructions, Jack Valenti immediately jumped up and asked his secretary to book a plane ticket. "Pack your suitcase and let's go!"
"Just take my plane, just make a stop in Hawaii..." Ronald laughed. With this master who is good at government negotiation, this trip seems to be fruitful.
…
"I'm still not satisfied with the setting in the script that Tom Cruise's Mitchel's boss is a woman. Meryl Streep will weaken the emotional intensity of Tom and his wife. It will make the audience mistakenly think that Mitchel is having a female boss.
There are emotions beyond the working relationship. The betrayal and understanding between Mr. and Mrs. Mitcher in this script are the focus of many female viewers. Don’t let her dilute this.”
"But Meryl Streep will add to the realism of the movie, her acting is impeccable, and besides, maybe female audiences will enjoy watching Tom please women on screen?" Paula Wagner on the plane
, discussing the script setting of "Sugar-coated Trap" with Ronald.
It was Tom Cruise's initiative to set up a female character and then invite Meryl Streep to star, and Paula also wanted to defend his idea.
"Let me talk to Tom..." Ronald motioned her to get through to Tom Cruise.
"Tom, I want to replace Streep. Can you think of an actor you want to work with..."
"Why? I like Merrill's play..." Tom Cruise was startled and objected.
"I also like Merrill as an actor, but haven't you had enough experience working with Dustin Hoffman and Paul Newman to send them to the best actor throne?"
"Uh... you're right, let me think about it..." Tom Cruise was speechless. Sometimes evenly matched people are not the best screen partners. Only when one is good at acting as a foil can the protagonist's acting skills be amplified...
…
"Think slowly and tell me when I get back from there."
Ronald put down the phone. Tom Cruise's acting skills are actually pretty good. After so many years of training and working with many famous directors, there are also moments of enlightenment. But with Meryl Streep's talent and training, he is excellent.
There is still a gap visible to the naked eye compared to the actresses.
If you want to get nominated, don't act opposite these acting masters. Any slight mismatch will be magnified by the camera. A drama like "A Few Good Men" won't matter if you play against Jack Nicholson. Nicholson
Sen didn't use his full strength. However, this "Sugar-coated Trap" has a lot of key roles for the protagonist Mitchel. It would be best to find a suitable green leaf to set off the progress of Cruise's acting skills in recent years.
Of course, in addition to his boss, playing his wife is also a great job. Not to mention that it will definitely be remembered, just to play opposite a handsome guy is also a rare benefit.
Needless to say, Ronald also received countless recommendation calls. He had already put aside important things for the time being, waiting for him to come back to talk about everything.
…
"They only agreed to export a single movie to China Film Group and sign a purchase agreement... But this is also a huge progress... Our purpose of dividing the accounts has not been achieved..."
Three days later, Ronald and Jack Valenti came to the Grand Bright Cinema near the Bund. The dubbing version of Director Huang's "Hi, Frank" would premiere here.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Of course, there is no "premiere" in the Hollywood sense here, but it was once the largest cinema in the Far East and opened half an hour earlier than other places.
It’s just a painting. This year China Film also learned from the spirit and encouraged the audience to pay attention to the movie stars of the new era again. It brought out many stars in history from Xujiahui Film Factory and other film studios, and built a star wall in Daguangming to introduce the glorious past.
Get the stars.
Here, "star" also has to be put in quotation marks. But even so, it was after many years that movie fans heard the term star again.
"Don't be discouraged. What's important in developing the international market is not speed, but a trend. We have opened the window. Next time we come, maybe we can open the door a little bit..." Jack Valenti
He is an old and cunning person. During his tenure, he opened up the country's film market and signed a contract for the screening of Hollywood movies. A few years have passed, and now, in the country's commercial film market, the proportion of Hollywood films in the country's commercial film market has already exceeded that of imported films.
The highest.
"Yeah, maybe in a few years, we can sign an account sharing agreement with them..." Ronald touched his chin. Yesterday, Deputy Director Fei, who was in charge of this matter, talked about Chinese and American movies at the dinner
The great significance of cooperation can be characterized from the perspective of the relationship between the two countries and the friendship between the two peoples, and the "Hi Frank" produced by Ronald.
If you say that such specifications and characterization are all due to the leadership's instructions, Ronald is a little bit unconvinced. It seems that there is a deeper meaning behind it. After drinking two glasses of wine, Deputy Director Fei also mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally,
This is a useful attempt between the two countries within the general framework of economic and trade cooperation, and is in line with the overall trend of bilateral relations.
"Ha, you are more optimistic than me. Let me tell you one thing. Before I came here, I talked with NBA Commissioner David Stern. In order to expand the market, they made the game tapes free in 1986.
He sent it to their TV station to show it. Later, he came here in person to seek cooperation. He said that the videos were free, and the TV station made him wait in the cold wind for two hours.
In contrast, we can have banquets to receive guests, and people at the deputy director level to see us off, which is already a huge compliment to us barbarians. Everything must be done slowly..."
Jack Valenti had sent film copies to the Alliance and East Germany in his early years. He certainly felt that it would take ten years to develop this market.
"No, you people don't understand the subtle and subtle emotional expressions of Orientals..." Ronald smiled. He was deeply touched by the reserved style of Orientals. He was the setter of the women's volleyball team back then, and now he is also a sports player.
Officials were also invited to a farewell dinner to accompany Ronald, a foreign friend who invited them to have Chinese food in Los Angeles. These were all special arrangements. Was there any special sign hidden in them?
In the end, "Hi Frank" was recognized as a movie co-produced by China and the United States, but there was no splitting arrangement. Only China Film Company gave him a fixed fee that far exceeded the previous fixed fee for imported Hollywood movies. This is already a very unusual arrangement.
Already.
Moreover, the fact that this movie can be released in its entirety without additional editing is completely explained by the fact that the house of a Vietnam War veteran is to be forcibly demolished by real estate developers. This plot that reflects the dark side of America can be completely explained.
The last time his "break dancing" was introduced, there was actually a deep background of Sino-US cooperation behind it. What subtext did they have this time?
Ah, the Orientals even promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries through the visit of the table tennis team. As a film director like me, I really don’t understand the meaning behind it...
…
Ronald couldn't figure it out, so he gave it up for the time being. He asked the special plane to take Jack Valenti back first, and then strolled to Xiangjiang to visit his old friends.
Jackie Chan was in Xiangjiang, and he wanted to take Ronald to eat some delicious Xiangjiang specialties. But because Jackie would be surrounded by people when she went out, it was not convenient. So he could only bring some to the Peninsula Hotel and
Ronald shared.
Finally, Ronald, who still wanted to see the true face of Xiangjiang, asked Xiao Qiu from Times International who came to his door as a guide, and let him take some roast goose from ordinary shops and have a good meal.
"My uncle said that tomorrow Director Zhu from Seven Wolves will come to apologize for you..." Seeing that Ronald was in a good mood, Xiao Qiu told him the main purpose of his visit this time. He has been in Hollywood for a long time.
, knowing the power of Ronald there, Jackie Chan, the first brother of Xiangjiang Film, also respected him so much, and knew that this knot must be resolved, so he urged Director Zhu to fly over overnight and apologize sincerely.
"Forget it, I don't even want to mention this matter." Ronald felt sick when he thought of Director Zhu who copied his and Diane's works in a mess.
Ronald also went to Lan Kwai Fong, where foreigners often go, and listened to a rock band perform live, which was surprisingly good. After the show, under Xiao Qiu's arrangement, he ate at some roadside stalls and experienced it thoroughly
I learned about the entertainment that a foreigner could enjoy in Xiangjiang at this time.
It's been a long time since he acted like an ordinary person and was single. Ronald felt very good and didn't wake up until midnight the next day.
"Who are you? Why are you standing at my door?" Ronald, who was about to go out to have some morning tea, opened the door of the hotel room and saw a simple middle-aged man standing respectfully outside with a simple and honest face.
, his mouth is a bit crooked, you might mistake him for a bellman if you're not careful.
"Hello, Director Luo, I am the sinner Zhu Yanping, please forgive me." After saying this, he, who called himself Director Zhu, bowed deeply, his whole body showing a ninety-degree look.
"Hi..." Ronald saw this and pulled him in. It seemed that this man knew the art of apologizing very well.
"Director Luo, it's hard for us commercial film directors. Can you forgive me? Even though adults have a lot of money, my sins cannot be atonement. We people don't have professional screenwriters, and we don't have many movies to watch. I just watch them.
I grew up watching your movies...not studying...I study your movie videos as a bible, and I have watched some of them over and over again, and they are all gone now."
Well, I bowed and apologized again, and now I regard Ronald, a director who is younger than me, as my mentor and worship him. This makes Ronald feel embarrassed. If I don't forgive him, I seem to be bullying him.
This coolie directed it.
"I also know a few of your directors. I invested in Ang Lee's movie, and he will also shoot the movie I invested in. It's not as exaggerated as you said..." Ronald was still angry,
Besides, this kind of posture is not too difficult for the director to perform.
"You don't even know how much we envy Ang Lee at the Golden Horse Awards.
Let me tell you, the movies we have now are made for Europeans with investment from China, and the profits are francs, marks...
Either it was investment from Xiangjiang and then distributed in theaters there. Now it is so exaggerated that even the camera has not been turned on and the film has not been exposed, so it can be paid in advance.
We are the only poor local commercial film directors with no one else. Photography, lighting, makeup, and props were all used to shoot those movies. These two Septwolves were made by me alone...
You sir have a lot of money, please forgive me? Please give our local commercial film a way to survive..."
As he said this, Director Zhu stood up and bowed again.
Ronald had no choice but to be harassed by him. Anyway, he could not make him lose money through a cross-border lawsuit, so he had to reluctantly agree to forgive him for plagiarism.
"However, I have a condition. You can't copy my movies in the future. My company is called Daydream. You must remember it clearly. I have no control over other companies, such as Warner Brothers..." Ronald began to imitate Fei
The oriental hint of the deputy director.
"Yes, I will never copy your work. If I want to copy it, I will copy it from Warner Brothers..."
"It seems you understand." With that said, Ronald drove away the unruly Director Zhu who was trying to get him to invest. How could these Orientals understand such a hint at once? Then Deputy Director Fei
It seems that there is really a hint...
Director Zhu is really shameless. Alas, in this kind of market, maybe only this kind of shameless guy can survive and leave some sparks for commercial movies there.