Chapter 571: The Joy Luck Club, a tearjerker of bitterness
"Mr. Li, your blanket, eye mask, and your black tea..."
"Thanks……"
The stewardess, who knew Ronald's preferences well, gave Ronald the three-piece suit he needed for flying as soon as he got on the plane.
In Bayford, South Carolina, the filming of the children went smoothly. After Ronald had children, his patience with these child actors increased by orders of magnitude.
Many staff members who have worked with him for many years, when they saw the way he talked about performances with those children, played games with them, and coaxed them to film, they all couldn't believe that this was something that this director who was known for being arbitrary on the set could do.
things that come out.
He seemed to be taking his time, repeatedly playing games with the child actors, and rehearsing slowly. If something went wrong in the middle, Ronald would mainly encourage him. If it didn't work, he wouldn't pursue one, and instead shoot a few scenes, and fix the good ones.
Some parts were left to the editing room for later connection.
In this way, the shooting speed was actually very fast. When the scenes of Little Forrest Gump and Little Jenny were finished, it happened to be stuck on Friday. The crew did not film the whole day and Saturday because the two leading actors Tom Hanks
Si and Robin Wright haven't recovered from their colds.
In this case, Ronald would not let the two actors work while they were sick. He hired local nurses to take care of the two actors. He also bought air tickets for their partners and asked them to come to the set to take care of the sick actors...
For those staff members who also caught colds, Ronald directly asked the chef to boil a large pot of chicken soup. Anyone with symptoms could enjoy it for free. Coupled with the medicine prescribed by the resident doctor, this large-scale cold was
Not only did it not cause any problems for the crew, but it actually enhanced everyone's cohesion.
You know, in Hollywood, time is money. You generally don’t stop and wait for someone to recover. Actors generally have to work despite being sick, and staff members can be replaced when they can. Every day of downtime costs tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is a huge waste that no one can afford.
But Ronald, who skillfully finished the week's filming in advance and gave everyone a day to rest, is a director that many staff members have never heard of. To be honest, many directors are not necessarily bad people, they are just huge
The pressure from the producers made them appear bad-tempered.
Ronald has strong professional skills and can withstand pressure. Rumors began to spread among the crew that Ronald had done all kinds of very kind and kind things when filming movies. For a while, everyone felt that they were very lucky to join such a team.
Theater crew.
However, Ronald did not rest for two days. He rushed back to Los Angeles to attend the premiere of the new film produced by Daydream, "The Joy Luck Club."
This movie is the first Hollywood movie after "The Last Emperor" in which all the main characters are Chinese. They are played by Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, but they all look close to Chinese.
As something that Ronald deliberately promoted, he also invested some effort in the marketing of the movie. Many actors who have worked with him and are famous for their female roles were invited to attend the premiere.
…
"Hi, Tomita..."
Ronald and Diane dressed up to attend the premiere held at "The Crest Theater" in Westwood, Los Angeles.
What he saw at a glance was that the girl who played Daniel's Japanese girlfriend Kumiko in "The Dragon King 2" had now grown up to be a very charming and beautiful actress.
"Oh, Ronald-san..." As soon as Tomita Tan Ling saw Ronald, she happily came up to hug him and jumped on him happily.
"Oh oh oh, look at you..."
Ronald has seen Tomita as an adult several times, but the deepest impression in his mind is that Tomita Tan Ling was still a baby-fat girl. Who knew that Tomita, now wearing a red shirt and white coat, has a completely new spirit, typical
The posture of the Hollywood female star is a bit ready to come out, and the beauty of her temperament is better than the beauty of her appearance.
"This is my wife Diane. He may not recognize you..." Ronald smiled and turned back to Diane and said, "This is the Kumiko from Longwei Boy. Do you still recognize it?"
"Oh...that's right, we all wanted to be Daniel's girlfriend at that time, Crane Ki..."
Diane was having bad luck at that time. In fact, she was a little envious of the two actresses in this series of commercial films who gained popularity without any acting skills. So the little girl in her impression quickly overlapped with the Tomita in front of her.
"Ming Na..."
Tam Ling Tomita turned around and called Ming-Na Wen, who played the four sisters with her. During the break from filming The Joy Luck Club, the latter also came to Daydream to play Chun-Li in Street Fighter.
Objectively speaking, these two are actors who have the potential to play leading roles in Hollywood because of Ronald's attraction.
"How are you two doing?" Ronald looked at the two Asian actresses he had selected and was very happy to appear in a theater movie playing the leading role. After the greetings, he wanted to know about them.
's current situation.
"You know, roles like this are so rare in Hollywood."
Tomita Tam Ling can't stop talking. After Kumiko in "The Dragon King 2" gained global fame, she has always wanted to gain a foothold in Hollywood. But the cruel reality is that in the next year, she
I only received very few casting calls, and most of them were typical Asians who just made up the numbers. They would finish with one or two lines and one or two actions.
Only then did Tomita realize how lucky she was to be cast as Kumiko.
After recognizing the reality, Tomita Tan Ling had no choice but to return to Japan to develop her career, and she played many roles. But what is a bit ridiculous is that she also became a "foreigner" in Japan.
Most of the people who are looking for her are follow-up movies like "Longwei Boy", a Japanese beauty who ends up falling in love with a white-skinned foreigner...
This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! In short, although she can often be recognized on the street, she neither belongs to the West nor the East. She only talks about the theme of exchanges between the East and the West.
Movies are the stage for them to perform.
But it’s normal to think about it. An Asian actor who speaks English better than Japanese or Chinese is the most suitable role for them. And after staying in Hollywood for a long time, if you ask them to play a traditional East Asian woman,
The temperament alone is already disharmonious.
"Don't worry too much, there will be more and more movies like this in the future..."
Ronald comforted the two actresses who were eager to star in similar daydreaming projects, and urged them and the remaining leading actors to be interviewed by reporters. This was a good opportunity for these Asian actresses to
There are opportunities to be in the media.
"Tomita, Tomita, you are acting in a Hollywood movie again this time. How do you feel different from Long Wei Boy?"
Reporters also saw them. In addition to taking photos, reporters from the press and TV stations also came to interview them.
"I think this The Joy Luck Club is not just a story about Asians. It is actually a microcosm of the first generation of immigrants. Whether they are Italians, Jews, or Latinos, their families set foot on this land for the first time.
When we are in the land, we will experience what several women in the Joy Luck Club experienced..."
Tomita Tam Ling had already received media training from Daydream Company, and public relations consultant Michael Gray came up with a special plan for the Joy Luck Club's marketing.
Sometimes, the marketing of a movie is more important than the movie itself.
For example, if "The Joy Luck Club" is marketed as a Chinese-American story, it will be difficult to attract mainstream white audiences into the cinema.
"The Last Emperor" also faced the same problem at the time, but after all, they had a gimmick of The Last Emperor, and coupled with the success of the Oscar, The Last Emperor was positioned as a scenic film about the strange history of the East.
But it is difficult for "The Joy Luck Club" to have an easy-to-market direction like The Last Emperor. It is originally about the life experiences of several Chinese women in America. How do you get mainstream audiences interested in this kind of story?
In the end, the plan given by Michael Gray was to abandon the promotion of Chinese Americans and position the film as a story about how a woman from a generation of immigrant family integrates into American culture. Is there any cultural conflict in the process?
Finally, the theme is how to use the culture of the nation to resolve conflicts and integrate into society.
Unlike all countries in the world, America is a country founded by immigrants. All the people living in America, except for a few indigenous people, most of them immigrated from somewhere by boat.
of.
Therefore, the sense of identification with the first-generation immigrants is deeply rooted in the hearts of everyone in America. Whether they hear it from the elders in the family, learn it from history textbooks, or through "The Godfather"
What I learned from the movie is that, in short, there was such an old couple in my ancestors who were lucky enough to come to this land of freedom. With their own hard work and some good luck, they finally blossomed and had descendants like them. Everyone wants to
Get to know the stories of these ancestors.
"Melanie...Elizabeth...Cher..."
Ronald was at the entrance of the theater and continued to welcome several female stars he invited. Melanie Griffiths, Elizabeth Sue, Cher, etc. all came to support them. They all appeared in Ronald's past movies.
The kind of character who has his own unique personality and is not just a subordinate of the male protagonist.
This is also part of Michael Gray's marketing plan. In addition to the big theme of first-generation immigrants, women are also the theme of "The Joy Luck Club."
It is more difficult for women than men to integrate into American society. In addition to language and work difficulties, women also have some special problems.
Unlike most countries, the emergence of a large number of working women in America after World War II is actually an irreversible trend. For many older generations of immigrants, the environment in their home countries does not actually encourage such women to work.
After breaking away from the big family and living together in an atmosphere where there are some elder women of the same ethnic group who can teach them by words and deeds, they still have to work hard on their own in America and learn how to be a woman and a wife in a strange environment and culture.
, a mother...
This is also a common problem in the home cultures of various immigrants and in a melting pot like America.
Even Italians, who have a strong extended family culture and have a similar culture to the Chinese, will gradually disintegrate after the third generation and become a unit dominated by small families.
Therefore, viewers of almost every ethnic group can find some parts that they can relate to.
In this way, "The Joy Luck Club" is not just an elegy for Chinese women, but an epic of cultural shock and integration that all immigrant families will experience.
…
"Woooooooo..."
No one expected that the "Joy Luck Club", which was planned in advance and told about the cultural integration of immigrants, would make the entire audience at the premiere cry when the movie was about to end.
Especially those who watch women's movies are deeply moved by the plot, the rising dramatic conflicts, the various conflicts encountered by the protagonists, and the mutual understanding between the older generation who adheres to tradition and the younger generation who are open to integration.
Not used to it, and the final reconciliation...
Towards the end of the movie, when Jingmei's father (played by Ronald's old friend Chao Li) explained the truth about Wish's abandonment of the twins, the emotions of the audience were brought to the point of bursting out of the embankment, and one person cried.
After that, everyone couldn't hold back their tears.
"Oh, God, this is simply a tear bomb..." Diane couldn't help it anymore and picked up a handkerchief to wipe her eyes...
"Uh..." Ronald felt very stimulated and almost couldn't hold back his tears several times. However, as a professional director, he actually didn't like the plot of the movie too much. It was not so much the tear-jerker of the movie itself.
It's director Wayne Wang's unique Chinese-American atmosphere and ability to guide the audience's thinking that's so strong.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Although there are some plots that do not make sense, the entire movie was edited by him so that American audiences can forget the flaws...
"You don't know, this is a unique type of Chinese film, called a tearjerker... We in Hollywood used to have it, but it has been lost now..."
Ronald quickly said some theoretical words, not letting his emotions be led by the director, and almost burst into tears. This movie is really suitable for Westerners who do not understand Chinese culture.
appetite.
The repressive, feudal, feudal autocracy of the ancient Chinese, and the kindness, warmth, and mutual understanding of the Chinese people form a sharp contrast, which makes Westerners feel that these people really live a life.
a morally good life.
"Summit Theater" is a single-room cinema with a very good sense of design. The screening hall that can accommodate a total of 400 spectators is not large, but it is very famous among movie fans. It is located in the Westwood District, which happens to be the location of UCLA.
The audience here has a very high level of education, and they don’t have the narrow concept that America is the best when it comes to foreign cultures.
After the screening was completed, I waited for another minute after the subtitles had finished rolling before turning on the lights, so that the audience could collect their emotions.
"Wow, wow, wow..." The audience's applause was overwhelming after the lights were turned on. Director Wayne Wang and several leading actors came on stage to accept a long tribute from the audience.
…
Ronald did not stay to enjoy the success with the crew. He sent the actors to the post-screening party in a luxury car, and he and Diane went home to enjoy the warmth of family with little Roger.
But the next day, at around six o'clock, he was still woken up by the daydreaming staff.
"Boss, it was an unexpected success. Cinema Score gave it an A rating, and both Albert and Sisko gave it four stars..."
"Ah? Such a high rating, hurry up and expand the screening..." Ronald didn't expect to get such a high rating from the audience, so he jumped out of bed...
Unexpectedly, it turns out that American audiences can still like a painful and tear-jerking film.