At the premiere of Paul Newman's directorial debut "The Glass Menagerie", all Hollywood filmmakers in Cannes came to support it. This is one of only two Hollywood films competing for the Palme d'Or.
Paul Newman came to Cannes again this time, and the biggest stars in Hollywood. Whether it was Ronald, Minahan Golan, or Elizabeth Taylor, they all came to participate. They competed for Hollywood movies.
Last night, Chinese director Maurice Pialat's entry "Under the Sun of Satan" was praised by all European guests who attended in full formal attire.
These two movies are both adaptations of famous works, and both are works by famous actors turned directors. But they represent two opposite value orientations.
"The Glass Menagerie" is a continuation of the Broadway-Hollywood drama tradition, which pays attention to storytelling techniques. "Under Satan's Sun" continues the tradition of jump cuts, non-narrative, and heavy emotion of the new wave of China.
As two films with a relatively high reputation for awards and many similarities, Paul Newman hopes to win the competition. The Palme d'Or in Cannes is decided by the jury, but the publicity of these stars will affect the perception of some judges to some extent, and many
Everyone has a personal relationship with the judges. So Paul Newman and his wife Joanna Woodward chatted about the film with all the guests.
"Joanna and I bought a house on the north end of Staten Island when we were first married, and we spent the best years of our lives there." Newman heard that Ronald was from Stanton.
, I suddenly became interested and chatted with him about some of my life after marriage.
"Ah, it is now a tourist attraction. Many people take the ferry from Manhattan Island to Staten Island to see your former residence." Ronald heard Aunt Karen say this.
"Ah...hahahaha", Newman happily recalled which house. At that time, Newman had just started to go on the road. He didn't have much money, so the couple pooled their money to buy it. "You don't know, I was happy at the time, and I was happy with Joanna.
Getting married is like standing on your head. Oh my God, she was a star at that time, and I was just a fledgling actor."
Talking about the past, Newman kissed his wife affectionately.
"At that time, I thought Paul was not very good at acting, but he was very handsome, so it was good to take advantage of me." Joanna Woodward joked with her husband. This time, Director Newman asked her to play Tennessee William.
The mother character in James, the most famous American playwright's autobiographical work, is really full of drama.
"Oh, I thought at that time she was the most wonderful woman I had ever met."
The two are a model couple in Hollywood. They have been deeply in love as a couple since they got married, and there have been no scandals.
…
"Do you think their movie can win?" After watching the movie, Ronald asked Minahan Golan, who was with him.
"It's a good movie, but our Cannon's 'The Shy Man' is not bad either. Andre's directorial skills are still very recognized by Europeans, and the heroine Barbara Hershey has just played Woody
·Ellen’s ‘Hannah Sisters’, people in China recognize him very much.”
Minahan didn't answer the question, but Ronald still understood it. Of the two films in the Hollywood exhibition, he was still more optimistic about "The Shy Man" produced by his company. Although the director Andrei Konchalovsky is no longer
Although he has the nationality of the Sovereign Union, he is still popular in Europe, and the judges of the Union nationality in the jury will not embarrass him very much.
"What about the Chinese version of 'Under Satan's Sun'?" Ronald asked again.
"They haven't won the Palme d'Or in Cannes for 20 years, and they probably won't win this year either." Minahan feels that Chinese films have completely fallen behind and no longer have the momentum of the new wave that led the world.
…
"Then they have a better chance." After returning to the hotel, Ronald and his agent Richard also discussed the ownership of the Palme d'Or. "This year is the 40th anniversary of Cannes. Is it better to keep the Palme d'Or in China?"
It’s very fitting that the Palme d’Or belongs to Yves Montand, the chairman of the jury, who is from China.”
"What you say makes sense. I really don't understand these award-winning things. I almost fell asleep watching those Chinese movies. Fortunately, we have completed our obligations in Cannes and are about to return to China." Luo
Nader took the time to watch a lot of Cannes films, and to be honest, not many of them were good.
European movies always give people the impression that the director's personal touch is too strong. Ordinary viewers watching these movies may not understand what they are expressing.
For example, the movie "Under Satan's Sun" tells the story of a priest and a country girl who encountered the devil in the 1920s.
Not to mention that Ronald didn't understand the "deep content" that the director wanted to express, and the audience who went to watch the premiere didn't understand either.
Guests wearing tuxedos and bow ties were already whistling and stamping their feet in protest halfway through the movie. By the end of the movie, more than half of the audience had left.
"Don't be so direct when you're being interviewed." Richard reminded Ronald not to be so obviously disparaging of Chinese filmmakers when he was being interviewed by the media in Cannes.
"I'm not that stupid."
This time, in order to promote "Dirty Dancing", Ronald also found the media to accept this kind of interview with a special purpose. In order for the other party to say good things about his movie, of course he would not make the Chinese media unhappy. They are waiting
After 20 years, the Golden Palm has returned to the embrace of the Chinese people.
"Yeah, I like this movie very much. This is my second time bringing a dance movie to Cannes for its premiere.
I like the country very much and the history of the country's films. Mr. Truffaut's "Day and Night" is my favorite movie about filmmaking.
Yes, the actors in Laiguo are very unique. I look forward to working with them one day.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!..."
Ronald gave about 10 minutes to each media outlet. Anyway, the questions and answers were the same every time, so there was no waste of brainpower.
When facing more than 20 media outlets, you must smile passionately every time. Even if the other person asks a very stupid question and it is the 20th time you have heard it, you must treat it as the best question. Look into the other person's eyes and
Praise, and then repeat the boring standard answer.
"Who will win the Palme d'Or this time? That depends on the jury. My personal favorites are 'The Glass Menagerie' directed by Paul Newman and 'The Shy Man' directed by Konchalovsky.
They are all Hollywood movies, so of course I am American, hahaha."
"I saw you at the premiere of 'Under Satan's Sunshine' yesterday, directed by Ronald, and you seemed to have fallen asleep. Did you not like that movie?"
When he was being interviewed by the last few media outlets, Ronald suddenly heard a slightly outrageous question. He looked at the other reporter and saw that he was a thin and gloomy man, but with a pair of stubborn eyes.
"I think I may have been distracted. In fact, I don't like it. I don't deny that compared to these films from the country that competed in Cannes this year, I prefer 'The First Kiss' produced by Gaumont a few years ago and Tru.
Those movies, maybe for me as an American, it’s easier to understand the well-formed story.”
Ronald expressed his attitude softly but firmly. You are right, I just don't like that movie "Under the Sun of Satan". Besides, I'm not the only one who makes me want to sleep after watching it. Your guest from the country
, I also protested that the movie was too boring.
Then he emphasized that I still like the director and actors of Tongguo very much, but I don't like this kind of mystical stuff that involves advanced concepts such as religion, devil, and human nature, but it doesn't look good.
"You said you like Truffaut's films, do you only like his films with capital investment? New wave film directors like him, Godard, make left-wing films without capital involvement, just for
Don’t you like the movies made by the people?”
"Oh..." Ronald raised his eyebrows, wondering why such a reporter was here.
Ronald quietly flipped through the business card on the table. It was a left-wing national newspaper, Humanitarian. Looking at those stubborn eyes, Ronald knew that he must have met that kind of paranoid reporter.
"I do prefer Truffaut to Godard."
Since the other party is full of prejudice and says that he is a capitalist film and Hollywood director, then he should just admit it.
Except for Godard's debut film "Exhausted", Godard's later films often did not even have scripts, and the actors were allowed to perform on their own throughout the process.
This year he filmed "King Lear". Apart from the name having something to do with Shakespeare, the plot was completely inexplicable. When Hollywood's teenage goddess Molly Ringwald came into his hands, she completely lost her aura and acted very poorly. Ringwald himself
Also very confused.
"I think Mr. Truffaut's path of making films for the audience, rather than for government funding and awards, is the right one. I have always practiced his teachings in this way."
Anyway, Truffaut was just awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously by Cannes this year. I used his ideas to counter Godard’s unhealthy shooting philosophy, and I can’t find anything wrong with the comparison.
"Can you only make films for Hollywood capitalists?" the reporter continued uncompromisingly.
"Okay, time's up, that's it." Richard came to intervene and asked the Humanitarian reporter to leave.
"It's really strange for the Chinese people that even though they themselves don't like a movie, these people hold it up very high," Ronald complained to Richard.
"Besides, I financed the filming of Dirty Dancing myself. According to the principle, I am not a director working for a capitalist, I am a capitalist myself, okay?"
"Hahaha, forget it, Ronald. Many left-wing people in China are like this. Their film market is protected by the government, and they receive high subsidies from the government after the project is established. Finally, the government-led Caesar Award determines future subsidies.
Where to go. There is indeed a lot of deep well ice."
Ronald also smiled, "Fortunately, Cannes is selected by the judges, unlike the César Awards, which are awards issued by the Chinese government."
…
"Hollywood directors make wild claims and believe that only movies that please the audience are good movies. The audience needs to be guided. They cannot just be satisfied with shallow satisfaction, but should make movies that require them to think before they can understand. In this way
Only then can the overall quality of the nation be improved.”
The next day, Ronald and Richard packed their bags and prepared to return to China. The newly published "Humanité" criticized their ideas without naming names. At the same time, they praised the Chinese director Maurice Pialat for his "in
Under Satan's Sun".
"Actually, what he said makes sense, but if the audience thinks too much, they will be distracted from watching your movie. A movie can make them stop and think three to five times at most, one second each time. Anything more than that is a disaster.
"
Ronald looked at the newspaper and laughed. These Chinese people are separated from the market and the audience. They rely on the Caesar Awards and the comments of small circles. Some of their opinions are really delusions without practical experience.
More than ten hours later, the plane stopped at Los Angeles International Airport. Ronald came out yawning, and together with Richard met little Bud who came to pick him up.
"At the Cannes Film Festival Awards, Chinese director Maurice Pialat's 'Under the Sun of Satan' won the Palme d'Or in a very controversial way. It is reported that when the film was screened, most people
The audience protested at the end."
At the luggage carousel at the airport, Ronald looked up at the TV news. When he found the local entertainment news, Ronald heard unexpected news.
"No way, just for his 40th birthday, he gave the Palme d'Or to that movie?" Ronald looked at the scrolling subtitles below carefully. It was indeed the Palme d'Or, not some small award from the jury.
"Hi, are you from China? Is that movie good?" A passenger who was waiting for his luggage nearby was also a movie fan. Seeing that Ronald was also interested in Cannes, he asked him how the Palme d'Or award-winning movie was.
.
"This actually doesn't look like a movie at all. Hypnosis is pretty good." Ronald put on his sunglasses and left the airport.
In the following days, there was a lot of discussion in the film industry about this very controversial award. The chairman of the jury, Yves Montand, is a good friend of the award director Maurice Pialat, and they have starred in movies together before. Rumors spread that it was
It was his strong advocacy that allowed Maurice Pialat to win the award.
It is reported that some people in Hollywood have criticized Yves Montand's chairman of the jury.
The film circles in China and even Europe have launched discussions on this award. Such a film, which was disliked by the audience, actually defeated all other competitors and won the grand prize because of the love of insiders.
Should the movie be made for the audience, or for some people in the film industry? Film reviews and reviews in newspapers have been debating this for a long time.
In the end, this controversy also caused great divisions among the general public.
Because at this Cannes, this award, which was relatively fairly selected, returned to the hands of the director of the country, Francois, the leader of the country, made a special speech to express his congratulations.
François's Socialist Party lost in last year's parliamentary election. The right wing gained a parliamentary majority and elected Jacques as prime minister.
The country's political situation has been divided as the commander-in-chief and the prime minister actually belong to the left and right factions. The two sides are competing on everything for votes.
Prime Minister Jacques expressed different opinions after Francois expressed his stance. In an interview, he said that "Under the Sun of Satan" had too many negative content against the church and left the audience thinking for too long.
Jacques also joked at the end that if he went to see a movie with his wife and daughters, he would not choose to watch under the sun of Satan. He would rather watch a relaxing dance movie like "Dirty Dancing". He could watch a serious dance movie with his two daughters.
A family value movie and a wonderful night.
"Hey, can you collect this section and put it on our movie poster?" Ronald heard this interview and immediately had the idea to evaluate him as the most authoritative audience member.
"We don't have much problem using public news reports." Michelle Cannold has also returned from Cannes and is reporting on the release of "Dirty Dancing."
He immediately ordered his colleagues in the distribution department to excerpt the original text of Prime Minister Jacques. People in the country know that Prime Minister Jacques likes watching movies, and he is also well-informed. He knows that "Dirty Dancing" is about the love between a father and his daughter. It seems that his
The public relations team deliberately chose a different image for him than François and it was very effective.
"Under Satan's Sun is a masterpiece, and although it deals with theology and rises to a shocking test of faith, the film has a thoroughly secular style.
That's one of the many things that makes it fascinating. It's a work of great subtlety, of a degree of difficulty and tremendous certainty, that demands and deserves close attention."
Ronald was in Daydream's office, looking through American newspapers. Regarding the Cannes report, he discovered that the Chicago Sun-Times praised him.
"I especially appreciate the director's attitude towards auteur cinema and his persistence in his work. Amid the controversy after winning the Palme d'Or, he said a famous quote from a film artist:
I know some people don’t like me, and I want to tell them that I don’t like you either.”
When Ronald saw the director's words, he was shocked and speechless. If in Hollywood, after being scolded by the audience, he would scold the audience, and he would probably not be able to get a job as a director in the future.
"That's how the Chinese people are." Cannold is of French descent and understands this kind of thing very well. The Chinese people always like to be unique.
"And the Chicago Sun-Times. How much did Albert charge them for such shameless praise?"
"This is a good thing. If you can collect other people's money, you can collect our money, and we can promote Dirty Dancing hard. Our premiere has been decided to be in mid-July."