Ronald's interest was immediately piqued by his assistant and translator Hannah. Can the cultural barriers of different countries have such a big effect?
The most incredible cross-cultural shock that their film encountered before was the experience of "Break Dance" in China. Their original intention of introducing this film was to reflect the kind of low-class blacks and Latinos being bullied by upper-class white people in Ronald's films.
, the gap between race and class makes it almost impossible for those at the bottom to stand up.
But the charm of break dancing is unstoppable, and it has become a popular fashion among young people. This is something the Ministry of Culture did not expect. Even the opening scene of the heroine working in a hamburger fast food restaurant has never been seen before.
The audience watching the foreign fast food was amazed.
Just a few months ago, KFC opened its first store in Qianmen, and it became very popular.
Are all Germans not allowed to dance like in the movie "Butterfly"? Did you suddenly cry when you suddenly saw this hot dance between men and women and got emotional?
Out of curiosity, Ronald took a nap, ate some fried sausages and Coke, and waited for Hannah to take him to watch "Dirty Dancing."
The cinema that shows "Dirty Dancing" twice a day is not far from the Brandenburg Gate. This famous landmark in Berlin was built by King Frederick II of Prussia for several years of war victory.
It is a landmark building in scenic star films.
However, after the Cold War, this became the dividing point between East and West Berlin, and the opposite side was the Berlin Wall that separated the two camps.
Looking at the Statue of Victory on the Brandenburg Gate, behind it was the TV tower built by East Berlin to show its superiority. Ronald resisted the idea of going and taking a look. This is a place where no one comes, and there are still people on the opposite side.
There are defense forces standing guard.
"That's right here, that's the ticket booth." Hannah pointed to a very old-fashioned cinema and said to Ronald. The exterior wall was still made of red bricks, not the Bauhaus style that was popular in West Germany recently. The two bought tickets and went in.
The cinema still has the style of an old cinema with an aisle in the middle.
Ronald looked around. The audience watching "Dirty Dancing" was similar to that in America. They were mainly couples and single women. The seats were only about 20% occupied. Ronald looked at Hannah.
He said that no one would come to see it until it opened.
Soon the bell in the cinema began to ring, and then the lights dimmed. A suspicious Ronald looked at the screen. The movie still had the original English sound, with German subtitles underneath. However, many young people in West Berlin knew some English, and the audience did not seem too
big obstacle.
Suddenly, there was a sound from the entrance at the back. Ronald looked back and saw a group of young people filing in from the back. They took the seats at the back and sat down. There were thirty or forty people in total.
The movie ended soon and the lights came on again. Ronald stood up and wanted to communicate with the audience members who came later, but found that those people were hiding in the corner, where the lights could not shine, and seemed to be sobbing softly.
.
Ronald was confused. This group of spectators came in after the show started. They seemed to have not bought tickets, so they sat in the back corner. Moreover, their clothes and temperament were also similar to the young people in West Berlin whom Ronald saw.
People are different.
Ronald stepped forward to greet a young woman with ear-length hair who was wiping her tears with her hands.
"Hello...I am the director of the movie..." Ronald wanted to talk to her about why she cried while watching "Dirty Dancing".
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" It's okay that Ronald didn't say anything. This move seemed to have touched something on the female audience's mind. She was still sobbing quietly, but she suddenly burst into tears. It didn't matter at this time.
The audience members who came with her also started to cry loudly.
"What did I say?" Ronald looked back at Hannah and was stunned.
The two returned to the hotel, and Hannah talked to Ronald about the whole story in the bar. Since Mikhail, the new secretary-general of the Alliance, came to power, and under the new thinking of openness and transparency, the strength of the Berlin Wall has been loosened.
The number of East Berliners smuggled over from various places increased rapidly from dozens every year to hundreds or even thousands. In 1987, nearly 4,000 people even managed to escape from there.
Many of these people are skilled and well-educated young people, and some of them came here by themselves through other Eastern European countries in the name of tourism. They often spent a lot of money to come here, and many people choose to compare wages.
Gao worked in West Berlin, trying to reunite with his family.
However, East and West Germany have been separated for a long time, and there has been a relatively deep cultural gap between the two sides. Many people have been culturally shocked after coming here and do not know how to socialize with the residents of West Berlin.
Many charitable organizations allow them to come to cinemas and watch Western movies for free, allowing them to gradually become familiar with how to gain a foothold in Western society.
Hannah, a staff member of the Berlin Film Festival, is also a member of a charity organization. She took advantage of the convenience of working in the film industry and contacted some theaters. If the seats were not full after the opening, she would let the East Berlin immigrants enter for free.
.
After trying many movies, Hannah found that "Dirty Dancing" directed by Ronald had the best effect. Many people would cry after watching it, as if their stress had been vented, and they would be able to better adapt to and integrate into society in the future.
So this time Ronald came to the Berlin Film Festival, Hannah specially volunteered to be his translator and assistant just to thank Ronald.
"Why? Why does my movie have this effect? I don't understand? It's just a romantic comedy. American audiences can only have one kind of heroine to help them complete their unrealized dreams." Ronald still
I didn’t quite understand, so I asked Hannah why these people were crying.
"This is a kind of catharsis after being suppressed for a long time in life. Your movie is a movie that makes people brave. Both the male and female protagonists made choices according to their inner thoughts, which just fits their psychological state. Crying and laughing are both.
Recognition of one’s own choices.”
"Okay..." Ronald thought for a while and understood a little bit. In a new environment, there is a big cultural separation. Although the language is the same, there is always a feeling of being out of place. Such a movie, it seems
It is a ceremony that allows them to say goodbye to the past, which is a bit of psychological therapy. That's why the audience started to cry.
"But this movie is about to be released. I would like to ask you to authorize a few cinemas to screen your 'Dirty Dancing' for a long time, so that we can help more people. The number of people coming through third countries this year is more than
There were a lot more last year...please, Ronald."
"Give me the list of cinemas, and I will authorize each of these cinemas to have one set of copies on a long-term basis, without any copy rent. As long as you want to continue showing it, you can keep showing it." Ronald thought this was a good thing, so he agreed.
.
Hannah was very happy and did her best in the following escort work. She could speak the languages of several European countries and was familiar with the work of translator. She was also in the film industry and was often familiar with professional vocabulary, which made Ronald's Berlin
The trip to the film festival was very smooth.
…
"This is Mr. Godard..." A few days later, Hannah helped Ronald attend a film forum screening and introduced to Ronald the director of the French New Wave film, Jean-Luc Godard.
In addition to the 15 films from various countries in the competition, there are many other films to be screened at the West Berlin Film Festival. Some of these films were not selected in the competition, and some were originally small productions, so they only participated in the so-called forum screening.
Today's screening is "Hairspray" produced by Ronald Daydream and directed by John Waters. Waters is still smoking cigarettes one after another, waiting for the screening of his movie to begin. His eyes are not clear
He stopped and looked at a director on the other side. Their films were being screened at the same time.
Along with his "Hairspray", Godard's new work "Keep Your Right Up" will be screened at today's forum.
Reporters gathered around Godard, wanting to interview this big-mouthed, unscrupulous left-wing filmmaker who wanted to shoot ultra-low-budget films, but he and John Waters were in sympathy with each other on this point.
However, the two people's other views on the film were completely different. Godard was rude to reporters.
"Too much, too much Hollywood garbage. Bah...I don't know if this is West Berlin or a Hollywood film fair? There are actually eight Hollywood commercial films participating in the West Berlin Film Festival competition and forum this year?
And they are not here to exchange art at all, they are here to sell movies. Let me tell you, these Hollywood garbage will be released in Germany after the film festival. They have turned the film festival into an advertising conference full of copper odor.
!
All left-wing films that are truly artistic and have humanistic concerns have been squeezed out by them. It’s like a colony here..."
Looking at John Waters who looked very unhappy, Ronald shook his head and pulled him in to chat with the film producers and the audience.
Godard was right, he was here to sell films. Low-cost films like "Hairspray" were sold to German film producers here. Mid-range productions like "Moonlight" were just there to win awards and win awards.
Recognition from foreigners goes back to build momentum for the Oscars.
"Hollywood, Hollywood doesn't understand art, they are all tools used by capitalists to make money. I strongly urge this year's jury to focus more on films about real working people, such as those from Eastern Europe and China.
"
Ronald quickly covered his face. Godard didn't want to see him participating in left-wing activities. He would always say that he was making movies for the working people. In fact, his family was rich and he paid for the movies himself.
Among the directors of the New Wave, only Truffaut came from a truly low-income family. Instead, he respected the industrial mechanism of Hollywood. He even made a cameo appearance in Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and wanted to introduce the Hollywood commercial film system to his country.
, it’s a pity that the day never takes off for the New Year...
While Godard was still talking outside, Ronald accompanied John Waters to watch the German audience's impressions of "Hairspray".
Maybe it’s because I didn’t understand the black liberation movement in America that “Hairspray” showed, and the background content about black people entering white schools didn’t get any response.
However, some comedy content transcends culture. For example, the mother played by Drag Queen actor Divine and the protagonist's daughter Tracy played by Ricky Lake made the audience laugh as soon as they appeared.
Both of them are fat, but very flexible. Especially Ricky Lake, a fat girl, makes people feel better when dancing than those slim girls. Her rhythm and expressiveness are definitely beyond ordinary dancers.
This kind of plot can naturally arouse the audience's joy. Without reading the subtitles, the audience happily applauded and cheered for the fat girl Tracy.
After the movie, John Waters went to be interviewed by the film festival reporter. Ronald was very happy to watch Michelle Cannold, who was in charge of distribution, negotiate with various film companies. This movie amused the audience across cultures.
His ability has obviously been recognized by many theater buyers.
Seeing the buyers who enthusiastically raised their hands to squeeze in to talk to Cannold and sign a contract with Daydream to buy copies, Ronald happily slipped to the back of the cinema. This ultra-low-cost production was invested by Daydream
, it seems that it will make money.
Completely opposite to the situation where many reporters outside surrounded Godard, when Godard's new film was to be screened, no buyers were present. Godard's films are famous for being shoddy, obscure, and incomprehensible. Such films have no box office at all.
Only some movie theaters showing literary and artistic films would be interested in it.
Only ten minutes into the screening, some viewers were already running away. This film was directed and acted by Godard, and is divided into three sections. The first section is about a musician looking for ideal harmony, and the second section is about an individual looking for a suitable society.
The third paragraph is about a traveler looking for his destination.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ronald held his temper and saw the third paragraph, and couldn't help but run away. There are some avant-garde and experimental films, directors can also find inspiration or inspiration from them
.But Godard’s creative method of random shooting, you have to be very lucky to see inspiring works.
After coming out, Hannah asked him what he thought of Godard's works.
It was not convenient for Ronald to speak ill of his colleagues. After thinking about it, he said, "Godard occasionally makes one or two good films, but it's a pity that I never see them."
Hannah understood Ronald's cold humor and couldn't stop laughing. A reporter nearby heard a few words and wanted to come over for an interview. Seeing that he couldn't hide, Ronald simply accepted the interview.
"What is your opinion on Godard's film festival?"
"I don't completely agree with his point of view. What I don't agree with is that the West Berlin Film Festival is not Hollywood's backyard. We are like West Germany and our allies in America, not puppets. As for whether the films in the Hollywood competition are good or not, it depends on the audience.
Let the judges judge.
What I agree with him is that we really need to focus more on other parts of the world besides Europe and America. For example, the previous films of Mr. Akira Kurosawa from Japan have always given me a lot of inspiration."
"Excuse me, do you have any preference for the films from Asian countries participating in this year's competition? Apart from your own "Moonlight"?
"I like everything I see when I get the chance."
"So how many of the participating films have you seen? Do you like Japan's Akira Kurosawa? Do you have a preference for the film Red Sorghum from China, which is also an Asian country? Do you think this film is similar to your own work?
, who will the audience like more?"
"Oh... I don't know. I heard it's a very good movie. I haven't seen it yet. As for the audience's taste, that's a mystery."
After accepting an interview with a reporter, Ronald ran away quickly. When he arrived at the hotel, he asked Hannah when the Chinese movie would be shown. He wanted to see it too.
Hannah checked the schedule of the film festival, and it happened that the screening time of "Red Sorghum" was close to the awards ceremony, so Ronald, who came late, could have a chance to see it. This also shows that the organizing committee is very optimistic about this film.
, arranged to be shown relatively late for the audience to watch.
Ronald casually mentioned that he liked Akira Kurosawa's movies, but he didn't expect that "Red Sorghum" would give him a very familiar feeling. The director's use of color clearly has the style of Akira Kurosawa's "Shadow Warrior".
In a large yellow wheat field, a red sedan chair was carried by a few strong men. The sedan chair kept shaking up and down. The heroine inside, who looked very Chinese, was wearing a red wedding dress.
Ronald felt a strong hormonal impact that was about to overflow from the screen and was constantly building up. Regardless of other aspects of this movie, its ability to use images and colors to directly touch the audience's emotions is still very good.
Even viewers who don’t understand Chinese will still be aroused by this audio-visual language to evoke primitive emotions.
Ronald knew the male protagonist of the movie. He was the male protagonist of the movie that Director Xie was filming when he went to Songjiang. His facial lines were very familiar.
But I have never seen the heroine before. Her style is very different from the Jiangnan beauties in Xujiahui Studio. She has a wild beauty.
Ronald feels very good. This movie is also a movie in which you don’t need to understand the lines or the story to understand the emotions the director wants to express. It’s very interesting. Just like Akira Kurosawa’s "Shadow Warrior". This director,
It was obviously deeply influenced by Akira Kurosawa, and it can be seen in the picture.
After the movie was shown, Ronald waited to see who the director was. Chinese movie subtitles were different from Hollywood rules. The only things that followed the movie title were the names of the original novel and the screenwriter. After the movie was finished, he
Finally the director's name appeared.
"Zhang Yimou?" Ronald was confused for a moment. Isn't this the name of the best actor at last year's Tokyo International Film Festival? Director Wu said that he is not a professional actor, but was originally a photographer, so why is he now a director?