Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Ronald's interest was immediately piqued by his assistant and translator Hannah. Can cultural barriers between different countries have such a big effect?

The most incredible cross-cultural shock that my movie encountered before was the encounter of "Break Dance" in China. Their original intention of introducing this movie was to reflect the situation in Ronald's movies where blacks and Latinos at the bottom were oppressed by whites from the upper class. The racial and class gap made it almost impossible for the bottom to stand up.

However, 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 was amazed by the audience who had never seen this kind of foreign fast food.

Just a few months ago, KFC opened its first store in Qianmen, and it became very popular.

Could it be that all Germans are taught not to dance, just like in the movie "Bloody"? Suddenly saw this hot dance between a man and a woman, did you get emotional and cry?

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 is the TV tower built by East Berlin to show its superiority. Ronald resisted the idea of ​​going to take a look. This was a place where no one came, and there were National Defense Forces standing guard opposite.

"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 recently in West Germany. The two bought tickets and went in. The cinema still had the style of an old cinema with an aisle in the middle.

Ronald looked around and saw that the audience for "Dirty Dancing" was similar to America's. They were mainly couples and single women. The seats were probably less than 20% occupied. Ronald looked at Hannah, who said that no one would come to see it until the movie started.

Soon the theater bell started ringing, then the lights dimmed, and a suspicious Ronald looked at the screen. The movie is still in English with German subtitles below. However, many young people in West Berlin know some English, and the audience does not seem to have much difficulty.

Suddenly, there was a sound at the back entrance. Ronald looked back and saw a group of young people filing in from the back. They picked up the seats at the back and sat down. There were thirty or forty people in total.

The movie ended soon,

The lights came on again. Ronald stood up and wanted to communicate with the audience, but found that those people were hiding in the corner, where the light 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 different from the young people in West Berlin that Ronald saw.

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 communicate with her why she cried while watching "Dirty Dancing".

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu” It was a good thing that Ronald didn't say anything. This move seemed to touch something on the female audience's mind. She was still sobbing quietly, but she suddenly burst into tears. It didn't matter at this moment, the audience who came with her all started to cry loudly.

"What did I say?" Ronald looked back at Hannah and was stunned.

The two returned to the hotel, and Hannah told Ronald the whole story in the bar. Since the new Secretary-General of the Alliance Mikhail Mihail came to power, under the new thinking of openness and transparency, the strength of the Berlin Wall has been loosened.

The number of East Berliners smuggled in from various places has rapidly increased from dozens to hundreds or even thousands each year. In 1987, nearly 4,000 people even tried their best to come over there.

Among these people, very

Most of them are young people with skills and good education. Some of them came here alone through other Eastern European countries in the name of tourism. They often spent a lot of money to come over, and many chose to work in West Berlin, where wages were relatively high, in an attempt to reunite with their families.

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. Let them gradually become familiar with how to gain a foothold in Western society.

[In view of the general environment,

Hannah, a staff member of the Berlin Film Festival and a member of a charity organization, took advantage of the convenience of working in the film industry to contact 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 will cry after watching it, as if their stress has been vented and they will 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 only have one kind of heroine to help them complete their unrealized dreams." Ronald still I didn’t quite understand and asked Hannah why these people cried.

"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 finally understood. In a new environment, there is a big cultural divide. Although the language is the same, there is always a feeling of being out of place. Such a movie seems to be a ritual for them to say goodbye to the past, which is a bit of psychological therapy. That's why those viewers started crying.

"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 much higher than 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 can speak the languages ​​of several European countries and is familiar with her role as a translator. She is also a member of the film industry and is often familiar with professional vocabulary, which made Ronald's trip to the Berlin Film Festival 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 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 section, and some were originally small productions, so they only participated in the so-called forum screenings.

Today's screening is "Hairspray" produced by Ronald's Daydream and directed by John Waters. Waters was still smoking one cigarette after another, waiting for the screening of his movie to begin. His eyes kept looking at a director on the other side, whose films were being screened just before and after.

Along with his "Hairspray", Godard's new work "KeepYhtUp" was screened at today's forum.

Reporters gathered around Godard, wanting to interview the loudmouth. This left-wing filmmaker who speaks unscrupulously wants to shoot ultra-low-cost movies, but he and John Waters have sympathy in this regard.

However, the two people's other views on the movie were completely different. Godard just sneered at reporters.

"Too much, too much

Hollywood is trash. Bah...I don't know if this is West Berlin, or a Hollywood movie convention? There are actually eight Hollywood commercial films participating in the competition and forum at the West Berlin Film Festival this year?

And they are not here to exchange art at all, they are here to sell movies. Let me tell you, this Hollywood garbage will be released in Germany after the film festival. They turned the film festival into an advertising conference full of copper odor!

Left-wing films that are truly artistic and have humanistic concerns have all 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 movies like "Hairspray" were sold to German film producers here. A mid-level production like "Moonlight Seductive" is just here to win awards, gain recognition from foreigners, and go 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 films from Eastern Europe and China. On those movies.”

Ronald quickly covered his face. Godard didn't look at him participating in left-wing activities. He always said he was making movies for 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. On the contrary, he respected the industrial mechanism of Hollywood. He also made a cameo in Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and wanted to make Hollywood commercial films more popular. The system was introduced into the country, but it’s a pity that the weather never breaks...

While Godard was still talking outside, Ronald accompanied John Waters to see the German audience's impressions of "Hairspray".

Maybe it's because I don't understand the black liberation movement in America that "Hairspray" represents. The content of black people entering white schools in the background 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 are chubby, but very flexible. Especially Ricky Lake, a fat girl, makes people feel better when she dances than those slim girls. The rhythm and expressiveness are definitely beyond ordinary dancers.

This kind of plot can naturally arouse the audience's joy. Even without reading the subtitles, the audience applauded happily and cheered for fat girl Tracy.

After the movie, John Waters went to be interviewed by film festival reporters. Ronald happily watched Michelle Cannold, who was in charge of distribution, negotiate with various film companies. This film's ability to amuse audiences across cultures 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 contracts with Daydream to buy copies, Ronald happily slipped to the back of the cinema. This ultra-low-cost production invested by Daydream looks like it will make money.

Completely opposite to the situation where many reporters outside surrounded Godard, when Godard was about to screen his new work, none of the buyers attended. Godard's films are known for being shoddy, obscure, and incomprehensible. Such films have no box office value at all, and only some theaters showing literary films will be interested.

Only ten minutes into the screening, audience members were already starting to run away. This film was directed and acted by Godard and is divided into three parts. The first section is about a musician looking for ideal harmony, the second section is about an individual looking for a suitable society, and the third section is about a traveler looking for a destination.

Ronald held his temper and ran away after reading the third paragraph. Directors can also find inspiration from some avant-garde and experimental films. But Godard's creative method of random shooting is 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 generously.

"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 American allies, not puppets. As for whether the films in Hollywood's competition are good , it’s up to the audience and judges to 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, previous Japanese films by Akira Kurosawa 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 get the chance to see."

"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 being interviewed by a reporter, Ronald ran away quickly. When he arrived at the hotel, he asked Hannah, when will the Chinese movie be shown? I also want to see it myself.

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, would have a chance to see it. This also shows that the organizing committee is very optimistic about this movie and arranged to show it to the audience later.

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. This director's use of color clearly has the style of Akira Kurosawa's "Shadow Samurai".

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 impressive. Even viewers who don’t understand Chinese will be aroused by this audio-visual language to evoke primitive emotions.

The male protagonist of the movie, whom Ronald knew, was the male protagonist of the movie that Director Xie was filming when he went to Songjiang. The facial lines are familiar.

The heroine has never been seen before, and her style is very different from the Jiangnan beauties in Xujiahui Studio. There is a wild beauty.

Ronald felt very good. This movie is also a movie where 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 Samurai". This director was obviously deeply influenced by Akira Kurosawa, and it can be seen in the picture.

The movie ended and Ronald waited to see who the director was. Chinese movie subtitles are different from Hollywood rules. Immediately after the movie title, there are only the names of the original author and screenwriter. It wasn't until the movie was over that the director's name finally appeared.

"Zhang Yiu?" 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. He used to be a photographer. How come he is now a director?