Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Huh?" Michelle Pfeiffer heard John Malkovich requesting Ronald not to spread the word about their relationship. She suddenly turned her head and raised her eyebrows, as if she didn't believe he would say that.

Her eyes were reddish, her lower lip was trembling a little, then she stood up, not forgetting to nod to Ronald, and quickly ran in the direction of her trailer.

"Michelle", John Malkovich heard the noise and quickly turned around to chase after him, leaving Ronald where he was.

It happened so suddenly, as if nothing was left after a gust of wind. Ronald was left standing messily in the sun. After standing still for a while, Ronald reached out and touched the place where the two of them were sitting just now to confirm that he was not dreaming.

"shxt!" Ronald turned a few corners and came to the lounge where he was just now. He waved to Richard, "Let's go first and call Rick (Nisita) immediately. It's urgent."

"John Malkovich has a bad reputation in the industry. I have many, many complaints about him." Niceta sighed on the phone after being woken up.

"Should we contact Michelle's agent Limato immediately..." Richard interjected. This matter was discovered by Ronald, but someone had already spread the gossip beforehand. It seems that sooner or later it will be spread out. , if you can't communicate with Michelle's agent in advance who handles financial business like her father, there will be a lot of trouble in the future.

After Pfeiffer's agent Limato learned the news, he flew to Paris on the Concorde. Came to the set the next morning.

Ronald took Limato to the outside of Pfeiffer's trailer. Sitting at the door was John Malkovich. Ronald gave him a strange look. Didn't he mean that he himself was notorious for relationships between men and women? Why does he seem so infatuated this time?

"Tuk tuk..." Ronald knocked on the door.

"Get out..." Michelle Pfeiffer yelled from inside.

"It's me, Ronald. And Mr. Limato."

Soon Pfeiffer opened the door, and Ronald let Ed Limato in. He stood aside and looked at John Malkovich who didn't know whether to go in or continue waiting.

"I sincerely..." Malkovich didn't know why, but he actually defended Ronald.

"Why don't you let her calm down? I don't think it's a good time now. You still have scenes to shoot." Ronald noticed that both of them were mentally disturbed and advised him to go back. Malkovich went back in despair.

Limato and Michelle Pfeiffer talked for a long time and finally decided on the next course of action. John Malkovich is an irresponsible person, and Pfeiffer decided to end it with him. Fortunately, the scenes between the two of them have already been filmed, so it won't hinder them too much.

In addition, Limato used his influence in the agent circle (director Stephen Frears was a client of WMA) to either bribe or threaten several crew members who knew about it and issued a gag order.

After Limato finished chatting with Pfeiffer, he went to the hotel to make arrangements. When he saw Ronald still at the door of the car, he made a sad expression and pulled Ronald aside.

"Michelle's husband has... you understand. The movie 'Dangerous Liaisons' describes the story of a chaste lady who is deceived by the sweet talk of a playboy because her husband is not around. Michelle is too much Invested...go and see her, she needs you at this time."

Ronald thought to himself, what does it mean to need me at this time? But the trailer door opened again, Michelle Pfeiffer was looking at him from behind, and Ronald had no choice but to get in the car.

He looked at Pfeiffer, not knowing what to say, and by some strange coincidence, Ronald said: "Can you still continue to act?... Well, I mean, you still have my movie 'Steel Mulan'." Are you interested?"

"Pfft..." Michelle Pfeiffer laughed out loud. Ronald's words made her let go of her worries.

"Of course, I like this script very much. I invited you here just to talk to you about whether you can be the director?" Michelle Pfeiffer returned to normal.

"If you agree to star, then I will seriously consider it." Ronald is also planning, Michelle Pfeiffer's box office appeal is very good, coupled with the new Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, and the film After Shirley MacLean, this movie seems to be a bit radical. Now, is your reputation as a feminist film master firmly established?

】

The two were friendly and in tacit understanding without talking about anything unexpected. Ronald said goodbye, leaving Pfeiffer with a private space to settle the messy emotional dispute.

"Why did you come out so quickly?" Limato was in the lounge, communicating with Ronald's agent Richard.

The bad thing about this matter is that Pfeiffer and Malkovich's affair was discovered by Ronald. No matter how the two get along in the future, as long as something leaks out, Ronald's name will definitely be involved in the tabloid media.

And for such a large costume drama crew of several hundred people, leaks are almost certain to happen.

Fortunately, the filming location is in the country, and Limato still has time. After he returns, he will mobilize the power of William Morris to take precautions with major media and some small reporters. Once any unfavorable news is released, he will immediately suppress it. Although it is unlikely to be 100% restricted, it can be controlled within a certain range.

Richard is most concerned that Ronald will not be involved in this matter, especially the two protagonists of the affair. No one must make sure that Ronald's name is not mentioned. John Malkovich was originally a client of CAA, so he was easy to handle. For Limato, it was necessary for both parties to reach a tacit understanding.

The two had a good conversation, and Richard felt confident that he could help Ronald settle the matter satisfactorily. Unless, Ronald himself has other ideas?

Fortunately, Ronald didn't have any ideas. "Michelle and I have finished talking about the new film. She already liked the script, so it won't take long."

"Thank you," Limato didn't say much. After greeting Ronald, he went to make arrangements.

"Huh..." Ronald and Richard both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. "How could Michelle?" Ronald asked, realizing that it was not easy to discuss this kind of thing with his agent.

"Ed (Limato), you just had a chat with me." Richard didn't think there was any problem with this. In his opinion, what Ronald wanted to know, he had to find a way to find out the truth.

"Miss Pfeiffer has always done well at the box office, but critics have not recognized her acting skills. It was not until she appeared in Jonathan Demme's "The Gang" that Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave her a A good review for her.

This is the progress and results she has achieved after participating in acting training for many years. But the side effect is that it is now easier and easier for her to fall into the role and be unable to extricate herself. "

"Method?" Ronald sighed. Sometimes it's like this. If you want to act well enough for critics to say well, you have to give up something.

In fact, this kind of problem is not necessarily limited to Methodism. Movies shot abroad, as well as wearing costumes and makeup every day, are immersed in this kind of plot. Actors are all sensitive people, and it is easy to get caught up in situations and not be able to distinguish the difference between plot and life.

"Michelle's manager is her friend. There was no immediate discovery and guidance. Limato will use some means to get rid of her this time. Replace her with someone who can truly stand on the same line of interests as him."

Ronald nodded, obviously the manager's absence was to create opportunities for Pfeiffer. For actors, sometimes there are problems when managers are too obedient.

After finally finalizing the casting for the new film, Ronald felt that he was no longer interested in continuing his vacation in Paris. He wanted to go back to Cannes to meet up with his colleagues and pay more attention to the company's business. However, after talking to Richard Before leaving the Palace of Versailles, he suddenly thought of something.

"Huh? Why didn't you see Annette (Bening) on ​​the set?"

Richard was a little stunned by the question and didn't know how to answer.

"I promised her back then to introduce her to an audition opportunity. Could it be that she didn't get it?" Ronald was a little unhappy. He had a very good reputation for this kind of thing. I don’t want to agree in the future but cannot do it and ruin my reputation.

"No, it's not right, she has no role here." Ronald thought, but it was wrong. There are three main female characters in this movie, one is played by Pfeiffer, a virgin, and the other one is played by Uma Thurman. , and there is also a bad woman played by Glenn Gross. "

"No, she auditioned for another movie with the same theme. Orion is distributing it. It's an adaptation of the stage play 'Dangerous Liaisons'. This one will be filmed intensively and will be released at the end of the year. That one is a two-time Best Director Oscar winner. Directed by winner Milos Forman (Mozart and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).”

"Oh, this...is really outrageous."

Ronald understood that this stage play was produced in London's West End and had copyrights. But it was written in the 18th century. No matter who gets the copyright to adapt the stage play, the other party can say that they adapted it.

Moreover, these two movies are exactly two typical methods used by Hollywood to adapt masterpieces. The Warner Bros. movie tried its best to invite all kinds of stars to participate, while the other Orion movie was carefully selected by the famous director and the most suitable actors. It's not the most famous one, so I really don't know who will win at the box office.

However, no matter who it is, the box office will be lower than when only one movie is released.

It’s no wonder that the Writers Guild is still on strike. Producers are competing fiercely for scripts that have proven successful on Broadway. If they are not filmed, they will definitely suffer heavy losses next year. If there are no blockbuster films, it may be due to bad luck on the part of the executives. If there are no films released, there may be a problem with the basic capabilities.

However, in such a cruel competition, Warner and Orion are at odds with each other. This is not good for the career prospects of executives. Ronald looked at Richard. If this fails at the box office, there is no other reason to shirk it. Both sides filmed the same script.

"Orion is in urgent need of blockbusters to prove that its finances are okay," Richard explained to Ronald. This company is a medium-sized producer and relies on one blockbuster after another to maintain the company's cash flow. They've been stuck in script development for months, and there are now rumors in Hollywood that they, too, are having trouble.

So we need to find the right opportunity to show everyone that Orion is still strong. Otherwise, without such blockbuster films, it would be terrible if investors withdraw their investment.

Sometimes, it’s not that you really have a problem, but that the market and the industry think you have a problem.

"Which movie do you think will be more successful?" Richard was also curious and asked Ronald what the expert thought.

"Hey, I don't know, it's hard to say." Ronald didn't know how to predict.

…

Ronald is back in Cannes, halfway through the festival. Natasha Kinski has begun discussing the Palme d'Or behind closed doors with other judges. This year's Cannes is a small year, with no blockbuster movies.

Ronald watched Bernstine and Cannold make some low-budget European B-level films, and was going back to test whether the video market was interested in European films. Feel satisfied.

There is also a movie that Ronald is familiar with that is being screened in the past few days, which is "Blue Sea and Blue Sky" released by Weintraub's company and directed by Tao Guo. This movie has beautiful scenery and a uniquely European weirdness to its plot.

He felt uncomfortable after watching the ending, as if the director was deliberately trying to make things difficult for the audience at the end. The hero actually did not have a happy reunion with the heroine, but dived into the deep sea by himself, not wanting to live anymore. The heroine is Hollywood actress Rosanna Arquette, who was once very promising to be promoted to a top female star.

However, the competition in Hollywood is too fierce, and it seems that Arquette's efforts to switch to Europe this time will not be successful. The film did not enter the competition, and such an anti-dramatic ending would be difficult to achieve at the box office in America. Her dream of returning to Hollywood would probably be shattered.

Just when Ronald was thinking about something, he saw an actress with a Chinese face and wearing a cheongsam among the audience leaving the stage. Isn't this the heroine in "Red Sorghum"?

"Hello, Miss Gong. I'm Ronald. Didn't Director Zhang come to Cannes this time?"

Ronald stepped forward to say hello. Although he was wearing a cheongsam, his mainland temperament could be distinguished at a glance.

"Ah, Director Luo. Bonjour, ah, no, you are American, hello." Gong Li saw a foreigner who could speak Chinese and was very friendly.

"Hello, hello. Let's find a place to eat." Ronald knew that these actors did not earn much, so he wanted to treat them to something good. Prices in Cannes are very high during the film festival, so don’t go back later to eat instant noodles.

"Haha, okay." Sure enough, the Chinese were very happy when they heard that someone was inviting them to dinner.

"Yimou is in China, and someone wants to ask him to make a commercial film. In addition, this trip to Cannes was arranged by an agent from Hong Kong. The money is not much, and only one person can come. Last time, Yimou won West Berlin, so I’ll come this time.”

"Ah ha, commercial films are good. Director Zhang has a very high artistic aesthetic. If he can use the techniques of making auteur films in commercial films, he will definitely be successful." Ronald found it interesting. It seems that the filmmakers there , is also embracing commercialization, which is a good thing for its own business. There are also more opportunities to sell copies.

"I wonder what the theme is?" Ronald was also curious about what type of commercial film Yimou would make. Judging from his first two starring and directed films, perhaps innovation is needed.

"It's about hijacking, you know? It's about a passenger plane being hijacked and then rescuing the hostages. I heard that a boss watched a Hollywood video and paid 90,000 yuan to let Yimou make a similar film. "

"Ah, it can't be..." Ronald felt bad. This plot sounded like it was directed by Minahan Golan.

"The name is Delta Force. I heard it was filmed in the desert of Israel. The actor also starred in a movie with Bruce Lee. His name is... well, his name is Royce."

"Uh..." Ronald facepalmed. Isn't Luo Lishi the Chinese name of Chuck Norris, the action star signed by Minahan?