Literary Master 1978

In the 1930s and 1940s, a large number of mainland literati crossed the Yangtze River to Hong Kong due to the war. Later, China won the war. Some literati returned to the mainland, some went abroad, and some stayed in Hong Kong.

Among the literati who stayed in Hong Kong, Liu Yichang was a rare person who could integrate his talents into Hong Kong society.

He had served as editor, editor-in-chief, and editor-in-chief of newspapers and magazines such as "Hong Kong Times", "Sing Tao Weekly", "West Point", "Yi Shi Bao", "Federal Daily", "Hong Kong Times·Repulse Bay", and "Sing Tao Daily·City Hall". He was a famous journalist in Hong Kong.

At the same time, there were many creative achievements, among which the most famous were the novels "Drunkard" and "Double".

The generation of literary youth sunglasses king was his loyal believer. The inspiration of "In the Mood for Love" and "2046" came from these two novels.

In 1985, he founded the monthly "Hong Kong Literature", which has become the most influential literary magazine in Hong Kong.

Bringing together the works of writers who had never interacted with each other due to political differences not only brought a fresh atmosphere to the literary world, but also brought him great fame in the Hong Kong literary world.

At this time, he published an article in the newspaper praising Lin Chaoyang as "the sincere and good doctor of Hong Kong society" and bluntly said "it is difficult for us to flatter him", which invisibly added a wave of popularity to "Parasite".

In this way, as soon as "Parasite" was released, it swept the Hong Kong literary world and the vast readership with a popular momentum.

Such terrifying energy not only comes from the excellence of the novel itself, but also from the accumulation of Lin Chaoyang's reputation in the past few years and the honor that "The Truman Show" has won for Hong Kong society overseas.

Two years ago, when the Hong Kong literary world and readers mentioned Lin Chaoyang, they would always label him as a "mainland writer".

But since this year, this term has become less and less, and more and more Hong Kong people regard Lin Chaoyang as their own.

This is like your family discovering a great person among the same surname. Although they are not related at all, there will always be people who try to link the great person to their family tree to show off their own greatness.

In addition to Lin Chaoyang, the screenwriter and original author, who benefited from this, so did other people involved in "The Truman Show".

The one who benefited the most was, of course, Xu Guanwen, who won the Cannes Best Actor Award.

In the past six months since he won the Cannes Best Actor Award, he has not taken on any roles. There are several reasons for this.

First, his appetite was spoiled by "The Truman Show" and he did not care about ordinary scripts at all;

Second, he wanted to wait for Lin Chaoyang's new work. Unlike Jiahe and Xinyicheng, who were only interested in profit, Xu Guanwen was interested in fame.

During this period, he would contact Lin Chaoyang from time to time. Although there was no news about Lin Chaoyang's new work, he was still willing to wait.

As the saying goes, if you don't open a business for three years, you can make a living for three years after opening it.

Lin Chaoyang's new work is worth his wait.

The third reason is the truth that Xu Guanwen gradually realized a few months after winning the award.

When he returned home with honors, he almost became a hero in Hong Kong. Wherever he went, he was greeted with thunderous applause, warm and friendly smiles, and olive branches thrown by major film companies.

But as time passed, he was slow to accept any roles, and the enthusiasm of those film companies and colleagues declined.

Only every time he went out on the street, there were still many people cheering for him.

Xu Guanwen keenly discovered that the cheers and shouts of these people showed more respect and admiration than those for those popular stars.

Later, at a party, his good friend Cai Lan's words suddenly woke him up.

Cai Lan said that as the first Cannes Film Emperor in the Hong Kong film industry, he is no longer just an actor and a star, but half an artist.

In a city like Hong Kong that pursues material desires, the three words "artist" are rare, and precisely because of their rarity, they are even more precious.

Cai Lan said he was "half an artist" because Xu Guanwen now has only one "The Truman Show" to rely on.

If Bruce Lee had only one "Fist of Fury" back then, he would hardly be called a Kung Fu superstar, and would only be a flash in the pan like Luo Lie.

In this case, Xu Guanwen has two choices.

One is to take advantage of the popularity to offer a sky-high salary and make a fortune by taking on roles.

The other is to wait patiently for an opportunity to truly transcend the status of an actor and a star.

And this opportunity, Cai Lan and Xu Guanwen both understand, must fall on Lin Chaoyang.

Two days ago, "Parasite" was published and Xu Guanwen went to the bookstore early in the morning to buy the novel.

He spent two days reading it all night, and he was so excited that he couldn't express it in words. He knew that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

He didn't even have time to catch up on his sleep, so he called Lin Chaoyang's home, but no one answered the phone.

Xu Guanwen was so anxious that he ran to Jiahui Garden in Mid-Levels with dark circles under his eyes to visit Lin Chaoyang, but he found nothing.

He had no choice but to go to Lin's Film Company again. After arriving at the company, he learned that Lin Chaoyang and his wife had returned to the mainland for the New Year and would not be back until after the New Year.

Xu Guanwen was disappointed and was about to leave when he ran into Tao Yumo who had returned from outside.

Tao Yumo greeted him, and Xu Guanwen asked: "Aren't you going back to the mainland?"

"Yes, but my flight is the day after tomorrow, so I will leave when the company is on holiday. Brother Michael, what do you have to do in the company?"

"Nothing."

With Lin Chaoyang away, Xu Guanwen was in low spirits and didn't want to say much. He just hoped that Lin Chaoyang could come back soon.

Seeing his lost expression, Tao Yumo smiled and asked, "Let me guess, have you taken a fancy to my brother-in-law's new novel and want to adapt it?"

Xu Guanwen smiled bitterly. Tao Yumo was Lin Chaoyang's relative. He could hide his thoughts from others but not from her.

"Yes." Xu Guanwen said truthfully.

Tao Yumo guessed his thoughts and looked pleased. Then he said, "My brother-in-law said before he left that we'll talk about it after the Chinese New Year."

Hearing this, Xu Guanwen was overjoyed. He knew that his wait for more than half a year was not in vain.

"Okay, okay, let's talk about it after the Chinese New Year."

Xu Guanwen happily left Lin's Films.

Tao Yumo looked at his back and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

She has been in Hong Kong for almost two years with her sister and brother-in-law. She is familiar with the entertainment industry in Hong Kong and naturally knows Xu Guanwen's current fame and status in Hong Kong.

But even such a big star can be manipulated by her brother-in-law's words. This was completely beyond Tao Yumo's imagination when she first came to Hong Kong.

After spending half a day at Lin's, Tao Yumo came to a coffee shop near Harbour City after get off work. She waited for more than half an hour before she saw Maggie Cheung wearing sunglasses.

At this time, she was hunched over, dusty, and looked nothing like a female star. She looked like a walking corpse whose yang energy was sucked out by working.

"Why are you here just now!" Tao Yumo complained as soon as Maggie Cheung sat down.

"Hey, sister, I have to film! Do you think everyone can eat, drink and have fun every day like you?" Maggie Cheung retorted weakly.

"What do you mean I eat, drink and have fun every day? I'm busy with my work, too, okay?"

"Yes, yes, you're the busiest, busy with eating, drinking and having fun."

The two sisters were arguing, Tao Yumo couldn't win over Maggie Cheung, so she planned to teach her a lesson.

As soon as she touched Maggie Cheung's shoulder, she screamed.

"Ah!"

Tao Yumo was startled, "Hey, I just touched you."

"Sister, do you know I've been hanging on the wire all day today!"

Maggie Cheung's face was full of pain, which made Tao Yumo a little embarrassed. She gently rubbed the place she just touched and asked:

"Does it hurt?"

"Nonsense, of course it hurts! Try being hung up for a day."

Maggie Cheung's tone was impatient, but her expression showed that she enjoyed her touch very much, and she couldn't help squinting her eyes and getting closer.

Tao Yumo complained again: "Who told you to take action movies? You are asking for trouble."

"What if I don't take action movies? You ask Sister Yushu to open a movie for me."

"You didn't take "Best Friends" yourself, and now you blame me and my sister?"

"What's the difference between that movie and "The Romance of the Condor Heroes"? I'll just be a vase if I go."

"So you are asking for trouble."

Defeated by Tao Yumo's logic, Maggie Cheung snorted and simply leaned on her shoulder.

"You are like this and still want to go for a car ride with me?"

"You are willing to sacrifice your life to accompany a gentleman. Aren't you going back to the mainland soon?"

Maggie Cheung's words made Tao Yumo feel a bit of sisterly love. She said, "Forget it, I won't go today. Go back and rest early."

Maggie Cheung became more and more aggressive and rubbed against her arms.

"Sister Yushu and brother-in-law are not here. Can I go to see the night view of Mid-Levels?"

Tao Yumo agreed readily.

After arriving at Jiahui Garden, Maggie Cheung stood on the terrace overlooking the entire Victoria Harbour and couldn't help but open her arms and shout.

"Wow! The scenery of the Mid-Levels mansion is really different. When can I afford such a mansion!"

"Isn't it easy for you to buy it? Take a few more movies, two years will be enough."

Maggie Cheung turned her head and looked at Tao Yumo, with an expression that said you are a young lady who doesn't know the sufferings of the world.

"Take a few more movies? Do you think I am Chow Yun-fat or Cherie Chung? Don't you have to spend the money you make? I don't even have one million in my bank account now!"

Tao Yumo couldn't help rolling her eyes when she heard this. Woman, what are you talking about!

"Not even one million? How dare you say such a thing? You, a star, have such a hard life, what do you want those working people to do?"

Knowing that she had said the wrong thing, Maggie Cheung hugged Tao Yumo's shoulders and acted coquettishly.

"With such a beautiful view, let's drink some red wine."

"You can drink, but don't get drunk."

"I'm a good drinker!"

Maggie Cheung's tone was full of confidence, but Tao Yumo couldn't help rolling her eyes.

For Maggie Cheung, drinking is not a thing, but since Tiger is not at home these days, Tao Yumo couldn't help wanting to indulge herself.

She took out the red wine and the wine glass, poured two glasses of wine, and said to Maggie Cheung: "Let's make a deal first, let's have a drink."

Maggie Cheung confidently made an OK gesture, then raised the glass and drank it all.

Tao Yumo: ...

"Tiger" far away in Yanjing didn't know that a drunkard tabby cat had broken into the house and was playing happily with "Monkey".

After landing in Yanjing, the temperature suddenly dropped from more than ten degrees above zero to more than ten degrees below zero. Lin Chaoyang and his wife were afraid that the two children would be cold, so they wrapped them tightly.

As a result, the two children were fine the next day, but Tao Yushu caught a cold and had a fever of 39 degrees.

Even though this was the case, Tao Yushu actually planned to go to Yan Film Studio to see the post-production status of "King of Children".

"It's not like our family is going to run out of food, so don't be so desperate!"

Lin Chaoyang stopped her, who was already dressed, and persuaded her to go back to bed, "You should have a good rest today and you are not allowed to go anywhere."

"It's okay, it's just a cold. Whenever I caught a cold before, I never missed work or school!"

Tao Yushu's cheeks were red due to the high fever, but his energy seemed not to be delayed at all.

"It used to be before, and now it is now. When you went to the countryside before, you couldn't even eat meat. Now you can almost eat all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas, right?

The work is not done in one day. "The King of Children" has been handed over to Lao Chen, so you can rest assured. What difference does it make if you watch it one day earlier or one day later? "

Lin Chaoyang persuaded Tao Yushu to lie down and rest. At this time, Dongdong suddenly walked into the room, holding a tablet of paracetamol in his young hands.

"Mom, take medicine. Grandma said the disease will be cured after taking medicine."

At four years and one month old, his speech became clearer and smoother. The medicine in his hand was given to him by Zhang Guiqin.

His childlike voice immediately melted Tao Yushu's heart, "Thank you Dongdong."

Then she said to Lin Chaoyang: "You should take the children out first to avoid infecting them both. I will take medicine and sleep first to relieve my sweat."

"good."

After Tao Yushu was settled, Lin Chaoyang took his son out of the house.

Zhang Guiqin stood at the door and said worriedly: "Girl Yushu, why are you always working so hard?"

"Yes!" Lin Chaoyang sighed.

Zhang Guiqin added: "It's not that you don't take responsibility, you have five spines and six beasts to spare, and you let your wife go out and work all day long!"

"I……"

"What am I? I'll make a bowl of ginger soup for Yushu later to make her sweat more."

Zhang Guiqin said something coldly to her son, then took her grandson's little hand and walked to the west wing of the inner courtyard.

"Let's go, Dongdong, go play with grandma for a while."

This old lady!

Lin Chaoyang shook his head helplessly, went to the kitchen to cook ginger soup and brought it to Tao Yushu's house.

Then he read Tao Yushu while guarding it.

When it was almost noon, Lin Erchun suddenly came to Xiaoliubukou. After entering the house, he greeted Tao Yushu for a few words and then complained about Lin Chaoyang.

"Tell me about you. You just wander around like this all day long without doing anything serious. Your wife is working hard outside..."

Lin Chaoyang automatically blocked Comrade Erchun's chatter. When Lin Erchun had finished talking, he asked, "How did you know Yushu had a cold?"

"Your mother went to the alley entrance to get a call from a public phone."

Call up?

Lin Chaoyang didn't understand what she meant. You have to be able to answer her phone call!

Then he noticed that Lin Erchun had a slight bulge in his waist. At this time, Lin Erchun naturally lifted up his clothes, revealing the small machine attached to his belt.

"BB machine, didn't you say last time that many migrant workers in Xiangjiang now have it? Now we in Yanjing also have it!"

Lin Erchun's tone was a bit showy, and he straightened his waist when he spoke.

Not to mention how hard that waist is!

"Okay, Comrade Erchun, you are keeping up with fashion trends!"

Lin Chaoyang made a joke, which caused Lin Erchun to feint.

After the joke, Lin Erchun said seriously:

"Last time, just after you left, the first paging station was opened in Yanjing. Du Feng came to visit the house that day and had this thing pinned to his waist.

I've always heard you say that this is the first time I've seen this thing, so I took it over and took a look.

Du Fengfei said he wanted to give it to me, so can I have it?

We don’t need that little money, just buy one! "

Although Lin Erchun's current tone is full of pride, buying a BP machine is like buying Chinese cabbage. I was very distressed when I bought the BP machine in the first two months.

Don't tell me, this thing is really easy to use. As soon as it rings, you will know that something is wrong. Find an alley or a public phone box to call back. It is much more convenient than before. "

Compared with Big Brother, which only entered the mainland in 1987, BP entered the market very early and appeared in Shanghai in 1983.

However, even though the price is much cheaper than that of the big brother, this thing is still not something that the vast majority of people in China can enjoy today.

The only BP machine on the market now is Motorola's BP machine, which initially sold for eight to nine thousand yuan. The price has dropped a lot in the past two years, but it still costs three to four thousand yuan.

The slogan "Motorola pagers can send messages anytime and anywhere" combined with such a high price has allowed the small group of comrades who got rich first to own BP phones to have a good reputation no matter where they go.

It's cool to say hello to someone, give your pager number before leaving, and say "call me if you need anything"!

Of course, Lin Erchun definitely didn't buy the BP machine just for the sake of face, but after seeing Du Feng using it, he felt that there was indeed a need for it.

Lin Chaoyang joked: "It seems that I have really made money. You can buy something worth three to four thousand yuan at any time. It would be great if you asked me to bring you one back. This thing only costs 2,000 Hong Kong dollars."

Lin Erchun looked at him with strange eyes, "Do you think I look like someone who has been taken advantage of?"

"What do you mean?"

"I asked Du Feng to bring this one back from Guangzhou for one thousand yuan."

Lin Chaoyang admitted that he underestimated Comrade Erchun. Since he became a charterer, he has become more and more shrewd.

With this thing on his waist, Lin Chaoyang can say responsibly that Lin Erchun has already surpassed at least 95% of the businessmen in China.

It can be said that he has left the stage of "small boss" and started to develop in the direction of "capitalist".

"Not bad, not bad, really keep up with the times. If the mobile phone enters China in the future, I will get you another one." Lin Chaoyang said.

Lin Erchun waved his hand when he heard it. He had never used a mobile phone, but he had heard Lin Chaoyang talk about it and had seen it in magazines and on TV.

Hanging a BP machine on the waist, it is not conspicuous wherever you go, but a mobile phone is different. It is too conspicuous to hold it in your hand or put it in your pocket.

"Your business is getting bigger and bigger, and you will be busier and busier in the future. What's the point of having a mobile phone?"

"Too conspicuous, too conspicuous, just have this BB machine, it's convenient enough."

Lin Erchun said and glanced at his son's waist, which was empty.

"Why don't you get one? It's convenient to have this thing."

"Why would I use it? I'm a man who relies on my wife!"

Lin Chaoyang used self-deprecation to hit back at Lin Erchun's words that he made Tao Yushu work so hard, which immediately made Comrade Erchun furious and wanted to kick him twice.

The father and son chased each other in the yard for a while, and Dongdong stood in the corridor of the west wing to watch the fun and laugh.

"Okay, okay, the old ones don't look old, and the young ones don't look young. You're going to lead the children astray again!" Zhang Guiqin stepped in to stop the farce between the father and son.

When it was time for dinner, Tao Yushu's condition was much better than in the morning, and his fever had subsided a lot, but he was not very energetic.

He spoke in a hoarse voice and his throat was a little hoarse. Zhang Guiqin said that he was almost healed.

The next morning, he took his temperature again, and it was normal, but his throat was still inflamed.

After breakfast, she had to go to Yanying Studio again. She said that Yanying Studio would be closed for the holiday if they waited for two more days, so Lin Chaoyang had to drive her to Yanying Studio.

After entering the door and registering, the car stopped in front of the main building. It might be because of the approaching Spring Festival, the factory did look a little quieter than usual.

The couple first went upstairs to greet Hu Qiming, sat for a while and then planned to go to the recording workshop.

When most people hear the word "workshop", their first impression is usually an industrial workshop full of machine tools. The workshop of Yanying Studio is actually an industrial production site, but it is not only a production site, but also an administrative unit.

In Yanying Studio, every process involved in film production has a corresponding administrative unit.

It includes many processes such as photography, production, editing, art, recording, lighting, costumes, makeup, props, printing, editing, etc.

The names are different, but the levels are the same.

The editing and soundtrack of "The King of Children" have been completed and have entered the mixing stage.

At this stage, the post-production work has been basically completed by 90%, and only the last step is left.

When Lin Chaoyang and his wife and Hu Qiming arrived at the recording workshop, Chen Kaige and his son were also there. They were both a little depressed, with untidy beards and unkempt appearance. It was obvious that they had not rested well in the past few days.

The registration deadline for the West Berlin Film Festival is the end of November each year, so more than two months ago, "The King of Children" had already registered for the West Berlin Film Festival next year through the Film Bureau.

However, the registration was completed, but the film production was not completed.

"The King of Children" only started shooting in September, and the current progress is very fast for domestic production progress.

In order to catch up with the progress, the crew also overspent 30,000 yuan.

It is now late January, and the opening date of the West Berlin Film Festival is February 20.

There is less than a month before the opening of the film festival, and the post-production of the film has not yet been completed. Not only is the time tight, but Chen Kaige and his son are also nervous.

Lin's Pictures invested a lot of money in this film and had high hopes for it. The father and son also put in a lot of effort. Of course, they hope that the film can be completed with quality and quantity and participate in the West Berlin Film Festival as scheduled.

After the greetings, Lin Chaoyang saw that Chen Huaikai looked tired, and he greeted him specially, "Old Chen, you've worked hard!"

Chen Huaikai teased: "Don't cry like a cat to a mouse, you're the one who came up with the idea."

"I came up with the idea, but you got the money. Besides, my nephew is making a movie, so what's wrong with you as a father contributing a little?"

Lin Chaoyang said it with confidence, and every word was true, and Chen Huaikai couldn't do anything about him.

After a few words of gossip, the investors are here, of course they have to see the quality of the movie.

Although the post-production of the movie has not been completely completed, it does not prevent everyone from watching it.

The story of "The King of Children" is adapted from Ah Cheng's novel of the same name. The plot tells the story of the humanitarian flood period, when there was a shortage of teachers in the mountainous area, and the production team leader arranged the educated youth Lao Gan in the team to go to school to be the "king of children".

The school assigned Lao Gan to teach the third grade of junior high school. He abandoned the school's original rigid teaching method and taught students in his own way, but was finally sent back to the production team by the school.

The plot of the novel itself is very tense. If it is adapted properly, it can be an excellent film with educational themes.

But later Chen Kaige added too much personal expression when adapting this novel.

The film is full of obscure and complex images, the rhythm is slow, and the characters' motives seem inexplicable, which makes the audience confused, which greatly limits the upper limit of this film and the audience's acceptance.

This time, Chen Kaige's script was checked by Lin Chaoyang, and the shooting and editing were supervised by his father Chen Huaikai. He had no chance to waste time and was a "tool man".

He was very unhappy, but there was no way. He had to bow his head under the eaves!

Who made these two people older than him!

In the projection room, the buzzing sound of the projector stopped, and Chen Kaige went to turn on the lights.

Chen Huaikai asked with some expectation: "Chaoyang, Yushu, what do you think of the quality?"

Tao Yushu did not speak, but looked at Lin Chaoyang. Not only him and her, but also several people present cast their eyes on Lin Chaoyang who was silent.

Lin Chaoyang's hesitation at this time was not hesitating about how to express it, but comparing the film effects of the two versions of "The King of Children" in later generations and now.

Compared with the later "The King of Children", the number of repeated images such as "stone roller cart" symbolizing the old education system in this version of "The King of Children" has decreased.

These images are certainly helpful for the audience to understand the theme of the film and the director's intention, but excessive use will make the film's meaning obscure and difficult to understand, and also affect the viewing experience.

Another thing is that the expression of long shots has become restrained. Long shots can easily give the audience a sense of immersion and feel the thoughts and emotions of the characters, but they can also bring problems such as slow rhythm, procrastination, aesthetic fatigue, and sluggish lens switching.

In terms of editing, because there are fewer meaningless long shots, the overall fluency has obviously increased, and the relationship between the plot and the characters has become much more natural.

These are all good aspects, of course, there are still disadvantages.

For example, except for Lao Gan and Wang Fu, the personalities of other characters are still thin and lack unforgettable impressions.

But overall, the quality of this version of "The King of Children" is much higher than the original version.

Lin Chaoyang pondered for a moment and looked at Chen Kaige.

Seeing him looking over, Chen Kaige's heart suddenly lifted.