Made in Hollywood

"Mr. Gibson, don't you think it's too much for you to portray William Wallace, a well-known British traitor, as a hero?"

As soon as he walked out of the premiere theater, Mel Gibson was surrounded by dozens of reporters, who seemed to be waiting for him with carefully prepared questions.

"Did you like a traitor and a whistleblower?"

"Mr. Director, should you check the historical data before making the film? The film must conform to the minimum historical records, right?"

Mel Gibson, who was already rebellious in character, widened his eyes, looked at the reporter who asked the question, and replied coldly, "History is written by the victors..."

Before he finished speaking, he was pulled by the public relations who followed him. Such words should not appear in public.

The reporter next to him was even more excited, and a reporter with a "Sun" sign asked loudly, "Mel, so you think the British recorded history is all false? Do you think Scotland should be independent? Do you? Wouldn't it be too much to blatantly interfere in British internal affairs?"

"If, as you say, history is written by the victors, then there is no recorded history in the US and UK? Neither does World War II?"

The reporters seized the opportunity to pursue and fight, and threw all kinds of big hats without money on Mel Gibson's head, almost not saying he was a traitor and informer.

Mel Gibson closed his mouth tightly, saying nothing and no longer responding to these sensitive questions. He was relieved until the car drove over and got into it.

"The reporters are basically from Warner, Disney and News Corp, and some are from Fleet Street."

After closing the car door, the publicist reminded him, "Mel, the subject matter of the film itself is a bit sensitive. Although your intention is to gain attention through controversy, you cannot respond to sensitive issues like the one just now."

After working hard in Hollywood for so many years, Mel Gibson, who has calmed down, still understands these truths. Those reporters obviously want to lead him into the ditch. This kind of public opinion trap sometimes has to be careful.

Goddamn bastard!

His eyes were looking through the car window glass. Looking in the direction of Hollywood, what happened just now must have something to do with another crew.

"Kiele, have you received the premiere feedback on Saving Private Ryan?" Mel Gibson asked the assistant on the co-pilot. "What's the response?"

"During the screening of the film, the audience got a standing ovation twice."

Through the rearview mirror, the assistant could see that Mel Gibson's face was not very good, "and the clapping time was relatively long."

"That doesn't mean anything!"

as an industry insider. Mel Gibson is very clear that it is something that most crews will do, such as his own films, to find some people to mix with the audience and use the special scenes of the film to drive the audience to applaud and even cheer. When William Wallace shouted 'freedom', it was the trustees who were actually driving the audience to applaud.

Although this kind of shouting will inevitably please the old men in the academy, in fact, the impact on the audience is the same.

"Anything else?" he asked again.

"The applause continued for more than ten minutes after the screening of Saving Private Ryan." The assistant stopped looking at Mel Gibson's face. Rather, it speaks the truth so that employers can make judgments about being prepared. "Duke Rosenberg and Tom Hanks led the cast for four consecutive curtain calls, and the audience refused to leave!"

"What?"

Mel Gibson's face became very serious, such a long applause, such a long curtain call. It's definitely not something that can be brought up by Tuo. There is only one possibility. The film has aroused strong emotional resonance among the vast majority of ordinary audiences!

Could it be that the film was better and more lethal than they wanted?

Back in his mansion, in bed, Mel Gibson was still thinking about it, and far away in Chicago, Roger Albert and Gene Siskel, who had just walked out of the theater, had confirmed it .

They have all participated in the preview of "Braveheart", so they chose "Saving Private Ryan" directly at midnight. After watching, the two of them were nervous and walked into the hall of the theater in silence.

"Is this still Duke Rosenberg's work?" Siskel couldn't help but speak first, "No flying cars, no exaggerated explosions, no sharp camera cuts... This doesn't look like his predecessor at all. The style of three films."

"But it's really his work!" Roger Albert blinked, as if recalling the content of the film, "You should have seen, Gene, there are a lot of explosions in the film, some of which are completely unnecessary. , who can put so many unnecessary explosions into the film, who else is there except Duke Rosenberg?"

"Michael Bay!"

It seems that he wanted to use a joke to lighten the atmosphere, "Didn't someone say that the director of the "Jedi Boys" screened last month was learning Duke Rosenberg?"

"Let's talk about this movie," Roger Ebert said softly, nodding to fans who occasionally waved at him. "He did grow up, and we all laughed at him. What happened?"

"Duke Rosenberg did not shy away from the bloody violence of war, nor did he describe it from a strategic height. He only grasped the most direct executor of the war - reflecting the war from the perspective of ordinary soldiers, using the simplest and most simple A naive approach, a true representation of every aspect of the battlefield."

Because this was just a private conversation between the two, Gene Siskel did not hide his true views, "There has never been a movie before that directly described the cruelty of war, the hail of bullets, the bloody wind, the screams, the pictures. The authenticity of it makes people afraid to look directly.”

Nodding to echo the old friend's words, Roger Albert said, "The movie's reflection on war has also been greatly sublimated in cruelty. The so-called justice and injustice are so fragile in the face of death. Duke? Rosenberg also made a profound excavation of human nature. Soldiers in war are brave, courageous, cowardly, or withdrawn, and the human nature is exposed. The thought and shock brought by the film are worth pondering again and again.”

"Roger, how should we evaluate it?" Gene Siskel looked unwilling, "If this film criticizes..."

"Don't bash, it'll only get us in trouble." Roger Albert shook his head. "Don't forget, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the victory of World War II. There are a series of commemorative activities all over the world, including North America. The political and value orientation of the film is so correct that our criticism will only be worth the loss."

He looked at Siskel, "Ignore it. Neither praise nor criticize, just act like this film never existed!"

"we can only do this."

Stepping out of the theater and into the same car, Siskel changed the subject, "Mel Gibson is going to be in big trouble during awards season."

They had been to the Braveheart test screenings and had spoken to Mel Gibson himself. Knowing that this ambitious Australian is aiming not only for the summer market, but also for the major awards of next year's awards season.

"In my opinion..."

Roger Ebert's words were rather cool, despite his eyes flashing with anger at a certain director, "If Duke Rosenberg was ten years older, with this particular time period and the particular subject matter of the film. As well as the advantages of his own blood and ethnicity, next year's Oscar best director statue must be in his pocket."

"Unfortunately..." His voice turned to Yin Li, "We can be silent now, but the awards season will not be silent!"

"When the time comes to snipe him?"

Hear Siskel. Roger Albert nodded slowly but firmly.

The black car crossed the streets of Chicago and headed for the suburbs. Passing through an independent theater line, the theater line is still brightly lit, and the popularity of the midnight show has no tendency to dissipate.

Criswell is the owner of this theater chain, because it is an independent theater. He often has to put more effort into business operations, especially on weekends when big productions are released, and often persists until the early hours of the morning.

Today is no exception. Even if "Saving Private Ryan" is over, he has no intention of leaving, but let employees randomly learn about the feelings of the audience who watched the two newly released films.

This is a very helpless thing. It is naturally impossible for an independent theater chain like him to hire a special investigation company. If you want to adjust the appropriate film placement rate the next day, you can only find a way.

He himself stood at the exit of the theater, listening to the audience's reaction.

"Outstanding storyline, great actors, perfect visuals and sound effects, Saving Private Ryan is simply the best war movie ever!"

The people who walked out first were the audience of "Saving Private Ryan", many of them were tired, their eyes were red, and they seemed to have cried...

"I FUCK... Duke Rosenberg, the movies he makes are so aphrodisiac, he makes me cry!"

"I also want to scold him, he made such a war movie, how can we watch other war movies in the future!"

"And Tom Hanks, the look in Captain Miller's eyes when he died makes my heart still hurt!"

There is also a slightly older fan, who is not as impulsive as young people, and looks very calm. "In the past, there were always films that claimed to be a strong alliance, but they only brought disappointment after the release. Duke Rosenberg and Tom ? What Hanks brings this time is the real alliance of powers!"

Listening to the fans' real reactions, Criswell kept nodding, Duke Rosenberg really is the guarantee of summer income!

After a few minutes, "Braveheart" also ended.

"The film is okay, but it's a film about the Scots and it has nothing to do with us in America."

Some fans shook their heads and walked away. Others said, "Mel's performance was shocking, but the director's skills were mediocre. The plot was too slow and procrastinated."

Finally, a male viewer in his thirties said, "The way the film is provocative is too rude. We all know the importance of freedom, but there is no need to shout it out in that way. Freedom is too fake. Let me watch it. In this land, I think the monkeys in the zoo are more real and free than the freedom that William Wallace exaggeratedly shouted!"

Back in his office, Criswell immediately called the manager of the sales department in, "Next year's daytime screenings, the film schedule of "Braveheart" will drop by 10 percentage points from the original plan, and "Saving Private Ryan" will be increased by 10 percentage points. Percentage points!" (To be continued~^~)