1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 608 The incident came to light
"There's something else I'd like to discuss with the three of you."

Upon hearing Jiang Xian's words, Xia Meng, Fu Qi, and Shi Hui all looked at him with strange expressions.

"What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

"Yes, this is how it is."

Jiang Xian got straight to the point, "Last year, an Italian director came to Beijing and made a movie called 'The Last Emperor.' I don't know if you've heard of it?"

"The Last Emperor? Haha."

Fu Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Jiang Xian, you underestimate us. Although we are all in Hong Kong, we have come to the mainland quite often over the years. Moreover, we are all in the film industry, so how could we not know about this?"

I not only know about this movie, but I also know that you are the screenwriter of this movie, and that your wife, Zhu Lin, played the female lead, Wanrong.

Judging from their expressions, Shi Hui and Xia Meng were also fully familiar with the movie "The Last Emperor." Xia Meng interrupted Fu Qi and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly talking about 'The Last Emperor'?"

"That's it."

Jiang Xuan organized his thoughts, "I know that Silver Capital also controls a number of cinema chains in Hong Kong, but I'm not really clear about the details. Could you tell me more?"

"?"

Fu Qi glanced at Jiang Xian with a puzzled look, not realizing how the kid's topic had suddenly jumped from "The Last Emperor" to theatrical releases.

On the other side, Xia Meng seemed to have guessed something and spoke directly:
"Theatrical distribution? Well, actually we've never been at a good position in terms of distribution, after all, we started a bit late. Before liberation, because the industry chain was completely inadequate, movies were all distributed by companies like Shaw Brothers."

However, with the support and care of Mr. No. 5, Nanguo Film Company was established, and Nanfang Film Company was established for distribution.

The predecessor of Southern Films was a dedicated distribution department of Anda Trading Company in Thailand. Later, it was registered with the Hong Kong Business Registry under the name Southern Films and the form of an unlimited company. It was responsible for introducing Hong Kong films to Southeast Asia and the mainland, or introducing excellent mainland films to Hong Kong. In this way, a channel for communication between the two places was established.

As for cinemas, we had the South China Cinema, which was one of Hong Kong's leading cinemas at the time because it was located in the central area of ​​Mong Kok. In addition, we rented a warehouse on Morrison Hill Road in Wan Chai and converted it into the Nanyang Cinema. In this way, with the strong support of the motherland, we controlled the two leading cinemas, South China and Nanyang.

With cinemas, we had our own film distribution base. In addition, the motherland provided funding, manpower, and effort, and even Xia Gong personally wrote scripts for us. Soon, we successfully established the "Kowloon Cinema Circuit," which included the South China Theatre, the Pearl River Theatre, and the Silver Theatre. We also formed the "Hong Kong Island Cinema Circuit," which included the Nanyang Theatre, the Ko Shing Theatre, and the Sunbeam Theatre. The two circuits together formed the well-known "Double South Cinema Circuit," which mainly served the screening of Great Wall, Phoenix Films, and mainland Mandarin films in Hong Kong.

We lived up to expectations and developed rapidly. That year, Great Wall Film Company alone occupied 6 of the top 10 spots in the Hong Kong Mandarin film box office rankings. Whether in the Hong Kong film industry or in overseas markets, we were able to share the limelight with Shaw Brothers and Cathay Organisation.

Unfortunately, as you know, what happened next was that our zero production caused the nearly 10 million yuan surplus accumulated before to suddenly turn into a serious loss. Why did Mr. Fu Qi and Mr. Liao agree to make 36 films within three years a few years ago? Because there were no movies showing at that time, and they were still showing "Liu Sanjie". Those were films from a long time ago.
Fortunately, several films have made money in recent years, and your novel "Shaolin Temple" has also been a great success. Theaters are now profitable, and the situation is gradually improving. We should be able to produce at least eight films now.

"Eight companies."

Jiang Xian rubbed his palms together. "Can't you take out a little more?"

"Take more?"

Fu Qi and Shi Hui both looked at Jiang Xian strangely, not understanding why.

Xia Meng also looked at Jiang Xian, "In Hong Kong, whenever there are important films, other theaters are temporarily rented. You have to negotiate this yourself. When things are good, you can get a total of more than ten to twenty theaters. Even Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest only have this much capacity. Now you can say why you are asking these questions, right?"

"."

Jiang Xian was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Actually, it's like this. I've recently been negotiating the distribution of 'The Last Emperor' in mainland China, Hong Kong, and the province. The distribution company is based in the United States and doesn't have its own theaters in Asia."

"The Last Emperor" - Released

Xia Meng and the other two quickly caught the key words in Jiang Xian's words and exchanged glances.

"How confident are you that you can close this deal?" Xia Meng asked.

"Fifty percent."

"."

Just as Xia Meng was feeling disappointed, Jiang Xian added, "The remaining 50% depends on how well you negotiate with them."

"?"

Although it's still 50%.

But this 50% has a different meaning than the 50% we just discussed.

Xia Meng and the others knew, of course, that if Jiang Xian dared to say that, it would be a signal that he was very confident in making this happen.

"This is a good thing."

Fu Qi began by saying, "The distribution of overseas films is generally controlled by Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. If we can get this film from Xiao Jiang, it will break their monopoly. Moreover, this film is of great significance, so we must get it into our hands."

Jiang Xian added, "By the way, you may not know this, but this movie has already been released overseas and it's doing quite well. Audiences in both Europe and the United States have shown great enthusiasm for it."

"Oh? Really?"

Fu Qi and the other two were pleasantly surprised again.

If it performs well at the box office overseas, then we should try to get this movie approved. After all, the tastes of the audience in Hong Kong are actually quite similar to those overseas due to the local atmosphere.

“Mr. Jiang Xian,” Fu Qi spoke again.

"Hey, hey, hey."

Jiang Xian waved his hand, "Please don't call me Mr. Jiang Xian, it's too formal. I'm just a junior, you can just call me Xiao Jiang."

"Hehe, then I'll call you Xiao Jiang."

Fu Qi smiled and said, "If we can get this movie, it would definitely be a good thing for us. We have no objections. I'll give you my contact information. Since the movie has already been released overseas, we should talk to them as soon as possible and make sure it's released in Hong Kong soon."

"it is good."

Jiang Xian breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected that his trip to see Mu Dunfei today would also lead to a deal on the "Last Emperor" project.

"A film directed by Bertolucci."

Mu Dunfei listened for a long time and praised, "I have watched and studied every one of his films. He has his own unique insights into film aesthetics. If I have the chance, I would really like to meet him. It is no exaggeration to say that he is my idol."

"."

Jiang Xian glanced at him and said, "If there's a chance, I'll introduce you to him."

After listening to Mu Dunfei talk for a while, Jiang Xian also developed a fondness for talent.

You know, there are many people in the world who can make movies, but directors who can make "insane" movies are rare.
not much.

To reiterate, the same subject matter, when Mou Dunfei films it, it feels one way, but when some other people film it, it's completely different.

We already have Ang Lee, so what's wrong with adding another Mou Dunfei? Jiang Xian has a plethora of films that could be described as "abnormal."

Moreover, Mou Dunfei was very suitable to be recruited. This director's later career was rather lonely. He didn't make many films because he left Taiwan and Shaw Brothers. Apart from making a few films for Silver Screen in collaboration with mainland China, he didn't produce any more works and turned to being a poet and botanical photographer.

As the group chatted, Mu Dunfei suddenly felt an uncomfortable gaze sweeping over him, making him shiver as if he were being watched.

As Jiang Xian's conversation with Mu Dunfei deepened, he gradually gave up the idea of ​​having Zhu Lin participate in the film "Black Sun".

He originally wanted to create an original character for Zhu Lin, but he felt that it would seriously damage the original storyline and core of the film, so he decided not to make any rash moves.

As for the remaining female characters in the movie, there are only a few, the most classic being the woman whose hands are frozen in the snow.

Jiang Xian really couldn't bear to let Zhu Lin play this role.

Because it was truly terrifying!

When they heard how the role was to be played, not a single actor dared to take the job.

Because Mu Dunfei's pursuit of realism reached an obsessive level, in order to recreate the frostbite experiment, the actress had to stretch out her arms in sub-zero temperatures, holding two real severed human arms.
During filming, the assistant director of the crew bought 12 relatively "fresh" corpses from Bethune University in Changchun for 3000 yuan each, and these corpses were used in these places.
It wasn't all used up.

After the filming was completed, some of the bodies were sold back for 2000 yuan each.

Finally, I heard that the actress who played this role was Mu Dunfei's niece. After filming, she was left with huge psychological trauma and had to see a psychologist for a long time before she could get over this obstacle. Moreover, Mu Dunfei's filming method almost caused the actress to suffer real frostbite.

Jiang Xian did want Zhu Lin to participate in the creation of some classic films, but he also felt sorry for his wife. He couldn't treat Zhu Lin like a Japanese person.

Of course, he couldn't blame Mu Dunfei for not letting him film like that.

It is precisely because of Mu Dunfei's obsession that he was able to create such a profound sense of pain.

Later, Mu Dunfei also made another film called "Black Sun". Because the way "Black Sun" was made a few years ago was criticized, he toned it down a bit, and as a result, it was not as popular as the first "Black Sun".

Let me mention this separately.

Some people, when they hear "Black Sun," immediately say that it glorifies the Japanese.

These people are either being led astray by marketing accounts, or they have rebellious personalities, like Jiahao, who likes to attract attention in class with his extraordinary and unconventional behavior.

Anyone who has seen the movie knows.

In the film, Mu Dunfei offered a profound critique of the Japanese, delving into the depths of human nature to explain why they could be so wicked.

Human nature is complex; no one is born evil. But why are these people so dark? Mu Dunfei explains this very clearly in the film, bit by bit.

If this is considered beautification, then we can only watch some ridiculous dramas about tearing apart Japanese soldiers with bare hands.

Wuhan.

Hu Xunbi hasn't been in a very good mood these past few days.

Since the last issue of "Zhiyin" was published, it was thought that the novel "Tongue" featured in the last issue would cause a stir in the literary world.

did not expect.

Before the literary world could react, readers were already furious.

The editorial department of "Zhiyin" magazine received a large number of letters from readers, most of which were very strongly worded.

Those who resort to personal attacks and indiscriminate insults are considered the least bad.

I'm afraid of those who analyze things in detail.

Hu Xunbi was overwhelmed by these letters, but he couldn't come up with any solutions, so he had no choice but to suppress his reaction for the time being.

As a result, he had just returned from swimming when he was hurriedly summoned by his superior.

"Boss, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Look for yourself!" The leader angrily threw several newspapers and documents issued by his superiors at Hu Xunbi's face.

Hu Xunbi's legs went weak when he saw it.

"Boss, I never expected this article to cause such a bad incident."

"You didn't expect this? You didn't expect this? What could you possibly have expected?!"

The leader said angrily, "Now, because of you, I've been implicated in this whole thing! I've been scolded by my superiors all morning. Let me tell you, if this continues, not only will the city pay attention to this, but the whole country will probably start to take notice!"

"Boss, how about this, I'll go back and have a meeting first. We'll discuss this internally, reflect on it deeply, and then quickly find a way to deal with this matter," Hu Xunbi suggested.

"You're looking for a way to handle this?"

The leader became even angrier upon hearing this, "How are you going to handle this? What right do you have to handle this? Now it's others who are handling you!"

"."

Hu Xunbi thought that what he said made perfect sense.

He has no way to deal with this now; he can only wait for someone else to handle him. The situation has spiraled out of his control.

"Go back now and wait for instructions from above," the leader said. "Right now, all you can do is go back and pray that this matter won't have too much of an impact and that it can be suppressed as soon as possible."

"."

Hu Xunbi returned to the editorial department dejectedly, her heart filled with anxiety, knowing that her magazine, *Zhiyin*, was now facing the biggest and most difficult challenge in its history.

He calmly analyzed the whole incident and found that it was indeed as the leader had said.

Now all he can do is pray that this matter won't attract too much attention or have too much impact.

Just as I was pondering this, an editor suddenly ran over.

"Editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief."

"what happened?"

"Here is a submission."

"What submission? You can take it, I'm not in the mood to read it." Hu Xunbi waved his hand.

The editor hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help speaking up:
"Why don't you take a look? This submission was written by Comrade Jiang Xian."

(End of this chapter)