1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 619 Oscar

Jiang Xian's phone call was quick, lasting less than five minutes.

After hanging up, Zhu Lin leaned over and handed him a freshly peeled apple. "What's wrong?"

"Okay, sit down first." Jiang Xian put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her into the living room.

"What are you doing?"

Zhu Lin looked puzzled, wondering what Jiang Xian was really up to.

"Didn't I just tell you we were going to Hong Kong?" Jiang Xian said mysteriously.

"Yes what's the matter?"

"The situation has changed a bit now."

Jiang Xian hesitated for a while before speaking, "Before going to Hong Kong, we need to go to the United States first."

"Go to America?"

Zhu Lin was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly thought of something, but didn't say it aloud. She just looked at Jiang Xian with a very incredulous gaze:
"Where in America are you going?"

"Los Angeles."

Jiang Xian paused for a moment, then smiled and explained, "The Last Emperor received an Academy Award nomination."

"real?!"

Zhu Lin covered her mouth in disbelief, "It really is the Oscars?!"

"Replacement guaranteed."

The Academy Awards have a certain level of recognition in China, unlike the three major awards: Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.

Xia Yu starred in Jiang Wen's "In the Heat of the Sun." The 16-year-old high school student unwittingly landed his film debut, and afterwards went to Venice to participate in the competition, where he won the Venice Film Festival Best Actor award.

As it turned out, Xia Yu had no idea what this was. When asked how he felt when he won the Best Actor award, he said he was completely bewildered and didn't know what it was. He was mainly happy because he was given money, which was three thousand US dollars.

"What nomination did you receive?" Zhu Lin quickly asked.

"let me see"

Jiang Xian counted on his fingers, "Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Composer, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Sound Effects. A total of 9 nominations."

Nine items?!

Zhu Lin was startled. "So many?! Even 'Gone with the Wind' didn't have this many!"

"Gone with the Wind."

Jiang Xian recalled, "Gone with the Wind got a few more; I got 13 back then."

"Nine is quite a lot!" Zhu Lin felt very satisfied.

What more could you want?

So what if it can't compare to "Gone with the Wind"?
What kind of film is "Gone with the Wind"?

That was the greatest epic romance film of Hollywood's Golden Age.

That was the highest-grossing movie in American history.

Its status in the United States is equivalent to China's "Magic Pill" (or rather, "The Return of the Condor Heroes"), or Jin Yong or Gu Long's novels, or films like "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" or "The Legendary Twins".

Martin Scorsese called it "the greatest work of the first half of the 20th century".

In the same year, several classic films were made, including "Stagecoach", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".

But it still can't compare to the charm of "Gone with the Wind".

Even so, this film only received 13 Oscar nominations.

Fifty years after its release, The Last Emperor received a whopping nine Oscar nominations.

This result is quite extraordinary.

"So, are we both going to Los Angeles this time?"

"go."

Jiang Xian smiled at her, "You're the leading actress, how could the awards ceremony be complete without you? But these Americans are really stingy, they didn't give you a single nomination for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, or Best Supporting Actress."

“That’s perfectly normal.” Zhu Lin smiled, fully understanding the inside story.

The actors in "The Last Emperor" are all Chinese, so how could the Oscars be given to Chinese people?
This is not to say that actors like John Lone and Zhu Lin performed poorly.

Is this what you call zzzq?

Even stars like Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie, who have made it big in Hollywood, haven't won this award.

This phenomenon has persisted for many years.

Even in later generations, no Chinese actor has ever won this award; all those who have won it have been of Chinese descent.

Jackie Chan received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which doesn't count towards the Oscar for Best Actor.

In short, Americans are stingy, so it's normal that Zhu Lin didn't win an award.

As for other technical awards, the Americans aren't as strict about these aspects. For example, Su Cong, the composer of the score for "The Last Emperor," is a genuine Chinese, and he received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

Jiang Xian, the Chinese screenwriter, thus won the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

However, as the film's leading actress, Zhu Lin's film receiving a nomination means she'll be walking the red carpet at the Oscars. It's a great honor for her film to be nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award.

Moreover, Jiang Xian was very clear that "The Last Emperor" was not just nominated, but won all nine nominations. This time, it wasn't just a runner-up, but a real award-winning performance.

"This 'The Last Emperor' was worth the effort." Jiang Xian felt a surge of satisfaction.

If nothing goes wrong this time, he might really get the Oscar.

In addition, he said he was going to contact the US side to discuss Feng Xiaogang's situation.

This is much more convenient.

Go directly to the United States to see him and check on the progress of his scriptwriting. If everything goes smoothly, then we can set up a production team and start filming right there in the US.

"This is my first consultation. My name is Moon Rabbit, and I am a girl. Please forgive me for not being able to disclose my real name due to certain reasons."

I am an athlete. I'm sorry, but I can't disclose my sport. While this might sound like boasting, I'm doing quite well and have a chance to represent my country at next year's Olympics. So, once I reveal my sport, it will be easy to guess who I am. However, the matter I want to discuss is related to my status as an Olympic candidate, so please understand my inconvenience.

I love my boyfriend very much. He understands me best, supports me the most, and has helped me the most. He sincerely hopes I can participate in the Olympics. He said he's willing to make any sacrifice if I can participate. In fact, he has given me countless support, both materially and emotionally. It is because of his selfless dedication that I have been able to work hard to get to where I am today and endure these painful training sessions. I've always felt that standing on the Olympic stage is the greatest way to repay him.

But recently, something happened that felt like a nightmare to us. He suddenly fell ill, and when I learned the diagnosis, I felt a wave of despair wash over me. He had cancer.

He had almost no chance of being cured. The doctors at the hospital told me privately that he only had six months to live, but I guess he himself had already realized it.

Lying in his hospital bed, he told me that this was a very important time for me, and that I shouldn't worry about him and should focus on training. Indeed, there have been many intensive training camps and overseas competitions recently, and I know very well that this is a crucial period if I want to represent my country at the Olympics.

But besides being an athlete myself, there was another reason I wanted to be by his side. I wanted to give up training to stay with him and take care of him. In fact, I had even suggested giving up the Olympics, but he looked so sad then, and even now, thinking back on it, he can't help but cry. He told me not to even consider that, that my participation in the Olympics was his biggest dream, and not to take it away from him. He assured me that no matter what happened, he wouldn't die before I stood on the Olympic stage, and that I would promise him I would train hard.

He hid his illness from those around him. We planned to get married after the Olympics, but we didn't tell our families.

I felt like each day was an eternity, and I didn't know what to do. Even during practice, I couldn't concentrate, so my results were naturally far from ideal. I couldn't help but think that since things were like this, I should just give up the competition, but when I thought of his sad expression, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

While I was fretting alone, I happened to hear rumors about the Namiya General Store, and I thought that maybe they could offer me some brilliant advice. With a glimmer of hope, I wrote this letter.

I've included a return envelope with the letter; please lend me a hand.

Whenever he had free time, Jiang Xian continued to immerse himself in the creation of "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store".

This job is quite difficult.

This is, after all, a Japanese novel, and some of its backgrounds are based on Japanese society at the time.

Just like this first letter, this letter from the Moon Rabbit.

Moon Rabbit is an athlete facing a difficult choice between her boyfriend's cancer diagnosis and her Olympic dream.

This question comes from November 1979. The Olympics that Moon Rabbit mentioned is the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which is very famous.

This can be considered the most unsuccessful Olympic Games in history.

Just before Christmas 1979, certain international issues arose, ultimately leading to a boycott by 67 national or regional Olympic Committee member countries, including Japan, the United States, Canada, and West Germany.

That's why Japan didn't participate in the Olympics that year.

This is the first story, and also a very interesting part of the Moon Rabbit story.

The children who wrote back to her knew that the Olympics that year had been a failure, so they hoped she would focus on spending time with her boyfriend.

However, in the end, Moon Rabbit chose to stick to her dream and thanked the general store for its advice.

This story can be changed if you want.

Because China was one of the countries that boycotted the story that year, it was feasible for Jiang Xian to adapt it.

This is just one of the stories in "Miracles of the Namiya General Store".

The novel contains approximately five stories.

The first option is "Moon Rabbit".

There are four more stories to come.

The second story after the Moon Rabbit is about the singer Kron, who is unable to go on stage due to a lack of confidence.

So in 1981, he wrote to the grocery store seeking encouragement.

The shop owner replied praising his singing and even sent him a record.

Koro eventually overcame his fear and became a singer, but heroically sacrificed himself in a fire, saving a little boy named Shota from an orphanage.

The third story is about Takayuki returning to his father's general store in 1982 and discovering a letter left by his father, which reveals the secret of the time tunnel in the general store.

Following his father's instructions, Takayuki posted a message and received a letter from the girl who was "lost in 2012." The girl wanted to quit her office job and become a hostess. Takayuki advised her to cherish her life, and the girl later changed her mind and did not become a hostess.

The fourth story is about Kosuke, a boy who is influenced by his cousin and becomes a fan of The Beatles. His family is in trouble because of his father's debts, and he has to give up his studies and friends and run away with his parents. In 1984, he wrote a letter to a general store asking himself what to do.

The last story is about a woman named Green River who became pregnant with a married man's child, unsure whether to give birth or have an abortion. In 1985, she wrote a letter to a grocery store seeking advice.

In short, the entire novel is intricately linked. While it's described as time travel, it actually forms a closed loop with the fates of the three thieves, Atsuya, Shota, and Kohei. This is the novel's cleverness and also the most brilliant aspect of Keigo Higashino's work as a writer skilled in mystery novels.

If this were handled by a traditional literary writer, they probably wouldn't have done it as well.

Therefore, although "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" is not a mystery novel, it still contains elements of mystery novels, with reasoning becoming a technique in this novel.

During the time he was preparing to travel to the United States to receive the award, Jiang Xian devoted himself entirely to rewriting the novel "Miracles of the Namiya General Store".

It wasn't until he boarded the plane to the United States that he had time to learn about other things.

"What other films were nominated for Best Picture this time?" Jiang Xian asked the other film crew members he was working with.

"Here it is."

The other party handed over a list of nominees.

Jiang Xian took a look.

Besides "The Last Emperor," there are four other films nominated for Best Picture:
Jiang Xian hadn't heard of James L. Brooks's "Broadcast News," but he had heard of the director, because he later created a very famous animated series called "The Simpsons," which aired over 750 episodes since its premiere in 1989, generating over $10 billion in revenue. Even in later years, it was a super IP in China.

Adrian Lane, the director of "Fatal Attraction," is even more famous. He later directed the romance film "Lolita." "Fatal Attraction" is also a classic, known as a classic of love in the AIDS era, and a true reflection of that time.

The remaining two are "Hope and Glory" and "Moonlight Seduction" starring Cher.

In short, both are very capable production teams, and both are very capable films.

Unfortunately, this time they ran into "The Last Emperor," which meant they could only suffer a crushing defeat.

After watching the Best Picture award, Jiang Xian also paid attention to the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

There are two screenplay awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The genre of "The Last Emperor" meant that Jiang Xian could only compete for the Best Adapted Screenplay award. In addition to "Fatal Attraction" mentioned above, the other nominated films were "The Dead," "Full Metal Jacket," and "The Dog's Life."
Jiang Xian wasn't just showing off.

There's really no one who can fight.

These three films are all relatively niche films, and in terms of fame and production, they are obviously not as well-known as the big-budget "The Last Emperor".

If the Oscars dare to smear his award like that, he'll definitely start cursing.

(End of this chapter)