Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 327 Hao Lei Wins? "Hero" vs. "Star Wars: Episode II – Revenge of the Fallen"! An Extraordinary Preview!
"Why don't you explain?"

What am I supposed to explain?

"You know it in your heart."

"What I mean is, why should I explain?"

"Don't I deserve an explanation from you?"

"Hao Lei, this is too artsy, it's really not like you."

"But I just want an explanation."

"But in reality, you already know in your heart that you already know the answer you want."

"Yes, I understand, I know, but I just want to hear you say it."

"I am a person who prioritizes interests, and the so-called explanation you want will not benefit me at all."

"Ma Xun, you're a complete bastard!"

But what he said was strange.

It seems that Ma Xun simply didn't want to explain, but Hao Lei desperately wanted an explanation.

Perhaps, this explanation isn't an explanation at all.

So, did their talks break down?

It seems not, because after saying that,
Ma Xun even felt that there was still more to say.

Okay, maybe he really does like it...

Hao Lei then mentioned a crucial matter.

"A director told me about a film."

What movie? Which director?

"He hasn't decided on a name yet; it's just initial contact. Director Lou Ye..."

As soon as the director's name was mentioned, Ma Xun understood what was going on.

“Don’t take this role,” Ma Xun decided immediately.

"Huh? Why?" Hao Lei was naturally very curious.

Yes, I didn't even say what movie it was.

Ma Xun frowned slightly. He knew he had been a little hasty just now, but fortunately, he was good at hiding it. "Just by hearing that guy's name, you can tell what kind of movie he's making."

These words carried obvious hostility, but they also made Hao Lei overlook Ma Xun's earlier urgency.

"You mean you're worried this show won't get aired?"

"Of course, how many of his plays have actually aired?"

"This...are you worried about me?"

The point Hao Lei discovered... is quite interesting.

Ma Xun frowned. "I just don't like that director."

Hao Lei caught the guy's face as he refused to admit it.

"But what does this have to do with me acting in his plays?"

"Of course it does."

"So what exactly is their relationship?"

Why are you asking so many questions?

“This has direct implications for me, so of course I have to ask.”

"Anyway, just don't act in his plays. I'm doing this for your own good."

"Oh? Wait a minute, is that Mr. Ma Xun who said that?"

Hao Lei became smug at this moment.

Ma Xun seems to have lost a move, but what he just said wasn't a big problem.

It's just that movie.

Ma Xun genuinely disliked it, and the movie also had a significant impact on Hao Lei.

In the original timeline, she seemed to be in talks with Deng Zhuo, but it all ended up being just about making this movie, and that was the end of it.

In fact, Ma Xun had heard some rumors that it was questionable whether Hao Lei and Deng Zhuo were actually dating, or whether they broke up because of this movie.

If you've watched the later series "Happiness Like Flowers," you'll easily notice that Deng Zhuo's gaze towards Huanhuan reveals an undisguised affection.

They almost became a couple on set back then.

Lou Ye's film started filming around the same time as "Happiness Like Flowers".

Back in the present timeline, Hao Lei and Deng Zhuo don't even know each other yet.

That "Young Emperor" series hasn't even aired yet, and given Hao Lei's current status, it would be difficult for her to play a minor female lead role.

Huo Siyan has a much larger role in this drama than she does.

Therefore, Ma Xun did not say these things out of jealousy; he simply disliked the film.

Lou Ye is such a suck-up to foreigners.

To put it simply, anyone with a modicum of common sense would realize that this movie could never be released in China.

He insisted on taking the picture.

What else could be the reason behind this?
They're just taking money from foreigners!
Moreover, as we can see later, Lou Ye licked the wrong spot.

That movie, which was made twenty years later, was screened at Cannes. When the European and American film critics watched it, they immediately turned sour!

The short video taken by the international students at the scene clearly shows that the film critics were about to start cursing.

Westerners were just really shocked... You Chinese just can't go out and have fun! We've really lost so many families!

You know, people over there are also good at saying polite things, and it's very rare for them to immediately turn sour.

Even Chen Kaige's "The Promise," that absolutely terrible film, was screened at Cannes, and European and American film critics only gave it a black star later; at the time, they were all smiles.

I wanted to admire Lou Ye's movie, but unfortunately I didn't quite get it right.

Here comes the giant black star!

To be honest, from a purely cinematic perspective, Lou Ye is talented; he's at least more accomplished than Director Jia.

Unfortunately, many of the movies this guy made were not so simple.

He was being teased by Hao Lei at this moment...

"Anyway, you're not allowed to act!"

Ma Xun simply stopped reasoning and directly adopted the domineering CEO persona.

Don't say it, you really don't say it.

Hao Lei wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed.

But it seems to be saying: Ma Xun, Ma Xun, I've won this time.

It makes her laugh so comfortably.

Dry!
……

Ma Xun later gave himself an excuse.

Such a beautiful vase shouldn't be shown to others.

Hao Lei didn't say he absolutely had to act in that movie, but he also didn't say he wouldn't.

Judging from her flushed face and uneven breathing, she probably wouldn't be acting.

There's no need for any explanation.

Oh well, what happened that night is in the past anyway.

As for whether there will be opportunities for future cooperation, Ma Xun didn't say it was impossible.

Although Hao Lei didn't win any awards at this year's College Student Film Festival, he gained a lot of positive energy, which is not bad.

As for Ma Xun, he naturally had to return to his own career.

After the major film "Hero" was promoted with a wave of "juicy gossip" at the College Student Film Festival, the film was released.

The hype has skyrocketed!

It has become a hot topic online, with many netizens actively digging up various information about this movie.

Zhang Yimou is still the same old guy, just pretending to keep things secret.

In fact, all the information that was supposed to be leaked has already been leaked.

And this publicity campaign was very effective.

Many netizens already know the general information about this movie.

The cast is incredibly impressive.

Male actors, including Jet Li, Tony Leung, and Uncle Daoming, etc...

Actresses, Maggie Cheung, Yuan Yuan... there are too few actresses.

However, the current topic of conversation is mostly about actresses.

Many netizens noticed that this movie seems to have only two actresses!

Maggie Cheung's position is indeed unshakeable.

And young actresses of Zhang Ziyi's and Yuanyuan's caliber would naturally have to compete for the other maid role.

The more people dig, the more they discover; no wonder Gong Li had to say something about it.

This is the only role I can compete for!

As a result, some fans and netizens online started making various comparisons.

"Ziyi's acting is clearly better!"

Does Gao Yuanyuan have acting skills?

"Zhang Ziyi is more famous internationally!"

Indeed, she has a lot of advantages. But Yuanyuan also has quite a few fans.

"Why would a maid need such good acting skills?"

"I think Yuanyuan would be perfect! What a well-behaved girl!"

"Our Yuanyuan didn't really fight for it, did she?"

To be honest, that makes a lot of sense.

Interestingly, despite the high level of interest in this topic online, the person involved has barely responded.

This is probably the best way to handle it.

But just when everyone thought the matter was about to subside, suddenly, the movie "Hero" released a massive amount of related information in the media!
Whether online or in traditional media, the official promotional campaign for "Heroes" has already begun!
And then everyone looked... oh, it's already June!
The information the movie most wants to announce right now is the premiere date.

May 7st!
It was a Friday, and it was obvious that after the premiere on Friday, there would be a large-scale release.

The screening should have started on the same day.

The premiere will most likely be scheduled for the morning.

These details were left unsaid, but netizens, with their incredible abilities, quickly discovered something.

A Hollywood blockbuster has already been booked for release in July!
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones!
Good guy, really good guy.

Isn't that a rival?

The two movies are only a week apart, and the key point is that "Star Wars: Episode II – Revenge of the Fallen" has already been released overseas.

Moreover, the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Currently, at least among Star Wars fans overseas, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

In China, some movie fans have already seen it, given how quickly piracy has spread.

The positive points from everyone... the male and female leads are really good.

The lead actress, Natalie Portman, is incredibly famous these days.

She is also a very popular actress in China.

This is naturally thanks to the movie "Léon: The Professional".

It is crucial to understand that, currently, the vast majority of moviegoers in China are completely unaware of the 'other side' of this film.

In fact, this is one of the selling points of "Léon: The Professional" overseas.

It's important to know that this was public knowledge. Luc Besson took Natalie Portman on various TV shows and discussed the issues openly when the film was released. Only after achieving success did he become more restrained.

These programs can still be found now.

But in 2002, most movie fans in China were unaware of it.

It seems someone is deliberately hiding this information.

Therefore, in the eyes of Europeans and Americans, Natalie Portman might just be a little bitch.

But in the eyes of our domestic movie fans, this girl, coupled with her high level of education, is...

She is a near-perfect actress!

As for the male lead, he is indeed quite handsome.

It also perfectly matches the Chinese aesthetic for handsome European and American men.

Hayden Christensen, well, this car, its size... wow!

And Heroes will be going head-to-head with Star Wars: Episode II – Revenge of the Fallen...

"Zhang Yimou has some nerve!"

"Wait, wasn't Zhang Yimou considered box office poison before? How dare he go head-to-head with Hollywood blockbusters?"

"That's a sci-fi blockbuster, and yours is just a period drama. It's so far behind... no, it's light-years behind!"

"This is insane, utterly insane!"

"No need to say anything more, he'll definitely be called box office poison again!"

"Zhang Ziyi didn't act, probably because she felt the production team lacked self-awareness, right?"

Many netizens criticized it fiercely.

Even those who like Zhang Yimou's movies are now hesitant to speak up.

In summary, based on the current situation online...

Almost no one is optimistic about the domestic blockbuster "Hero"!
……

Nobody outside the community is optimistic about it.

But we ourselves... didn't really care.

Ma Xun's biggest concern right now is to persuade Zhang Yimou.

“Teacher Zhang, I understand your thoughts, but the movie fans may not understand them.”

"But I think I've made it very clear."

"It is very clear, but this clarity is for professionals like you and me. Film fans may not find it very clear."

"I don't believe that!"

Why are they arguing?
It wasn't an argument, but rather a discussion about a small issue.

The film "Hero" uses the narrative techniques of "Rashomon".

The key feature of this method is that a story is told multiple times.

So, how do we distinguish between these multiple times?
Akira Kurosawa was making black and white films back then.

Zhang Yimou, however, took a clever approach.

color!

"Hero" is a story that will be told three times.

And each of these three times, the color is different.

The first presentation will focus on the color red.

Second time: Cyan.

Third time: White.

Each of these three colors has its own symbolic meaning, or subtext.

But in Ma Xun's opinion... using colors alone is not enough!
"I think some subtitles should be added."

Zhang Yimou scoffed at Ma Xun's statement.

"Adding subtitles immediately diminishes the artistic value significantly!"

Zhang Yimou's statement is actually correct.

When we make movies, especially those directed by famous directors, we try to avoid adding subtitles if possible.

Not adding subtitles during scene transitions and changes in time and space is a sign of high sophistication.

In short: I can make the audience understand without subtitles, I'm awesome!
But Ma Xun knew perfectly well what was going on.

Why are so many people criticizing the movie "Hero"?
In fact, a simple look at the content of many of the criticisms reveals that a large number of viewers did not understand them.

So why didn't you understand it?

It's because telling the same story three times makes many viewers feel confused!

Not all viewers have seen "Rashomon," and it could even be said that most domestic viewers have no idea what "Rashomon" is.

So, if you, Zhang Yimou, don't add subtitles or give the audience a heads-up, they'll think you're just remaking the same story and trying to rip us off!

But in reality, the story of "Hero" is very clear.

The three colors Zhang Yimou used all have symbolic meanings.

The color red symbolized the indomitable spirit of the Zhao people after the state of Zhao was destroyed.

Blue is a color that represents peace and tranquility; this is actually a way of understanding the principles.

White, Broken Sword ultimately chose death to prove his loyalty, and Flying Snow died for love, the two dying together.

Their white coats, contrasted with the blood, symbolized their resolve.

To be honest, Zhang Yimou's design is outstanding.

but!

The average viewer may not be able to understand it.

Ma Xun wasn't criticizing the audience for not understanding; he really didn't mean that.

In fact, our domestic audience has a very strong ability to appreciate art.

Given the current situation, wouldn't it be helpful for the audience to understand if we told the story more clearly and added some subtitles?

That means we can attract more viewers!

To achieve even higher box office returns!

However, Zhang Yimou's reasoning also makes sense.

From a director's perspective, adding subtitles indicates a lack of skill.

So, what should we do?
Ma Xun had already come up with a plan.

"Teacher Zhang, how about we hold a preview screening?"

"A preview screening?"

Zhang Yimou was a little confused. What problem could this projection solve?
Ma Xun laughed, "So, one side has no subtitles, and the other side has subtitles. Let's see what the moviegoers think."

understood!

Let's do an experiment.

Zhang Yimou couldn't help but admire Ma Xun; he really had a lot of unconventional tricks up his sleeve.

"Alright! Let's have a preview screening! Let's see which version of 'Hero' the moviegoers prefer!"

(End of this chapter)