Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 564: A No-Show During National Day Holiday? "The Sun Also Rises"!
"Zhang Ziyi couldn't satisfy the director..."

"A female student from the Republican era versus a dancer at the Paramount Ballroom?"

"Superficially stunning, but actually losing..."

Actually, it's just about the movie "Lust, Caution".

The original version would naturally not pass the censorship in mainland China.

Everyone knows this perfectly well.

Even so, Director Li did not make any cuts or alterations to the film beforehand.

He still wanted to keep those three scenes, or rather, he still wanted to test the mainland's 'limitations'.

This is why, due to an emergency, the originally scheduled release date has had to be changed.

Originally, many cinemas attached great importance to this film and reserved screening slots for it early on.

Unexpectedly, it couldn't be released at all, which drove many cinemas crazy.

The National Day holiday is a great time to watch movies.

Isn't this a waste?

What's even more distressing for mainland cinemas is that "Lust, Caution" has actually become a hit and gained real fame.

This is not only because Zhang Ziyi wore that cheongsam at the premiere and had a seemingly pleasant but actually scheming conversation with Tang Wei.

The Hong Kong media subsequently gave it extensive coverage, and the battle between the two women has successfully become a major scandal.

But none of these are the key reasons why "Lust, Caution" became a huge hit.

Of course, it couldn't be because of Tony Leung's acting skills in the movie, or Leehom Wang's immature performance.

Okay, we all know what the key reason for this movie's explosive success is.

It's those three scenes!
Normally, we in mainland China can't see them through normal channels, but there are ways!

Let's not even talk about pirated copies. When they first came out, they were all bootleg versions, which weren't very satisfying to watch... cough cough, I don't know.

There are tours to Hong Kong and Macau available now, and it happens to be during the National Day holiday.

Let's go have some fun, that counts as having been to Hong Kong.

As a result, bookings for trips to Hong Kong and Macau exploded during the National Day holiday!
It's definitely related to the movie "Lust, Caution," because many travel agencies are directly advertising it.

They even arranged the movie tickets in advance.

For a time, the Hong Kong film market experienced a boom.

But if we do this, mainland cinemas will suffer huge losses!
Everyone knows that even if the film "Lust, Caution" is approved in the future, it will definitely not include these three scenes, which means that the film's biggest commercial selling point will be gone.

Moreover, it's obvious that we're at a disadvantage right now. What about the release schedule originally reserved for this movie?
What about the release date after that?
As a result, mainland cinema chains couldn't hold back any longer.

Urgent meeting needed!

……

After returning from Hong Kong, Ma Xun went straight to the Beijing Film Studio.

As for what happened that night, there has been no further news about Zhang Ziyi since.

Maybe it's just one night of indulgence, nothing serious at all.

Ma Xun was never one to overthink things, and he was an expert in playing poker.

From now on, everyone can just do whatever they want.

Bingbing didn't take it seriously either.

However, he became even more enthusiastic in his subsequent attempts to seduce her.

Therefore, Ma Xun naturally didn't think too much and focused on the present moment.

"Oh dear, Mr. Ma is here."

"Hello, Mr. Ma."

“Mr. Ma, it’s been quite a while since we last met.”

As soon as Ma Xun arrived at the conference room of the Beijing Film Studio, many people came up to greet him, showing great enthusiasm.

They seemed to think, "With Mr. Ma here, we're saved."

Ma Xun naturally smiled back; he was quite adept at interpersonal skills.

However, they are also well aware that these bigwigs in the cinema industry are having a tough time right now.

Just then, Han Sanping arrived.

"Let's cut the small talk and get to the meeting."

Clearly, China Film Group is currently in a hurry to act.

However, this resonated with everyone, and all the bigwigs were very happy.

Ma Xun noticed that even Qin Hong from Xingmei no longer looked at him with the same hostility as before.

Looks like this guy's having a tough time right now... haha.

If it weren't for the need to consider the bigger picture, Ma Xun would have plenty of ways to humiliate this guy.

For now, let's let him off the hook because of all these big shots and Han Sanping.

Anyway, in Ma Xun's eyes, Qin Hong was nothing more than a small fry; he was far inferior to his brother.

"Xiao Ma, I believe you understand the current situation without me having to explain it. Among us, you have always been the most resourceful and intelligent. I, the leaders of Shanghai Film Studio, and the bureau still have great faith in you."

Han Sanping's words were quite straightforward: everyone's hopes are now on you. Give us an idea, and if you do it well, the theater chains and the higher-ups will definitely not turn a blind eye.

Sure enough, as soon as he said that, many bigwigs in the cinema industry followed suit.

"Mr. Ma has always been the most reliable film producer."

"That's right, we have always had a good working relationship with Mr. Ma."

"This cooperation will definitely continue."

Listen to these words, such high praise!

Ma Xun smiled. He knew what to do at this moment, but he had to clarify one thing first.

"Before I get to this, I have to tell you a principle that isn't really a principle."

Huh? What do you mean by "reason that doesn't make sense"?
Ma Xun didn't delay anything and said directly, "Based on my many years of experience dealing with the other side, many people on the other side, especially those with a certain amount of power and strength, are often very, very selfish."

Unlike us, when discussing cooperation, they don't consider the partners' interests to some extent, nor do they discuss what problems might arise in certain situations.

They just throw problems at us and make things difficult for us, while they naturally enjoy the fruits of their labor and the benefits.

I believe many business owners who have done business with Taiwanese companies have had this experience.

Wow! That's really something!

Ma Xun's insults are so subtle, they're like insults without using a single swear word. They never mention it, yet they never actually bring it up in their sentences.

All the bigwigs present knew who Ma Xun was talking about. They were all thrilled!

That's right, we should really give Director Li a good scolding!
Director Li, this isn't your first time making movies, nor is it your first time collaborating with mainland China. You've been making films for many years, and many of your films have been released in mainland China.

Don't you have any idea what the standards are like here on the mainland?

As for this "Lust, Caution"... well, you should have prepared a version beforehand.

Look at the mess you've made!

Oh, you call this 'persistence in art'?
Those three scenes were practically sparking with fire; what's with the artistic merit?
Moreover, what Ma Xun said was so 'realistic'!

This has always been the case with Taiwanese businesses; anyone who has ever worked with them will understand.

These bastards are so selfish!

Not only are they selfish, but they are also extremely self-righteous and genuinely believe that they are superior to others. They have such a sense of superiority that they don't even need to pretend!
Of course, there are good ones too.

Wangjia is doing very well; not only are their products very popular, but they are also patriotic from the bottom of their hearts.

So, they deserve to make money.

Some of them were just... well, they really deserved to fail.

Putting all that aside, the 'problem' that Ma Xun brought up this time really resonated with everyone.

So, what's next?
"Currently, the only solution is to fill the empty slots with our own films."

Personally, I'm optimistic about director Jiang Wen's new film, *The Sun Also Rises*.

His words did indeed disappoint the bigwigs to some extent.

This is clearly your film!

So, some people couldn't hold back any longer.

"Mr. Ma, there are actually some films worth recommending during this year's National Day holiday, such as 'Japan Sinks,' which we are about to import."

The speaker was Qin Hong.

But the movie he mentioned, "Japan Sinks"?
That's right, this film is indeed going to be imported, and it was originally planned to be released during the National Day holiday.

Well, this film, which is being released during our National Day holiday, can be considered a tribute film.

However, Ma Xun shook his head.

"This film is a bit old. Japanese films are considered a niche genre in China. Romance films are fine, but for films that have already been released, those who have seen them have already seen them."

That's right, this statement has garnered nods of approval from many bigwigs.

Actually, "Japan Sinks" was a rushed film. If "Lust, Caution" hadn't had to be remade, this Japanese film would have been shelved for a while.

However, to be precise, "Japan Sinks" is indeed a major Japanese film.

The novel itself was very famous in Japan and was known as Japan's number one science fiction novel. After winning the Naoki Prize, the author's friend, who was also a bit of a frenemy, wrote a book called "Everything Outside Japan Sinks".

That's right, it's the comedy movie that was later made into a film. It's so funny it's outrageous, even the Japanese thought it was too ridiculous.

Putting aside this absurdity, let's just talk about the film "Japan Sinks." It was indeed a blockbuster, bringing together top actors and technology at the time. Kou Shibasaki was back again, having stolen the spotlight from Masami Nagasawa the previous year. However, another actress stole her thunder: Mao Daichi.

Leaving aside the scandals in the Japanese entertainment industry, this movie actually changed the content of the novel. In the novel, Japan really did sink completely, leaving nothing behind, but in the movie, Japan did not sink.

So...

"Mr. Qin, this film should be released, but if we promote it, won't moviegoers be disappointed when they find out that Japan didn't sink in the end?"

Easy to argue with!
Qin Hong was speechless for a moment.

Not to mention Ma Xun, other big shots were also secretly laughing.

But is it really okay to make "The Sun Also Rises," which is clearly an art film that's hard to understand?
"Jiang Wen's movies have never done well at the box office, this is too risky!"

Qin Hong's statement was also valid, and many bigwigs nodded in agreement.

Ma Xun did not directly and forcefully refute this; this is what he said.

"The biggest risk right now is that we don't have any films to release. Director Li's film isn't working out, and Brother Long's film can't be released either. As a result, we're mainly promoting a Japanese film, which is from 05. Doesn't that make us look like we have no talent in domestic films?"

That's absolutely right!
Actually, a film starring Big Brother Long was originally scheduled for the National Day holiday.

It's "Rush Hour 3". This film didn't cast Zhang Ziyi, but instead cast Zhang Jingchu, who is known as "Little Zhang Ziyi".

Unfortunately, part of the film's plot involved overseas Chinese gangs, and it went a bit too far, so it wasn't shown.

Director Li and his brother Long are currently two shining examples of Chinese cinema abroad.

Neither of their films can be released now.

Otherwise, why would these people be in such a hurry?

So……

"It seems we have no choice but to promote Jiang Wen," Han Sanping remarked.

Upon hearing this, all the bigwigs couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Yes, what else can we do?
Actually, in the original timeline, Ma Xun remembered that the National Day film season that year was quite dismal.

The only film with high commercial value was "Japan Sinks" in 05, which was obviously a disaster.

And Jiang Wen's film, *The Sun Also Rises*...

Ma Xun stated directly, "I will do my best to help 'The Sun Also Rises' surpass 100 million views!"

Everyone thought, "Great!"

The National Day holiday film season is practically over, with older films and Hollywood movies like "Harry Potter" providing a little support.

If this film can break 100 million, the Japanese film will also help boost the box office.

So this National Day release is acceptable.

"Okay! We support Mr. Ma."

"No doubt about it, now we have no choice but to go all out!"

"Reaching 100 million should be fine!"

And so on... Han Sanping looked at Ma Xun.

"Little Ma, do you have any good ideas? Tell us about them."

Yes, let me tell you the truth.

Ma Xun smiled confidently and said, "The date."

Huh? What kind of method is this?
date?

Many experts don't understand this.

But Ma Xun knew in his heart that the date in "The Sun Also Rises" actually held a key!

(End of this chapter)