1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 186 Women's Rights is Business

While Zhai Yuan was actively developing business in Japan, Xu Qi, who was far away in America, had already handed over the script and shooting plan of "The Invisible Woman" to Michelle Pfeiffer and his agent for review.

In the hotel room, Xu Qi was making an international call with Shi Nansheng.

Even in a foreign country, Old Monster Xu still did not care about his appearance. He was even sloppier because he did not have Shi Nansheng to take care of him.

Shi Nansheng's voice on the phone was gentle and he asked with a smile, "Master, have you not shaved again?"

Xu Qi clamped the phone around his neck, flipping through the script with one hand and writing and drawing on it with a pen in the other.

He said casually, "Well, I've been too busy lately."

Shi Nansheng sighed and said, "Then you haven't taken a shower for at least a week, right?"

Xu Qi said in a long tone: "Don't worry, I'll go after I finish my work."

As he spoke, he crossed out the line in the script: 'The invisible man cut Emily's throat with a dinner knife in the restaurant, and put the knife into Celia's hand to frame her.'

Rewrite 'The dinner knife floated out of thin air, Celia realized the danger and pushed Emily away, activated the new armor and exchanged fire with the invisible man, and the restaurant was in chaos'.

Next to it is a beautiful hand-drawn illustration of a battle armor.

A good sci-fi thriller was turned into a sci-fi action film by Xu Ke.

Shi Nansheng listened to the swish of the brushstrokes and knew that he was immersed in his own world again. He said to himself: "Zhai Yuan, that handsome guy, tied me up in Jiuyi and didn't allow me to go anywhere. Otherwise, I would definitely fly over and clean you up. Master, you must take care of yourself when you go out..."

Xu Qi responded with "hmm" and "ah" and changed the ending of the original script to one in which the invisible villain and the heroine, wearing armor, fired laser cannons at each other over the city.

When the last stroke was done, he nodded with satisfaction and asked Shi Nansheng: "What did you just say?"

Shi Nansheng was silent for a moment, then laughed helplessly: "Forget it. Do you know that the company has a new play recently?"

Xu Qi put down his pen and flipped through the revised script, concentrating a little: "I know about the sequel to Wu Yusen's A Better Tomorrow and Sanhe's God of Gamblers. How is the filming progress over there?"

Shi Nansheng said: "These two movies were made hundreds of years ago, and the boss recently launched three new movies in one go."

Xu Qi was startled by the news and asked, holding the receiver, "What's going on? Didn't you say that the company doesn't have much money on its books?"

Shi Nansheng seemed very satisfied with his reaction. He smiled for a long time before saying, "Although there is no money on paper, we can still afford a budget of two million for each play."

"Two million?" Xu Qi scratched his greasy hair and asked in confusion, "What are you doing? Are you filming "Disco Sex Fever" or "36 Rooms to Chase Girls"? "

These two films were made in the past two years with pornographic content as their gimmick, but they were a lot of noise but little results, so much so that when people talk about low-cost Hong Kong films now, they subconsciously think of them as Category III films.

Shi Nansheng exclaimed: "How do you know? The three movies that Zhai Yuan opened this time are all Category III films."

Xu Qi asked: "Has the filming started already?"

Shi Nansheng said: "Well, Wang Jing is in charge of two films, and Wu Yusen is in charge of one film. The two directors are complaining every day now."

Xu Qi secretly thanked himself for fleeing to America, otherwise he would definitely have to bear part of the responsibility.

Shi Nansheng continued, "The company's account has been running low recently. I guess Zhai Yuan wants to make some quick money. Your movie, The Invisible Woman, is a special effects blockbuster. Once filming starts, it will cost at least 30 million Hong Kong dollars."

Xu Qi looked down at the script that he had changed beyond all recognition.

I don’t think 30 million will be enough, maybe 300 million.

But he was not panicked at all. Instead, he smiled and told Shi Nansheng: "I have a piece of news for you in advance. Even Zhai Yuan doesn't know yet that Michelle Pfeiffer's agent is talking to us about investment. Money is not a problem. I have revised the script of The Invisible Woman again. This time it will definitely be more successful than The New Shushan Swordsman."

…………

Adjacent rooms in the same hotel.

There were cans of beer scattered on the table, and the ashtray was filled with thin Moorish cigarette butts.

Peng Jiayan was lying on the bed wearing a sling, her white calves hanging outside, her toes hooked in slippers and swinging back and forth.

Michelle Pfeiffer, who had become her best friend, was leaning on the edge of the bed flipping through a movie magazine.

"I don't know why Scarface didn't get a single award, while a boring movie like Star Wars won Best Art Direction."

Michelle Pfeiffer complained: "Does anyone really think that actors waving light sticks around is artistic?"

"It's really boring. I don't know why they are cheering at the glow sticks."

Pang Ka Yin nodded in agreement, and even felt that this Hollywood blockbuster was not as good as Xu Kui's "New Shushan Swordsman". At least he could see many familiar faces in that movie.

It is difficult to find a soulmate, so the two women spent more than ten minutes in the hotel complaining about a bunch of Hollywood commercial films.

Michelle Pfeiffer suddenly remembered something and asked, "Peng, you have also been a director in Hong Kong. Have you made any different movies?"

Peng Jiayan was stuck for a moment.

I am still criticizing others, what did I shoot?
She thought of her first feature film, "The Blind Girl's Chastity Files", and with this dark history as a comparison, "Star Wars" instantly became a masterpiece.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Michelle Pfeiffer hummed curiously.

Pang Chia-yin raised her index finger: "Yes! I have made a film with a female perspective, called Sleep Tight."

This is the English translation of "When You Sleep". Zhai Yuan once tried to name the movie "When You Sleep" with his poor English, but was vetoed by Peng Jiayan.

Michelle Pfeiffer asked with great interest what kind of movie this was.

Peng Jiayan was immediately delighted and told her about this voyeuristic masterpiece.

The central idea is 'knowing that you are unhappy, then I feel relieved'.

"Jesus! Why would you make a movie like this?"

After listening to the story, Michelle Pfeiffer felt physically disgusted by the protagonist's behavior. She frowned, her facial features twisted into a ball, and she silently withdrew her bare feet from the floor.

“Calling on society to pay attention to the safety of women living alone…”

Peng Jiayan made up a few words, smiled and shrugged: "Well, actually Zhai Yuan wrote the script, I was just in charge of the filming."

Michelle nodded in understanding: "That's not surprising. He always has some wild ideas. This Man From Earth has overturned many people's belief in Christianity."

At this point, Michelle Pfeiffer said thoughtfully: "Although the male protagonist in this story is disgusting, Zhai Yuan seems to be one of the few filmmakers who can tell a good story from a female perspective. These Hollywood directors are all male chauvinists."

Pang Ka Yin smiled and said, “Because he wrote the script for you for The Invisible Woman?”

Michelle Pfeiffer said with a look that said you got it right, "It's a commercial film with a female lead, and it's a science fiction film. I thought he would let me continue to play a vase role, or everyone thought so, because no investor would use an actress as the lead in a commercial film. Usually we appear in dramas that focus on love and family."

Pang Chia-yen said, “But your agent is willing to invest in this film.”

Michelle Pfeiffer curled her lips: "That's because the film's budget is not high. Martin Bregman wants to take advantage of the trend of the feminist and anti-feminist movements in the country in the past two years to label me with a new label. He doesn't care about the plot at all."

In the 1980s in America, feminism and anti-feminism were fighting fiercely.

Congress just passed the Hyde Amendment, which expresses its anti-abortion stance and prohibits the use of medical funds for abortion.

Civil rights leader Susan B. Anthony then smashed the Statue of Liberty, becoming the first real woman in American history to appear on a dollar coin.
Women's organizations here advocate that the United States establish a daycare system for children in the country to facilitate women's employment outside the home.

Anti-feminist activists over there are calling out in major newspapers that daycare is harmful to children's physical and mental health, and vigorously advocating that women should give up their jobs and go home to be full-time housewives. You call me an "old maid", "encourage divorce", and "hate men and children".

I called you an 'impotent man', 'American deformed man', and 'a failure in career and love'.

The two camps beat the people's brains into dog's brains.

The Heni brothers had originally wanted to take advantage of the change of leadership to gain some voice for their ethnic group, but they were swept away by this wave and could not make any sound at all.

Michelle Pfeiffer's agent Martin Bregman saw the opportunity in this trend and planned to use the hype of "The Invisible Woman" to make Michelle Pfeiffer a popular star in the feminist camp.

No matter which side of the two camps the traffic comes from, it can make a small star instantly become an opinion leader.

Pang Chia-yen asked: “So Martin Bregman is also in charge of the North American cinemas this time?”

Michelle Pfeiffer said: "In addition to the cinema, there is also the entire production process. Although Zhai Yuan has shot successful films, science fiction films can only be produced in Hollywood with the best results. Even if Zhai Yuan and I have a film contract, Martin Bregman will not agree to let a Chinese control the entire set. Peng, I am just stating a fact, and I don't mean to look down on Asians."

Peng Jiayan hummed without commenting, but she felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.

Her experience in Hollywood during this period made her increasingly aware of the backwardness of Hong Kong films and even Asian films. The lack of an industrialized production process means no say. Although she feels that Zhai Yuan has surpassed Hollywood directors and screenwriters in many aspects, it does not seem to have any effect.

Pang Ka Yan shook her head to clear away the negative emotions, and asked Michelle Pfeiffer with a smile: "Did your agent convince your godmother Yemima to pay for the film production?"

Michelle Pfeiffer winked mischievously: "No, the investor he found is an anti-feminist organization."

Peng Jiayan's eyes widened in disbelief: "What?"

Michelle Pfeiffer smiled mysteriously and said, "As for Godmother Yemima, although she is a feminist fighter in public, this time she secretly invested in another male-oriented science fiction movie called "Terminator."

Peng Jiayan felt that her brain was a little confused.

She thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she took the initiative to ask: "Why is this happening?"

“Intensify and divert conflicts.”

Michelle Feihua smiled indifferently and said, "Godmother Yemima told me that the people are pigs and dogs. The more they quarrel over this matter, the less energy they have to pay attention to the scandals that Congress does not want them to know about. And the capitalists can make a fortune from this. You have definitely never heard of a coffee shop that is open exclusively to women, but it has now become a chain in several states."

Peng Jiayan felt like the door to a new world had been opened to her, but then she felt cheated.

Michelle Pfeiffer teased, "So I never believe in these things. Making a good movie is more meaningful than me shouting about independence 10,000 times. But Peng, if you run for president of Hong Kong one day, you can use this trick in your governance."

Peng Jiayan muttered in Cantonese: "Thirty-six Stratagems, fishing in troubled waters, besieging Wei to save Zhao, and looting while the fire is burning, American politicians have read the Art of War..."

Michelle Pfeiffer didn't understand what he was saying and was about to ask.

knock knock --

There was a knock on the hotel room door.

Peng Jiayan asked who it was, and then Xu Qi's voice was heard outside.

After asking him to wait a moment, the two women in suspenders put on their coats and opened the door.

"Jiayan, Miss Michelle."

Xu Qi greeted the two people after entering the room, looked around the room, and asked Peng Jiayan in a low voice: "Is her agent named Martin not here?"

Peng Jiayan was very respectful to Xu Qi and said, "Martin should be in the restaurant downstairs now. Teacher Xu, is there anything you want to do?"

"I feel that Zhai Yuan's script is not sci-fi enough, so I modified some of the plots. I would like to ask Martin to take a look first to see if he can get the investors to pay more money."

Xu Qi's eyes sparkled, and he waved a stack of scripts in his hand: "I'll go down to the restaurant to find him first, you guys chat slowly."

"Ambiguous..."

Peng Jiayan frowned and reached out to call Xu Qi, but the other party had already hurried towards the stairs.

"What's up with him?"

Michelle Pfeiffer walked to the door in her slippers, only to see Xu Ke's back disappear at the end of the corridor.

Pang Ka Yin turned around and walked back into the house. She came to the phone and made an international call to Hong Kong while saying to Michelle Pfeiffer, "I have a bad feeling that the director and the screenwriter have a disagreement, especially since he is the director who filmed The New Shushan Swordsman."

…………

In Hong Kong, in a borrowed two-story western-style house.

The filming site of "Irresistible Passion".

Wang Jin has seen many actors filming multiple projects at the same time, but he rarely sees a director filming multiple projects at the same time, especially one filming three different crews.

And he is the director himself.

"God of Gamblers", "Unstoppable Passion", "Borrowing Seed"

The three dramas started shooting simultaneously, and Wang Jin's eyes were red from staying up late these past two days.

"The whole world is ready, the 61st scene of "Unstoppable Passion", the third scene..."

He yawned loudly, huddled in a chair, took two sips of coffee, and then continued to shout: "Action!"

Zhai Yuan was also on the set at this time, watching the pair of actors squirming on the bed with interest.

I have to say that Chen Lan does have some skills.

The next afternoon after Zhai Yuan hit a wall with his beautiful mother, she said something to her, but she brought four or five top actresses from Portland Street that day, plus a few supporting roles, for Zhai Yuan to choose from.

The play "Crazy Love" was originally going to star Ren Dahua and Weng Hong opposite each other.

But Simon Yam has just finished playing Liu Zhengfeng in the TVB version of "Swordsman" and is currently filming Yuan Suiyun in "Chu Liuxiang", and has no interest in Category III films.

Weng Hong probably hasn't made her debut yet.

In order to save costs, we simply hired all new people.

The heroine and the supporting actress are amateurs from Portland Street, while the hero is Lu Huiguang, a Laotian Chinese who works for Huang Jun.

The good thing is that both men and women are shameless and can be very relaxed in front of the camera, unlike professional actors who are so concerned about their reputation that they spend a long time struggling to shoot a scene.

The disadvantage is also obvious, that is, there is no acting skills at all.

The heroine from Portland Street was better, her babbling expressions were lively, and I guess she usually deceives customers like this.

But Lu Huiguang, who works as a nightclub clerk, is completely the opposite. Not only does he speak Cantonese poorly, but his movements often cannot keep up with the rhythm.

After Wang Jin cut several more times in a row, he finally couldn't help but yell, "You old-fashioned guy! Can you please squeeze her breasts harder?"

Lu Huiguang raised his eyebrows: "What are you holding? Fuck your mother, why don't you come over and try it, how can I perform with this thing on?"

As he spoke, he slapped a piece of plastic wrapped around his crotch.

(End of this chapter)