Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 396 Braving the Smoke of War
Those who have attended the Oscars know that there are many tricks involved in this kind of public relations game.

The Oscars ceremony, which will begin on February 24th, actually had preparatory work that started as early as November and December before the Lunar New Year.

As a Western believer and staunch ally captivated by Mr. Lu Xun's mystical aura and personal charisma, Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood power figure, began his "attentive service" to the old white Jewish judges early on.

This includes, but is not limited to, sending Blu-ray discs to film critics, along with a handwritten letter from Lu Kuan, a director already quite famous in North America, whose words are filled with genuine emotion.

In addition, full-page advertisements were published in professional media such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter to emphasize the film's value and highlight the outstanding performances of Oscar winners Hanks and Moore, as well as young actress Liu Yifei.

These news columns often feature well-known directors and actors who provide humorous commentary and echo the sentiments.

For Mr. Lu, this means connections with familiar figures like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and his Oscar-winning friends, Spielberg, Harvey Durant, and Disney.

This is the overt public relations and publicity campaign; the activities carried out under various pretexts behind the scenes are another story.

For example, on Christmas Day, December 25th last year, Harvey sponsored the Christmas party of the DGA (Directors Guild of America) and one of the "golden triangle" of Oscars, spending a lot of money.

As for the processes involving the strip club and stock recommendations from Wall Street securities experts, those are not details that outsiders should know.

Up to this point, the main objective of "The Sky of History" was to secure some important bellwether awards before the Golden Globes.

Among them, the most valuable are the Golden Triangle awards: the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG), and the Producers Guild of America (PGA).

As a bellwether, the DGA and the Oscar for Best Director have a historical overlap rate of over 85%, making it highly authoritative, but there are also exceptions.

The 2008 event was an exception—

Danny Boyle won the Oscar for Best Director for "Slumdog Millionaire," but the Coen brothers ultimately won for "No Country for Old Men."

The other two union awards are similar: the SAG is comparable to acting awards such as Best Actor and Best Actress, and the PGA is comparable to Best Picture.

There are other miscellaneous technical awards, not to mention.

These preliminary awards are usually announced in mid-to-late January, preceded by the well-known Ballon d'Or.

At the 2004 Golden Globes and Oscars, Lu Kuan won Best Foreign Language Film for "A Home Too Far". Logically, he should have attended the Golden Globes, given the public relations aspect.

Even with the special circumstances of the Olympics this year, taking two or three days off is not excessive.

But even after Liu Yifei, Liu Xiaoli, and their assistants, makeup artists, drivers, and security team arrived in Beiping on January 3, the chief director remained firmly in place without making any moves.

Mainland reporters then learned from news reports from North America that the 65th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, originally scheduled to be held on January 13 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California, has been postponed due to the impact of the Writers Guild of America strike.

Because of the huge attention that "The Sky of History" has attracted in mainland China, Mr. Lu, Liu Yifei's fans, and movie fans all over the internet have come to know the strange and wonderful things about capitalist countries.

What? You can go on strike? The US government can shut down? You can just stop going to work whenever you want?

It was a serendipitous but effective way of popularizing Western political life.

With Boss Lu absent, the public relations work was naturally handed over entirely to the Jewish An Lushan.

On the evening of January 3rd, Pacific Time, in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

Anna Huang and Steve Chen from North American entertainment circles, along with the cast and crew and PR team, gathered together. Hanks and Moore will arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Lu Yang and Guo Fan, two interns from the Pan-Asian Film Academy, were also present. They had been called over by Lu Kuan to participate in the public relations roadshow, which is one of the essential skills for a director.

“Crystal, Lu really knows how to enjoy life. This villa you renovated is fantastic.” Harvey looked enviously at the Spanish Revival-style mansion, the property he had helped broker the deal with.

"Is this a Chinese screen, Ms. Liu?"

This question was directed at Liu Xiaoli.

"Ah, yes." Liu Xiaoli looked at the item sent from New York. It was a Suzhou embroidered screen given by Lin Ying to replace part of the stained glass window.

With the addition of Taihu stones and a Spanish fountain in the courtyard, the mansion has been completely transformed.

Xiao Liu smiled and said, "Lu Kuan is addicted to buying and acquiring properties. He even bought a house in New York and had Lin Ying design it. We can stay there when we visit this time."

Harvey nodded with envy: "We Jews also believe that the value of land is enormous. Nothing is more reassuring than land and houses. The way is right."

He wiped his mouth with satisfaction: "Crystal, Ms. Liu, this Chinese meal was wonderful. Thank you so much. I really look forward to visiting China again."

Lu Yang and Guo Fan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Huang Anna, Chen Shih-Chun, Emil, and others present were naturally unsurprised, but for these two young intern directors from mainland China, it was the first time they had ever seen the renowned Harvey so humble.

This doesn't match the rumors.
Indeed, the Jewish white pig looked almost like a gentleman in front of Liu Yifei and others.

After a dinner party, he stood up with a smile and introduced the public relations plan for the next month to his team.

"Everyone, you have all heard the news."

"The information I've received so far is that the strike will directly lead to the suspension of the Golden Globe Awards."

Liu Yifei, who was planning to try on dresses at Wang Daren's studio the day after tomorrow, was surprised to hear this and asked, "Is it really not going to happen? What about the Oscars?"

Harvey said seriously, "The Oscars are funded by the union and other associations, which is different from the Golden Globes, so there's not much trouble for now."

"The message I received from Disney is that the scheduled live television broadcast on the 13th has been cancelled, the red carpet ceremony and dinner have been cancelled, and the results will be announced directly in the form of a press conference."

Anna Huang laughed and said, "The Golden Globe Awards are just a big party. As a trendsetter, it's slightly inferior to the three guild awards, so what's the point?"

"In short, Twitter is ready in terms of internet marketing, and Mytube is still negotiating a cooperation plan. Mr. Lu is a shareholder of Google, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

Harvey nodded: "Very good. Fox and the other six Hollywood giants have their strength in traditional media, while our strength lies in internet media. This is also the general policy of the road."

It's worth mentioning that "No Country for Old Men" was later co-produced by Paramount and Harvey, and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2008.

However, in this life, Harvey was brought into an alliance with Disney by Lu Kuan, and Miramax invested in "Sky of History," which is the same reason Harvey previously invested in the production of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Even without Mr. Lu's guidance, he has always liked these types of films that can be used for political hype.

This shift in power gives "The Sky of History" a greater advantage.

This is also why, even though he was tricked by Harvey in "A Home Away From Home," he still managed to seduce him into becoming his "Hollywood glove."

He's a Hollywood-born bad boy, but very practical.

"Our main competitor this year is Paramount's No Country for Old Men, produced by the Coen brothers. The distribution of this film was handed over to Fox. News Corp. has had some minor disagreements with Louie, so we need to be careful."

“Other slightly less popular ones include Universal’s ‘Atonement,’ which, like ‘Sky,’ is a historical film about World War II in the European theater. Therefore, we need to be careful to differentiate them in our promotion.”

"Otherwise, given that both are World War II themes, Americans wouldn't be very interested in the war history that took place in China."

"Others are 'There Will Be Blood' and 'Juno,' the latter being a chick flick produced by Fox that is very popular among teenage moviegoers."

Harvey's PR team distributed an internal document to everyone, and the Hollywood PR expert continued to speak eloquently:

"Our goals this time are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, and the rest are Best Cinematography and Screenplay, etc."

"I talked to Lu for several hours yesterday. In addition to the usual public relations methods that I am in charge of, this time there are two main innovations."

"First, there will be behind-the-scenes footage of the videos that will be released on Mytube starting tomorrow, such as Crystal experiencing life, Hanks losing weight, Moore learning to speak Chinese, and so on."

"We need to make the newly launched hashtag feature on Twitter work and mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of Chinese Americans to retweet and participate. We need to capture at least the basic base of 500 million Chinese Americans across the United States, which will also help with the release of the movie later."

"On another front, Iris needs to be involved in the promotion, after all, her history books were long-time bestsellers and she has a high reputation in academia."

“Many of our professional judges have overlapping circles with top professors at various American universities, which is something we can work on.”

"For example, holding special screenings and discussions for historians, and television interviews, etc."

Harvey spoke at length for half an hour, outlining the itinerary for the next two weeks, before lightly tapping the table:

"Everyone, both 'No Country for Old Men' and 'There Will Be Blood' will be our formidable rivals. The harvest in the next month depends on everyone's actions!"

Bad guy as he may be, Harvey is a capable person.

He has a profound understanding of both the commercial and artistic value of the film.

Otherwise, even with the most ruthless public relations efforts, it would be impossible to send a truly hopeless film to the Oscars.

Films he personally discovered, such as "Shakespeare in Love," reflect his unique insights into the rules of Hollywood art.

At least for now, among the twenty-odd people living in Boss Lu's Los Angeles mansion, he is undoubtedly the boss in terms of public relations and Hollywood influence.

Everyone accepted the order and set off to begin intensive preparations.

Harvey paused briefly in front of the mansion: "Crystal, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"You said."

Harvey shrugged and said, "What I'm trying to say is that Oscar's public relations is a process of making choices."

"For example, the emphasis in our public relations plan will be adjusted during the public relations process to focus on the best film, director, actress, and supporting actor."

"Our film's genre and themes don't really fit the Oscars' tastes. If we try to have everything, we'll lose everything, you understand?"

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "You mean to say that it's very difficult for me to win the Best Actress award, right?"

“Oh! You’re so clever. This is the first time I’ve tried to be tactful like you Chinese people, and you’ve already caught my meaning.” Harvey exclaimed dramatically.

"In fact, historically, very few biographical films have won awards at the Oscars."

"Of the past 79 Academy Awards, only 'Gandhi' and 'A Beautiful Mind' have won the Oscar. The latter was a relatively quiet year, with little competition."

Liu Yifei nodded thoughtfully.

The biographical inspiration for "A Beautiful Mind" is mathematician John Nash.

If we consider the fame of the real-life figures upon whom the biopic is based to understand the influence of biographical films on Oscar voters—

Clearly, Iris Chang, the Chinese-American writer, is slightly inferior to the mathematician who won the Nobel Prize in Economics for proposing famous game theory concepts such as "Nash equilibrium" and "prisoner's dilemma."

The Oscars are ultimately a value system dominated by the West. Even biographical films tend to focus on historical figures from Europe and America, such as "Schindler's List" and "A Beautiful Mind".
Or it may focus on individual heroism in the face of fate, such as "Braveheart" and "The Pianist".

"The Sky of History" has no advantage in terms of subject matter and story background, so a broad-based strategy cannot be adopted in public relations. This is a pragmatic view put forward by Harvey, which was also agreed upon by Boss Lu.

The best examples are "Hotel Rwanda" in 2004 and "Good Night and Good Luck" in 2005, both of which are beyond reproach in terms of film quality.

However, the former's African subject matter is far removed from American judges and audiences, while the latter's black-and-white images and media political issues are too serious, neither of which are very appealing in the Oscar judging system.

These are precisely the thematic shortcomings of "The Sky of History".

Harvey didn't talk much, but he did inform Boss Lu's girlfriend of some of the realities.

There are some realities that are inconvenient to discuss openly within the team, lest they damage morale.
-
The night in Beverly Hills was slightly cool, around 15 degrees Celsius, with a gentle breeze carrying the dryness and crispness characteristic of California. Liu Yifei sat on a lounge chair by the pool, wearing a light beige cashmere cardigan over a white silk slip dress.

The soft fabric clung to her slender figure, gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

She fiddled with her phone, checked the time, and dialed her boyfriend's number.

It was 8 p.m. in Los Angeles, which was exactly 12 p.m. in Beijing, the time when the staff of the Olympic Building were having lunch.

"Hey? You're right on time!"

"Hehe, of course I'll be on time! How could I dare disturb the director's work!"

Xiao Liu joked, "When I was in this damn Director Liu position last time, netizens already said I was like Yang Guifei or Bao Si, saying that I would ruin Wenjie Holdings sooner or later."

"If word gets out that I'm bothering the director-general while he's busy with the Olympics, won't I really become an ominous, ugly skeleton?"

Boss Lu got some food for himself, smiled and nodded to the staff, and sat down in the corner: "That's a compliment. Could ordinary beauty bewitch me? Only you could."

"It captivated me completely."

"You're disgusting!" his girlfriend said coquettishly. "What did you have for lunch?"

"Edamame and chicken stew, garlic lettuce, winter melon and pork rib soup, that's about it, just a little something to eat."

Have you been sleeping at home these past two days?

Mr. Lu chewed on some chicken: "No, it would take half an hour to drive back. I might as well stroll two kilometers to Wenjie Building and make do. I'm not in a rush this morning."

"Oh, okay, then remember to use eye drops and exercise when you have time in the morning."

Liu Yifei seemed to remember something: "I heard Huang Anna say today that there are now heated eye masks in the United States. I'll ask my mom about it tomorrow and ask her to buy one."

"Okay, I understand. Where are you?"

Xiao Liu stretched his long legs out on the recliner: "Guess!"

"In the bathtub? Show me a nude photo."

"You're dreaming! I'm just by the pool looking at the stars."

Liu Yifei's long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, a few strands of which were gently lifted by the wind, and the hair swayed lightly around her neck.

Two small pearl studs adorned her earlobes, making her skin appear as smooth as snow, and her almond-shaped eyes shone brightly and gently in the night.

"Sitting here reminds me of last year, of you taking me on a vacation to Europe. I wish I could stay in those days forever, like in 'Groundhog Day'..."

Last July, Xiao Liu was harassed by right-wingers and developed dissociative aphasia.

Just as the hearing against Netflix ended, Mr. Lu, on a whim, took her and fled the world.

Rome, the Eternal City; the Spanish Steps with a cool breeze on your face; sharing melon and ham.

The gilded time of Milan’s Seven Stars Galleries, the ecstasy of the cathedral’s dome, the whisper of Catania’s blue flag…

During this journey, the two completed their final union of mind and body, and finally became husband and wife.

This is where her dream began.

As Lu Kuan listened to the tender words spoken on the other end of the phone, he replied gently, "I can make time for you every year from now on. My goal is to retire at 40, which is coming soon."

Liu Yifei said regretfully, "It will be more than ten years before you turn forty. I'm already in my thirties, and I'm not at my most beautiful anymore."

"No, you're still stunningly beautiful even in your thirties, the kind that outshines everyone else."

"how do you know?"

"I have seen."

Xiao Liu chuckled and said, "Washing Machine, you're doing quite well today! You even know how to say nice things to coax me!"

She didn't know that the man on the other end of the phone had actually met him.

Mr. Lu put down his chopsticks, glanced at his watch, and decided to chat with his girlfriend for another ten minutes.

"Did Harvey finish his business with you guys today?"

"Yes, before she left, she specifically told me to be mentally prepared, that the competition for Best Actress this year would be very fierce, and that our public relations strategy might not be able to cover every major award."

"What you're implying is that the greater my hopes, the greater my disappointment will be, right?"

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "I asked him to mention it to you, after all, you put in a lot of effort and sacrifice for this role."

“We will do our best in our public relations efforts, but the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. This is your first time competing for such a world-class honor, so it’s inevitable that you will feel unbalanced.”

"Look at Leonardo DiCaprio, he's been a runner-up for years, he's almost going crazy."

The pool water reflected the starlight, and tiny specks of light rippled around Liu Yifei's feet, like a flowing galaxy laid out for her.

Liu Yifei felt that the washing machine's words today were particularly heartwarming. Could it be that it had done something to wrong her?
"I'm not as fragile as you think," Xiao Liu said gently. "Who doesn't want to win an award? This award is an unparalleled affirmation for me, but I haven't thought too much about it. I'll just let things take their course."

"Well, let nature take its course. Everyone is focused on public relations right now, so the final result is relatively fair, excluding the disadvantages of our film's subject matter."

Boss Lu patiently explained, "You may not be aware of this yet, but Harvey and I have analyzed it, and this time you mainly have three competitors."

"Marion Cotillard in 'La Vie en Rose' portrayed the character from youth to death, a complete reimagining of her voice, physique, and aging process, which was technically very challenging."

"And Julie Christie in 'The Dark Side' is similar to your character. She delicately portrays the vulnerability of memory loss and has a rich emotional depth."

"Another one is Ellen Page, the actress from Fox's 'Juno'."

"She and you were both born in 87. This kind of subject matter, which focuses on issues concerning American teenagers, is closer to the life experience of North American judges."

"Fox has already secured Best Actress awards for her from the Chicago Film Critics Circle and the Toronto Film Critics Circle, so she's coming on strong."

Mr. Lu said helplessly, "I will have Harvey arrange everything, but no one can be sure of the final outcome."

In a way, Ellen Page's rise to prominence was also due to the availability of a wide road.

When he attended the Sundance Film Festival in 2003, he pitched the script for "Hard Candy" to Lionsgate. This film, which deals with the theme of anti-pornography, quickly brought Ellen Page into the public eye.

In 2008, Ellen Page won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her role in "Juno".

As to how appealing a subject like *Juno* would be to the Jewish older white male judges, one can refer to *Little Miss Sunshine* in 2007—

A movie with a budget of 800 million won Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay.

Liu Yifei had thought of some questions as soon as Harvey finished speaking, and said with a little confusion: "I have seen the detailed information prepared by the public relations team. They have investigated the hobbies, movie tastes and ethnic backgrounds of almost every opinion leader in great detail."

“We have worked hard and spent a lot of money, and it is the result of the hard work of everyone, including Sister Chunru. You have also spent four or five years polishing the script to complete such a masterpiece.”

"Now, in order to get more people to see our films, we have to go to great lengths to flatter these stubborn judges so that more Westerners can see them."

"Even though I know this is the rule of the game, the norm of how this world works, I still feel a little awkward."

Lu Kuan hesitated for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then waved for Lao Zhangzi to go ahead and not wait for him. He then walked to the cafeteria window and patiently comforted her:

"You've seen too much unfairness in the world and in life; it's reality."

"To put it bluntly, if public relations aren't done properly—"

"Even if 'The Sky of History' is an epic masterpiece that narrates the suffering of our nation, it may not be as good as the story of a 16-year-old American high school girl's early pregnancy in the eyes of these North American judges."

Liu Yifei was speechless for a long time after being choked by his sharp comparison.

How ironic?

But how true it all is.

But there's nothing we can do; in this era, the discourse power of film art and culture is in the hands of Westerners.

However, Chinese filmmakers today are far from having the qualifications and confidence to regard the Oscars as worthless and discard them like worn-out shoes.

This award and nomination are a way to help the film recoup its costs and generate revenue, and to reward the hard-working team.
Whether it's to increase the film's visibility and get it seen by more Westerners, or to achieve the goals of clarifying history and advocating for peace, it's something we should strive for.

The struggle aims to break the West's monopoly on the narrative of World War II through the authoritative endorsement of top international awards, force the international community to face the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre, and weaken the public opinion space of the Japanese right-wing "denialists".

The competition is to give film awards a wider reach to historical truth, so that they can become a shared historical and cultural symbol for Chinese people around the world, just as Schindler's List is for the Jewish people.

The struggle was also to let patriotic overseas Chinese like Iris Chang see the cohesion and centripetal force of the nation, so that her efforts would not be in vain.

In this era, an era in which we don't yet have much international voice to express ourselves, the only way to do so is through globally distributed films.

But to compete, one must put in more effort than Westerners and films and directors based on Western value systems, yet reap less rewards.

"When an individual is underdeveloped, they usually care more about external evaluations, and the same is true for a country."

"We are still on the road to rejuvenation, and some Chinese people are not yet able to give themselves strong support from the heart, so they are particularly sensitive to external evaluations."

"Therefore, cultural products like movies, whose value evaluation system is controlled by the West, cannot give up competing for these awards for the time being. Even if we think the movies are very good, the audience will ultimately have to pay for them."

Mr. Lu laughed and said, "Hosting the Olympics, acquiring Netflix, and exporting our traditional culture are all for the purpose of one day no longer needing to cater to their values ​​and truly establishing our cultural confidence."

"Maybe by the time I retire at 40, watching the Oscars will be no different from seeing a weed by the roadside."

Consort Liu was captivated by what she heard. Her phoenix eyes tilted slightly upwards, and her gaze seemed to hold the scattering of stars into a deep pool.

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and agreed with a touch of smugness: "Exactly, I don't care what he likes!"

Richard Yates said in *Revolutionary Road*:
True courage is not about rebelling against the world, but about standing shoulder to shoulder with your loved one against nothingness.

Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei, this revolutionary couple who have gone through many hardships, are not only enjoying their sweet love, but also moving hand in hand toward their common goal.

A camera lens as a scalpel, dissecting the iron curtain of Western discourse.

A performer uses the pen to write about hidden suffering on the screen.

Separated by 10,000 kilometers between China and the United States, this young couple exchanged seemingly ethereal and dangerous ideals via telephone.

That night, their romance lay not in sweet love, nor in sharing the same moon and sky—

It's all about going into battle together.

(End of this chapter)