I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 535 What a Wonderful World
America's Western Time, 8 p.m.

A red carpet was laid out outside the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and Liu Jin, dressed in a proper suit, stood outside.

A steady stream of guests arrived and chatted warmly with Liu Jin and Sophia.

Spielberg, Lucas, and Martin were all there.

Of the four major Hollywood directors, only Francis Ford Coppola was absent.

However, it's normal.

The old guy has basically been in retirement since the 1997 film "The Rainmaker".

Don't think he's really retired!
He will come back in 2007.

However, before that, this godfather rarely appeared in the public eye, staying in Pana Valley, California, running his vineyards and wineries.

"Your dad really isn't coming?"

“He has no interest in participating in such events; in his eyes, nothing is more important than his wine.”

Sofia said with a smile.

Quentin is here!

He came with Robert Rodriguez.

However, Sofia did not give him a friendly look.

In her words: I don't want to compete with JN for attention.

Quentin didn't seem to care, after all, it was Liu Jin's movie premiere.

And it's clear that he seems to have come to terms with it!
Liu Jin couldn't quite remember who he got together with after breaking up with Sophia.

But it seems that around 09, rumors of his affair with Daniela Pick came out, and they seemed to have been dating ever since, until 17 when they got married.

Married life seems to be quite harmonious...

"Hey Amos, long time no see!"

The person who arrived was Nicolas Cage.

Since their parting in Vienna, the two have kept in touch, but haven't seen each other much.

Basically, whenever Liu came to America, Cage would have a drink with him if he had time, and that was it.

Liu Jin also expressed his gratitude for his visit.

The red carpet event lasted for half an hour.

It didn't take long!
The main thing is that time is almost up.

Liu Jin and Sophia returned to the theater, where they ran into Gisele and Lima, who came over to greet them.

After seeing the two off, Sofia couldn't help but laugh and said, "Luckily, Leon isn't here."

"Yes, otherwise it would be a bloodbath."

Sofia couldn't help but laugh.

……

At 8:30, Liu Jin and Sophia went up on stage, chatted briefly, and then prepared to start the screening.

At 8:55, he connected with the signals coming from China and France.

"What is he going to do?"

Sid Ganis, walking below the stage, had a bad feeling and asked Li Jinwen, who was sitting next to her.

Li Jinwen was also puzzled and shook her head.

This premiere was very unusual.

9 PM on the 14th?
Yes, it's Sunday, but everyone has to work tomorrow, so who will come to the movies?

They couldn't understand Liu Jin's thoughts and could only wait silently.

As the nine o'clock mark approached, a sudden silence fell over the Great Hall of the People in China.

An ancient voice resounded in the Great Hall of the People, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Grand Rex Cinema in Paris.

"Is it Japanese?"

Someone noticed it.

At first, people were a little confused.

But soon, someone recognized it.

"This is the name of the Emperor's announcement of Japan's surrender in 1945."

This guy actually managed to get the original audio...

A wry smile appeared on Ganis's face.

No one expected Liu Jin to pull something like this; it was like rubbing salt into the wound and ruining Xiao Rizi's reputation.

He believed that at this very moment, the faces of those lowly members of Sony's board of directors must be extremely grim.

At noon on August 15, 1945, an emperor announced Japan's surrender via radio broadcast.

And 1 PM on that day happened to be 9 PM on the 14th in America, which was noon in China...

The original audio of the Emperor announcing the surrender ended.

"Life Is Beautiful" has officially begun.

……

Liu Jin walked out of the screening room and lit a cigarette.

Harvey rushed over, "Amos, you've really put me in a lot of trouble!"

Liu Jin only said that he would play a recording before the screening.

But what exactly was the recording?
Harvey didn't know.

He could imagine that the newspaper would cause a sensation when it came out first thing tomorrow morning.

The Japanese Americans will be furious, while the former veterans will feel a deep sense of nostalgia… “Harvey, we’ve come this far, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Liu Jin handed him a cigarette and then casually said, "You should know very well that 'Life Is Beautiful' isn't well-regarded in the North American market. Neither Leslie nor Juliet has box office appeal, and Sofia has always made art films, so she has even less appeal. Therefore, we have to do something special to attract people's attention."

In the original timeline, Life Is Beautiful grossed $2.29 million.

Of that, it grossed $5700 million at the North American box office.

Because the Italian version of Life Is Beautiful depicted events that took place in Europe, Europe became a voting bloc.

but now……

Do you think Europeans would care much about a story that happened in China?

Even though it features Juliette Binoche, the goddess of arthouse films.

Forget about a comfortable life.

It's impossible to get in, so there's no need to consider box office performance.

And Southeast Asia...

At this time, Southeast Asian Chinese may still be supportive, but ten years later, they would prefer to watch movies where China suffers misfortune and American heroes wreak havoc.

And in China, the Titanic's box office record is still there.

The highest-grossing Chinese-language film is still "Hero".

A total of 65 million US dollars was invested...

Liu Jin has to constantly create topics to attract everyone's attention.

That's why he displayed an unprecedentedly sharp tongue after arriving in America.

Of course, it's fine to be a little sarcastic towards Peter.

Liu Jin doesn't need to give a director who's used to smearing China any face.

But that's far from enough!

Liu Jin was actually a little flustered.

But on the surface, he remained calm and composed. "Harvey, you need to understand that this is America. If we don't pull some tricks, we're afraid we'll end up in a miserable state."

You don't want your hard work to go to waste.

You wouldn't want your first shot after leaving Miramax to be a dud, would you?

Harvey took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "I admit you're right."

But if that's all there is to it, I'm afraid..."

"You just need to keep the media accessible, and leave the rest to me."

Harvey, I need your all for next year's Oscars.

"of course!"

The two stood outside the screening room in silence.

After a while, Sophia also came out.

She took a cigarette from Liu Jin's pocket and lit it.

"Amos, I'm so nervous!"

"Hey, me too."

Liu Jin couldn't help but laugh and said, "I'm getting so into it that I can't hold my pee anymore."

"Haha, it's okay. Why don't you just stop holding it in? There will be an interview after the broadcast ends. Maybe if you wet your pants then, it will give you a boost."

"Get lost, why don't you wet your pants?"

"It doesn't matter if I wet my pants, it's the famous Amos who wets his pants, that's news."

Sofia couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing that Liu Jin remained silent, she smiled and said, "Amos, you don't really want to do this, do you?"

Liu Jin glanced at her.

The 110-minute screening has come to an end!
In the screening room, Leslie Cheung's highly recognizable song "What a Wonderful World" filled the air.

In the original timeline, Roberto Benigni used a selection from the Italian opera "Good Morning, Princess".

In this version of the film, Liu Jin used a song that was created in the 1960s.

In the concentration camp, A-Kui used this song to send a message to Catherine via the radio, telling her that he and Zhou Qiao were safe and sound.

As for whether it's reasonable or not?

Liu Jin didn't care.

Importantly, the emotions he conveyed in this song can move people all over the world.

The screening room was very quiet.

About a minute after the end credits started playing, thunderous applause erupted.

Liu Jin took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Sophia, and walked hand in hand into the screening room.

At this moment, the cast and crew list is being displayed on the big screen.

The audience in the theater stood up and applauded enthusiastically.

"Amos, it's our turn to go on stage!"

Sophia turned her head and glanced at Liu Jin, then said softly.

Liu Jin bowed slightly, gesturing for Sophia to walk ahead.

And so, the two walked onto the stage one after the other amidst applause, hand in hand, bowing to the audience in gratitude.

……

(End of this chapter)