Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 425 When did we start cooperating with V?
"Oh my God! It's a million times better than 'Love Me Tenderly'!"
"Sir, you can't possibly be Edward if you can make a film like this!" Francis Paul Braco exclaimed, his gentlemanly demeanor completely gone from his tuxedo.

The moment the man wearing a strange mask and gloves inexplicably appeared in Braco's office, he almost got up to grab the shotgun hanging on the wall.

The other person's outfit reminded him of Edward Theodore, the infamous serial killer who was the inspiration for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Silence of the Lambs."

However, the other person then pulled out a box of film tape from his coat.

The short two-minute clip featured sharp editing, rapid camera transitions, and clear visuals. The visual effects and editing style were unlike anything Braco had ever seen before, giving him, a veteran of the film industry for many years, a feeling that movies could be made in this way.

It was truly an eye-opening experience.

In the future, this will be called a trailer.

It depicts a dystopian future world where the government wields absolute power and the people live in fear.

A mysterious figure named V appears, whose mission is to challenge government authority and encourage people to resist oppression.

In the trailer, the government vows to capture and eliminate V, while some scenes hint that the government is hiding a dark secret that may be related to the deaths of thousands of citizens.

The entire trailer's theme is the struggle between freedom and tyranny, with the fate of the nation hanging by a thread.

"Where's the back?"

Braco swears to God he has never seen such a compelling film before, even though its length hardly qualifies as a movie.

As the head of Paramount Theatre on Broadway in New York, America's largest movie theater, Braco has seen countless films and is confident in making this statement.

In addition to showing movies, Paramount Theatre also shows stage plays and dramas, so Braco always wore a tuxedo while working.

Moreover, it cleverly capitalized on V's popularity.

Who is the most popular person in the world right now?
Of course it's V.

The film also perfectly captures this theme.

Who is the villain?

Of course, it's Soviet Russia.

Didn't the trailer already hint at it quite well?

Movies that try to capitalize on trending topics rarely maintain quality and are usually poorly made.

Even with average quality, it can still be a huge hit.

But with such top-notch quality, it's hard to imagine how much profit they could possibly make.

In a virtual future world, a totalitarian state ruled by a dictator, the people live under brutal rule, plagued by disease, famine, and gloom, with secret police omnipresent.

Here, foreigners, homosexuals, and dissidents are arrested and executed in groups.

Doesn't this perfectly allude to a certain major Eurasian Union power?
Braco guarantees that everyone in New York, no, everyone in America, will want to see this movie.

The Paramount Theatre has a total of 3600 seats. It is a single-building theater with 3600 seats, meaning that one huge screen can seat 3600 people, making it the largest single-building theater in the United States.

The film Braco mentioned earlier, "Love Me Tenderly," was Elvis Presley's first movie, which premiered at Paramount Theatre several years ago and attracted a large number of Elvis fans.

The success and failure of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tenderly" was both due to the fan economy. It started strong but ended weak, ultimately ranking only 23rd in the box office for the year.

Compared to "Love Me Tenderly," Braco is confident that, even without riding on the coattails of V, there won't be a more brilliant film in the last fifty years, especially given the story's setting in the present day.

If it could be shown at the Paramount Theatre, that would be incredibly valuable.

The unidentified man, wearing the same mask as the villain in the movie, took off the mask: "Mr. Braco, I am Tom."

Braco looked puzzled: "Tom? Why are you dressed like that? Don't you think you've done enough night shifts already?"

Tom was one of his employees, wearing a V mask and a strange cloak.

Even if the other person didn't take off their mask, Braco didn't think they were the real V.

What role do I play, and what role does V play? How could I possibly be related to V?

He also dared not get involved with V.

Once it's discovered that you're connected to V, a nobody like him with no connections will face immense pressure from the FBI.

“Sir, this tape is from V,” Tom explained. “There’s an email in your inbox with an unknown address, and the envelope says V.”

I found it when I opened it.

I was thinking of dressing up as V to give it to you; it would feel more ceremonial that way.

Braco was speechless. "I know you're a big fan of V, but you don't have to resort to role-playing to deliver letters."

“V?” Braco thought to himself.

Too many people claim to be V.

Who knows if it's true or false? Even the FBI can't determine it, so he certainly can't.

"There was also a letter inside, which roughly said that if we wanted to screen the movie, we were welcome to go to Warner Bros. to get a copy of the film."

Braco gestured for Tom to leave; he needed to be alone to think things through.

Half an hour later, he hurriedly took the movie copy to see Adolph Zucker, the head of Paramount Pictures.

Paramount at this time was no longer the Paramount of its heyday. In the 50s, television began to enter ordinary American households, and movie theaters lost a large number of viewers. Movie theaters faced the same impact as short videos in later years.

Paramount's film production scale has shrunk from 60 films per year to 20 films per year. It is precisely because of the lack of its own film production that audience enthusiasm has plummeted, which is why Paramount Theaters have taken on a large number of stage play orders.

If it were just about the screening itself, Black could make the decision alone, but this might involve V, and he would have to persuade Adolf.

This was clearly not something he, a mere theater manager, could decide.

"You mean these two minutes alone are better than all the movies you've ever seen? Including last year's 'The Decalogue'?"

"The Ten Commandments" was Paramount Pictures' most outstanding work of the 50s. It tells the story of Moses parting the sea and grossed $1.23 million at the box office in that era, which was nothing short of phenomenal.

"That's right. Besides the story itself being quite exciting, it's a very special subject matter, one that has never been done before."

Past science fiction films, whether it was *On the Moon*, *The Day the Earth Stood Still*, or *Creature from the Black Lagoon*, simply told stories of the future. *V for Vendetta*, however, constructs a relatively logically consistent worldview.

I believe it will bring Paramount unprecedented glory.

Braco spoke with conviction, he had never been so optimistic about a film before, “If you consider that it is related to V, then it is even more epoch-making. It is like comparing the films we make now to the silent film era.”

Chaplin's films are undoubtedly brilliant, but after watching the color versions, few people would want to revisit his silent films.

After watching the movie trailer, Braco's words carried more weight. Adolf Zucker asked, "What's the movie called again?"

"V for Vendetta!"

When the Kremlin used the V to promote Hoover's identity and used the V as a cover to achieve its own goals, Lin Ran believed that he should be the one to create the image of the V.

All he needs to do is release the movie "V for Vendetta".

The media will naturally shape V's image.

The totalitarian government here could be either Soviet Russia or America.

It could even be England.

As for whether the film will be accepted by the public, he believes that this worldview is actually more easily accepted by the public at present.

Especially under the name of V.

The White House is scrambling to deal with the Hoover news, and they would naturally want bigger news to downplay the negative impact of the Hoover affair.

They will definitely do their best to help promote this movie.

Regardless of whether it comes from V or not, the White House will make it so.

Nowadays, movies are generally projected using film reels.

The standard length of a 35mm film reel is 305 meters, which is enough to run a sound movie for about 11 minutes.

V for Vendetta is a full 132 minutes long and requires 12 reels of film.

Fortunately, Lin Ran and Philip K. Dick's novel "The Truman Show" was made into a movie and screened worldwide.

He and Jenny visited Warner Bros.' filming locations, including their studios, screening rooms, and even warehouses.

Now it can come in handy.

It's time to make Warner Bros. take the blame.

As for the suspicion that Lin Ran is V, how could that be? Warner Bros.' headquarters are in Burbank, California, while Lin Ran is in Washington, D.C., always by the president's side, sharing the president's burdens.

Braco ultimately chose to take the risk.

He decided to go to Warner Bros. in person.

Theaters from all over America gathered at Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. CEO Steve Ross looked bewildered, while the ten theater executives chimed in with their own opinions.

At this time, Warner Bros. merged with Genie National Services, and Steve Ross, as a co-founder of Genie, became the co-CEO of the new company.

Ross served as CEO until his death in 1992.

What V is it again? What movie is it again? What trailer is it again?

"When did we start working with V?" Steve Ross murmured, turning to ask his secretary beside him.

(End of this chapter)