Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1398 Old Star Guest Starring True Lies
"Oh oh..."

All the stars, staff, production assistants and other elderly people who participated in the filming of "Touch of Evil" were invited to the screening room of Universal Studios to watch the copy edited according to the original intention of director Orson Welles.

Watch the time bomb scene, in the close-up, the three-minute time bomb was placed in the trunk of the car. After that, the protagonist Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his wife Susan (Janet Leigh) kept walking in front of and behind the two cars, and the audience naturally worried that they would be blown up...until the couple stopped to go through customs, there was a loud bang in front of them, and the car exploded, and they were relieved.

"That was his original intention, but Albert Zugsmith of Universal was a fool and couldn't understand this groundbreaking expression."

Ernie Nims, Welles's editor and production director at the time, was so excited when he saw this shot that he could not express it in words.

Ronald was also very excited when watching this. The biggest difference between this restored version and the original version is that the sound effects have been changed from background music to various on-site sounds. For example, the sounds of various bars on the roadside, the radio music in the car, and the music in the ice cream shop. These musics move with the characters, and the sound becomes smaller in the distance and louder in the near distance, giving people an immersive feeling.

Orson Welles' technique was not reinvented until Lucas filmed "American Graffiti", and Lucas's processing was not as good as Orson Welles's. The loudness ratio of various noises and character dialogues did not seem natural enough.

The film that truly reached the level of Orson Welles was "Shotgun Lulu" directed by Jonathan Demme five or six years ago. The immersive sound processing at the beginning when a black man walked forward carrying a large speaker tape recorder.

"We shot this scene five or six times, and finally succeeded in one take before daybreak. Orson Welles was accused of wasting the budget, which is not true. This long shot would take other directors at least two days to shoot, and the effect would not be as good as this one-shot treatment..."

The leading actor Charlton Heston told Universal that he was the top star guaranteed by Welles, and he was also implicated in the bad ending of the movie. So he had a lot of complaints about the producer Albert Zugsmith...

"I still remember this long shot. The reel lasted for ten minutes without stopping. Their camera was moved out of the room, and the staff there dismantled the wall to make it easier for the camera to move back in..."

Janet Leigh screamed. This long shot was not so showy, but it was very skillful and shot naturally, so many people didn't notice it. She had a broken left arm that year, and it was only thanks to Orson Welles' clever arrangement that she was able to complete the film, which also made her famous. A year later, she played a similar heroine in Hitchcock's "Psycho" and achieved her greatest success.

Ronald and Walter Murch were also there, and they chatted quietly. This movie does have many similarities with Hitchcock's most famous "Psycho". The heroine is alone and also encounters misfortune in a motel. Many shots and editing techniques are very similar to those in the eyes of experts. Both are movies produced and distributed by Universal.

But the results were very different. Hitchcock returned to the ranks of Hollywood directors and made a lot of money from this film. However, Orson Welles was sad and quietly returned to Europe after the release of "Psycho".

After that, he gradually withdrew from the mainstream film industry and could only play guest roles in various European films.

By the end of the final scene, which used sound to reveal secrets, Quinlan, played by Orson Welles, had died. Looking at the river where he was buried, Marlene Dietrich's character and another policeman were talking about Quinlan.

"Is that your assessment of him?"

"He's such a great man."

The last shot was a close-up of Marlene Dietrich, and the audience burst into prolonged applause.

"This is great, when can this masterpiece see the light of day again?" The leading actress Janet Leigh actually likes this movie much more than the "Psycho" that made her famous.

After all, the two directors treated their actors in two extreme ways. Orson Welles was very humane, allowing her to finish the filming despite a broken arm, while Hitchcock's most famous words were to treat actors like cattle and horses.

"We have communicated with Universal. In addition to re-screening it in America this summer, we are also preparing to participate in the Cannes Film Festival to premiere the restored version..."

Ronald told Janet Leigh the news, and the old men and women present cheered. Orson Welles still had a very high reputation among the actors.

"In addition, I also hope that you and Charlton Heston will go to Cannes to attend the premiere. We have also contacted Marlene Dietrich's relatives, hoping that they can also attend. In addition, ladies and gentlemen present, if you are willing to go, we at Daydream will cover the food, accommodation and transportation expenses, so you don't have to worry about the fatigue of the journey..."

Ronald originally wanted to hype up this restored version as a big event to please the Oscar judges. In addition, there are many classic old movies in Europe, and this is also an advertisement. If European film companies are willing, they can also hand it over to the Standard Collection for restoration.

In addition to being re-released, "Touch of Evil" will also be released as a classic restoration series in the Standard Collection, and contracts are also being negotiated with TV stations to replace the inferior version in classic theaters.

"Honey, will you go with me?" Janet Lee was happy and patted her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis' hand.

"Mom, I was going to the set of True Lies at that time."

"It's okay. We will charter a plane and prepare enough assistants. You don't have to worry about anything. Just dress up and attend the event as a big star. Let the Chinese people get to know you, a great beauty, again." Ronald stepped forward and interrupted. These old men and women were very old, and he and Universal had made sufficient preparations.

"Ahahaha, Ronald, you really are a lovable guy if you were born at that time..."

The script of True Lies was also revised under Cameron's leadership. The plot of the original American film was revised a lot according to the reality of America. Now it has reached the stage of preparation.

Ronald simply drove to Cameron's office with Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, and Charlton Heston. Many veteran actors also got in the car and went with Ronald.

After all, Cameron's reputation as a director is no less than Ronald's. What if there are any elderly roles that need audition when the two directors meet and chat? These stars who came out of the golden age are very sensitive to this.

This also brought back the feeling of going to directors and producers' parties to ask for roles when they were young. They were full of energy and were happier and happier to see Ronald, who brought them back to their old memories. How come such a good director didn't win the Oscar for Best Director? We have to help the young people too.

Cameron was in the office that 20th Century Fox had prepared for him. He was auditioning. Many actors were waiting at the door. Sometimes when a big director is casting, if he wants, many actors will come over, not for an audition, but just to have a chat with the director.

The silver-haired audition (tour group) brought by Ronald immediately caused a commotion, alarming Cameron inside.

"Ronald, oh, my God, are you Jamie's mother? Mr. Charlton Heston?" Cameron recognized the heroine's mother, Janet Leigh, and also recognized several of the main actors. A few words of greeting made these old people very happy, and they could brag about them to their grandchildren when they got home.

It was also a coincidence that Cameron needed a senior spy role, and he was attracted by Charlton Heston's face. Heston had played similar roles in many TV dramas and was a friendly face to the audience.

"Ah, dear, I got there first..." Charlton Heston didn't expect that he could get a role to play, so he put on the eye mask handed to him by the makeup artist, and then went to take the costume photos in the posture of a one-eyed dragon.

"It's a pity that there are no suitable female roles..."

"It doesn't matter. I'm already very happy. Oh my God, it's really great. I feel like I'm young again." Janet Lee whispered to Ronald. They were just discussing that there was no other director in Hollywood who was as friendly to them as he was. They all agreed to vote for him next time.

"Hehehe..." This was Ronald's purpose, and he was very happy.

"Can I borrow your young lover for a while?" Cameron came over and said to Janet Lee, putting his hand on Ronald's shoulder.

"We are actors. When the director needs some privacy, we know how to do it." Janet Leigh stood up and went to play with her daughter. Cameron's crew had many aircraft models, which were much more exquisite than when she was shooting air combat movies. The old lady also became playful and went to visit.

"I need your help, Ronald." Cameron closed the door.

"How can I help you?" Ronald and he have a close relationship and they can talk frankly.

"I need the army to give me better conditions..."

One of the most important props in the movie is the vertical take-off and landing Harrier fighter jet, which is very expensive to use because vertical take-off and landing consumes more fuel and requires more maintenance.

Cameron contacted the Navy's Hollywood contact office, but they initially tried to persuade Cameron to change to another aircraft. After learning that vertical take-off and landing was part of the movie's plot, they reluctantly quoted a very high price and only provided one aircraft for lease.

Cameron knew that Ronald had special channels, so he asked him to come over and work things out privately.

"Hey, I know why, Jim. This aircraft (AV-8B) is the mainstay of the Marine Corps. The Navy has it too, but they don't want the Marines to be the star of your movie."

"Then what should we do? We have the best relationship with the navy. Is it possible to borrow from the British Royal Navy? They also have Harrier fighter jets. I heard that you..." Cameron was not sure whether Ronald would like others to mention his relationship with the royal family.

"No, if they want to borrow it, they'll have to fly over from Portsmouth. I can just call the Marines."

"I thought you were only close to the Navy?" Cameron raised his eyebrows. Could it be that his old friend was even more unscrupulous than he thought?
"Didn't I tell you? My father served in the Marine Corps... I also shot the helicopter version of Top Gun for the Army and the Marine Corps... They and I had a very good relationship. The helicopter pilot team at that time, we went directly to Kuwait to fight after filming..."

"You have connections in the helicopter unit, too?"

"Why, you want one too?"

"Of course, we would like to have real helicopter gunships..."

"No problem...let me ask..."

Ronald went out and contacted George Jr. through the car phone, and he was also very happy. Retired General George Sr. is one of the few former generals who still read the daily intelligence review after retirement. He is also happy to maintain some influence in the army. Filming a movie is a very rare opportunity for those soldiers.

"Done. Three Harrier fighters and three helicopters. A total of $3000 per hour for wet lease, including the pilots. But you have to provide a signed poster of the heroine and Mr. Schwarzenegger, and a photo opportunity."

"Oh, I don't know how to thank you, Ronald." Cameron was very happy when he heard such a cheap price.

"Inform them of the total shooting time in advance. The Marines are the hardest-working guys. They just hope that the stars will treat them equally and bring back some spoils so they can brag about them later..."

"Hahaha……"

Cameron said he had made a note of it, and the two of them walked out of the room. Over there, Charlton Heston, wearing a Cyclops eye patch, had also finished his audition and was sitting in his office waiting for Schwarzenegger to come over and test his reaction.

"This eye patch is very special, isn't it?" Ronald looked at the large leather eye patch that was tied diagonally on the head. Compared with ordinary eye patches, this one was large and conspicuous, and very special.

"Yes, that's what you were thinking..." Cameron nodded, indicating that it was his design.

The shape of this eye mask is very similar to Nick Fury in Marvel's "The Punisher" comics. It seems that Cameron, a comic fan, did not forget to pay tribute to his childhood hobby in the movie.

"Mr. Hurston..."

The door of a room over there opened, and the sound of music floated out. Schwarzenegger and a female dance instructor came out dancing to the rhythm.

The music sounded familiar; it was the tango that this year's Oscar winner Al Pacino danced blindly in "Scent of a Woman".

However, Schwarzenegger is much stronger, and in many subtle details, he does not have the unique temperament of tango, but more like a strongman contestant doing stretching exercises.

"Ah, Ronald, you are here too. How was my dance?" Schwarzenegger asked with his eyes wide open.

"Very good, you have a better sense of power than Al Pacino."

"Thank you. I will continue to practice hard. I don't want to be outdone by him. I will also have to use the same music as him..."

Schwarzenegger chatted with Ronald with a smile, then pulled him aside.

"Ronald, there are some things I can't tell Jim, but you can understand me. Do you think Jamie Lee Curtis is not suitable to be my heroine?"

"Why?" Ronald frowned. Why did you say it now? Was he dissatisfied with Jamie Lee Curtis, whom he recommended?
"Maria knows about this and keeps telling me about it every day. I'm a little fed up..."

"I suggest you watch the movie A Fish Called Wanda played by Jamie, you will get the feeling..."

Ronald recommended Jamie Lee Curtis' best performances, but he didn't expect that Schwarzenegger was actually a henpecked man.