Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Ed, there are quite a few London media at the scene, but not many American media, but it is possible that there are some that Columbia has not covered. If there are any reports, you will handle them immediately and do not expand this matter..."

Ronald called Ed Bastian, the new president of the New York Daily News, in the hotel. He told him to take measures to suppress the gossip that Julia Roberts and Radziwill were fighting for seats at the premiere.

Many London reporters at the scene saw the chaos and Julia Roberts crying afterwards. Fortunately, this matter involved Prince Charles and his wife, so their reporting was limited.

Columbia's public relations department, with Sony's channel, also started working immediately and achieved remarkable results. Basically, there was no newspaper report worth mentioning about this news locally.

Fortunately, this incident happened in London, and not many transatlantic news were actually reported back to America. Julia Roberts, a second-tier actress, and Radziwill, a fake aristocrat, are not newsworthy enough.

Ronald was a little annoyed that such a thing happened at the premiere. Columbia was also very dissatisfied with director Herbert Ross. After the two sides communicated, they gave him an ultimatum that his wife Radziwill would not be allowed to attend the 40th West Berlin Film Festival.

Herbert Ross protested against Columbia in turn. As a film director, he felt that it was a humiliation for his wife not to have a seat in the first row.

It is difficult for outsiders to verify how much of this was due to the old director's own face and how much was due to his wife's reluctance.

Columbia's senior management held a meeting and believed that the restless Duchess Radziwill could no longer be allowed to go to West Berlin to cause trouble. There was no prince and his wife to act as a shield. Once the reputation of this film was damaged, it would likely affect the upcoming Oscar nomination battle.

Herbert Ross, an old Jewish director, was also strong as he aged. Seeing that Columbia would not give in, he simply went home and no longer attended the premiere of the opening film of "Steel Magnolias" in West Berlin.

"So you're going to attend the opening film of the West Berlin Film Festival on his behalf?" Diane toured Buckingham Palace in London, and then went to David Emanuel's clothing store, which was used by Princess Diana, with Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts and others, and ordered a few dresses.

Anyway, Ronald paid for it, and the women were very happy. Diane felt that she had become famous in the circle of Hollywood actresses, and felt very proud. She was going to go back to Beverly's house to rest.

Ronald happened to go to West Berlin to be a judge for his film festival. Seeing that Ronald's schedule was very busy, Diane was still a little worried, and helped him point out which clothes to wear for the opening ceremony and the award ceremony.

"Your supporting role has the hope of being nominated, so of course I have to cooperate with the film company..." Ronald picked up another coat, "How about this Steel Magnolias at the opening screening?"

"Okay... It's pretty..." Diane knew that the film company had also applied for the Best Supporting Actress for Julia Roberts, and she didn't have high expectations.

Several middle-aged actresses in this film are Oscar winners, and they have taken a lot of the main roles. So the heroine Julia Roberts and the hidden heroine played by Diane are both supporting actresses to increase their chances of nomination and winning.

…

As soon as he arrived in West Berlin, Ronald felt that the atmosphere was very different from the previous times he came. The Germans, who were famous for their rigidity, now seemed to have become like Latinos in South America, and people dancing to disco music could be seen everywhere on the streets.

"Ronald!"

When he arrived at the hotel arranged by the organizing committee, Ronald heard someone calling him.

Turning around, he found that it was Michael Ballhaus, the director of photography of "Working Girl".

"Michael!" The two hugged each other enthusiastically in the lobby.

West Berliners, who were not so emotional, looked at the two people as if they were familiar with them. After all, in recent months, family members who have been isolated for decades hugging and crying together can be seen everywhere on the streets.

Michael Ballhaus is a famous German cinematographer who has worked with famous Hollywood directors such as Martin Scorsese and Ronald Lee. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the West Berlin Film Festival and the first one since the free movement between East and West Berlin.

The organizing committee searched around and found him, a big name in the international film industry, to be the chairman of the jury. He and Ronald are still colleagues this time.

"Is the opening film also invested by your company?" Michael Ballhaus also heard that Herbert Ross refused to attend the opening screening at the film festival. He was originally very regretful, but when he heard that Ronald was going to attend, he immediately forgot about Ross.

"I invested part of it. Anyway, I am an American imperialist capitalist. This time I came mainly to sell tickets for the movie... Fortunately, the West Berlin Film Festival was kind enough to give me a jury status."

Ronald teased. As a commercial film director, he was not very popular in West Berlin. Although "Steel Magnolias" was chosen as the opening film, it did not participate in the film festival's Golden Bear Award main competition unit. The Hollywood competition film was given to Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" and Australian director Bruce Beresford's new film "Driving Miss Daisy."

"Don't say that. In fact, it is the honor of the West Berlin Film Festival to invite you to be a judge this year." Michael Ballhaus was very serious. He pointed to West Berlin in the night outside the window and said, "Now in the cinemas of East and West Berlin There must be screenings of your 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Break Dancing' here.

When many women from East Berlin arrived in the west, the first thing they did was go to the cinema and watch a big-screen version of Dirty Dancing. "

"Why?" Ronald was also surprised. His movies had already flowed into East Germany through video tapes. How come so many people came to watch them on the big screen?

"Let me tell you, this is the first time for many women in East Berlin to feel that moist, stirring feeling from the bottom of their hearts. It's like something is slowly sprouting..."

"Oh, Ronaldo..."

Ronald was chatting with Michael Ballhaus when a voice came from the side. I saw only one person, raising his hands in the air, cheering all the way, walking nimbly through the guests in the bar, and wanted to hug Ronald when he came up.

"Roberto!" Ronald recognized the person as Italian movie star Roberto Benigni, who was serving as a judge with him this year. He also raised his hands to hug him. Bernini's body language was too exaggerated, and he swayed from side to side when hugging, making others think that the two were performing wrestling.

"Ronaldo, good! Bullshit! Hahahaha..."

Ronald's Italian and German were poor, and Bernini's English was also poor. The two started chatting word by word, but they had a great time chatting.

Roberto Benigni just completed a new film "Sound of the Moon" by the Italian film master Fellini last year, and rarely played a serious protagonist (although the film is an absurd comedy).

After he left Hollywood for so many years, Hollywood directors began to invite him to star in Hollywood movies. As someone who had already worked in New York, he still wanted to open up a situation in the American market and gain recognition.

With this idea in mind, Roberto Benigni certainly would not let go of the opportunity to have a good relationship with Ronald. When filming in Italy, you don’t have to deal with Hollywood, but when you return to Hollywood, Ronald will be a great help.

The three of them drank a little too much, and Bernini became a little more excited and started jumping on the table to sing Italian songs. Ronald and Michael Ballhaus had to help him down, then each took an arm and walked him back to his room.

After opening the door, Michael Ballhaus handed Bernini over to his wife Nicoletta. Seeing the two people starting to communicate loudly in Italian, Ballhaus knew that nothing serious was going on and quickly asked Ronald to go back to his room and rest early.

"Director Luo?"

Ronald was called out again when he got out of the elevator, but no one called him that except the people in Xujiahui, right?

"Aren't you that... my grandfather?" Ronald recognized him and called him Director Luo. He was the male protagonist of "Red Sorghum", the film "Red Sorghum" directed by Yiou that won the Golden Bear Award in Berlin. He was the one who peed in the wine vat. The actor is called Wen Jiang.

"Hey, it's me. Director Luo, I was filming Director Xie's movie in Qingpu that year, and you happened to be on the crew of director Spielberg next door. We even met." Wen Jiang looked at each other and recognized each other. Even though he could speak Chinese, he was very happy and thought, "This foreigner seems to be a master of China..."

"Ah, yes...I remembered. Are you here this time?"

Ronald remembered that when Spielberg was filming "Empire of the Sun", Director Xie from the crew next door had moved the entire bluestone road to the location...

Times are tough for Chinese-language films, and there isn’t much funding. When Red Sorghum won the award last time, only the heroine Miss Gong participated in many activities...

"I am working with Director Xie this time...not Director Xie from Xujiahui, but Director Xie from Youth Film Studio. Our film is also participating in the main competition this time..."

"Oh..." Ronald didn't expect that the movie starring this actor would participate in the main competition of the West Berlin Film Festival for the second time. "Looking for a place to drink?"

"Hey, let me ask you... Director Luo..." Wen Jiang wrapped the leather strap of the camera around his hand and invited Ronald to dinner.

"Pull him down, you are a proletarian film artist, I am a US imperialist capitalist, I beg you..."

"Hey..." Wen Jiang thought about it, this guy's tongue was sharper than many people in China, so it didn't matter if he got closer to him.

The two found an Italian restaurant, ordered a lot of salami, and a bottle of brandy. They got two sets of knives and forks to eat just like they did in Xujiahui.

"Why did you change your career to become a photographer?" Ronald asked curiously as he saw him holding a domestically made Seagull camera and never leaving it.

"Hey, why don't we go abroad? I bought a camera and took some photos to show to my mother..." Wen Jiang said casually and put the camera on the dining table.

After three rounds of drinking, Ronald saw that he never mentioned his movie, so he took the initiative to ask:

"What movie are you entering in competition this time?"

"Heixue..." Wen Jiang thought to himself, I can't take the initiative to bring it up, it seems unreasonable. You have to mention this so that I can talk.

"Black Snow? What theme?" Ronald didn't understand and thought it was about environmental protection.

"Actually, Director Xie changed the name to Ben Ming Nian. It is a custom among us Chinese people..."

"I know what zodiac year is, it comes every twelve years..." Ronald asked him not to explain.

"Yes, Heixue is the name of the original work. We're afraid you foreigners can't understand..." Wen Jiang took a bite of sausage and drank a sip of brandy. The food of the American imperialist capitalists was really good.

"Okay, I will pay attention..." Ronald also raised his glass. This Wen Jiang is a smart man and must know his identity as a judge.

"Hey, thank you. I respect you!"

"However, I see there are no posters of yours at the film festival venue?" Ronald took a sip of brandy and asked Wen Jiang again.

"Hey, we don't have much money, so we only printed 20 posters. Everything is expensive here in West Berlin. I also bought adhesive strips in the morning, and Director Xie and I put them on. After I finished them, I felt like Guys, you can't even see it from a distance.

You guys in Hollywood are so generous. That Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, whose movies are distributed by your Hollywood company, 20th Century Fox, erected a big billboard at the intersection opposite the venue.

That movie poster shows a heroine being tied up..."

"That's 'Tie me up, tie me up.'" Ronald also saw the big poster, which was several stories high. Then he pondered for a moment, "It's not enough for you to have only twenty posters. The film festival needs to build momentum, otherwise the judges will probably not watch your film very carefully.

By the way, have you finished the subtitles this time? "

Foreign language films in film festivals are either subtitled or re-printed. Or find someone to interpret simultaneously on site. But if you can't get a head start from the outside, Chinese-language films are likely to be missed.

"We spent a lot of effort this time and went to Japan for printing and printing to get the foreign language subtitles..." Wen Jiang explained quickly.

"Well, you go quickly and find our Daydream company's office at the film festival and tell them that I asked you to go." Ronald thought for a while, took out a business card and handed it to Wen Jiang.

"Tell them that I think Daydream can consider introducing this film to America for screening, so that they can pay some publicity costs in advance... You should hurry up and increase investment in promotional materials..."

"We are a national system, and export copies must be coordinated by China Film..." Wen Jiang raised another practical question.

"Just say that a film producer has taken a fancy to it and invested in publicity in advance, and then we will talk to China Film Group..."

"Hey, thank you, Director Luo. I'm going to tell Director Xie the good news right now, but how should I tell him?"

"Just tell Director Xie that I am a friend of Director Wu of West Film Studio. Director Xie understands." Ronald patted him on the shoulder and helped him if he could.

"Hey, thank you... I want to thank you on behalf of Director Xie. I am in China and I only obey two directors, Director Xie and Director Yiou. I understand what they say and I can learn something..."

Wen Jiang drank the brandy in one gulp, and then happily went to the inn to tell the good news to Director Xie.

"Hey, I forgot the camera..." Ronald looked at the seagull camera Wen Jiang had forgotten on the table.

…

"The opening movie will be shown simultaneously on both sides of the Berlin Wall..." The next day, Michael Ballhaus came over to introduce Ronald to the itinerary. They will all be at the West Berlin screening of "Steel Magnolias."

The next week is the time for the jury to watch the film, discuss (quarrel), and decide on the final Golden Bear and many other awards.