Exploiting Hollywood 1980

This West Berlin Film Festival has many details that are different from previous years.

First of all, the film festival is no longer limited to West Berlin. All films that are screened or participate in the competition will be held in East Berlin.

The Berlin Wall has been broken into countless holes by people from both sides. However, soldiers in East Berlin are still guarding these places, but they no longer prevent the flow of people as strongly as before.

Every day, residents of East Berlin can take a small note and go shopping and play in West Berlin every day, and come back that night. With the increase in daytime exchanges, many soldiers are not so strict in checking.

Although the staff of Ronald's Daydream asked Columbia's office in Berlin for help and temporarily printed several large posters for Director Xie, the film was still coldly received by the organizing committee. Today's media screening of "Benmingnian" was scheduled at nine in the morning.

But for young people in East Berlin, it is still very happy to be able to see the participating films at the film festival, and the endless stream of audiences still filled the venue.

"Hey, I didn't expect this movie to be so good..." In the box on the second floor, Wen Jiang and Director Xie also had a seat.

It was the first time that Wen Jiang saw the finished film of "Ben Ming Nian". Because the quality of the previous film was not good, this time it was specially sent to Tokyo for printing, so the male lead also saw the final version for the first time.

"How is it? Not bad?" Director Xie was also very happy to see that the subtitles were printed correctly. Many Chinese-language films in the past had very poor effects when they were screened at film festivals because of subtitle problems.

"I am a person who goes by my feelings. If I can't read the script, I won't read it or take it; if I can't watch the movie, I won't watch it. I think this movie is good... NewBee"

"Hahaha, you kid..." Director Xie slapped his thigh happily, "Where's the camera? Take it out and let's take a few pictures..."

"Hey, don't mention it. For our movie, I went to ask someone, and Director Luo agreed to help. I was so excited that I forgot the camera..."

"You guy..."

...

The two main creators upstairs were watching it enthusiastically, and the media personnel in the front row downstairs were also watching it enthusiastically. I didn't expect that this little-known youth film studio could actually make such a great movie.

"Benmingnian" tells the story of Li Huiquan, a released person who had undergone labor reform. He returned to the alley where he grew up. His mother, who depended on him for life, had passed away, and the company where his mother worked was not profitable, so she could not replace him in the factory.

Aunt Luo, an old neighbor, took good care of this young man whose parents had passed away. With the help of police officer Xiao Liu, Li Huiquan chose to set up a stall to make a living. During this period, he met all kinds of people and experienced the ups and downs of life. In the karaoke bar, Li Huiquan met the resident singer Zhao Yaqiu, and then he became her flower protector, but the singer rejected his love after she became famous...

The story of the whole movie is not complicated, but it creates a very lonely feeling. The media that came are all specializing in film news. How can they not see that this is a Chinese "Taxi Driver"?

The performance of the leading actor Wen Jiang is very restrained, with abundant details, which makes people feel strong. The media reporters all saw a feeling of Chinese Robert De Niro.

"Beep..."

Twenty minutes into the movie, a large group of audience members from East Berlin suddenly whistled.

They resonated with the protagonist Li Huiquan in the movie. The behavior of falling asleep alone in a simple room, hugging the illustrations of beautiful women in movie magazines, was quite similar to the young people in East Berlin.

The media people certainly understood the plot. They looked at each other and whispered to each other. The movies that China sent to West Berlin before, even the "Red Sorghum" that won the Golden Bear a few years ago, were very subtle in dealing with the relationship between men and women.

After the screening, Director Xie and Wen Jiang went to the front desk together to accept interviews from the media. A group of Chinese students also surrounded them and gave them a thumbs up to express their approval of the movie.

Reporters from various countries have many questions to ask about this "birth year". Many of them have nothing to do with the movie itself, which is quite strange.

It was an Italian reporter who saved the day and turned the topic back to the film itself:

"Since the early 1980s, 'Three Monks', Red Sorghum, and The Bells, Chinese films have brought us something new every year. This year's Benmingnian, you can even show a plot of a young man looking at magazine illustrations...? Have you been criticized?"

"How could that be? I don't understand what you are saying?" Director Xie began to pretend to be confused.

The Italian reporter was not satisfied with Director Xie and asked Wen Jiang again:

"Your performance was very touching, but I saw some traces of Hollywood. Are you deeply influenced by Hollywood actors Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro?"

The reporter's feeling was very accurate. Of course, Marlon Brando's rivalry with Eva Marie Saint in "On the Waterfront" and Robert De Niro's secret love for Sybil Shepherd in "Taxi Driver" are very similar to the scenes between Wen Jiang and the heroine Cheng Lin in Benmingnian.

"No, I haven't seen their movies much." After listening to the translation, Wen Jiang stiffened his neck and tried to save face. This is a film submitted for competition. It would be embarrassing to say that I imitated the performances of Brando and De Niro.

Director Xie smiled at the side. Wen Jiang had borrowed the videotape of "Raging Bull" from him when he was in the film academy a few years ago. It is understandable that young people are eager when they are abroad.

"Well, journalist friends, can you take a photo for us?" After the interview, the journalists scattered. Wen Jiang wanted to ask the journalists to take a photo on the stage, but no one paid attention to him.

Wen Jiang, who was embarrassed about not taking a photo with Director Xie during his appearance at the West Berlin Film Festival, suddenly heard a very beautiful blonde woman stop him and said in English:

"Wen Jiang, Ronald asked me to send something. He said you forgot it with him."

"Ah, thank you, may I ask who the beautiful lady is?" Wen Jiang saw that the woman was wearing a beige coat similar to the reporter's. She was very beautiful and very suitable for filming. He immediately responded in English with a Beijing accent.

"Director Luo asked me to bring it to you. Take a look and see if it is correct..." The beautiful woman seemed to have seen many male actors in the film industry. She did not show any interest in Wen Jiang. She put down the bag with things and turned away.

Wen Jiang opened the bag, and inside was a brand new Nikon SLR camera, with a few rolls of Kodak film next to it.

Director Xie looked out and said, "Wow, you've upgraded your weapons?"

"Hey, Director Luo, the Hollywood capitalist of NewBee, my friend..." Wen Jiang was still obsessed with that beautiful woman, wondering if she was Director Luo's girlfriend?

...

"This movie is just a follow-up to Hollywood's work "Taxi Driver" ten years ago. I don't think there is any breakthrough. The West Berlin Film Festival needs more profound works that expose...not Hollywood copies"

At the same time, the judges also finished watching "Benmingnian". Abdrashitov, a director of the Suvil Union on the jury, sneered at this kind of movie. His "Servant" last year won the West Berlin Bauer Special Award.

On the one hand, he was hostile to Hollywood commercial films, and on the other hand, he was dissatisfied with the harmonious relationship between the police in Benmingnian, where Li Huiquan got his individual license, and felt that it was not enough to expose the dark side of society.

"This is a very good realistic comedy. You don't understand what a movie is..." Roberto Benigni liked the implicitness of this movie and its alienated attitude towards life. He was very dissatisfied with the criticism of the Eastern European and Union judges and shouted in Italian on the spot.

Fortunately, another judge, the British producer Margaret, helped him translate, otherwise Ronald could only roughly understand what he meant through Benigni's gestures.

"I think this is a theme that transcends countries and cultures. Which country's young people don't have such depression? Moreover, the special background of the protagonist and the rapid changes in society have caused a collision of various values. I think it is a masterpiece."

Ronald also spoke up and strongly supported "Benmingnian". Movies, after all, need to refer to good movies in film history. How can a director work behind closed doors and invent a set of lens language? For similar scenes, it is inevitable for any director to refer to the most outstanding movies in film history.

For example, among all the court dramas now, which one has not referred to Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution"? Those judges considered too many things other than the movie. Just from the perspective of the movie itself, "Ben Ming Nian" is a rare masterpiece. Moreover, it tells the story of China's current situation, which Ronald likes more than the previous "Red Sorghum".

"I think from the perspective of resisting the establishment, this movie is very weak, and it is far from the Czechoslovak "The Wingless Bird", "another Hungarian judge began to belittle Ben Ming Nian.

The "Wingless Bird" he mentioned was actually shot by the director in 1968. Because of the special circumstances of that year, it was not allowed to be brought to West Berlin until this year. Those Eastern European and West German judges wanted this movie to win the Golden Bear Award, and Ben Ming Nian happened to be a threatening competitor.

"Oh my God... Oh..." Roberto Benigni was almost mad. You said that the technique of "Ben Ming Nian" was too old and it imitated "Taxi Driver" seriously, and then you praised a movie from 20 years ago... Isn't it a bit double standard?

Ballhaus, the chairman of the jury, had to say hello to Ronald. This West Berlin Film Festival happened to coincide with the Berlin Wall. The entire organizing committee deliberately linked the film festival with the hottest news topic now.

East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland all have the same historical sentiments. The judges from these countries just want to push the banned "The Wingless Bird" up.

And "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Driving Miss Daisy" from Hollywood are both from America. The two presidents of this country have delivered famous speeches under the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate.

This year's timing is also good. The organizing committee has also been influenced and pressured a lot. It would be best if a movie from America could be selected to win the award.

However, this year's jury is still mostly from Europe. Ronald knows that the two Hollywood movies are actually commercial films that cater to the popular tastes of the audience. Europe's inexplicable aversion to the commercial nature of movies may cause some twists and turns in the awards.

The judges began the award process. For fairness. They can no longer communicate with the creators of the participating movies.

However, Europeans do not strictly follow this rule. You can still make phone calls as long as you stay in the hotel arranged by the organizing committee.

Ronald also returned to the hotel. After a while, there was a knock on the door.

"Hi...beauty..." Ronald opened the door, and it was indeed the beauty he expected.

"Hi, Ronnie..."

Standing outside the door was the beauty dressed as a reporter who had just given Wen Jiang a camera. It was Helen Slater.

"Well..." Ronald pulled Helen into the room, and the two began to kiss passionately.

Helen Slater's father, Gerald, worked for the PBS TV station, and was coming to Berlin to shoot a documentary about the Berlin Wall.

It happened that Helen was also influenced by her mother, an anti-nuclear war and anti-Cold War lawyer, since she was a child. She was interested in this kind of thing, and she missed Ronald, so she also came to West Berlin to help the crew do some things.

These days, I come here every night to meet Ronald.

"That movie is really interesting. I like it very much. Will they win an award?" Helen Slater had some good feelings about "Ben Ming Nian". So she said to Ronald.

"It's difficult. I think the political factors in this year's film festival are much greater than the film itself..." Ronald said some of the judges' opinions.

"Well, it's actually a very good movie. It's a pity that it can't win an award. But some details of the movie are a bit unreal."

Helen Slater talked about seeing a released person who had a street vendor's license and could date a singer as his girlfriend. She felt that the handling here was too hasty. The symbolic plot made the audience a little out of reality. How can street vendors have the ability to support a singer who sings in a performance venue?

"Hahaha, that's not a street vendor selling hot dogs in Manhattan..."

Ronald remembered the two of them visiting the Museum of Modern Art and eating hot dogs at a roadside stall. He smiled and explained to Helen that people who set up stalls in China made a small fortune in the past few years.

"Oh..." Helen seemed to understand, turned over, and leaned over Ronald's ear, "Let's go out tonight and find a roadside stall to eat?"

"Okay, let's go!" Ronald also got interested. He sneaked out of the hotel with Helen and walked along the road.

The Berlin Wall was open, and young people on both sides sang and danced on both sides of the wall all night long, regardless of nationality and background, and regardless of the cold climate. Some people were wearing thin T-shirts and dancing to David Hasselhoff's songs.

Ronald saw many East Berliners setting up small shops on both sides of the Berlin Wall to grill sausages, and paired them with beer produced in West Berlin. In some places, there were also some Turkish barbecue stalls.

Ronald and Helen wore warm hats, held hands and ate a lot of delicious food in these small shops, which was very comfortable.

"It seems that there is a movie over there?"

The two walked to the Brandenburg Gate, where the two presidents gave speeches and it was also the first checkpoint to be sealed when the Berlin Wall was built.

A movie theater in the former East Berlin is now showing movies.

Ronald looked at the title of the movie, which was Billy Wilder's "Owo Three." This movie is about a comedy that happened in West Berlin after the Berlin Wall separated East and West Berlin.

"Let's go and see it?" Ronald pulled Helen to buy a ticket and go in.

"Your Coke..." The ticket seller gave Helen the ticket and handed her two cans of Coca-Cola.

"What is this?" Helen didn't understand. Could it be that buying a ticket gave her a free Coke?

"Haha, this is the plot of Owo Three. People in East Berlin learn advertising and marketing very quickly..."