Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"The Fair Lady" is a comedy directed by Billy Wilder and starring James Cagney. It tells the story of the general manager of Coca-Cola in West Berlin, who found out that his boss's daughter was in love with a young man from East Berlin while traveling in East Berlin. In order to get promoted, he let her live in his house.

He wanted to stop this inappropriate marriage and framed the young man with a reactionary balloon. At this time, the Berlin Wall began to be built. But suddenly the news came that the boss's daughter was pregnant. He had to go the other way and break through the newly repaired Berlin Wall (it was still the Brandenburg checkpoint at that time) to go to East Berlin to rescue the young man.

Then he found a nobleman of the old empire to recognize his family tree, and he became a descendant of the nobles and took over the position of the general manager himself. The general manager did not succeed in the promotion, and finally returned to Atlanta with his wife and children to return to family life.

This movie is full of appropriate elements, the establishment of the Berlin Wall, Coca-Cola, the stupidity of officials in the East, and the helplessness of employees in large companies in the West... This movie from decades ago was re-released in Germany and achieved huge box office success.

Cinemas in both East and West Berlin kept up with current events. When the Berlin Wall ended dividing the city, they showed this film, which was shot at the beginning of the Berlin Wall's isolation.

"Haha, that ending is so interesting. A bottle of Pepsi fell out of the Coca-Cola vending machine..."

Ronald and Helen Slater were still talking about the interesting ending of the movie after watching it. The fourth husband of Hollywood actress Joan Crawford was the president of Pepsi. After her husband's death, she inherited the position of director of Pepsi. During the filming of this "Girl's Romance", she heard that the plot was all about Coca-Cola, and she personally called the film studio to put pressure on it.

In the end, director Billy Wilder had to adapt the ending and forcibly add this episode. It can also be regarded as a face-lift for Pepsi. At that time, there was no such practice as product placement, and the film studio also emphasized brand neutrality.

However, Billy Wilder's skills are amazing. This ending is not stiff at all, but rather interesting.

It was just that the current events at that time made people feel that when the filming started, people could still enter and exit East Berlin, but after the filming was finished, the checkpoint at the Brandenburg Gate had been built.

Because the European people at that time were very disappointed with the future and feared that war would come again, this satirical film reflecting current events was not well received in Europe and did not achieve box office success in America.

James Cagney, a generation of movie emperors and the leading actor who was generally considered to be one of the top five actors in the golden age of Hollywood, also retired from the film industry in despair. It was not until the early 1980s, a few years before his death, that he began to guest-star in some TV series.

"Oh, there are still people selling Berlin Wall here..." The two walked to the vicinity of the Brandenburg Gate that appeared in the movie. Many people set up stalls on the ground, selling various stones, with "Berlin Wall fragments" written in English on the front.

Ronald squatted down and flipped through them. There were graffiti on many of the stones. It was the performance art of the residents of West Berlin on the Berlin Wall. It didn't look like fake, so Ronald spent money to buy several pieces as souvenirs.

"Here are some T-shirts, do you want them?" Seeing his generosity, the stall owner took out a few more T-shirts to sell, all of which were real and representative graffiti on the Berlin Wall back then.

"Pack them all up for me..." Ronald immediately bought more than a dozen pieces, this kind of souvenir is quite interesting.

"Here are some photos of the Berlin Wall, do you want them?" The stall owner wanted to sell more, but Ronald was pulled aside by Helen.

"My crew has all these, if you want them, I'll ask them to give you a copy..."

"Okay..." Ronald smiled, he now buys things for fun, Helen still retains some of the New York girl's shrewdness, likes to bargain.

These two days, Helen really came to work. Her father's TV station PBS funded a producer called "Nova" to shoot documentaries around the world to introduce customs and cultures around the world to American audiences.

Their latest documentary is about the history of the Berlin Wall. Helen also served as the narrator in this documentary. It's not to mention that although her acting is average, Helen has a good voice and is a beautiful woman, so she is really suitable for this kind of voice-over dubbing.

…

The film festival is screening the 20 films participating in the main competition this year at a rate of several films a day. The oldest heroine, Jessica Tandy from "Driving Miss Daisy". Oliver Stone, the director of "Born on the Fourth of July", Tom Cruise, the starring actor, and Danny DeVito, the supporting actor of "The War of the Roses", all appeared in the screening session, interacted with fans, and accepted media interviews.

This year, a total of five Hollywood films participated in the competition, which is a rare year. Generally speaking, most American films at European film festivals are independently produced art films. But this year is different. The three films mentioned above are mainstream commercial films that invited stars to promote.

There is a factor of Ronald in this. His previous "Moonlight" participated in the film festival and seemed to have a great pulling effect on the domestic box office. Major studios also want to try to follow suit.

More importantly, this year's Berlin Wall incident, the organizing committee and the German people generally have a good impression of America. In fact, Britain and the United Kingdom did not agree with the reunification of East and West Germany. At the critical moment, America did not interfere. Now East and West Germany have had initial contact.

With such public opinion, the organizers also hinted that there was a chance for Hollywood movies to win the Golden Bear Award. Producers who smelled the taste all came over, resulting in a grand occasion where one quarter of the participating films were produced by Hollywood.

However, there was also a major split among the eleven judges. Many Eastern European judges hoped that this very memorable Golden Bear Award would be awarded to films from Eastern European countries, which have long been satellite countries of the Union. The events of the Berlin Wall and Poland gave them great encouragement.

It happened that four judges came from Eastern Europe and the Union, and four came from Western Europe and America. Only the comedian Benigni and Ronald (he was not the kind of artist favored by the European Film Festival, but was invited because of his contribution to current affairs with Dirty Dancing and Breakdancing) were not helping each other.

Their identities were not ideal candidates for ordinary film festival judges, and they were dissatisfied with the standards of the other judges, so they sat aside and only talked about Italian food.

Except for Chairman Michael Ballhaus who remained neutral, Ronald and Benigni gave up treatment, and the other eight judges had clear positions and quarreled.

The four judges from Eastern Europe (East Germany, the Union, Hungary, and Brazil) all unanimously recommended the Hungarian film "The Wingless Bird". Their reason is laughable. It is not because of the artistic value of the film itself, but because of what happened in Prague that year, the film was banned.

The fate of the film overwhelmed the film itself and became the only reason they wanted to give the Golden Bear Award to this film from 20 years ago.

The judges from Western Europe (the United Kingdom, America, Britain, and West Germany) did not want the Hungarian film to win the award, nor did they want the smell of money from Hollywood to taint the Golden Bear. They unanimously recommended another American film "The Music Box".

This film is starring Jessica Lange. It tells the story of the heroine Anne, because her father (a Hungarian immigrant) was accused of killing a large number of Jews as a member of the "Arrow Cross" before the end of World War II.

As a daughter, she went to Hungary to collect evidence and found that several witnesses accused different people. She cleared her father of the crime. However, during his trip to Hungary, a relative of a victim gave him a wallet and asked her to redeem a music box that his father's accomplice had pawned.

The heroine Anne, who redeemed the music box, found that it was full of photos of Jews killed by her father's "Arrow Cross" during the Soviet siege of Budapest...

During the period when the Berlin Wall fell, these Western European judges tried every means to award the Golden Bear Award to this film, and their psychological state is also intriguing.

"These people are for politics, not art. West Berlin has fallen, and the Golden Bear Award has fallen..." Roberto Benigni, accompanied by his wife, kept complaining to Ronald and Helen at dinner.

"This is a very subtle emotion. Roberto, you are Italian, a comedian, and you don't quite understand..."

Ronald also had this doubt, but he had asked Richard a long time ago. As a Jewish and well-informed agent in Hollywood, he collected some information for Ronald and helped Ronald understand the things that were not convenient to tell others.

Those judges from Eastern Europe are nothing more than putting themselves in the position of victims. We are all victims of the Soviet Union and the Cold War between the East and the West. Our film was banned for 20 years because of what happened in Prague. Now that East and West Berlin are reconnected, we want to let the world know that we are victims!

The judges from Western Europe are also very tricky. They brought out another Eastern European-themed film to oppose. You are victims on the surface, but in fact you were the perpetrators back then! You are also accomplices! You have done a lot of bad things. Don't think that now that the Berlin Wall has fallen, you can pretend to be very innocent back then...

"This is really boring. What are we doing here? Is the film festival for art or for politics?" Roberto Benigni has always been a leftist, sympathizing with the people, and disdaining the hypocritical right-wing politicians.

This kind of politics overwhelmed art, which made him very dissatisfied and kept complaining.

"No one mentioned a film like Benmingnian that is innovative in art... A film like Driving Miss Daisy was ignored just because it was a commercial film..."

Ronald put down his knife and fork and asked for a cup of coffee. Looking at Benigni's wife, several people smiled bitterly. Roberto was like this. He almost got banned for filming a satirical movie about the Pope. To put it nicely, he hated evil, but to put it bluntly, he was a little naive and simple.

"I have an idea..." Ronald took the opportunity to sell his idea to the other party.

"Is this okay?" Roberto felt that Ronald's proposal was actually quite good. If you want to fight, just let you fight. It is the right thing to do to fight for something that a movie like "Benmingnian" deserves.

"Of course, the Silver Bear Award in West Berlin is used for this. They give different awards every year."

...

"If you ask me, you should just tie for the championship..." Roberto Benigni proposed an idea that only a comedian would propose in a closed-door discussion the next day.

"This..." The judges of the two camps looked left and right, and this was a solution. Neither side was willing to give in. If Roberto and Ronald did not vote, they would have to continue the discussion if the number of votes did not meet the standard. In the end, it would become a joke if they could not reach an agreement when the award ceremony came.

"I think this proposal is good. This year happens to be the 40th session, and it is also the time of reconciliation between East and West Berlin. Two movies are juxtaposed, and they come from two countries..."

Jury chairman Ballhaus immediately followed, "Are you two supporting a movie?"

"Actually, I prefer Ben Ming Nian from China. I think that movie deserves recognition..."

To achieve the achievement of a double-yolked egg, it would be best if Roberto Benigni and Ronald had one vote each, and under 5 to 5, Chairman Ballhaus would come out with another bowl of water.

At the critical moment, Ronald picked up his accent and began to count his praise for "Ben Ming Nian". "The director depicts a taxi driver in China in a new era. The actor's performance is also rare and can be judged from a performance without lines." Showing inner loneliness..."

"I don't agree. This is a film produced by a state-run studio. This is exactly what we want to object to..." The Eastern European judges began to oppose Ronald again and became a quarrel.

The West Berlin Film Festival was the latest of the three major film festivals to be established, and its original intention included the idea of ​​showcasing West Berlin as a showcase for the Western camp.

Therefore, it is not the first time in the history of West Berlin that political factors have become the main factor in award selection. The judges in Eastern Europe began to strongly oppose Ronald.

Ronald ignored them and insisted on awarding a Silver Bear to "Ben Ming Nian". If he doesn't agree, he will vote for the music box, disappointing the expectations of Eastern Europe.

Fortunately, the artistic level of these judges is limited, but they are very skilled in political operations. They are worthy of being trained in Eastern European countries...

Under the mediation of Chairman Ballhaus, an agreement was finally reached, and the two films tied for the Golden Bear. And independently set up two Silver Bear Awards, awarded to the critical minority, two films that Ronald and Roberto liked.

In the end, Ronald's favorite "Ben Ming Nian" was also liked by the judges. Director Xie received a "Silver Bear Award for Outstanding Single Achievement". Even Ronald could not tell the difference between this award and the Silver Bear Award for Best Director. .

Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman won the Silver Bear for Best Co-Performance in "Driving Miss Daisy," admired by Roberto Benigni. Of course, he couldn't tell the difference between this Silver Bear and the "Silver Bear Award for Best Actor".

"You guys stay here and book your flight tickets after the awards show." Ronald called Wen Jiang and told him the good news.

"Oh, thank you so much. Director Luo is really an old friend of our Chinese film industry and a great benefactor." Wen Jiang also didn't expect that the film would win the award. Although it was not the highest honor, the Golden Bear, but with this, he would be able to win the award after returning home. The domestic status is achieved!

"What does this Silver Bear Award for Outstanding Single Achievement mean? How is it different from Best Director?" After all, Director Xie has experience. When he heard the name of the award, he felt something was wrong.

"How do we know this? I don't understand, and I don't dare to ask. People say that a big Hollywood director, who is also a judge, would be a low-key friend if he associates with us..."

"What a mess, come on, let's just stay in peace."

…

"So there are no awards for those born on the Fourth of July?" Tom Cruise also received a call from Ronald, and he wasn't too happy.

"Tom, what about the theme of the Vietnam War? If it were Platoon in previous years... Director Stone would definitely be highly respected, but this year's theme of West Berlin is not that. I think we should look forward to the Golden Globe and Oscar... "

"I understand, thank you."

"Why do I feel that the organizing committee has no rules and regulations. If a movie is good, it will set up an award temporarily and award it to him..." Helen looked at this year's list of winners and commented while shaking her head.

At the same time, two directors won the Silver Bear Award, one for Best Director and the other for Outstanding Single Achievement. Could it be that Director Xie won the award not for director, but for some other single achievement?

There is a Silver Bear Award for Best Actor and a Silver Bear Award for Best Co-starring (the male and female protagonists win together), so who is the Best Actor?

"Hey, it's just a grassroots team..." Ronald threw the list aside.

Fortunately, this year's Golden Bear Award with a double yolk egg will definitely attract the energy of the media, and Ballhaus will definitely be tortured. In this way, no one will notice the very unusual award-winning setting of animal year.

"Okay, are you leaving?" Helen will stay in West Berlin for a while to cooperate with the filming, but Ronald is already going back.

"Well, by the way, will you participate in documentary shooting in the future?" Ronald felt that this job was actually quite suitable for Helen.

"I don't want it, I came here to see you..."

"Well..." Ronald was moved and hugged the beauty in his arms.

"Then what is the subject of their next film?" Ronald asked, stroking Helen's hair.

"The last one was about how Japan won the industrial competition. This one was about the construction of the Berlin Wall. The next one was about filming China..."

"Want to shoot a documentary about China?" Ronald didn't expect that at this time, there would be people wanting to shoot a documentary about China.

"Yes, the name is China's genius tradition - Will the Dragon Rise Again?, starting from the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago, when China's civilization was leading the world." Helen was actually invited to be the next She continued to dub the documentary, but she was reluctant and found it troublesome.

"Why do you want to make this?" Ronald knew that PBS was a government-funded public television station with a network of broadcasters across the country. Was it a bit strange to make a movie of this theme at this time?

"I don't know. There are four episodes in total. It's the same series as the previous Japanese industry competition..." Helen said, "But they have a lot of corporate sponsorship for the filming in Japan, but no corporate sponsorship for the filming in China. They are still looking for investors. There is no income from making documentaries, except selling them to broadcasting organizations like my dad..."

"Hmm? Let me ask, maybe... Coca-Cola is interested in sponsoring?" Ronald picked up the phone and called the accountant Lawrence, "Hello, is Mr. Buffy in Omaha or Washington now? Please help me make an appointment with him."