Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Ronald, what can I say? Congratulations! I voted for you. I watched the videotape several times at home. It's great."

"Thank you, Michael. I'm really encouraged. Sincerely, so many people like this movie, which shows that we are on the right track..."

The backstage after the award ceremony was in chaos. Many award-winning stars were being interviewed, and some stars who were not nominated also came to get close to the targets.

The media's tastes were similar to those of the audience. They were not very interested in the winners and producers of the best films. They mainly asked questions around the winners of the acting awards, directors, and several screenwriters who became famous.

But the Hollywood actor group really wanted to talk to these neglected producers. Especially producers like Ronald, who are really rare animals in Hollywood. People who wanted to talk to him formed a circle, but no one could step forward and surpass the big stars in the inner circle.

Michael Douglas and Tom Hanks had to wait until these big stars finished talking to Ronald before they could push forward, hoping that Ronald would still be interested in listening to their dry congratulations, and hoping that tomorrow he would still remember that he was one of the first few to come up and congratulate after the award ceremony.

Unlike Ovitz, who was wary and alienated by major studios and celebrity groups after the great victory of "Rain Man" in previous years, Ronald's success has attracted these people.

The reason is actually very simple. For major studios, Ronald is a collaborator rather than a competitor. Unlike Ovitz, who arbitrarily monopolized the cost of packaging projects, demanded more unreasonable high pay for his clients, and stuffed in castings that directors and studios didn't like, Ronald seemed quite willing to cooperate.

Some of the studio's requirements can be accepted by some people with connections as appropriate. And Ronald seems to have a kind of magic, he will find gold from the garbage dump. The fact that he took over two projects that no one wanted from Orion is proof of this.

Isn't such a producer a guarantee of performance for the senior executives of the big studios? Who doesn't have thousands of old scripts in their script library waiting for him to save if they can get him?

Of course, the senior managers of these studios are not in a hurry to rush to talk to Ronald at this time.

Star actors are another matter. They don't have so many script projects in their hands for Ronald to choose. Leaving a good impression now will have more advantages in future cooperation.

Speaking of which, when stars reach a certain level, they will try to switch to directors or producers. And their ambitions are not small. Many stars are dissatisfied with the shooting and editing methods of directors in other movies they have participated in. They always feel that as long as they do it themselves, it will be different.

Therefore, producers like Ronald are precious. His final acceptance speech made it clear...

He will adhere to the idea of ​​​​United Artists that does not interfere with the creation of artists, which started from Chaplin, and give them space to create. Isn't this the most precious freedom that star actors want but cannot get from big studios?

United Artists went bankrupt, and Orion, which was founded by the elites of United Artists, also went bankrupt. Now in Hollywood, only Ronald's daydream can continue the dream of actors to make the movies they want to make...

"You know, Ronald, I have a project that is about to start... but the distribution..."

"Michael, wait for me to rest for a few days. My mind is full of happiness now and I can't think at all... Call me when the time comes..."

Sure enough, Michael Douglas found Ronald not for anything else, but because of the influence of the distribution channel brought by his good record. Moreover, TriStar Pictures has released so many of his profitable movies, and this movie about the shattered dreams of middle-aged white men that he really wanted to complete has never been interested in any distributor. If Ronald doesn't help, he can only sell it to HBO and turn it into a TV movie.

"Of course, of course, congratulations again... Wow... Great..." Michael Douglas has already hung up the number, so he no longer mentions this matter, and gradually gives his position to Tom Hanks behind him.

"Great, did you hear the applause from the audience? Great..." Tom Hanks came to Ronald for a similar thing.

"Hi, Tom, I'm glad you all recognize me... I'm also impressed by Anthony and Judy's performance..."

"I have something to ask of you, too. Your reputation among actresses can help me get out of this dilemma, but... let's talk again in two days?"

"Okay, Tom, okay, let me take my time..."

Everyone was about to go up to seize the opportunity, but Ronald had already turned his head to look at Diane who was being interviewed over there. She was wearing a black evening dress, sexy and intellectual, and the little golden man she was holding inexplicably added a bit of confidence, and the whole person felt like she had been reborn.

"Hi, Honey..."

"Thank you everyone, I have to go back to see the kids with Ronnie, hahaha..."

"Ronald, kiss Diane..."

"Ronald, Diane, both of you take the little golden man and take a picture..."

"Pah pah pah pah..."

After posing and letting the photographer take enough pictures, Ronald and Diane walked back with a smile.

"Ronald, I am your admirer, here is mine..." An unknown screenwriter seized the opportunity. He sneaked in after the show and wanted to hand the script to Ronald, the producer who knew the screenwriter best. Whether he can stand on the Oscar for Best Screenwriter in two years depends on this time...

"Hey...ah..."

Ronald's bodyguard Daniel and two other former colleagues quickly stepped forward to isolate this madman. The employer over there was discussing important matters with important people, so don't mess around.

"Steven...George..."

"Ronald..."

As the award presenter, Spielberg had just been interviewed with his good friend George Lucas, and now he came over to congratulate Ronald with Lucas. At the Oscars that year, they gave Ronald some advice as seniors. Now Ronald, who has won the Best Picture Award twice, is already a gold medal producer in Hollywood that is no less than them.

"What do you think, George?"

"Ah? No, No, he's not Jewish, but it's up to you, talk to him yourself," George Lucas came over with a commemorative trophy in his hand and patted Ronald on the shoulder, "Your movie is very good, we can talk about it if we have a chance..."

Ronald thanked Lucas. Lucas is enjoying his reunion with his children now, and is eager to go back to the Lucas Manor in San Francisco to share the joy with his children, so he walked away first, leaving Spielberg and Ronald to chat privately, and waiting for the end of the show.

"I have a movie about the Jews in Auschwitz, and I want you to direct it..."

"Me?" Ronald was confused. How could I be qualified to film the greatest suffering in the history of your Jews?

"Why don't you film it yourself?" Ronald was very puzzled.

"It's hard to explain this in a few words, let's make an appointment to talk in detail..."

"Okay, do you want to come to my place? You can visit my Chinese garden..."

"Ronald, Steven, George..." The reporters were shouting again, asking Ronald to take a photo with the two new Hollywood leaders.

"Hahaha..." Ronald and George Lucas both waved the trophies in their hands, sandwiched Spielberg in the middle, and took a group photo.

Ronald and Diane each had a little golden statue, and walked out of the awards ceremony slowly. They were full of jealousy and envy.

"I don't think Laura (Dern) will forgive me..." Diane whispered to Ronald. Laura Dern herself was nominated for the best actress, and her mother Diane Ladd also lost to Diane Lane.

After the show just now, Diane went to chat with Laura Dern, but heard her mother saying some unfriendly words, such as Diane just found a good husband, and her ex-husband Bruce Dern really didn't have any connections and couldn't help her at all.

"Don't care too much..." Ronald smiled. Some people haven't figured it out for the time being, but later they will take the initiative to repair the relationship for the sake of casting, if you still want to be friends with her.

…

"Congratulations, Diane..."

"Laura..."

Sure enough, after a day of unbridled celebration, Diane, who had returned to her normal routine, received positive feedback. Laura Dern took the initiative to call to congratulate Diane on her award.

The two friends who had been making movies together since their teenage years started chatting as usual.

"My mom was a little disappointed, but I was fine. The Silence of the Lambs was really amazing..."

"Well..." Diane felt a little bored and was speechless for a while.

"Where's Ronald? Now Hollywood actresses want to work with him, hehe..."

"He's talking to Spielberg...no time..."

"Oh, Spielberg..." Laura Dern was silent too. This relationship is something she can't get even if she wants to.

…

"For this story, I'm afraid I can't shoot the core of it at my age..."

Ronald was drinking hot tea with Spielberg in a pavilion in the garden. He got the outline of the movie Spielberg wanted him to make.

This is a film adapted from the 1982 novel "Schindler's Ark". Sidney Pollack, a Jewish director, sent a book review to Spielberg.

Spielberg was very interested in the story of the original book. He also met with Mr. Poldek Pfefferberg, who had always wanted to publish and film Schindler's story, to discuss this matter. Poldek Pfefferberg was one of the Jews liberated by officer Schindler.

He promised Pfefferberg that he would start the project within ten years and persuaded Schindler of Universal Pictures to buy the copyright.

But Spielberg also encountered the same problem as Ronald. He was a young director who mainly shot commercial films. He was relaxed, cheerful and imaginative. This kind of film made him feel that he was not up to the task.

Therefore, he first found the Polish Jewish director Roman Polanski, who had fled to the United States and settled there. Because Polanski's mother died in Auschwitz, and he was good at black-themed films, he was the best candidate.

But to Spielberg's surprise, Polanski rejected the project.

He then tried to find Sidney Pollack, Brian De Palma and others to take over, but was rejected again as expected.

Finally, he found a candidate who was willing to direct, Martin Scorsese. But when Scorsese was ready to take over, Spielberg regretted it again. He felt that if he didn't direct this movie, his family and descendants might not forgive him in the future - because this is an epic of Jewish suffering.

In this wavering mentality, Scorsese went to shoot "Cape Fear", which was nominated for many Oscars, and the script returned to Spielberg's hands. At this time, he was afraid that if he didn't shoot well, he would be guilty of the entire Jewish ethnic group, and he was also afraid that he would be depressed by shooting such a movie.

He also felt that the several movies produced and shot by Ronald were all epic, and this project might be helmed by him, whether he directed it or not, it would be the best choice. In the final analysis, maybe Jewish directors are not suitable for shooting such movies, and only non-Jewish people can shoot objectively.

"I think you are just right, you can invite others to direct, but I think your grasp of epic movies is the best..." Spielberg's long hesitation and swaying on this movie has become a debt of conscience for him, and he just wants to get rid of him.

"Steven, don't you think that this kind of subject must be filmed by a Jewish person?" Ronald also didn't quite understand. These Jewish directors have occupied a small territory in Hollywood, so why don't they want to film it?

"Well, in fact, we Jews have different views on this movie."

Spielberg also did a lot of research after Polanski rejected his invitation. In fact, the attitudes of Jews in Europe and America towards Auschwitz are completely different.

Most of the Jews in Europe have direct relatives or friends who have suffered misfortunes. Their attitude towards Auschwitz is that such things are unbearable past events, and no one should make movies on this subject. Let that sinful place be silent forever, and don't dig it up again to poke the scars of the Jewish nation.

In America, in fact, many Jews immigrated long before the war, and most of their relatives came here with them. Most of the victims were distant relatives, and they were not as shy about this history as their European cousins.

But Jews are also an ethnic group after all. The attitude of their European cousins ​​is a huge psychological burden to them. If they fail to shoot well, they will become the sinners of the Jewish people. If a director of another ethnic group shoots the film, there will be no such problem.

"Excuse me, this film can only be shot by a Jewish director. Anyone else will cause a huge public relations disaster. Not only the director, but also you Jewish directors will be..."

"Hiss..."

Ronald said it all. Spielberg had never thought about it from this perspective.

If Scorsese really shoots it, there will definitely be controversial content (there will be huge controversy among Jews about whether to shoot Auschwitz). In addition, Scorsese is a Catholic. I am afraid that the public opinion will not only point to him, but also why you Jews who occupy important positions in Hollywood don't shoot it?

"Who will shoot it? Mr. Wilder once approached me. He wanted to shoot... Most of his relatives died in Auschwitz..."

"Billy Wilder?" Ronald was surprised. The old man was already 86 years old. If he shoots such a movie, aren't you afraid that he will die in the studio?

"Yeah, I feel the same way..." Spielberg also shook his head. Apart from other things, Billy Wilder hasn't made a good movie for many years, and his techniques are outdated...

"Since you have taken on this project, I'm afraid it must be you. This kind of movie must be shot by the greatest, most powerful, and most energetic director of your ethnic group. Otherwise, the descendants of your ethnic group will definitely regret why the best Jewish director was not used to shoot it at that time?"

Ronald probably understood Spielberg's inner contradictions, and changed his mind and used the method of provoking him. As soon as he said this, he looked at Spielberg with sparkling eyes.

"You're right..." Spielberg was praised like this, and his chest was also puffed out, thinking that it must be me. If I am not the one to shoot the film, who else can shoot it? Who else dares to shoot it?

But the pressure is too great. If it is not shot well... then he will be a national sinner.

Spielberg left with a heavy heart.

Tom Hanks came again.

"Ronald, this is the project I am involved in now. This is a script I like very much. But after many delays, the main actress has repeatedly missed the deadline. If I don't start the film as soon as possible, then my schedule will be gone.

I really like this movie and don't want it to be aborted. Can you help to find a suitable distributor and convince these actresses..."

Hanks and Ronald had a pleasant cooperation, and Diane, who was his partner, also won the Golden Man, so he said what he wanted to say.

"Oh, this subject, well, there are indeed many distributors who like female subjects. I can ask TriStar Pictures... That's no problem..." Ronald took out the project book and flipped through it, ready to call Mike McDavoy.

As a result, when he loosened his hand, many audition photos of female stars fell out. Ronald quickly reached out to pick them up...

Brooke Shields,

Demi Moore,

Meg Tilly,

Diane Lane,

...

The last one was actually Madonna!

"What do you mean?" Ronald was shocked and looked at Hanks...