Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"It was a really great party, Mary. And I hope it was a great birthday too."

"Oh, it's my last birthday. I'm tired of living."

A man dressed as a priest, wearing a black robe with only a white collar, helped an elderly woman with white hair go upstairs.

Ronald was watching his own TV series at home. ABC TV station was showing the four-part miniseries "The Thorn Birds". Originally, Ronald rarely watched TV series. He watched this miniseries because Richard Chamberlain was the leading actor. He previously played the leading role in the TV series "The General" directed by Ovitz, and also won the Golden Globe Award and the Emmy Award. .

Of course, what attracted Ronald even more was the white-haired woman. She was the most famous actress in old Hollywood, and perhaps had the best acting skills among the actresses who had not won an Oscar. Or from Ronald's point of view, she is the best actress of all.

Barbara Stanwyck, a true lady with many faces, can play a liar, a bad woman, a victim, a naive girl, and a columnist, all of which are lifelike. Already in her seventies, she is still playing the role of an Australian large estate owner on the TV screen.

The two of them walked up the stairs and were about to enter Mary's bedroom.

"Kiss me and say goodbye, Ralph," Mary, played by Barbara Stanwyck, tells the Reverend Ralph, played by Richard Chamberlain.

"Good night, and wish you a happy birthday." Ralph held Mary's hand, lowered his head and kissed it.

"No! Kiss me on the mouth, Ralph, kiss me, as if we were lovers." Barbara Stanwyck's acting suddenly broke out, and the emotional expression of a woman longing for a man to kiss her was completely different. Like a seventy-six-year-old man.

Ronald was shocked. He had never read the original novel and did not know that Pastor Ralph was sent to Australia because he had committed a crime of obscenity.

"But I'm a priest!" Ralph defended without changing his face.

"You are not a priest, you are just a timid, impotent man! I love you, I have always loved you."

"No, you don't love me. I'm just a phantom in your memories of the past. When you see me, you remember your youth."

"Let me tell you what it's like to be old. Under this stupid skin, I'm still young! I still have feelings! I still want! I still have dreams!" Barbara Stanwyck's eyes were full He expressed his unwillingness to accept the past and said, "I still love you!"

Ronald pressed the pause button on the remote control and rewind to watch it again. The performances of these veteran actors are superb, the emotional progression is very rhythmic, and they have met good opponents. Stanwyck's climactic performance can be said to be worth watching once.

When he watched it again, Ronald felt that Barbara Stanwyck's performance was not only a plot, but also a farewell to his past acting career. With the increase of experience and wisdom, if it were not for the aging of her appearance, she would have just reached the peak of her acting skills.

After watching Stanwyck's performances several times, Ronald took notes. I am always told that my acting skills are not good, but I still want to watch more performances from these veteran actors who have experienced the golden age of Hollywood. Anyway, I don’t really want to act, but I want to inspire the actor’s performance.

"Hey, who is this actress?" The video tape continued to play. A few years later, Pastor Ralph seduced Maggie, the granddaughter of Mrs. Mary's brother.

This actress has big eyes and a refined temperament, not like an American girl. There is an interesting contrast between the inner wildness of the soul and the weak outer appearance. Not really an Australian girl, right? Only that barbaric land could cultivate such a character.

"Rachelward," Ronald wrote down her name.

"Have you seen the ABC miniseries 'The Thorn Birds'? Barbara Stanwyck was so good in it."

Early the next morning, Ronald arrived at CAA's office to talk to Niceta about his next film project. I haven’t seen Niceta for a while, so let’s brag. Ronald talked about his discovery yesterday to the two agents, Niceta and Richard.

"That was a project promoted by Mr. Ovitz." Niceta smiled, "Richard Chamberlain was the male lead in Ovitz's first packaged TV project, 'The General'. It was the first time that CAA tried this kind of thing. Packaged form, but we’ll be able to replicate it on film soon.”

"Oh, which movie is it?"

"Come with me." Niceta brought Ronald into a large conference room. "On the wall are all the Hollywood projects we are following, including movies, TV series, and talk shows. They are all here."

Ronald remembered this big board with the progress of all major productions on it, where CAA’s agents searched, exchanged, and tracked various opportunities.

most

"A Dance with Dragons" directed by Stallone and starring John Travolta opened in more than 1,600 theaters during its first weekend, but only took in 12 million at the box office.

"Jaws 3D" has a box office of more than 13 million in 1,300 theaters.

Looking at the performance of these movies, Ronald felt funny. They were not as good as his own "Night of the Comet". If Atlantic had the marketing and distribution capabilities of blockbusters, these would be his defeat.

Because no movie can carry the banner, "Night of the Comet" moved up two places to the twelfth place, and above it is "Flashdance", which continues to be a box office holdout.

Of course, this is not the strongest holdout.

The strongest holdout is Disney's color animation "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Almost every seven or eight years, Disney will re-release it to let the younger generation of children who have never seen it get familiar with this Disney princess. It has already earned more than 6 million in the first weekend.

As a color animation filmed in 1937, this result is really scary.

Above the board are movies that will be released next year, have been completed, or are in production.

"Dune" has finally started shooting. After several painful script revisions, David Lynch went to Mexico to shoot this science fiction masterpiece.

Above is John Milius's "Red Dawn", a film about the Soviet Union and Cuba's airborne invasion of America, where many young people become militias and fight guerrilla warfare until China sends troops to join forces with the US military to save the American people.

Almost all the young Hollywood actors, including those Ronald had worked with, went to audition. "Red Dawn", written and directed by John Milius, the screenwriter of "Apocalypse Now", was favored by many producers.

In the column above, Robert Zemeckis's new project "Emerald", in order to direct his own "Back to the Future", he first chose a commercial film to prove himself. Ronald saw that Michael Douglas was written in this column. CAA chose this movie for him.

Above it is "Amadeus", and Ronald saw that there is no CAA logo on the names here, indicating that this is not a CAA contracted client.

Director Milos Forman is the director of the Oscar Grand Slam "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Ronald unexpectedly saw Meg Tilly's name in the female lead column. Her husband Zinnemann is quite capable.

"Czechoslovakia", there is a mark next to "Amadeus", indicating that it was filmed in a foreign country. Many Eastern European socialist countries will attract Hollywood movies to shoot there to earn foreign exchange. Milos Forman happened to be of Czech descent.

At the top are two movies "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Ghostbusters" that Ronald had seen.

"It's this Ghostbusters", this is another packaged project promoted by Mr. Ovitz. If this movie can sell well, CAA will have more studios to cooperate with us, and you will have more opportunities, Ronald", Niceta knocked on the movie name on the wooden board with her hand.

"Gentlemen, hello", Ron Meyer, one of the founders of CAA, walked in wearing a Hawaiian shirt, "Can you give us the conference room? Michael is going to meet an important guest here soon."

"Of course", Ronald, Niceta and others filed out.

"I wonder which big star Mr. Ovitz is meeting again? "Ronald thought.

Richard opened the door of the office a little and was peeking.

A very strong figure, under the personal guidance of Ovitz, entered the conference room.

"It's Stallone," said Richard Levitt.

"Stallone? He has a new movie again?" Ronald thought of the script of "First Blood 2" written by his good friend Cameron.

Behind Stallone was another long-haired man, chatting with Stallone all the way.

"It's John G. Avildsen!"

"Avildsen?" Ronald was a little suspicious. Why are they chatting together again?

"What's going on?" Ronald looked at Niceta.

"This is normal. Stallone's "Dragon Flying and Phoenix Dance" did not do well at the box office and received bad reviews from the critics. He doubted whether he would still direct his next Rocky series, "Rocky IV", so he found the director of the first Rocky, Avildsen, to discuss it. "

Nicita and Stallone are both of Italian descent, and he has his own information channels.

"Isn't Avildsen directing the movie I wrote, The Karate Kid?" Ronald muttered.

"So we should go visit Mr. Weintraub."