"It's definitely necessary. How can he be willing to do it if the movie is not produced?" Cheng Yin said.

He is an old acquaintance of Li Hanxiang. They met more than 40 years ago, when they were still young people.

"What movie?"

Lin Chaoyang thought that what Cheng Yin was talking about must be "Burning the Old Summer Palace" and "Listening to Government Behind the Curtain", but Cheng Yin said: "He wants to film the last emperor Pu Yi."

"The last emperor?"

Lin Chaoyang was stunned, how did he become the last emperor? Could it be that I was complicit?

Looking at his expression, Cheng Yin laughed, "Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for a director from Xiangjiang to film The Last Emperor?"

Cheng Yin couldn't say that he was wrong, but that was not the reason why Lin Chaoyang was really surprised.

Could it be that due to the butterfly effect caused by his own time travel, Li Hanxiang stopped filming "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "Behind the Curtain" and switched to filming "The Last Emperor"?

"Why did he film The Last Emperor?"

There was a fog in his heart, and Lin Chaoyang urgently needed Cheng Yin to give him answers.

"This matter has to start a few years ago..."

After 40 years of filmmaking, Li Hanxiang has made dozens of films, won numerous awards, and has become a well-known director at home and abroad.

However, due to years of high-intensity work, he was diagnosed with coronary heart disease in 1975. The disease lasted for three years. In 1978, he went to Los Angeles for surgery.

When he was about to undergo surgery, he suddenly thought that this operation would bring disaster and fortune. He had been away from home for thirty years and had not yet had time to return to his motherland.

At that time, it coincided with the country's reform and opening up, so Li Hanxiang contacted friends in Xiangjiang who were "connected" to the mainland, secretly returned to the mainland, and took a long-awaited trip.

During the trip, Li Hanxiang did not forget to visit his teachers, friends, and friends from back then. Many of them are now well-known figures in the domestic literary and art circles, such as Xie Tian, ​​Xie Tieli, and Huang Zongjiang of Yan Film Studio; Zhao Dan, Xu Sangchu, and Li Zhun of Shanghai Film Studio.

Painters Wu Zuoren, Cheng Shifa, etc., Cheng Yin are also among them.

"I remember having dinner that day. We had just screened Han Xiang's "The Fall of the Country" internally some time ago, and everyone gave it high praise.

How amazing it is to be able to build a set of the Forbidden City on a set in Xiangjiang and make a first-class Qing Dynasty film!

Xie Tian said to Hanxiang at that time: With your talent and courage, wouldn't it be even more effective if you filmed in the Forbidden City?

Hanxiang acted very modestly at that time, but secretly he had thoughts.

He later told me that in the past he thought he had no hope of ever returning to the mainland to make a movie, but through that trip and visiting relatives and friends, he felt that the atmosphere in the mainland was open and friendly, so it would be a good idea to come back here to make a movie."

Speaking of this, Cheng Yin sighed, "He has a good idea, but the cross-strait has been separated for many years, and there have been many changes in politics, economy, and personnel. It is not easy to return to the mainland to make movies!"

Cheng Yin went on to say that after that trip back to the mainland, Li Hanxiang first went to the United States for surgery, and during his recuperation, he contacted the Shanghai Film Studio. When he learned that Li Hanxiang was going back to the mainland to make a movie, he even alerted the deputy G-level leaders.

Li Hanxiang originally planned to make a movie about Comrade Wu Hao, but after communicating with him, he found that a studio in mainland China had already included a movie about Comrade Wu Hao in the topic selection plan. Mainland China suggested that Li Hanxiang give up this idea.

Then Li Hanxiang visited Yanjing again without giving up, and this time he set his sights on Lao She's classic work "Teahouse".

Li Hanxiang's hometown is Liaoning, and he grew up in Yanjing when he was a teenager. He highly admires Mr. Lao She's works.

At that time, Yanjing People's Arts even rehearsed "Teahouse" specifically for Li Hanxiang's arrival. After watching the play, Li Hanxiang became more confident in putting the play on the screen, and he spent half a year running for it.

But unfortunately, Li Hanxiang met with opposition from film producers after he brought his plan back to Hong Kong.

Film producers opposed Li Hanxiang's filming of "Teahouse" for very good reasons.

It is true that "Teahouse" is a good drama, but dramas are different from movies. "Teahouse" has too many dialogues, a single scene, and strong local colors in Yanjing. The effect is explosive on the stage, but on the screen, it is too limited.

Big.

Li Hanxiang is a great director, and his works are aimed at Chinese and foreign audiences. Making "Teahouse" is equivalent to abandoning foreign audiences.

The "foreign audiences" that film producers refer to refer to audiences in Southeast Asia.

The influence of Hong Kong films in the 1970s was mainly concentrated in Hong Kong, the Bay Island and Southeast Asia.

Li Hanxiang has his own artistic pursuits, but he also has to consider the opinions of film producers, who are his bread and butter.

After much thought, Li Hanxiang finally reluctantly gave up the idea of ​​filming "Teahouse" and instead proposed a movie about the last emperor Puyi. The movie was mainly based on Puyi's autobiography "The First Half of My Life".

Then, Li Hanxiang's idea was opposed again. This time the reason was because some of the people involved in "The First Half of My Life" were still alive, and the coffin had not yet been finalized.

Lin Chaoyang felt troubled when he heard it, not to mention Li Hanxiang himself, and Cheng Yin, as a good friend, also felt worried about Li Hanxiang.

"He still has two films under contract with Shaw Brothers, but they were not completed until the end of last year. After ending his cooperation with Shaw Brothers, he returned to the mainland non-stop.

I stayed in Shanghai for a while a while ago, and this time I came to Yanjing again for the script. Puyi, the last emperor, refused to let him film, so he planned to change directions. Anyway, it was to anchor the idea, and he must write the script this time.

come out.

In April this year, he failed to shirk Shaw Brothers' request to renew his contract and renewed his director's contract with Shaw Brothers again.

If he can't put on a show this time, I'm afraid he'll be so angry..."

Cheng Yin shook his head at the end. His old friend wanted to return to his hometown to make a movie and went through many twists and turns. Even from the perspective of an outsider like him, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Lin Chaoyang listened for almost half an hour and finally understood. The last emperor that Gan Qingcheng Yin mentioned just now was just a plan that was eliminated.

He couldn't help but think of "The Last Emperor" shot by Italian director Bertolucci. There were some things that foreigners could shoot, but we ourselves couldn't.

"Then what is he planning to shoot this time?" Lin Chaoyang asked.

Cheng Yin shook his head, "I don't know, the script hasn't been written yet."

Lin Chaoyang simply wanted to make sure by asking this question. He remembered that "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "The Government Behind the Curtain" were two consecutive films that were only released in 1983.

Li Hanxiang is now taking pictures, which is very reasonable.

After the gossip was over, Lin Chaoyang wanted to relax in Yanying Factory, but was forcefully dragged back to the guest house by Xie Jin to exploit the remaining labor force.

After more than a week in a row, Xie Jin finally finished the storyboard script and let Lin Chaoyang go.

Perhaps it was because of his conscience that he knew that he had put Lin Chaoyang through a lot of troubles for more than a week, so Xie Jin finally said that he would hold a special banquet for Lin Chaoyang.

Lin Chaoyang thought about "throwing a banquet", no matter what, it had to be Donglaishun, Quanjude, Barbeque Wan, but he didn't expect that the last meal would still be in the guest house room.

"You are too stingy. I have worked hard for half a month, and you can't even treat me to a guest?"

There were only peanuts, pig ears and a few other dishes on the table in the guest house. Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but question Xie Jin.

"Don't worry, there are still dishes." Xie Jin said calmly.

After a while, there was a knock on the door of the room. Xie Jin went to open the door, and someone actually brought food.

The people who came were all Xie Jin's old friends from Yanying Factory, Cheng Yin, Chen Huaikai, and Jiang Huaiyan. They were holding plates or basins in their hands, and they were really here to deliver food.

Chen Huaikai was a teacher at Yanjing Film Academy in his early years, and was later transferred to Yanjing Film Studio as a director. Everyone in later generations knows him because he has a son named Chen Kaige.

Lin Chaoyang was not familiar with Jiang Huaiyan's name. Xie Jin introduced him as the director of the Literary Planning Department of Yanying Factory and a high-ranking leader of Yanying Factory.

After the food was served, a few people didn't leave, they just sat there and started drinking.

"Chaoyang, what are you doing standing around, pour the wine!" Xie Jin called.

Lin Chaoyang sat down and said dissatisfiedly: "Didn't you invite me today? Why am I still waiting in the wings?"

"Everyone here is your uncle, but you are the only one who is young." Xie Jin said.

"Lao Xie, it's boring if you always take advantage of me."

Lin Chaoyang poured himself a glass of wine, "It's a hard job to change the script for you. Even if you stay up late to change the script, you still have to smoke and drink with me. I've suffered a lot."

"You, young and full of life, are not as good as me, an old man who is about to turn sixty."

Chengyin chuckled and said, "Chaoyang is a novelist with a sensitive and rich heart. He is definitely different from a drunkard like you."

Xie Jin loves to drink and is well-known in the film industry. He is known as the Saint of Drinking and can never get drunk after a thousand drinks.

Even though his old friend was trying to make trouble, he was not angry. He drank a glass of wine and said loudly: "How can we relieve our worries? Only Du Kang!"

Among the five people present, except for Lin Chaoyang, Jiang Huaiyan is the youngest. He has not yet turned fifty this year. He is the director of the Literary Planning Department of Yanying Studio, and is in charge of screenwriters and scripts.

He had read the script of "The Wrangler" and the performance of "The First Floor in the World" and admired Lin Chaoyang's talent in drama creation.

After drinking two glasses of wine with Lin Chaoyang, Jiang Huaiyan asked: "Is Chaoyang interested in working at our Yan Film Factory?"

Lin Chaoyang did not expect Jiang Huaiyan to ask this question.

Want to be a screenwriter in a studio? To be honest, film studios are probably the most petty-bourgeois units in this era. Although they are a bit out of tune with the mainstream of society, the working and living atmosphere is still good.

In particular, screenwriters and directors hold great power in studios and are favored everywhere.

But Lin Chaoyang didn't want to work in vain. Jiang Huaiyan wanted to transfer him to Yan Film Studio because of his creative ability. However, these days, all movies produced by film studios are considered collective creations.

He really came to write a script for Yan Film Studio. It was signed but had no copyright, and he was just working for free.

At this time, everyone was accustomed to the planned economy and had no awareness of copyright, so no one cared about these work results.

It was not until the 1980s when the employees of Humei Factory started a lawsuit with the factory over copyright issues that these film professionals became aware of this problem.

Lin Chaoyang was about to decline Jiang Huaiyan's solicitation when he heard Xie Jin say: "Chaoyang's writing is good, so it would be a good choice to go to a studio. But it's not interesting to go to Yan Film Studio. If you want to come, you have to come to our Shanghai Film Studio."

"How is your Shanghai Film Studio better than us?"

Xie Jin's words triggered a collective crusade from several old friends, but they also derailed Jiang Huaiyan's recruitment of Lin Chaoyang.

After three drinks, the food on the table was almost finished. Jiang Huaiyan, smelling of wine, asked Lin Chaoyang, "I heard from Li Tuo that Chaoyang's cooking skills are good?"

Li Tuo's lover Zhang Nuanxin is also a director of Yan Film Studio, but she is younger than everyone present.
To be continued...