Chapter 1444 1446 [Promise you a queen]
In the summer of 1992, "Yanjing People in New York" was officially completed.
In August 1992, Zhang Yimou participated in the Venice Film Festival with "Farewell My Concubine".
This time, his dream of collecting the highest awards in the three major European film festivals has come true.
"Farewell My Concubine" won the Golden Lion Award and the Best Actor Award in one fell swoop, and Gong Li was also nominated for the Best Actress Award.
It's a pity that Leslie Cheung shines too brightly in the movie. Although the Ju Xian played by Gong Li is already very good, compared with Cheng Dieyi, it is still not brilliant enough, so it is a pity that he lost.
This made her very sad. After returning to China, she cried to Xiang Nan.
"Okay, don't cry, I promise you, I will help you win the best actress of the three major European film festivals." Xiang Nan persuaded her.
"What you say is what you say." Gong Li looked at him and said.
"One word from a gentleman, one whip to the horse." Xiang Nan said solemnly.
Gong Li just nodded.
…
Xiang Nan then approached Zhang Yimou and handed him a script, "Director Zhang, this is a script I just wrote, see if it suits you."
Zhang Yimou took a look at it, and was immediately startled into a cold sweat.
Xiang Nan's script was written a little too boldly, which surprised him even after reading it.
It turns out that the name of this script is "To Live", which tells the rough experience of the protagonist Fugui's life and reflects the fate of a generation of Chinese people.
This script was written bolder, more powerful, and deeper than "Farewell My Concubine", which made him feel so heavy that he couldn't speak for a long time after reading it.
"Professor Cheng, this script..." He didn't know how to evaluate it.
Boldness is really bold, but good is also really good, which gave him a strong creative impulse in his heart.
"Director Zhang, I think only you can shoot this script in China." Xiang Nan smiled slightly.
Zhang Yimou nodded.
Such a script is a bit taboo. Not a famous director like him, it is easy to be banned after filming.
In fact, although his "Farewell My Concubine" has won awards abroad, it is almost impossible to release it in China now.
"I don't know, do you dare to challenge?" Xiang Nan asked.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Yimou finally nodded.
Although with his current fame, he can still make a good box office if he makes some movies casually. However, compared with salary and bonus, he is more willing to challenge art.
Although the script "To Live" seems to be taboo, its core is actually upward. It shows a kind of spirit of the Chinese people - no matter how much suffering they suffer, they will persist in living.
This is also the reason why for five thousand years, although the land of China has suffered countless natural and man-made disasters, floods and droughts, earthquakes and plagues, foreign invasions...the reason why it can still continue to this day.
So, he is willing to make such a work.
"Then it's settled." Xiang Nan smiled slightly.
…
When this TV series started broadcasting, it received a lot of response.
After the opening of the country in the 1970s, many Chinese were eager to go abroad. For this reason, they study foreign languages hard, practice test-taking skills hard, and even pay foreigners in various ways in order to go abroad.
"Yanjing People in New York" just shows this theme.
Cellist Wang Qiming and his wife Guo Yan, with all their might, left their reputation, status and jobs in the Mainland to go to the United States to join his wife's aunt. As a result, after I went there, I had no work and could only start by washing dishes.
Although they made money by doing business, the relationship between husband and wife has broken down. And when their children came to the United States, they were also very uncomfortable with the life here, and quickly degenerated.
In the end, the whole family got lost in the bustling streets of New York, not knowing where the road ahead was...
"Yanjing People in New York" is relatively realistic. The moon abroad is not relatively round.
In fact, unless the Chinese who went abroad in the 1980s and 1990s were really capable, there were very few who could make a fortune abroad.
Xiang Nan lived in Hawaii for 20 years in the world of "Little Willingness", and had contact with the local Chinese. After most Chinese came to Hawaii, they basically started as low-level workers.
Because of mainland education, the United States does not recognize it at all, and there is no way to find a good job. Therefore, it often takes two to three generations of hard work to gain a foothold in the United States.
But the price paid is also great. The biggest price is that the younger generations lack a sense of belonging. They are not Chinese, and if they call themselves Americans, they will be rejected by others.
When people lack a sense of belonging, they have no soul to rely on, just like an abandoned orphan who spends his whole life looking for his own roots.
Therefore, Xiang Nan still does not recommend blindly going abroad unless he is sure that he can get a better life abroad. The outside world is very exciting, but the outside world is also very helpless.
…
The popularity of "Yanjing People in New York" has greatly increased the popularity of the leading actors Jiang Wen, Zhu Lin, and Wang Ji.
Especially Zhu Lin, after filming "The Story of the Editorial Department", she took a break for nearly two years, and her popularity had declined a bit.
Now through this "Yanjing People in New York", let her immediately return to the front line. The Guo Yan she plays is beautiful and dignified, hardworking, kind and affectionate, which really captivates many audiences.
Moreover, she is forty years old this year, almost ten years older than Jiang Wen, but she is still beautiful. Playing husband and wife in the play is not awkward at all.
Even at first glance, Jiang Wen was older than her, which made him feel aggrieved for a while.
The success of "Yanjing People in New York" has further consolidated Feng Xiaogang's position. Moreover, this trip to the United States really opened his eyes a lot.
He told Xiang Nan that he felt reborn.
…
Entering 1993, Xiang Nan released a new novel - "The Matrix".
This movie was a worldwide sensation and became one of the highest-grossing series in the United States.
In addition, Xiang Nan's previous scripts such as "Instinct", "The End of the World", "Speed", "True Lies", and "Home Alone 2" have also been made into movies and released in succession in the past two years. Very good box office.
Especially "True Lies", which was selected by the great director James Cameron. After it was released in 1992, it won nearly 500 million US dollars at the box office.
Because of this, Xiang Nan's reputation in Hollywood is in full swing. Therefore, as soon as the "Matrix" novel came out, many film companies immediately offered olive branches, hoping to get the film and television adaptation rights.
However, Xiang Nan still rejected everything. It just sold the rights to adapt the animation, comics, and games of the novel.
Because he knows that "The Matrix" also requires a lot of computer special effects. With the current level of technology, it is very difficult to shoot well. That being the case, simply do not give.
However, he still took a few scripts out for money, namely "Detective Airplane Head", "Dumb and Dumber", "James of the Brave", "Seven Deadly Sins", "Heavenly Tribulation", "Bravely Entering the Island of Death" "etc.
(end of this chapter)