yournovel Chapter 129 Governor's Dinner
Chapter 129 Governor's Dinner
Chapter 129 Governor's Dinner
Even under the cover of night, Beverly Hills still exudes a strong sense of "money".
The enormous crystal chandelier illuminated the entire hall of the governor's banquet, and the melodious sound of saxophones flowed gently amidst the clinking of glasses.
Qin Han strolled through the elegantly dressed crowd, a glass of champagne barely touched in his hand.
His steps were steady, his back straight, and his black Zhongshan suit stood out among the group of Western elites in suits, attracting many curious and inquisitive glances.
After wandering around the venue for a while, he found his target: several velvet high-backed chairs arranged in a semicircle, with Charlie Chaplin sitting in the very center.
The elderly man, who had just received a twelve-minute standing ovation at the awards ceremony, looked somewhat tired.
His full head of silver hair gleamed softly under the light, and he leaned on a black wooden cane, smiling as he chatted with two old friends beside him.
Qin Han tiptoed past several waiters carrying trays and entered this small circle of old-school filmmakers.
"Mr. Chaplin." He stopped two steps away from the old man, bowed slightly, and said with respect, "Congratulations. Tonight's applause is Hollywood's apology for the past twenty years."
The aging King of Comedy turned his gaze to the young Eastern face, a slight surprise flashing in his weathered eyes, before he smiled gently.
"Apologize? It's been so long, I've almost forgotten those unpleasant things."
His face revealed a kind of open-mindedness that comes with the passage of time: "Young man, I saw you on the red carpet at the awards ceremony just now. You were walking with that kung fu superstar, and that was the most special sight tonight."
"I am Qin Han, a producer at Han's Film Company, and also a screenwriter," Qin Han introduced himself.
Upon hearing the word "screenwriter," Chaplin's smile deepened.
As a former "heretic" who was forced to flee his homeland by McCarthyism, he knew all too well how much effort an outsider needed to put in to gain a foothold in this white-dominated system.
"A Chinese person starting a production company in Hollywood and writing scripts himself." The old man gently patted the rounded end of his cane. "It's not a smooth road. Seeing you is like seeing a breath of fresh air; Hollywood hasn't had a breeze like this in a long time."
"The wind always needs a certain momentum to cross a high mountain." Qin Han picked up the conversation smoothly, looking sincerely at this living fossil of film history: "Mr. Chaplin, I have come to bother you tonight with a favor to ask."
Chaplin leaned forward slightly, assuming a listening posture.
"As a creator, I have always had great respect for those predecessors who were forced to stop writing in the 1950s because of their beliefs, and who could only struggle in the dark under pseudonyms."
"With your return, that absurd blacklist is now defunct."
"I'd like to meet them, such as Mr. Dalton Trumbo. Would you be willing to be my guide?"
Chaplin's breath hitched; those names, that era, were a perpetual pain in his heart.
The Hollywood Ten, along with hundreds of screenwriters, directors, and actors who were blacklisted by major studios, some died in poverty and illness, while others struggled to survive by writing scripts for second-rate films without even being credited.
The cloudiness in the old man's eyes faded, and he carefully examined the young man before him, trying to find a trace of hypocrisy or scheming on that calm face.
But he only saw a thirst for talent.
"You should know that even though the winds have changed, using them will still bring you some criticism from conservatives in this circle," Chaplin said slowly.
"My very existence is a fight against this prejudice," Qin Han laughed.
Chaplin gripped his cane tightly, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"Excellent, young man." The old man nodded, offering a priceless promise: "Next Wednesday afternoon, I will host a private afternoon tea at my Beverly Hills residence. Dalton and a few other old men will be there, and I'll reserve a seat for you."
"Thank you very much." Qin Han expressed his deepest gratitude once again.
Having achieved his goal, he politely withdrew from the rest area without causing any further disturbance.
With this referral channel secured, Hans Films will have the most cost-effective "shadow cabinet" in Hollywood for its future script reserves.
He placed the champagne glass on the waiter's tray, replaced it with a glass of soda, and continued to wander around the lobby.
Soon, two familiar figures were spotted at the other end of the banquet hall.
Warner Bros. President Ted Ashley is standing with Universal Pictures Executive Vice President Sidney Sinberg.
These two sworn enemies, who usually fight tooth and nail on the box office battlefield, are getting along remarkably well at this moment.
"A toast to the great Eastern Kung Fu." Sidney took a sip of whiskey, a shrewd glint in his eyes.
"Of course, a toast to those young people who walk into the movie theater waving their money." Ashley took a puff of his cigar and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
There was a reason for their good mood.
From "The Fist Within Four Walls" to "The Big Boss," kung fu films have continued to ignite a movie-going frenzy in North America, and this force from the East has completely torn apart the previously stagnant American action film market.
Looking at Hollywood as a whole, only Warner and Universal have firmly grasped this lucrative opportunity, reaping the most substantial benefits in the first wave.
Even if other film studios wanted to follow suit now, they simply couldn't find a soul figure like Bruce Lee.
"Ted, I heard you guys wrapped up filming for 'Enter the Dragon'?" Sidney swirled the ice in his glass, seemingly casually probing, "This is Bruce Lee's first A-list Hollywood production. What are Warner Bros.' distribution plans?"
Ashley flicked the ash from his cigar, making no attempt to hide his smugness: "The post-production editing went incredibly smoothly. Bruce is a perfectionist, but also an efficiency fanatic."
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we plan to schedule the event for September. That will be a lively autumn."
Sidney's eyelids twitched slightly.
That was right when competition in North American theaters was starting to intensify, and Warner Bros.' willingness to release this film in September shows that they had a very high internal assessment of the final product's quality.
"What a coincidence." He swallowed the slightly spicy liquor, forcing a smile. "The distribution plan with Universal has just been finalized. We plan to release Bruce's other two films separately."
"Fist of Fury will be released in late April." He deliberately drew out his words, enjoying Ashley's subtle shift in expression. "As for The Way of the Dragon, we've scheduled it for early June. What do you think of this arrangement?"
"Perfect arrangement!" In this way, they can avoid competing with Warner Bros. and maintain the popularity of kung fu films throughout the year.
The two old foxes were in a state of extreme contradiction and entanglement at this moment.
Ashley hoped that Universal's "Fist of Fury" and "Way of the Dragon" would be box office hits.
This will further prove that Bruce Lee is an irreplaceable cash cow, providing perfect market warm-up for Warner Bros.' "Enter the Dragon" in September.
However, if these two films perform too brilliantly, and Universal earns more from these two Hong Kong films that it bought out for distribution than Warner Bros.' painstakingly invested "Enter the Dragon," Sidney will definitely offer even more favorable terms in the next negotiation, trying to completely win over Chin Han and Bruce Lee.
Ideally, a Universal film would be a huge box office success, but with less critical acclaim than "Enter the Dragon," allowing Warner Bros. to emerge as the ultimate winner.
Sidney, standing opposite Ashley, had almost the exact same plan in mind.
He also hoped that "Enter the Dragon" would be a success, because it was related to the vitality of the entire kung fu film market; but he hoped even more that "Enter the Dragon" would suffer a minor setback at the box office, preferably with Warner Bros.' profits falling short of expectations due to a flawed distribution strategy.
In this way, the shrewd young man Qin Han would realize that Universal Pictures was the best at distribution in Hollywood, thus completely shifting the focus of Han's Pictures' future.
The two powerful figures, each harboring their own ulterior motives, stared at each other, their smiles growing ever brighter.
"Hey, stop talking about Bruce. The main character's here." Sidney, with his sharp eyes, spotted Qin Han walking over with a glass of soda and immediately waved, "Qin! We were just talking about you."
"You two gentlemen seem to be in a very good mood tonight." Qin Han approached the two men, smoothly blending into this small circle that controls half of Hollywood.
"We're discussing your cinematic magic," Ashley said, taking a puff of his cigar. "After all, the Hans family now holds the key to both of our major productions next year."
"Right now, Warner Bros. holds 'Rocky,' and Universal holds 'Jaws.' Qin, since you're the key figure behind both films, why don't you give us some advice: if these two films were put in the same arena, who do you think would win?"
Upon hearing this question, Sidney dropped his fake smile and stared intently at Qin Han.
Qin Han calmly took a sip of water, holding his glass: "Ted, Sidney, are you trying to give me an impossible multiple-choice question?"
"But since you asked, I'll give you the most direct answer: these are two masterpieces from completely different dimensions."
.
"If we only look at the absolute box office numbers—" he looked at Sidney, "Jaws will win."
"It will be like a real deep-sea monster, tearing all box office records to shreds and making people all over America line up in the summer to send dollars into Universal's pockets."
Upon hearing the first part of the sentence, Ashley's expression darkened slightly, but Qin Han immediately turned his gaze to him: "However, Ted, when it comes to return on investment, long-term commercial value, and even tonight's Oscar—Rocky will be the winner."
"This film had a very low budget, but it struck a chord with the deepest emotions of the American people. It will become a spiritual symbol, a cultural belief."
"When audiences cheer and weep for the bleeding boxer in the movie theater, Warner Bros.' name will be remembered forever, along with this emotion."
These words acted as reassurances, making the two tycoons nod repeatedly.
Just as the atmosphere among the three was incredibly heated, a slightly stiff voice interrupted: "Such an exaggerated assertion? Even those big studios with the highest budgets can't guarantee that their independent productions will win an Oscar."
This statement, which carried a clear sense of doubt, caused both Ashley and Sidney to frown.
The man who arrived was a white man in his forties with a neatly trimmed mustache.
He was wearing a slightly conservative dark blue evening suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he exuded an old-fashioned and rigid air.
This kind of attire usually belongs to only one company—that fairy tale empire that started with a mouse wearing white gloves and has extremely strict rules.
"Ronald? When did Disney become interested in independent films?" Sidney clearly recognized the man: "Qin isn't bragging; his track record speaks for itself."
Qin Han's heart stirred slightly: Is this a Disney executive?
In 1973, seven years after Walt Disney's death, the entire Disney Company was in a long and painful period of uncertainty.
Their attempts in the live-action film field have repeatedly failed, and their animated films have also lacked blockbusters.
In the eyes of other giants, Disney is now just a "second-rate studio" that barely maintains its dignity by relying on theme parks; but as a time traveler, Qin Han knows all too well what kind of terrifying devouring power this sleeping behemoth will possess once it awakens.
Instead of showing any aversion, he proactively extended his hand: "Qin Han, Han's Film Industry."
The man with the mustache glanced at Ashley and Sidney's attitude, toned down his earlier arrogance, and shook their hands: "Just call me Ronald, head of Disney's live-action film production department."
"I just overheard your conversation. Please forgive my bluntness, but I simply have a dislike for those lawless independent filmmakers in New Hollywood."
Ronald released his grip, picked up a glass of champagne, and said with barely suppressed resentment and annoyance, "Actually, I've been absolutely fed up with this foul-mouthed independent director lately."
"These so-called up-and-coming geniuses are utterly useless except for making films about gore, violence, and those lowbrow, fringe characters!"
Seeing the Disney executive's indignation, Ashley laughed gleefully: "What did that director do to make the strict Disney production director this angry? Did he go to your theme park to film a crime movie?"
"Worse than that!" Ronald angrily waved his glass, spilling champagne. "He's a complete scoundrel!"
"Our production department painstakingly nurtured this child star, a pure and promising talent. That crazy guy with the thick Italian accent, I don't know what sweet talk he used, but he's been calling that girl's house every day!"
"He actually tried to trick an eleven-year-old girl into playing a delinquent in his movie! This is utterly absurd! Disney will absolutely not allow our contracted actors to take on such filthy roles!"
Upon hearing the words "Italian accent," "big beard," and "delinquent girl," a flash of lightning seemed to strike Qin Han's mind, reminding him of the system information.
Independent director Martin Scorsese is casting a child actress for his film *Alice No Longer Lives Here*.
His impression of this master of gangster films was limited to the masterpiece "Taxi Driver" starring Robert De Niro.
on.
As one of his early works, I am not very familiar with "Alice No Longer Lives Here".
Qin Han feigned curiosity and looked at the furious Ronald: "Let a child star play a delinquent girl?"
This is really going too far. Such a promising talent, I wonder what his name is? To be noticed by Disney, he must be incredibly talented.
Ronald sighed deeply, tilted his head back and downed the champagne in his glass in one gulp, his face full of regret and disappointment. "Her name is Jodie Foster."
>