Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 110 Ambition of the Golden Lion Award
Lu Kuan and Feng Yuanzheng drove away the naive girl and plunged into the European and American area, where they were reluctant to leave.

It has to be said that at this point in time, Europe and the United States, which had not yet launched many movements in later generations, were still extremely open.

There weren't too many environmentalists or LGBT groups standing up to criticize these films for objectifying women, so the audience was able to feast their eyes.

After "Ken Park", the two went to "Naked".

This is the new film by German director Doris Dolly, and the explosive content is directly spoiled in the promotional stills.

Boss Lu looked at the grade marked as level four and the long queue outside the exhibition hall, feeling a bit amused and helpless.

"Teacher Feng, how come these Europeans and Americans are so excited about this stuff when they just watch pigs run all day?"

He has few customers for serious films, but I will crack down on the Category IV films?
Feng Yuanzheng laughed and said, "Xiaolu, you're not married yet, so you don't understand the principle that a concubine is worse than a secret lover. Being able to watch such a film in such an art palace is a more exciting act for these Europeans and Americans!"

Boss Lu gave a thumbs up to Feng Yuanzheng, who was well-informed and had gone to West Berlin to study drama in 89, and the two of them lined up to enter the cinema.

It was another hand-to-hand fight on the screen, but the audience didn't seem very satisfied and booed from time to time.

The German director and crew members on the sidelines all looked unhappy.

When the two came out after the movie ended, they saw that two-thirds of the seats were empty. It seemed that too many viewers left early.

"It seems that the score of the program book for this "Nude" will not be very high."

Lu Kuan agreed: "Some of it is pornography for the sake of pornography, using the banner of art to create gimmicks, which is cliché."

"Especially since it's directed by a German female director, it's a bit too bold."

Feng Yuanzheng laughed and said, "When I was studying in East Germany, West Berlin was the biggest place in the world for prostitution."

"Don't underestimate the Germans because they are strict and old-fashioned. They are like springs. They usually suppress themselves so much that they can only release themselves by indulging in sensual pleasures in these areas."

The two sat down in an open-air cafe, waiting for the next movie. Liu Yifei appeared from nowhere, followed by Liu Xiaoli.

"Teacher Feng, Lu Kuan, have you finished watching the movie?"

Concubine Liu Yi winked at the two of them behind Liu Xiaoli's back, with a strong sense of sarcasm.

Boss Lu said calmly, "Yes, Aunt Liu, please sit down and have some coffee. We'll go see Tom Cruise together later."

"Okay!"

Concubine Liu Yi was familiar with him, so naturally she didn't treat herself as an outsider.

Lu Kuan continued to chat with Feng Yuanzheng.

"Teacher Feng, you learned Grotowski in East Germany, right?"

Feng Yuanzheng's expression eased slightly, and he took a sip of coffee with a somewhat lonely look.

"Yeah, it's been a long time."

"Xiaolu, do you think our movie can win an award this time?"

Liu Yifei and her daughter immediately cast their eyes on him. Which actor doesn't want to achieve success in his first movie?
Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Teacher Feng, when it comes to film festivals, being nominated depends on your ability, but winning depends on luck."

"How to say?"

Feng Yuanzheng is a drama fanatic and is obsessed with drama. He knows far less about the inside story of these film awards than Boss Lu.

"There are roughly two models for selecting authoritative film awards in the world today: the Oscars' big pot and the elite system of the three majors."

"The Oscars are won by sheer volume, and the jury consists of thousands of judges, a mixed bag of good and bad. This facilitates PR lobbying by production crews and investors, significantly increasing the opacity of the awards process."

"Hong Kong's Academy Awards are similar in this regard. In order to win the 97 film "The Thirteenth Son of the South China Sea", they added a subtitle at the end of the film: 'Encouragement to all Hong Kong screenwriters'. This was a favor to the film."

This is just like a primary school student writing "Thank you for your hard work, teacher" at the end of his test paper in an attempt to get the teacher to show leniency.

The key is that it worked...

That year, "The Thirteenth Son of the South China Sea" won the Best Screenplay Award at the Academy Awards.

"However, European film festivals like Cannes and Venice take an elitist approach. For example, Gong Li is on the jury this year, which is relatively good for Chinese-language films."

"It's not that she can openly show favoritism, but she can help prevent us from being at a disadvantage when we're evenly matched, or she can mediate and explain things when there's a cultural gap between China and the West."

Concubine Liu Yi became very interested: "Then we still have some hope?"

"The elitist awards system puts a lot of pressure on the judges' personal senses, but having a paranoid jury chair can also be frustrating. Has Mr. Feng forgotten Cannes in 97?"

Feng Yuanzheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile.

This is a case that has been complained about by Chinese-language filmmakers for many years.

At the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Wang Jiawei participated in the competition with "Happy Together". At that time, Gong Li became the first Chinese judge in Cannes history to participate in the voting.

The chairperson of the jury that year was Anjelica Hussein.

Adjani is known as "France's most beautiful woman" and a star who has won numerous Best Actress awards at international film festivals. At that year's Cannes Film Festival, Happy Together was the only Chinese-language film shortlisted for the main competition unit, and Gong Li naturally wanted to support it.

The key is that the quality of the film is indeed excellent, which gives her the confidence to cheer for Chinese-language films.

Unfortunately, Anjelica Hugo thinks so too. She also bears the heavy responsibility of defending the honor of French films, especially in a home arena like Cannes.

So these two heroines slammed the table and quarreled at the judging meeting, making the male judges tremble in fear.

In the end, a balance was found. Wang Jiawei won the Best Director Award, but Liang Chaowei, who performed excellently, missed the Best Actor award.

There is a sequel to this story. Gong Li found a boyfriend in 2017, the French electronic music master Jean-Michel, and Anjani was once his fiancée.

Maybe this is Gong Huang's revenge after 20 years?
In any case, all of the above shows how important it is to have a competent review committee chairman.

Tian Zhuangzhuang and Lu Kuan went to visit Gong Li on the first day of arriving in Venice, with this in mind.

But Lu Kuan was a little confused at this time. Why did Feng Yuanzheng, a drama fanatic who had always been indifferent to fame and fortune, have such a strong obsession with winning awards?

Feng Yuanzheng responded to Lu Kuan's question with a wry smile, as if he was lost in painful memories.

"In 1986, Ms. Mersing from East Germany came to the People's Art Theatre for an exchange, and that was my first exposure to the Grotowski school of performance."

Liu Yifei listened to his story with sparkling eyes. After all, she now considered herself the successor of the format performance school!
Lu Kuan nodded. Those years were the honeymoon period for artistic exchange between China and the West. Besides Stanislavsky and Brecht, the Chinese people knew about the Grotowski school for the first time.

Later, Lin Zhaohua, the vice president of the People's Art Theatre, went to Germany to invite Mersin, an artist over 60 years old, to teach in Peiping at his own expense.

The Grotowski she brought to the stage had a great impact on the drama fanatic Feng Yuanzheng.

"In 1989 I went to West Berlin and enrolled at the Higher Academy of Arts to study acting with Ms. Mersin."

"At that time, we not only studied acting, but also lighting, stage art, costume design, and body shape. In addition to working part-time, I devoted almost all my time to studying."

"Ms. Mersin thought I was talented and shouldn't spend my youth earning money to support my family, so she took me in and brought me home to live with her, giving me 800 marks a month for living expenses."

Lu Kuan and the other two were a little surprised. The last person who could do this without asking for anything in return was Norman Bethune.

"Teacher Feng, how did you return to China?"

Liu Yifei thought of herself. She returned to China to become an actor. Could it be that Feng Yuanzheng did the same?
"Ms. Merthin took care of me like her own son, but although the opera house is wonderful, it is not a place to stay for long."

"According to her plan, I will study all the way to a doctorate in drama, and then inherit her legacy and carry forward Grotowski's legacy."

"but!"

"But I want to be an actor! I went to the People's Art Theatre just to perform. In Germany, I'm just a foreigner playing a minor role and will never be the leading actor."

Liu Yifei glanced at Lu Kuan, and she thought of what Lu Kuan said to her that day at Mei Yanfang's house in Hong Kong Island.

There is only one reason that supports you to become a real actor, and that is that you like acting, that's all.

Excellent people are always the same, Mei Yanfang is like this, Feng Yuanzheng is also like this, persistence comes from passion.

The atmosphere was a bit dull, and Boss Lu joked: "Fortunately, Ms. Mersin didn't keep you, otherwise Whiplash would have lost a great leading actor."

Feng Yuanzheng shook his head dejectedly.

"The last six months in Germany were very difficult for me. I talked to her three times and finally decided to return to China to look for opportunities to be an actor."

"She picked me up when I first arrived in West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was still there at the time, and she came through East Berlin."

"By the time I left, the Berlin Wall had already been torn down, but Ms. Mersin never showed up."

Feng Yuanzheng's eyes were slightly red, which showed the important position in his heart of this female artist who took care of and taught him like a mother in a foreign country.

Concubine Liu Yi was a person with strong empathy. She asked cautiously, "Then you didn't go back to see her again?"

"Yes, many times. After I achieved some success in China, I went to visit her with gifts, but she was always angry with me and refused to see me."

Artists are all paranoid. She can wholeheartedly raise Feng Yuanzheng like a child, but she can also become a stranger to him when she becomes disappointed.

"Xiaolu, the reason why I care so much about whether Whiplash can win an award, or whether I can win an award myself, is because I want to prove it to her."

"Returning to China was the right decision for me. Becoming an actor was the right choice for me. I put Grotowski's ideas into practice and promote them in my performances. This is more meaningful than being a drama professor."

Lu Kuan nodded in understanding. Feng Yuanzheng became the president of the People's Art Theatre in 2022, and he was also the first person to be the head of the People's Art Theatre who was an actor.

This drama fanatic has been implementing and practicing his ideals.

"Come on! Raise your glasses! I hope Whiplash can achieve great success in the next few days!"

The broadcast from the Cinema Palace suddenly sounded, startling a group of white pigeons near the open-air square of Lido Island.

Whether it is Lu Kuan who realized his previous life's movie dream, Liu Yifei who has just started to get a glimpse of acting, or Feng Yuanzheng who wants to prove himself to his mentor.

At this moment, my thoughts are flying with the white dove spreading its wings, looking forward to "Whiplash" leaving a strong mark in Venice.

(End of this chapter)