Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 112 Premiere Explosion
This is a panoramic shot of a corridor. Xu Huan, played by Jay Chou, is playing the drums but is suddenly interrupted by Zhuang Zhong who comes in.

Jay Chou stood up stutteringly. Of course he knew this famous school band teacher.

"I'm sorry, I was just..."

Feng Yuanzheng stepped out from the shadows. The skull light was slightly dim, and he quickly came into close-up: "It's okay, just sit down."

"what is it call?"

"Xu Huan."

"do you know me?"

"Of course!"

"Then you should know I'm looking for a drummer. Come on, give me a piece!"

Feng Yuanzheng spoke very quickly, as if he didn't want to give Jay Chou time to think. The latter was forced to sit back in front of the jazz drum, adjust his breathing, and start his own performance.

This kind of performance is not like practicing by yourself. Feng Yuanzheng's presence is a kind of pressure because he has the purpose of selecting actors, and Xu Huan has the hope of joining the school band, and this hope brings pressure.

"A great opening. Feng Yuanzheng's overhead lighting changes from bright to dark and then back to bright, constantly shifting with the character's tone. It's very interesting."

Kitano Takeshi smiled and whispered to Quentin.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, who was standing by, also heard their conversation and laughed in his heart, thinking that you don’t know this guy very well yet, and there are surprises yet to come.

Jay Chou seemed to be still immersed in his own performance when he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door slamming. He looked up in confusion and found Feng Yuanzheng gone.

A look of disappointment spread across his face. Some Asian audiences were surprised that the young star had such acting skills, but they didn't know that it was the result of Lu Kuan's devilish training.

Liu Yifei sat next to Lu Kuan today, listening with pride to the admiration of the audience around her and the applause for the wonderful parts of the film.

She stole a glance at Shi Lukuan's resolute profile and continued to watch the film with peace of mind.

A few days later, Jay Chou won the competition with the band leader with his wonderful double shake and successfully replaced him.

Excited, he went to a coffee shop and showed off to the girl he liked calmly. This was a product placement for Starbucks.

Ding! Your Alipay payment has received 80 yuan in advertising fees!
This number is not high, but it is not easy to receive 80 yuan for just a few minutes of appearance in the play without affecting the plot of the whole play.

This is all due to the appeal of the protagonist Jay Chou, which could not be achieved by Lu Kuan alone because he has no representative works.

Liu Yifei's appearance is still breathtakingly beautiful. She can make the clothes of an ordinary coffee shop girl look like those of a big brand.

Her every gesture showed the familiarity of a waiter. It is not difficult to imagine that the girl had experienced and carefully considered the character's identity in advance.

Jay Chou, who seemed to have achieved success in both love and career, entered the fast lane of life, but this journey did not last long before it was ruthlessly interrupted by reality.

This was the first time Feng Yuanzheng showed his "explosive" side in front of him.

He first threw a chair at Jay Chou without thinking, which shocked the audience and director present. They did not expect the character's image to reverse so quickly.

"Tell me, is it fast or slow?"

Feng Yuanzheng's face was almost touching Jay Chou's nose, and his ferocious expression caused him tremendous psychological pressure.

After several more trials and adjustments, Jay Chou's psychological defenses were completely broken: "I don't know! I don't know!"

Feng Yuanzheng slapped him twice on the face without hesitation, leaving red marks clearly visible.

The audience in the stage all gasped, empathizing with Jay Chou's dilemma and collapse. How terrible it would be if this was their own teacher.

Jay Chou’s nightmare has completely begun.

He was unwilling to give up his envy and desire for the chief drummer, so he needed to practice and practice continuously, and continue to accept Feng Yuanzheng's torture.

He tried again and again, breaking the tiger's mouth and dyeing the drum surface red with blood.

During a performance, Jay Chou successfully took the lead because he memorized the music score and finally temporarily won the position of the band's leader.

But he didn't feel happy for long, because Feng Yuanzheng, the fascist teacher who was good at raising poisonous insects, brought him a new surprise.

He called back the original chief, and after a competition, ordered Jay Chou to give up the chief position.

A disheartened Jay Chou was on his way to a date with his girlfriend. His body and mind had been devastated, and he foolishly took his anger out on others: he broke up with Liu Yifei.

This is the classic breakup scene. After being scolded and criticized again and again by Lu Kuan, Liu Yifei finally delivered a smooth performance with distinct emotional layers.

Gong Li in the audience nodded slightly, thinking that this little girl's acting skills were just beginning to show some talent.

This performance is obviously a step up from the immature Bai Xiuzhu in "Gold Powder". At least it is outstanding among the girls of the same level in Beijing Film Academy.

This is how a director who can talk about and teach plays improves and transforms actors.

Concubine Liu Yi glanced at Lu Kuan beside her with pride, expecting a few compliments from him. However, when she saw that Lu Kuan didn't move at all, she snorted in frustration and continued to pay attention to the plot on the screen.

As the film enters the second half, the pace and plot accelerate significantly, and important plot points arrive soon.

Jay Chou regained the leading position, but was involved in a car accident during an important performance.

Unable to force himself to pick up the drumsticks, he was severely scolded and insulted by Feng Yuanzheng. Unable to control his inner anger, he rushed forward and punched and kicked him...

The teachers and students in the screening room secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Their emotions, which had been pulled at by Jay Chou's experience and mentality, were released and relaxed at this moment. It was just as Lu Kuan said at the launch conference, "no boring moments", it was so exciting!

Jay Chou experienced the school's investigation into Feng Yuanzheng, and during a chance encounter, they had their first conversation since their conflict. Feng Yuanzheng explained to Jay Chou his thoughts, saying that everything he had done was just to make him the next Charlie Parker.

He told Jay Chou, "If you are not crazy, you cannot live," and he expressed his expectations of Jay Chou.

You can become the next jazz drum master!

Kitano Takeshi and Quentin looked at each other and saw disappointment in each other's eyes.

The narrative structure is mediocre, the camera language is acceptable, and the devil teacher's acting is online.

But to say that such a level can enter the main competition unit of Venice, is it Gong Li's unilateral support?
"Xiaolu, do you think their jaws will drop after seeing the ending?"

Liu Yifei looked at the audience with pride as they all fell into the trap under the director's deliberate guidance, and was looking forward to the final reversal.

The plot is about to reach its climax. Jay Chou, deceived by Feng Yuanzheng, walks into a celebrity-filled performance venue, only to find that his score does not match the music.

This was Feng Yuanzheng's carefully planned conspiracy. He wanted to use this method to destroy the drummer, the student who reported him and caused him to lose his school band teacher!
Everyone at the scene, including Quentin and Takeshi Kitano, gasped.

Is this still a musical art film?

Quentin opened his eyes wide and smelled a strong Hollywood flavor from the movie.

This three-part structure? This plot point? This big twist?

When everyone thought the movie would end with Feng Yuanzheng's dark transformation, Jay Chou returned from backstage and sat down in front of the drums again as if he were reborn.

Feng Yuanzheng watched all this in amazement, watching the drumsticks flying in Jay Chou's hands, watching the work he wanted to destroy but failed to achieve.

It is undeniable that Jay Chou's perfect performance conquered him.

Life is impossible without madness. This is the portrayal of Cheng Dieyi in "Farewell My Concubine".

Without getting into the role, there would be no prophecy. This is the best footnote to Jay Chou’s perfect performance at the moment.

Feng Yuanzheng realized that this was the Charlie Parker he had always dreamed of, and he did it!
He really found and discovered such a talented student! Even in such a situation that was beyond his control.

The master and the apprentice cooperated with each other tacitly. As Jay Chou's terrifyingly dense drum beats hit the hearts of every audience member, the movie ended before the climax, the screen turned black, and subtitles rolled out.

As the subtitles finished, the sound gradually died down and the theater became deathly silent.

After a long while, I don't know who gave the first round of applause, and then it was like the fuse that detonated explosives, creating a warm atmosphere in the screening room!

Lu Chuan watched all this with a painful expression. He didn't understand, he didn't accept, he wasn't willing to accept it!

Wang Xiaolei re-evaluated Lu Kuan's abilities and found that such a talent would be best employed by Huayi.

This way, Feng Xiaogang won't be able to control it alone.

But this time in Venice, we still have to target the right people. After all, there are only a few Chinese-language films. If you attract attention, what should I do?
Although they are not in the same track, in order to sell overseas copyrights, no one can ignore the success of their competitors.

Quentin and Takeshi Kitano laughed and shook hands with Lu Kuan.

They are considered to be foreign directors who have more exchanges with Chinese-language films. It has been a long time since we have seen such talented Asian and Chinese directors.

Since Zhang Yimou.

Jay Chou, Lu Kuan, Feng Yuanzheng and Liu Yifei all hugged each other excitedly, they succeeded!

Even the picky audience in Venice and international directors like Quentin Tarantino and Takeshi Kitano have recognized this work.

That will be a huge benefit both in terms of the program brochure's ratings and the judging committee's preference.

Takeshi Kitano's "Doll" received applause for three minutes, but "Whiplash" clearly exceeded three minutes.

Lu Kuan took Feng Yuanzheng, Liu Yifei, Jay Chou and others to the stage to pay tribute, and also pulled Tian Zhuangzhuang who declined.

The audience originally came to see big names like Takeshi Kitano, Quentin Tarantino, Gong Li, etc., but unexpectedly they also had a good meal!

Reporters from China were also proud of this. Han Lu and Xie Xiao squeezed to the front of the stage and kept asking the four crew members to pose for photos.

Their Asian faces have suffered discrimination and unfair treatment here, and European whites are arrogant and believe that Chinese directors will not produce any outstanding works.

What about now? Your idol, Takeshi Kitano, your idol, Quentin Tarantino, all want to pull Director Lu Kuan to exchange experiences and share knowledge.

So inspiring!

The happiest person must be Liu Xiaoli, who watched her daughter bloom gracefully on the international stage and receive the audience's greetings and applause.

Even if you are not the main guest, this is a very high starting point.

Liu Yifei on the stage excitedly pulled Boss Lu and said, "Lu Kuan, let's take a photo together. Sister Han Lu, please help me."

Xinlang Han Lu was overjoyed, it was the exclusive news.

The handsome man and beautiful woman maintained a distance according to social etiquette. The little girl gently held the man's arm, not forgetting her mother's advice to smile without showing her teeth.

No matter how critical one's views are, one cannot help but say that they are a perfect match.

Liu Xiaoli looked at her daughter with a complicated expression and let out a barely perceptible sigh.

Lu Kuan is a good kid, except for...

It's really not a good match!
(End of this chapter)