Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 207 The boy who slays dragons finally becomes a dragon
(The first two are already in the river, wait a minute)
To be fair, Lu Kuan is full of sympathy for this group of sixth-generation people with independent spirit.

It is also full of empathy.

In his previous life, he was also a young man who had a dream of making movies and was dedicated to pursuing his artistic ideals.

It’s just that Section Chief Jia, Wang Xiaoshuai and the other seven gentlemen were struggling to survive under official suppression, while they themselves were defeated miserably under the iron hoof of capital.

In this life, he has made up his mind to turn himself into a capital boss. Today, in front of a group of film artists, he acts as the official mouthpiece, which really proves the saying.

The young dragon slayer finally became the evil dragon.

It’s just that this evil dragon is the reincarnation of a young man from his previous life.

However, as he is familiar with the future development of the domestic film industry, he knows that the tone set by the authorities is correct and is in line with the historical trend of the development of the film industry.

The domestic box office revenue of 2003 billion in 10 became 7 billion seven years later.

And today's group of underground directors who have been released from the ban will bear fruit in three years:
Director Jia's "Still Life" won the 2006 Venice Golden Lion, and Wang Quanan's "Tuya's Marriage" won the Berlin Golden Bear that year. This group of sixth-generation actors have been very successful on the international stage.

Han Shanping pushed him out to fight, but now was obviously not the right time.

These seven gentlemen are very angry. Even if he wants to gain political capital for himself, he can't rush into trouble, right?
Intellectuals are all so mean-spirited. Didn't you, Old Han, see how emotional Chief Jia was just now?
A Film Bureau official cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, time is precious. Let's get back to today's topic."

Han Shanping was a shrewd man. Seeing the director's gloomy face, he immediately took the microphone.

"In the past two years, there has been a young director in China whose works have been well-received at both international film festivals and domestic box office figures."

"Director Lu Kuan, could you please first tell us about your views on the development of domestic commercial films?"

Boss Lu cursed the old thief in his heart for his immorality, but still took the microphone with a smile.

But he was also very cunning and would never put himself in a disadvantageous position. He decisively dragged Zhang Yimou into the water to make himself appear less out of place.

"Speaking of domestic commercial films, to be fair, it started with 'Hero' directed by Yimou last year."

"Of course, there is still room for improvement in terms of subject matter and supporting facilities for domestic commercial films, but at least blockbusters like 'Hero' have attracted audiences to theaters, and this is the biggest benefit for commercial films."

Section Chief Jia retaliated sharply: "Director Lu may have misunderstood. We are not blindly rejecting commercial films, but domestic commercial films are increasingly moving towards industry monopoly and breaking the rules."

"Apart from anything else, I watched your film 'Thief' in the cinema. The quality of the film was very high, but at the same time, I was surprised to see advertisements for your film even in the elevators of my hometown."

"As a director of non-genre films, I am concerned about the combination of film art and monopoly power. This is an unhealthy grab and exploitation of public resources!"

Later, Chief Jia had a war of words with Zhang Weiping over the screening schedule of "The Good Man of Three Gorges".

He said these words, on the one hand, out of lamentation over the lack of marketing conditions for art films, and on the other hand, to demonstrate the so-called democratic spirit in his heart.

Judging from his later blog posts and editorials, Chief Jia called this kind of overwhelming marketing of movies diffuse film fascism, which, from a sociological perspective, undermined the principles of equality and democracy.

The imagination is unique.

Between the lines of Jia Kechang's words, he implied that he was speaking for the official and not standing on the side of his fellow director. Everyone was secretly shocked when they heard it.

These sixth generation people are so brave and outspoken.

Liu Yifei, who was wearing a red vest, looked at Lu Kuan with sparkling eyes and smiled unconsciously.

She especially liked listening to Lu Kuan talk about the inside story of the film world, such as telling her about Hong Kong leftist filmmakers, and the stories of Princess Sissi and Visconti. . .

Liu Yifei felt that no matter whether Lu Kuan was filming or doing things related to movies, he was always in high spirits, as if he had become a different person, no longer the beastly washing machine.

The whole person becomes very pure.

Boss Lu was naturally not afraid of such a debate and immediately refuted without thinking.

"Director Jia's thinking seems to be stuck in the planned economy era, in the 70s, when you started and grew up."

"I think it's inappropriate for Section Chief Jia to demonize normal film marketing as an infringement on public opinion and power!"

Just as Section Chief Jia was about to answer, he heard Lu Kuan talking nonstop.

"Movies have three attributes: first, they are a technology; second, they are art; and third, they are a commodity."

"Movies are not only works of art that liberate the mind and tear down the iron curtain of public opinion, as you say, but they are also the most common commodity in the development of the industry."

"Filming, post-production, distribution, publicity, and screening all require costs. If Section Chief Jia were a writer, he could just start creating with a pen and paper. If he's satisfied, he'll keep writing. If he's not, he'll tear it up and start over."

"But is that okay with movies? If you're making movies solely to express your own personal ambitions and emotions, and artificially severing the commercial nature of movies, then you're being extremely irresponsible to both investors and audiences!"

Boss Lu paused for a moment and dropped a bombshell.

"If you still don't recognize the changes in the times and the industry, today you will step out of the official underground and onto the surface."

"Tomorrow you will still be walking down to the underground of commerce! The dark underground!"

Once the words were spoken, reactions from all sides were different.

Director Tong and others nodded approvingly, agreeing with his judgment that the commercial trend of the film market is irreversible. If you must be non-mainstream, you must be prepared to be abandoned by the times.

When the times abandon you, they won't notify anyone.

Zhang Yimou, Jiang Wen, He Ping, Chen Kaige and others were also lost in thought. They, the fifth generation, were the first to "betray" the art film team and took the lead in exploring commercial blockbusters.

After "Hero", there were "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" and "The Promise".

Other practitioners, such as Yu Dong, Dong Shuangqiang and others, are very supportive of this.

They are all part of the film industry chain, either investors or distributors.

If domestic filmmakers engage in personal creation like Chief Jia, Wang Xiaoshuai and others, and their films are banned after they are made, they will be the ones who suffer the most.

For example, Dong Shuangqiang, who suffered a big setback with "The Devils", never touched Jiang Wen's film again.

Only the volunteer students from Beijing Film Academy were a little confused and didn't know who was right and who was wrong.

Boss Lu's words were not intended to be provocative or aimless, but rather more like a friendly reminder.

Because this is based on facts from later generations.

Let’s take Jia Kechang’s “The Good Man of Three Gorges” and Wang Quanan’s “Tuya’s Marriage” as examples.

It is true that the works of these two underground directors have been recognized by international film festivals, but they have also inevitably gone into the commercial "underground"!
"Still Life" competed with "Curse of the Golden Flower" in the same time slot, and was ultimately only screened in over 40 theaters. It scored 8.1 on Douban, with critical acclaim but poor box office, and a domestic box office of over 100 million.

And what about Curse of the Golden Flower? It received a Douban score of 5.5 and was widely mocked. It was in this film that Wang Shuo mocked Zhang Yimou for being a decorator.

The film grossed $8000 million worldwide.

The same is true for "Tuya's Marriage", which was released in April 2007. It competed with all Hollywood blockbusters and eventually took in 4 million at the box office.

In 2005, Wang Xiaoshuai's "Qinghong" won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and grossed around 150 million yuan.
The big flop "The Promise" released during the same period had a box office of 1.8 million yuan.

Where to go to reason?

That's why Mr. Lu tried every possible means to find a balance between art and commerce in his first two films. It would be great if he could win an award for the film.

Even if you can't, you must try your best to make a profit.

Because the film market at that time was so bleak, it did not give him the opportunity to fully create and express his personal emotions.

The most important thing is how to survive.

Wang Xiaoshuai has the hottest temper among the Seven Gentlemen and he likes to criticize the media the most. Seeing Lu Kuan, who is 20 years younger than him, "talking nonsense", he couldn't help but jump out to fight!
"Director Lu, hello. I've seen two of your works. To be honest, I like them both a lot and a lot."

"I think you deliberately vulgarized two films that could have discussed human nature in depth in order to please the audience and create hype."

Directors understand directors. Boss Lu’s ideas cannot be hidden from those art film directors who talk about author theory all day long.

"I admit that your film strikes a good balance between art and commercial appeal. But since Director Tong has already said he'll let bygones be bygones and that you can speak freely, I'd like to offer some opinions so we can discuss them. Is that okay?"

Lu Kuan had not sat down since he finished his speech. The seven gentlemen opposite him started a round-the-clock attack on him, and it seemed that they were determined to kill him, the official lackey.

"Of course, go ahead." Wang Xiaoshuai said, "Director Lu has his own film company, as well as high-quality advertising channels and distribution capabilities. Of course, he can handle both art and business."

"But I don't know if you've noticed that domestic art films are already in danger, and the overall trend is even worse than what Director Tong just mentioned."

"From what I understand, this year's domestic arthouse film schedules are few, the screenings are marginalized, and the schedules are inhumane, which has gone beyond the normal range."

"I believe that the country has incorporated the cultural industry into the macro-pattern of strategic development not only for its commodity attributes, but also for the cultural connotations and cultural mission that films themselves carry!"

"Therefore, it is unfair to simply let art films be subject to the survival of the fittest in the market. This goes against the laws of scientific development and will definitely distort art!"

Wang Xiaoshuai's argument sounded very convincing at first, and immediately caused whispers at the scene.

Director Tong and Old Han looked at each other silently, thinking that even if these people were released from the ban, they would still be focused on making their art films and had no sense of the overall situation.

However, this argument sounds difficult to refute. Who can say that a country develops cultural industries just to create economic benefits?

Do we still want the humanistic connotation and social benefits of movies?
Only Lu Kuan keenly caught the loophole in these words.

"Director Wang overestimates the cultural mission and value of art films, or rather, underestimates the ability of commercial films to export and carry culture."

Lou Ye couldn't help but refute him: "Director Lu, this is biased."

Lou Ye had communicated with Lu Kuan in Cannes, and the two were relatively friendly. Boss Lu patiently explained:
"Director Lou, please be patient. I'll give you a few examples."

"What does Hollywood use to export its culture? Commercial films."

"In Hollywood movies, it's always the great, bright, and righteous Americans who save the world, while those who destroy world peace are mostly Russians and Chinese who are dedicated to promoting American-style democracy and personal heroism."

"The Korean Wave has been raging in recent years. Last year, a Korean film called 'My Sassy Girl' premiered in mainland China. How big of an impact did it have?"

"Girls under 30 across China know that in Korean, "oppa" means "brother" and "saranghae" means "I love you." Hong Kong filmmakers even tailored a period film called "The Lion Roars." Isn't that based on the concept of the Sassy Girl?"

"Director Wang, Director Lou, let me ask you, does this count as cultural export?"

Wang Xiaoshuai and Lou Ye looked at each other in confusion, which made Director Tong and Old Han on the stage very happy.

You bunch of pedantic literati need someone like Lu Kuan who is both civil and military to rule you!

Seeing that they were silent, Boss Lu pressed the issue: "Give us another example of our own."

"In the film industry, what is China's most effective tool for exporting its culture? It's commercial films, genre films, and kung fu films!"

Lu Kuan walked to the open space in the middle of the symposium and talked freely. Since he had decided to serve the Film Bureau today, he would do it well and pave the way for his future plans.

He continued to output fiercely.

"Director Wang just mentioned the need to protect art films to prevent them from falling victim to fierce and unbalanced market competition. But does protection really work?"

"In 2002, I went to Taiwan to promote the release of 'The Drummer'. I had a late-night chat with director Hou Xiaoxian, and he told me about the decline of the Taiwanese film market."

"In the early 90s, the Taiwanese government introduced a policy called the Film Subsidy Fund, which blindly supported art films and suppressed the economic value of commercial films."

"In less than two years, arthouse films became the mainstream of the Taiwanese film industry. The worst consequence was that audiences stopped going to theaters. Local Taiwanese films were completely dead. If you look at them today, you'll see Hollywood films have taken over 80 percent of the market share!"

"While we were drinking, Director Hou Xiaoxian told me that he regretted making 'A City of Sadness'. Can you understand the pain he felt?"

"A City of Sadness" is Hou Xiaoxian's film that won the Golden Lion in 1989. Why did he regret making it?
Everyone looked at Lu Kuan, eager to hear the answer.

Boss Lu paused before speaking word by word, "Hou Xiaoxian regrets it deeply because he made an art film that won the Golden Lion Award in 1989. This misled the Taiwanese government into believing that art films were mainstream and could save Taiwanese cinema."

"The following year, in 1990, the authorities introduced a film subsidy policy, heavily subsidizing art films. This forced all young directors in Taiwan to focus solely on art films, ultimately causing the entire Taiwan film market to collapse!"

"Last year, there were only 15 local films in Taiwan, and the combined box office revenue was less than 2000 million. What does that mean?"

"Everyone, I can say this: if you pursue your own style of art film creation, that is your freedom, but do not use the excuse that art films need protection to try to influence policy."

He suddenly emphasized his tone: "Otherwise, you will become the sinners of mainland films! The sinners who drive away audiences and harm investors!"

"This! How can you say that!"

“Is it wrong for us to make the movies we like?”

The seven gentlemen looked angry, and even Lou Ye, who looked like an old farmer, blushed a little.

What do you mean? Just because I make some art films, I become the sinner of Chinese films?

Where is the reasoning here?
The whole audience was in an uproar, only Director Tong took a sip of tea with a feeling of peace of mind.

This Lu Kuan should be mixed with others to deal with it. This damn shit pot was put on without leaving any trace. Good job!
Fortunately, this guy is my general today!

The debate that lasted for thirty minutes was so exciting. The seven gentlemen fought each other in turns, and Boss Lu was not at a disadvantage.

The key is that he can always quote classics, present facts, reason, and list data to make his views meaningful.

This easy-to-understand speech attracted frequent nodding of the heads not only of the professionals present but also of the volunteer students from Beijing Film Academy.

This is the overall perspective of a reborn person. He stepped out of this small period of history and looked down at the entire development process of domestic films. How could there be any rivals?

Chief Jia is the youngest among the Seven Gentlemen. Seeing that his brothers are not capable enough, he lets Lu Kuan perform a solo and resolutely steps forward.

He changed his strategy and threw the problem to the other party.

"Director Lu, do you acknowledge the value of art films?"

Lu Kuan nodded: "Of course, this is the private domain of every film director, including me."

"Well, if you think the protection policy shouldn't be implemented, then tell us, tell everyone, how should art films be supported?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang, Han Shanping and others frowned. This question was very tricky.

You, Lu Kuan, said that we can't do this or that, and you almost ruined Chinese films.

So, what do you say, how can we do this?

Director Tong, didn’t you drag him out to challenge us? Then you have to accept what he said, right?

If Lu Kuan proposes any policy without any measure, Chief Jia will immediately take action and ask the authorities to agree to his measures and consider implementing them.

Concubine Liu Yi was so nervous that her palms were sweating. She looked at Tian Zhuangzhuang’s frown opposite her and knew that this was not an easy question to answer.

There are many pitfalls.

It’s a pity that Chief Jia met an opponent as cunning as a fox.

Boss Lu decided to cut off the source of the problem, break out of this vicious circle of protection and non-protection, and give these self-indulgent directors a slap in the face.

Lu Kuan sneered and said, "I want to correct a misconception of yours first."

"Why do art films need protection? Why don't art films have an audience?"

"Japanese director Ozu is an art film director, right? His all-time box office total ranks among the top ten in Japan."

"Kubrick was an art film director, wasn't he? 2001: A Space Odyssey cost $1000 million and grossed $5600 million in North America."

"There's also Woody Allen, the Coen brothers, and even Ang Lee. Can you say that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon didn't do well at the box office?"

Boss Lu concluded his speech with a touch of malice: "Everyone, as directors, perhaps we should reflect on ourselves and ask ourselves whether we have worked hard enough over the years. Why do other arthouse directors have box office success while ours are ignored?"

"Instead of worrying about whether to protect or not!"

Wang Xiaoshuai had a bad temper and immediately slammed the table and stood up: "Lu Kuan, you might not have been born when we were making the movie. How can you talk like that?"

"Do you know how to respect?"

If the previous debate was still about the facts, then Lu Kuan's final remarks directly rose to the level of questioning their artistic talent.

The seven gentlemen all turned red and their defense was completely broken!

(End of this chapter)