Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 909 Came for the Movie
Chen Fan glanced at the crowd still arguing fiercely, walked to his seat, lit a cigarette, and asked Bian Huifang, who had followed him, "Does Jiangying Film Studio only have four votes? Why not buy more?"

Bian Huifang pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. She turned her head and glanced at him, then whispered, "Director, you don't know, four tickets for one unit is already considered a lot. This is only because we are a film studio that we can order so many 'Popular Cinema' magazines."

Many workplaces only had one ballot, but thousands of workers wanted to vote. To select the most representative film, the factory even organized a special voting event. Then, in front of all the factory workers, the results were filled out, placed in envelopes, and mailed—it was a very solemn ceremony.

Chen Fan blinked, somewhat confused. "Is that so?"

The so-called ballot was actually a single page attached to the magazine "Popular Cinema". Getting a ballot was very simple, just buy a copy of "Popular Cinema" and that would be enough. Why make such a big deal out of it?

Seeing that Chen Fan couldn't understand, Bian Huifang understood his thoughts to some extent, so she explained in a low voice, "Director, you don't understand. In fact, most newspapers and magazines these days are subscribed to in the name of the work unit. Very few people buy these magazines on their own."

Chen Fan squinted, as if he understood.

So you're saying you've subscribed to too many newspapers and magazines? Did I subscribe to those myself? You arranged it all for me, saying things like, "Since I have a high salary and often forget to collect my subscriptions, I might as well subscribe to a few more magazines to keep for myself."

I think you just want to see it yourself!
Bian Huifang had no idea that the leader had seen through her little scheme, and continued to explain, "Think about it, the wages of ordinary workers are so low, and the wages of young workers are low, only twenty or thirty yuan a month, which is barely enough to support themselves. The higher-paid ones are mostly middle-aged and elderly people who have families to support and have to stretch every penny. Where would they get extra money to buy newspapers?"
Therefore, most working-class families have to carefully calculate their income and live within their means. The money spent on newspapers and magazines may not seem like much, but it adds up to a considerable amount, and few people are willing to spend that money.

the most important is……"

Bian Huifang smiled and pointed to the newspapers and magazines in the hands of a few people, chuckling, "The company subscribes to newspapers and magazines. If you want to read something, just go to the company's cultural center and read it directly. Why do you need to buy them yourself?"

Chen Fan suddenly realized, "So, the vast majority of workers don't buy newspapers and magazines. Those who like to buy books are basically artsy young people, and they buy literary books that their companies don't usually order?"

Bian Huifang nodded gently and smiled, “Magazines like Popular Cinema are very popular. Almost every organization subscribes to them. Some people who are not short of money may also buy them themselves, but individuals who buy them will definitely keep the votes for themselves.”

Those purchased by the work unit naturally belong to the collective.

This means that magazine ballots can't be filled out arbitrarily; they require the consent of all factory workers. Otherwise, if workers object, the union leaders will directly question the factory management, and in serious cases, they might even report it to higher authorities, who will then hold the relevant leaders accountable.

Chen Fan was stunned. Was the union really this serious at this time of year?
He suddenly became curious and asked, "How did the factory workers choose these movie lists?"

"I really know this."

Bian Huifang chuckled and said, "My dad is the deputy director of the No. 3 Radio Factory in the provincial capital, in charge of cultural publicity, which is exactly what he's responsible for. I heard him mention that he was one of the representatives when the Hundred Flowers Awards were first held, so he's very good at handling it."

This time, my dad had the foresight to order three copies of "Popular Cinema" magazine. This gave the entire factory three votes, making it the second-largest unit after the film system.

To fill out these three ballots, he collected a list of all the factory workers who were interested in the film selection, then divided them into groups for discussion. After each group finished discussing, the results were posted on the bulletin board for public display, and then the number of votes for each candidate film was tallied.

Finally, a factory-wide meeting was held to announce the results. In the presence of all the workers, all three ballots were filled out, sealed in three envelopes, and given to the union chairman to mail.

Chen Fan was a bit overwhelmed and chuckled awkwardly, saying, "It's just choosing a movie, why do we need to use democratic centralism?"

Bian Huifang didn't laugh along with him, but said very seriously, "This is not just about choosing a movie, but represents the deep affection that moviegoers across the country have for our country's films."

Choosing the best film in the hearts of ordinary people is choosing a benchmark for cinema. This will encourage filmmakers nationwide to strive towards that benchmark, leading to even better films in the future!

She suddenly sighed regretfully, "It's such a pity that your film 'Little Lotus Just Beginning to Bloom' wasn't selected due to time constraints, otherwise it would definitely have received a lot of votes."

As for "Monk Comes Down the Mountain," forget about it. That movie was only released during this year's Spring Festival, long past the selection period.

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice, "It's okay, if it doesn't work this time, we can choose again next time."

Mr. Xia also said that the time period was inappropriate. Aren't they all movies from 79? What's inappropriate about them?

He suspected that the film's theme was too shallow, focusing on how educated youth returning to the city could become self-reliant, and lacking the weight of films like "Little Flower," "Tears," and "Ji Hongchang," which heavily depict major events of the era, so it was not included in the shortlist.

No worries, this film didn't make the cut, he still has another one. If "Monk Comes Down the Mountain" isn't on next year's shortlist, then don't blame him for asking the "monk" to come out of the mountain.

When it comes to arguing and being unreasonable, the three masters have never lost.

Yang Zhenlong and several others can testify!

When Bian Huifang heard Chen Fan say this, she nodded vigorously and said seriously, "Director, next time we have the Hundred Flowers Awards, we will all vote for 'Little Lotus Just Beginning to Bloom' and 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain.' You will definitely be the best!"

She also raised her right fist and swung it hard, shouting, "Go for it!"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Thanks. Let's keep going."

……

More than ten days passed in a blink of an eye.

May 20, Beijing, North Ring East Road.

North Ring East Road was first built in 1950 and was then called North Ring Road. The first time the section names appeared on the map was in 1964. The eastern end was called North Ring East Road, and the western end was naturally called North Ring West Road.

When the entire road was completed in 1981, it was officially named "North Third Ring Road".

Therefore, the present-day North Ring East Road is the future North Third Ring East Road.

At No. 22, North Third Ring Road East, there is a "Home of Filmmakers". As early as 1949, when the "All-China Film Art Workers Association" was established, it was located here, and it has remained unchanged for the past seventy or eighty years, making it one of the more steadfast organizations in the arts and culture sector.

Chen Fan was sitting in a conference room at the Filmmakers' Home, a cigarette between his fingers and a teacup in his other hand, watching with great interest as a group of filmmakers argued and discussed.

"The best feature film has to be 'Ji Hongchang.' 'Ji Hongchang' was so well made... Back when we were making this film, Li Guanghui and Qi Xingjia stayed up all night, and Changchun Film Studio also poured all its resources into supporting it..." "It's as if no one didn't support us. To make 'Little Flower,' Old Wang from Beijing Film Studio gave us money and manpower, but so what? We still didn't have enough film. The film was supposed to be 100 minutes long, but we only had 110 minutes of film, not a minute more. It all depended on the brilliant performances of the actors..."

"Fantastic! Who isn't fantastic?!"

A loud shout suddenly rang out in the conference room, startling Chen Fan so much that the cigarette in his hand trembled, and the long ash instantly fell to the ground.

"Did the actors in 'Erquan Yingyue' perform poorly? Or did the actors in 'Tears' fail to portray their characters deeply enough?"

Chen Fan watched everyone discussing excitedly, then looked at the vote count sheet in front of him and couldn't help but frown slightly.

At this moment, an elderly man in his sixties walked up to him, pulled out a chair, sat down, and smiled at him, saying, "Are you feeling a little uncomfortable? The audience has already voted for the winners, but the Film Association still organizes a discussion?"

Chen Fan looked at him, feeling that he was a bit unfamiliar, and smiled, "Excuse me, this is my first time here, may I ask?"

The older man chuckled, extended his right hand, and said with a smile, "No need to be embarrassed, it really is our first time meeting. Let me introduce myself, I am Liao Yiyuan, and I am now the general manager of Hong Kong New Union Film Company."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, immediately threw away his cigarette butt, and grasped the outstretched hand. "So it's Mr. Liao. I've heard so much about you."

Several Hong Kong film companies have close ties with the mainland, among which the three largest and most famous are Great Wall, Phoenix, and New Union.

Although they are called three companies, they can actually be considered as one. They can share resources such as directors and actors, and even collaborate on project production. They are no different from one family.

A few years later, the three companies did indeed merge into one, forming Hong Kong Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd.

Liao Yiyuan was the first chairman of Silver Metropolo Group.

His ability to secure this position was naturally related to his seniority. As early as the early 50s, he was already the editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po. Then, in 1952, he joined forces with some progressive individuals to establish the New Union Film Company, which produced many excellent films. At that time, it was known as one of the "Four Major Cantonese Film Companies" along with Chung Lien, Overseas Chinese Film Company, and Guangyi Film Company.

In 1956, Liao Yiyuan officially became the general manager of Xinlian Film Company, and later took charge of three companies: Great Wall, Phoenix and Xinlian.

Oh, the movie "Shaolin Temple" was produced under his personal supervision after Liao Gong made the suggestion.

Looking at Mr. Liao, Chen Fan was a little confused. Why was he here, and why was he taking the initiative to find him?

Mr. Liao laughed at Chen Fan, not immediately explaining his purpose, but looking at the many filmmakers still arguing and discussing, and said with a smile, "The Hundred Flowers Awards for Popular Films has established the principle of 'popular films judged by the public' since its inception. However, after two sessions, some leaders have expressed their appreciation for the selection and organization of the awards, but also made demands, requiring the Film Association to summarize its experience, expand the scope of participation in the selection, and go deep into rural areas, factories, and production teams to organize people from all walks of life to participate in the selection."

Chen Fan blinked, indicating that this request had nothing to do with the current situation.

Mr. Liao smiled and continued, "Later, due to strong winds, the Hundred Flowers Awards were suspended, and nothing came of it. It wasn't until last year's National Congress of Literary and Art Circles that a leader suggested considering restarting the Hundred Flowers Awards, which led to this year's grand event."

However, during the selection process, some comrades pointed out that the old political commissar had clearly stated at the literary and art congress that literary and artistic creation absolutely could not be separated from political guidance.

He stopped abruptly at this point.

Chen Fan understood, and looking at the many filmmakers who were still giving their speeches, he said in a low voice, "So the reason we're here to discuss this is to ensure that our direction is correct?"

Mr. Liao nodded slightly and said, "First of all, the list of candidate films is a hurdle. However, the threshold for this hurdle is a bit low. As long as there are no serious problems, they can all be included."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he listened. Why didn't my "The Lotus Just Begins to Show Its Tip" go in?

She herself didn't care, since filmmaking was just a side job and not even a hobby, but for Jiang Tiantian, it meant something quite different.

Even if she doesn't win the award in the end, it will be enough to make her happy for half a year.

Mr. Liao had no idea what someone was thinking to himself, and said to himself, "When audiences choose movies, they definitely choose the ones they like. But sometimes what the audience likes doesn't necessarily mean that the film has high artistic or promotional value. That's when professional filmmakers are needed to ensure that the film conforms to mainstream values."

Chen Fan nodded slightly, "Yes, after all, if something goes wrong, they won't be the ones getting blamed. It's normal for the leaders of the Film Association to be cautious."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Liao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Well, that makes sense."

After sharing some "little secrets," the two seemed to have grown much closer.

Chen Fan took the cigarette offered by him and asked with a smile, "Mr. Liao, you didn't come to see me just to explain these things to me, did you?"

Mr. Liao waved his hand and smiled, “It’s a bit too formal to always call me Mr. Liao. I’m a bit older than you and have a few more years of experience. If you think highly of me, you can call me Brother Shengyuan, or if we’re being professional, you can call me President Liao.”

If we're really talking about age, calling him uncle is perfectly fine.

But he really didn't dare to put on airs of a senior in front of Chen Fan. Putting aside Chen Fan's legendary background, just look at his own achievements. Apart from a few people like Ba Lao and Xia Lao, who would dare to easily call themselves a senior in front of him?
Outsiders may not know, but it's already widely known among the elite in the literary and art circles that Versailles Augustus, the author of the fantasy novel "Dragon Knight Legend" which is now popular in Europe and America, is none other than Chen Fan, a young writer from China.

In addition to this book, he also wrote another fantasy book, Saint Seiya, which was first published in a small bookstore.

In terms of bestseller success, with very few exceptions, even if most mainland Chinese writers were grouped together, they couldn't match his achievements.

In terms of literary achievement and depth, he is a disciple of Professor Xu Zurui, a master of Chinese studies, and has just obtained the first master's degree since the reform and opening up. His own thesis has caused a great sensation in the academic world, and he is far beyond the level of those who are engaged in film art or novel writing.

How can we compare these?
Chen Fan also held these veteran comrades who persisted in working on the cultural front in Hong Kong in high regard. When he heard Mr. Liao say this, he immediately smiled and said, "Then I will take the liberty of calling you Brother Yuan."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Brother Yuan, there must be another reason why you came to see me this time, right?"

Mr. Liao nodded and said, "That's right, I came here for the movie 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain'."

(End of this chapter)