A widower's entertainment

Compared to Lin Youcheng's calm and composed demeanor after learning of his Oscar nomination, the outside news was truly frenzied, especially in Hong Kong. It's worth noting that while Leslie Cheung winning the Cannes Best Actor award was quite remarkable, he wasn't the first. Other actors from China have also won acting awards at the three major European film festivals.

Ge You had won the Cannes Best Actor award before Leslie Cheung, so it's not exactly a historic achievement for Cheung to win it again.

However, the Oscar nomination for Best Actor was completely different, truly making history.

The news media in Hong Kong are reporting on this matter like crazy; it's incredibly popular.

Oscar nominations announced: Leslie Cheung becomes the first Chinese actor nominated for Best Actor.

A historic breakthrough! Leslie Cheung is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in "The Human Comedy".

"The Pride of Hong Kong Actors: Leslie Cheung's Oscar Nomination for Best Actor Draws Global Attention"

……

News reports like these appeared one after another, and it can be said that the Chinese-language film and television industry in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong was instantly shocked and agitated by this news at the beginning of 1998.

Many veteran directors and actors in Hong Kong immediately offered their congratulations, which were also featured in magazines and newspapers.

Wang Jiawei, who missed the opportunity to work with Leslie Cheung on the film "Happy Together," said: "Congratulations to Leslie! I have always admired his acting! I hope to have the opportunity to work with him again."

In an interview, Ann Hui praised him, saying, "This is the pride of Hong Kong. His nomination is well-deserved. I've seen the movie 'Human Wonders,' and he acted very well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have won the Cannes Best Actor award. Of course, I think we should congratulate director Li An even more. He is really amazing! His film 'Human Wonders' has opened up a broader international perspective for all Chinese actors, allowing the world to see the unique charm of Chinese-language performances. It is a glory for the entire Chinese-language film industry."

Of course, reporters would also run over to Cheng Long. What could Cheng Long say? Of course, he would congratulate and congratulate him.

Besides Jackie Chan, other celebrities like Anita Mui and Tony Leung also congratulated Leslie Cheung in front of reporters.

Of course, to be honest, many actors genuinely admire Leslie Cheung.

Even Zhang Manyu, who co-starred with Leslie Cheung in "The Strange Tales of Other People", was envious and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Leslie, on your Oscar nomination. I'm really envious."

Although the three major European film festivals are highly prestigious, and she is a Best Actress winner at the Berlin Film Festival, what is unattainable is the most attractive.

She was well aware of how difficult it was for Asian actors to get an Oscar nomination, which made her very envious of Leslie Cheung.

Upon hearing Zhang Manyu's words, Leslie Cheung smiled and said, "Thank you. Let's go to the Oscars together sometime!"

As the female lead in "Human Tales," a film nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture, Zhang Manyu was naturally eligible to attend the Oscars ceremony.

It's worth noting that Zhang Manyu also attended the Golden Globe Awards ceremony with the cast of "Human Wonders" before. However, although "Human Wonders" received several nominations at that time, it only won technical awards and did not win any major awards.

"Of course, I hope you win the award."

Leslie Cheung shook his head and said, "You know, that's simply impossible."

Leslie Cheung was well aware that he was already very lucky to be nominated, and he had never thought about winning an award. Moreover, a Cannes Best Actor award was enough to prove his acting skills.

However, he felt mostly grateful to Lin Youcheng.

Because he was well aware that the overwhelming publicity and congratulations were all because of Lin Youcheng. This play, or rather this role, was truly created because of Lin Youcheng.

"That's true, but we really have to thank Director Li An and screenwriter Lin."

Zhang Manyu also said this directly, and she knew that the success of this movie was inseparable from those two.

Although Zhang Manyu did not win an award, the film was very popular worldwide and performed very well at the box office, which naturally brought her, the film's leading actress, a lot of attention.

Although the attention and fame brought by these films are far less than those of Leslie Cheung, the more successful the film "Human Tales" became, the more she, as the leading actress, naturally benefited, since this film is now considered one of her representative works.

Of course, Zhang Manyu initially starred in this film simply because she was moved by the story of "Strange Tales of the Human World," and the success she has achieved so far is an unexpected bonus.

Leslie Cheung nodded and said, "That's right, we really need to thank Director Li An and Brother Lin."

In Leslie Cheung's heart, the person he should be most grateful to is naturally Lam Yau-shing. There's no other reason than that if it weren't for Lam Yau-shing's recommendation, he might have taken the role in Wong Kar-wai's "Happy Together." He had heard that Andy Lau had gone through a lot of hardship reshoots abroad, especially with the subsequent reports and hype about Andy Lau's sexual orientation. This made Leslie Cheung extremely glad that he hadn't taken the role in "Happy Together."

Of course, the most important reason was that if I acted in that movie, I would really miss out on "The Human Exemplar".

Leslie Cheung felt incredibly fortunate that he had made the right decision.

Of course, he has always been very grateful to Lin Youcheng. Lin Youcheng had told him before that he would write a good role and a good script for him in the future. Ni Yongxiao in "Infernal Affairs 2" was already his representative role. He did not expect that there would be a role called Lin Qi later.

He was truly very grateful to Lin Youcheng.

"It's a pity that Brother Lin probably won't be going to the Oscars with us."

Hearing Leslie Cheung's words, Zhang Manyu couldn't help but nod. Clearly, she knew that screenwriter Lin Youcheng didn't care about foreign film awards at all. Even though he had won the Oscar for Best Screenplay twice, he hadn't gone to the ceremony to accept the award.

That's really quite unique.

While everyone knows that the success of the film "Human Tales" is most thanks to director Li An and screenwriter Lin Youcheng, the most attention is now focused on actor Leslie Cheung, who works behind the scenes.

Not only in Hong Kong, but also in mainland China, there are numerous news reports discussing this matter. Many film and television media outlets have launched special reports reviewing Leslie Cheung's acting career, outlining the journey of Chinese actors striving for the Oscars, and praising him for writing a new chapter in the Chinese film industry with his acting skills.

It could even be said that this year's Oscar nominations will be reported not only domestically but also internationally.

International media also paid close attention, with mainstream media worldwide focusing on this historic event; The New York Times even published an article reporting on it.

"Leslie Cheung's nomination marks the first breakthrough for a Chinese actor in a core Hollywood acting award, and is an important milestone in the Oscars' diversification process. Cheung's performance in the film combines Eastern restraint with international dynamism. The entire performance is delicate yet powerful, vividly interpreting the complex emotions of the character. His nomination breaks down geographical and cultural boundaries, proving that good performances can transcend language barriers. This is of great significance to Asian actors and even the global diverse film and television ecosystem."

Following this, the Los Angeles Times magazine focused more on reporting on the film *Human Wonders*, and of course, on Leslie Cheung's nomination, which marked a significant leap from zero to one, setting a new benchmark for Asian actors. Cheung's nomination showed the world that the Oscars did not discriminate against foreign actors. Okay, that's just rambling.

If there were truly no discrimination, how could it be that only Leslie Cheung has been nominated so far? What about John Lone and the other Asian actors?

However, at this time, the Hollywood media naturally want to boast that their Oscars are very fair and just, welcoming and open to all excellent films from around the world.

Of course, all of this is because the fact that the film "Human Wonders" was nominated for an Oscar is a really big deal, especially since Leslie Cheung was nominated for Best Actor, and the film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture. Also, the Chinese director, Li An, was nominated for Best Director.

All of this undoubtedly proves that "Human Wonders" is a truly excellent film.

The film "Human Wonders," which had been gradually fading from the mainland Chinese film market, has once again sparked a frenzy due to its Oscar nomination, stimulating a surge in box office revenue for a film that should have been taken off the screens long ago.

This movie was already very popular, and its release time was repeatedly extended. Now, with the addition of an Oscar nomination, it has truly become a hit again.

"Shall we go see 'The Human Story'?"

"Haven't you seen it before?"

"Who says you can't watch it again after you've already seen it? This movie was nominated for an Oscar, and Leslie Cheung was nominated for Best Actor, so of course I have to go and support this movie again."

"Hey, you're right. Let's go see this movie again. Anyway, it's a really great movie, and I'm always moved every time I watch it."

……

As some people have said, the movie "Human Wonders" has become popular again in the film market because of its Oscar nomination. It is worth noting that the box office of "Human Wonders" has already exceeded 300 million.

The only way to break this box office record is whether the later release of "Titanic" can surpass it.

However, at least for now, the film's box office performance is still rising.

It's not just the general public who are discussing it; naturally, it's also being discussed within the mainland film industry. Of course, as film professionals, they all know that this is due to director Li An's skill, but they also know that screenwriter Lin Youcheng is incredibly talented.

After all, the original novel was written by Lin Youcheng, and this script was also written by Lin Youcheng. Now, Lin Youcheng has once again been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

If we're talking about who's awesome, we have to start with Lin Youcheng.

Chen Aige also learned that Li An's "Human Wonders" had been nominated for multiple Oscars. In fact, he was a little envious. You know, he also wanted to adapt and film "Human Wonders" at the beginning, but the technical conditions were not suitable at that time. Later, he collaborated with Lin Youcheng on "Atonement". He also knew that the Oscars required award promotion. But now that he saw Li An's success, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Youcheng, are you sure you're not going to the Oscars?"

"This is the pride of Chinese-language cinema."

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard Chen Aige's words, and said, "You went there before, didn't you? How was it?"

"It's such a pity that 'Farewell My Concubine' didn't win any awards."

Chen Aige also looked regretful and said, "I wish my film could have won the Best Foreign Language Film award back then."

Upon hearing Chen Aige's words, Lin Youcheng couldn't help but say, "One Palme d'Or is enough. Who knows what will happen with the Oscars?"

This award is currently very popular in China, but the Oscars will likely remain just that in the future.

Chen Aige also envied Lin Youcheng's attitude, as if he didn't care at all. When he came to Lin Youcheng to tell him that "Atonement" had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Lin Youcheng was very calm and did not go to the Oscar ceremony with him.

Even after Lin Youcheng won two Oscars and was nominated multiple times, he never attended an awards ceremony, which truly impressed Chen Aige.

You have to admit it!

This person genuinely doesn't care.

"Actually, your story is better. The reverse life of turning young again is really amazing! Of course, Li An's filming is also really good."

"I heard that when Leslie Cheung was interviewed by reporters, he kept thanking you for recommending him for the role."

Lin Youcheng smiled upon hearing Chen Aige's words. Zhang Guorong had indeed thanked him more than once. He said, "His performance was worthwhile."

"That's right, he should have won the Cannes Best Actor award back when he starred in 'Farewell My Concubine'."

Chen Aige was aware of this as well, because "Farewell My Concubine" won the Palme d'Or, which prevented Leslie Cheung from winning Best Actor. However, this time, "Human Tales" also failed to win the Palme d'Or, and Leslie Cheung won Best Actor instead.

However, the fact that "Human Wonders" has now received multiple Oscar nominations proves that the film is fully deserving of the Palme d'Or.

He was aware of the controversy surrounding the judging panel in the main competition at that time. They even awarded two silver medals, and the chairman of the jury even cried later, but still didn't give the grand prize to the film he liked. It was quite a dramatic moment.

Chen Aige glanced at Lin Youcheng and suddenly remembered that he had been invited to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival this year. He wondered if Lin Zhaomei's film would be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Youcheng, how's the post-production editing of Zhaomei's movie going?"

"I don't know yet, and I haven't asked."

Lin Youcheng shook his head and said, "She knows what she's doing."

Chen Aige didn't ask any more questions. Some things are better left unsaid. Instead, she brought up "Strange Tales of the Human World" again and exclaimed, "Li An, this time you really did something remarkable."

"Of course, you're amazing too!"

Hearing Chen Aige's words, Lin Youcheng smiled, a very happy smile. (End of Chapter)