The literary era since 1979

"Before In the Mood for Love was released, I said that most movies about extramarital affairs are about guilt or passion."

Facing the last question raised by the reporter, Fang Yan spoke eloquently: "I want to explore something different, such as collusion. In a way, In the Mood for Love is a bit like Hitchcock's Rear Window. In this movie, the neighbors are not just background characters, but active participants in the plot. Their existence and their gazes have become part of the story - they are accomplices, but unlike Rear Window, what they witnessed was not murder, but an extramarital affair. The real crime is not betrayal, but being seen."

"I think the most attractive thing about In the Mood for Love is not the betrayal itself, but the re-enactment of the story: like the two sides of a coin, the betrayed couple plays the betrayer, dissecting infidelity as a crime, and in the end, even they themselves can't distinguish the performance from the truth. Life imitates art until art becomes life..."

After the interview, he walked straight into the theater with Gong Xing, Zhu Lin, Zhang Guorong and others.

As soon as he entered the room, he praised Zhu Lin in a low voice, "You just answered very well, keep it up from now on."

Zhu Lin's tense heartstrings relaxed. "Really? I thought I would say something wrong."

"I've translated this."

Fang Yan said that even if Zhu Lin said something wrong or couldn't answer, he would find ways to make up for her.

"Ah."

Zhu Lin blinked his eyes full of gratitude.

"It would be best if you could attend all the parties in the next few days. If you can't, you should show up. This will increase your international reputation."

Fangyan's suggestion was also to help Zhu Lin quickly increase her exposure so as to enhance her competitiveness in the upcoming Best Actress competition.

Zhu Lin pursed his lips, "Then can I still ask you to continue to be my translator?"

"Of course no problem." Fang Yan agreed without thinking.

Zhu Lin's eyes flickered and the smile on his lips grew wider and wider until Hou Hsiao-hsien, Liang Chaowei and others came towards him, then he restrained his smile.

"Hahaha."

Hou Hsiao-hsien couldn't stop smiling, and expressed his gratitude to Fang Yan, Gong Xing and others for coming to support "A City of Sadness".

Liang Chaowei looked at Zhang Guorong and was more envious of his popularity at the Venice Film Festival, especially after In the Mood for Love was broadcast, rather than reading in the newspaper that Farewell My Concubine won him the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Oscar.

"If an actor can act in a movie like Farewell My Concubine or In the Mood for Love in his lifetime, he can say that he has no regrets!"

"What Wei Zai said is absolutely correct."

Hou Hsiao-Hsien sincerely said: "After watching In the Mood for Love, I have to admire Fang Sheng, Director Gong, and Rong Shao. You can write, shoot, and act out such a plain story of extramarital affair in such a tasteful way. It really makes me feel inferior."

"you flatter me."

Fang Yan and Gong Xing smiled at each other, and Fang Yan praised "A City of Sadness" in return, although he had not seen the movie yet.

Hou Hsiao-hsien sighed, "I hope I can catch your eye."

"Director Hou, there's no need to be so self-deprecating. Not only are we looking forward to your film, but Director Xie on the jury is also looking forward to it."

Fang Yan said that Xie Jin would definitely bring Chairman Biraghi, Film Selection Director Marco Muller and others to show their support later.

"I'll tell you the truth."

Hou Hsiao-hsien said that originally "A City of Sadness" did not receive much attention, but when it was reported that the crew of "In the Mood for Love" would attend, both the media and the audience flocked to the theater, which was equivalent to "A City of Sadness" riding on the popularity of "In the Mood for Love".

Dialects don't matter, but in fact there are huge differences. Hou Hsiao-hsien is being too modest.

Even though the screening of "A City of Sadness" was not attended by the crew of "In the Mood for Love", the venue with a capacity of 2000 people was almost full, although it cannot be compared with the packed screenings of "In the Mood for Love" these days.

Fangyan was arranged to sit next to Xie Jin, Marco Muller and others, and they exchanged a few words of greeting with each other.

"You are really good. You were able to write about "The Horse Herder" in such a pure way, and you were able to write about extramarital affairs in such a heart-wrenching way."

Xie Jin teased jokingly.

"It is mainly due to the good director and good actors that the film can be made like this."

Fangyan grinned.

"Xiaoxiang is now even better than his teacher and has become the golden signboard of our Shanghai Film Studio."

As an elder, Xie Jin gave him an approving look.

"It's all thanks to Iwako, otherwise I wouldn't have become a director."

Gong Xing was quite impressed.

Xie Jin turned his gaze back to Fang Yan and smiled slyly:

"The most discussed topic among the jury these days is In the Mood for Love. Do you want to know how they evaluated your film?"

"Let's forget it. We can't let Director Xie make a mistake and ruin your reputation. It's better not to use this backdoor."

Fangyan smiled.

"Even if you want to take the back door, there is no way."

Xie Jin cursed with a smile, saying that what he said before was just a joke.

However, although no specific details of the jury's evaluation were revealed, it was pointed out that Chinese films were more discussed than films from other countries.

“Including A City of Sadness?”

Fangyan raised his eyebrows.

“That depends on the quality of Director Hou and A City of Sadness.”

Xie Jin said leisurely.

"Interesting, when the time comes, two Chinese films will compete against each other, and they will be films from the mainland and Taiwan..."

Considering the political impact, Fangyan did not continue speaking, but instead focused on the movie that was about to be released.

………………

The rating of "A City of Sadness" is not low, with the four major program magazines of the Venice Film Festival giving it scores ranging from 2.8 to 3.1.

Among the dozen or so films in the main competition unit, it is considered to be among the best, and can even be ranked fifth.

Of course, the jury will not simply cast their vote for a film based on the score given in the brochure. Especially for the Golden Lion Award, unanimous approval is required from all members of the jury, so when there is a dispute between two or three films, multiple rounds of voting are required.

This argument will continue until the closing ceremony, and the voting results will be announced at the awards ceremony.

Fang Yan, Gong Xing and others were specially arranged to appear during the prime time of the red carpet show, after all, they are the most popular crew at the moment.

Accompanied by Fangyan, Zhu Lin attended various cocktail parties and screenings held at the Venice Film Festival and has completely adapted to such big occasions.

The red carpet that extends to the Film Palace is twenty to thirty meters long. Walking along it with light and confident steps.

Walking into the venue, Zhu Lin looked up and saw the surroundings. There was a lot of noise everywhere, and people from all over the world were communicating in different languages. Soon, the venue was crowded with people, and the shortlisted crews, hosts, and judges all arrived.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after countless days and nights of screenings, we finally have this wonderful night. I believe you are all looking forward to it just like me, because we can have a good sleep tomorrow."

The host spoke a lot, with witty remarks one after another, which made the whole audience burst into laughter.

At this moment, a voice in dialect suddenly came to everyone's ears, "Have you prepared your acceptance speech?"

"I've memorized it." Zhang Guorong said calmly, "I just don't know if I can use it."

Zhu Lin took a deep breath and noticed that Fang Yan was looking at him, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

........................

The Venice Film Festival initially gave out small awards, such as the Critics' Weekly Award, the Baston Bianco Film Critics Award...

About 15 minutes later, it was time for an award that deserved everyone's attention, the Best New Actor Award.

Judge Daniel Heyman took the envelope and walked onto the stage: "I am very happy to gather with filmmakers from all over the world. Here we have witnessed the birth of countless potential newcomers who are passionate about acting. They are the future of the film industry and the inheritors of performing arts..."

"Next, let me announce the winner of the Marcelo Mastroianni Award."

As he spoke, he opened the envelope and read out the words without any suspense: "In the Mood for Love, Zhu!"

The eyes of the whole audience were simultaneously cast on this Chinese actress who has appeared frequently in the media recently. The moment she heard the award result, she fell into a brief shock, until her best friend Gong Xian hugged her tightly, and she seemed to wake up from a dream.

"Great! Great!"

Gong Xing's face was filled with joy.

Zhu Lin's throat moved, and he was unable to express himself in words. With tears in his eyes, he smiled and accepted the congratulations from Zhang Guorong, Wang Jiawei and others.

Especially Fang Yan, who was so excited that he had forgotten the existence of Gong Xing. He hugged Fang Yan in front of her and whispered softly:
"Thank you."

"Go on stage and enjoy your moment."

Fangyan clapped his hands and watched Zhu Lin walk up to the podium amid applause.

Under the lights, Zhu Lin held the trophy in his hands and tried his best to control his emotions, but the slight tremor in his voice still revealed his mood at the moment.

"This is the most unforgettable moment of my life. I want to thank the jury! I want to thank the entire crew!"

"Thanks to my partner, Zhang Guorong! Thank you to Gong Xing and director Wang Jiawei!"

"Of course I also have to thank Fang Yan. When I first received the script and heard that he wanted me to be the female lead, I refused at first because the role of 'Su Lizhen' is completely different from the image I have played before. I have never played in a movie about extramarital affairs."

"But he told me that I shouldn't be limited by the role. A good actor should have all kinds of possibilities and plasticity. Don't limit yourself to a fixed image. You should be good at breaking yourself down, be brave to try and dare to break through..."

Many of the guests had envy in their eyes. They felt so lucky to be chosen by Fangyan as the heroine!

As Zhu Lin spoke, he cast his gaze towards the audience.

The camera lens also followed her gaze, aiming at Fangyan many times. In the picture, he held his chin with one hand and stared at the stage with a smile.

After finishing his acceptance speech, Zhu Lin walked off the stage gracefully amid applause from the audience.

"congratulations!"

Zhang Guorong and others congratulated him, but Gong Xing was the one who keenly noticed the complexity in Fangyan's eyes.

Fang Yan did not hide it, "I just feel it's a bit of a pity. After winning this award, I'm afraid it will be difficult to compete for the Best Actress award next time."

"I'm already content."

Zhu Luke did not think that he could win the first prize in his debut on the international film festival stage. You know, "Farewell My Concubine", which was even better than "In the Mood for Love", failed to help Zhang Guorong win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Of course, it was also restricted by the Cannes award rules.

Besides, she didn't want to be crowned the queen, because this would reduce the chances of Zhang Guorong winning the Best Actor Award and "In the Mood for Love" winning the Golden Lion Award.

"You are always so considerate."

Gong Xing held her hand.

Then the awards came one after another, and basically there was an international award between every two awards, such as the Best Screenplay Award for "I Want to Go Home", the Best Photography Award for "So There Was Light", and in between there was a UNICEF Award.

In addition, there are the Catholic Humanitarian Award, the Italian Senate President Gold Medal...

Unexpectedly, "A City of Sadness" also won the UNESCO Award.

In comparison, "In the Mood for Love" fell silent afterwards, as if it had achieved nothing, but this was within everyone's expectations.

The more this happens, the greater the possibility that In the Mood for Love will win the Golden Lion Award and that Zhang Guorong will win the Venice Film Festival Best Actor Award.

"Give me one too."

Gong Xing noticed Fang Yan taking out a piece of Wrigley's gum from his pocket.

"Do you want it?"

In the dialect, chewing gum is scattered like smoke. Eating it by yourself is called "li ji" (benefit for oneself), and eating it with others is called "li qun" (benefit for the group).

Zhang Guorong chewed gum in his mouth to release the pressure in his heart, especially as the Best Actor and Actress and Golden Lion Awards were getting closer and closer.

In addition to the "Golden Lion Award" similar to the 'Best Film', the Venice Film Festival also adheres to the principle of dividing the cake and will award special awards, special jury awards, and honorary nominations to the second, third, and fourth place winners of the Golden Lion Award voting results, which are all Silver Lion Awards.

Among them, "A City of Sadness" won the Special Jury Silver Lion Award, which was also the first time that a Chinese-language film won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.

"It seems that the internal fighting can no longer continue."

Fangyan couldn't help but make a joke.

"Infighting?"

Gong Xing was puzzled.

Fang Yan said: "Director Xie has always felt that among the films competing in the Venice Film Festival this time, the biggest threat to In the Mood for Love, apart from So There Was Light, is Director Hou's A City of Sadness. We both once thought that a big battle would break out for the Golden Lion Award."

Gong Xing suddenly realized, "So we can't fight now, right?"

"If we can win a Golden Lion Award or the Best Actor or Best Actress, it would be a double blessing and everyone would be happy."

After Fangyan finished speaking, it was time to present the Best Actress award.

The result was indeed as expected. Zhu Lin missed the Best Actress award, which was given to the Italian war film, "She Left Early".

Fortunately, Zhu Lin had prepared himself mentally long ago, and there was no trace of disappointment on his face. Instead, he was looking forward to winning the Best Actor award even more.

Xie Jin walked onto the stage with a smile. He didn't make any grand opening remarks, nor did he deliberately create any suspense. He just went straight to the point:
"The Best Actor of the 46th Venice International Film Festival is Zhang Guorong from In the Mood for Love!" (End of this chapter)