Exciting 1979!

Chapter 269 The Base-Swapping Tactic: Northward and Southward

Before Wei Ming wrote out that familiar English song, "The Herdsman" was released.

Gong Xue, who had originally planned to come to Yanjing, would stay in Shanghai for a few more days to cooperate with the Shanghai Film Studio's publicity work. She made a long-distance call to Wei Ming to inform him of this.

Fortunately, Wei Ming was home at the time, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to hear his voice.

In fact, Wei Ming had seen the poster for "The Herdsman" when he passed by the nearby cinema these past two days. After all, it was a movie that already had a lot of buzz, and the cinemas regarded it as the biggest hit of the year.

This is Wei Ming's first film as a screenwriter, and also the first film adapted from his novel, which has special significance for him.

However, he didn't go see the movie right away after it was released because he and Sister Xue had made a promise to watch it together over the phone.

"Are you really not going?" Old Wei looked at his son again to confirm.

Wei Ming shook his head: "You two go ahead, I'll go see it myself when I have time."

Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen exchanged a glance, thinking that if he went by himself, he must have arranged to go with Xiao Gong. Of course, if he arranged to go with Xiao Zhu, then you're really something.

As one of the prototypes for the story of "The Herdsman", Lao Wei and Xu Shufen definitely wanted to see it. They had been waiting ever since they saw the release date in "Popular Cinema" magazine, and they even told Lao Sun about it when they went out.

"This movie is about my wife and me. It's really good. Old Sun, you can go and watch it when you have time."

Watching Wei Jiefang leave, showing off everywhere, Old Sun sighed: It's good to have a son who's a writer, he can even write about his parents' story. It's a pity my son is just an ordinary police station chief.

Old Wei and his friends went to the Daguanlou Cinema in Dashilan. Although it was only afternoon and a weekday, the 500-seat theater was already full, mostly with young people who were readers of the novel. This is what you call a big IP with its own built-in popularity.

The film uses a flashback narrative technique, starting with the male protagonist Xu Shengfang picking up his father at Yanjing International Airport and taking him to the Yanjing Hotel.

The father had an elite demeanor, while the son dressed simply, appearing old-fashioned and even somewhat weathered, but his handsome features were undeniable.

Because the audience consisted mostly of readers, they initially discussed the male lead, Zhu Shimao, feeling that this new actor was exactly the Xu Shengfang they had in mind.

Only Xu Shufen felt that he was still a bit lacking compared to the real-life figure in the story: "Our Lao Wei was much better than this actor when he was young. He wasn't as tall, his nose wasn't as straight, his eyes weren't as big, and he wasn't as educated, but he was still very, very good."

When the female lead, Wei Fenfang, appeared, although her face was dirty, her eyes were exceptionally clear and full of stories. After she washed her face, she amazed the audience.

Xu Shufen was very satisfied with Gong Xue; her pitiful appearance instantly brought back memories of that era.

Many of the audience members here were seeing Gong Xue's performance for the first time, and at that time, many cinemas were still showing "Good Things Take Time". After experiencing Gong Xue's beauty on the screen, they all had the idea of ​​watching "Good Things Take Time" again.

In the projection control room at the back, when one-fifth of the film had been shown, the projectionist picked up the second copy, while the first copy was immediately sent to a nearby cinema by the film runner.

"The Herdsman" was a key project of Shanghai Film Studio. With the support of a famous director and the popularity of the original work, 220 copies of the 35mm print were eventually released, which is second only to "Romance on Lushan Mountain" and "The 405 Murder Case" this year.

35mm prints are mainly used in urban cinemas. Although they are usually far fewer in number than 16mm and 8.75mm prints, 90% of the profits of film companies come from 35mm prints, as these are the ones that can actually sell tickets.

However, 220 film copies are still too few compared to the 2800 regular cinemas nationwide. They cannot even fully cover several provincial capitals, so the film distribution agent came into being.

A single film copy can hold 15 to 20 minutes of footage. A movie usually requires five to seven copies, so it is common for several theaters to share one copy.

After the first disc is shown at Cinema 1, it moves to the second cinema, then to the third, and so on.

This method saves on copying costs, but it's a bit labor-intensive.

Today, Wang Qiankun was the guy in charge of delivering copies of the film at Daguanlou Cinema. He delivered the copy to the nearby Hongqi Cinema and then rushed back to get the second copy, practically kicking sparks off his bicycle.

If any unexpected situation arises on the way, the audience at the Hongqi Cinema will have to wait. In the meantime, they can watch some newsreels or animated short films to tide them over.

When the third plate was being delivered, Wang Qiankun encountered an unexpected situation and bumped into someone. After much pleading and compensation, he was finally allowed to leave after paying 50 cents. He was heartbroken.

The audience at the Red Flag Cinema, including Zhu Lin, were waiting for him.

Zhu Lin was even more enthusiastic about watching "The Herdsman" than Wei Ming, and she came on the first day of its release. She wanted to see how Gong Xue would perform in the movie.

If you're going to compete for men, then compete in every aspect, including movies.

Her previous work, "The Traitor," was indeed not as good as "Good Things Take Time," but being fat first is not fat, and being fat later is overwhelming.

After watching for more than half an hour, I didn't see much of Gong Xue's screen time, and then it suddenly stopped. It took a full three minutes for the plot to resume. I thought they were going to show a newsreel again.

Later in the film, Gong Xue only appears in the male protagonist's memories, and she is almost always seen with Xi Zi. She only appears briefly at the very end. In a 100-minute movie, her screen time is only about 20 minutes, or maybe even less.

But Zhu Lin must honestly say that Gong Xue's ten or twenty minutes of screen time was even more captivating than in "Good Things Take Time." This highlights the difference between a renowned director and an ordinary one. Xie Jin filmed Gong Xue beautifully, yet the scene blended surprisingly well with the Northwest ranch environment, without appearing out of place.

Furthermore, Wei Ming's character also added a lot to Gong Xue's appeal. Zhu Lin could sense from the surrounding movie-watching atmosphere that Gong Xue was about to become famous, even more famous than "Good Things Take Time".

Ultimately, the film's quality is far superior. "The Herdsman" is a top choice in terms of both artistry and storytelling. In the coming period, both the film industry and audiences will likely focus their attention on this film and its two lead actors.

While Zhu Lin was happy for Wei Ming, she also felt a pang of envy for Gong Xue's impending rise to fame, wondering when she herself would ever have such a day of being the center of attention.

When she finished watching the movie, Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen, who had watched a copy of the movie a day earlier than her, had already come out and were buying groceries to cook dinner.

Throughout the journey, Xu Shufen repeatedly praised the film, saying it was the best movie she had seen this year, even surpassing the year's blockbuster, "Romance on Lushan Mountain."

Old Wei thought of his elderly father in Hong Kong. This secret had always been kept between him and his son, but his wife was also his closest person. They had been together for twenty years and had two children. What couldn't he tell her?

So when they got home, and Xu Shufen started preparing the meal, Lao Wei helped her out while they chatted.

"Shufen, what do you think if I suddenly had a father?"

"Is he also a billionaire living abroad? Should I take you abroad?"

“He’s not abroad, he’s in Hong Kong. He’s not a billionaire, but he owns a fairly large shop. And he won’t take me abroad. He’s the one who wants to go back to China.” Old Wei explained in detail.

Xu Shufen suddenly stopped what she was doing. "This doesn't sound like a hypothetical situation."

"Liberation, didn't our father pass away a long time ago?"

Old Wei: "Later, it happened again."

"what?"

Old Wei pulled her to sit on a small stool: "Do you remember last year before the Lunar New Year, our family received a strange letter from Hong Kong, and then we came to Yanjing to see our son?"

"remember."

"That was written by Xiaoming's grandfather..." Then Lao Wei recounted the whole story, including how he was seriously injured and how his great-grandfather used a fake death to get him to Taiwan for treatment, and how he ended up in Hong Kong, wanting to go home but unable to.

Xu Shufen was speechless after hearing this, feeling that her husband's experience was much more complicated than that of the male protagonist in the movie!

"I...I'm a little confused."

Old Wei: "Don't panic. I'm not asking you for advice. I just thought we could keep this from Xiao Hong and Ping An, but not from my wife. So I said that. As for whether he can come back or whether we can go see him, let's leave that to our son. He's capable, after all."

Xu Shufen nodded, agreeing with her husband's point. Let the capable and intelligent people worry about such complicated matters.

~
At this moment, a clever man named Wei Ping'an was taking his whole family to the cinema to watch "The Herdsman," both to support his nephew's work and to celebrate his son's acting debut. They were all very curious about how Xizi would perform.

The movie theater was packed with people, and the ticket line stretched for miles. Since the theater was near Tsinghua and Peking Universities, most of the people there were students from those two universities. Wei Ping'an recognized several of them, such as Liang Zuo, Liu Zhenyun, and his girlfriend Guo Jianmei.

Although they hadn't seen Xizi even halfway through the movie, the content had already deeply captivated them. Reading a novel is one experience, but watching a movie offers a completely different kind of immersive experience.

"Ah, brother!" When the son of the male and female leads made his first appearance, Lele was the first to shout out in support. Lü Xiaoyan quickly covered her mouth, while Xizi was already silent. So this is what it feels like to see yourself on the big screen. How wonderful.

Later on, there was a scene where he had to cry, and he was crying because he wanted a toy car. He felt a little ashamed, so he quickly slid under the seat and didn't sit up again until the scene was over.

As Wei Ping'an walked out of the movie theater, he listened attentively to the discussions of the students around him.

As the country becomes more and more open, foreign ideas are flooding in, and college students are also gaining their first impressions of foreign countries, especially the United States, through various channels.

That is the lighthouse, something everyone yearns for.

"Didn't five students from our department go to study in the United States last year? I heard that one senior and one senior are not planning to come back."

"Compared to Xu Shengfang, they really have no faith at all. Xu Shengfang has hundreds of millions of assets abroad but he doesn't go. They have nothing abroad, but they would rather wash dishes than not stay. The difference is obvious."

"Yes, like Xu Shengfang, I believe in the future of our motherland. I will also apply to study in the United States, but I will bring back advanced foreign technology to build our motherland! I also believe that our motherland will not let down a talent like me. There is a better future here than abroad."

Hearing these words, Wei Ping'an felt very gratified. Ordinary people might be able to live better lives abroad, at least their material conditions would be more abundant, but as talents from the country's top universities, they stayed in the great situation of reform and opening up, and their future is promising.

In recent days, with the popularity of the movie "The Herdsman", this novel published a year ago has been revitalized. People's Literature Publishing House has already reprinted "Animal Ferocity" in advance, and many people who have not read the original work before will look for the original work to read as soon as possible.

Newspapers and magazines also recreated the nationwide discussion that took place when "The Herdsman" was first published. However, this time it was about the movie. In addition to discussions about the story and values, there was also affirmation of director Xie Jin and extra attention paid to the two new lead actors, Zhu Shimao and Gong Xue.

Looking at the newspaper reports and seeing his photo appear in many major newspapers, Lao Mao's thick eyebrows and big eyes narrowed with excitement. He had finally made it through!

Zhu Shimao is from Yantai, Shandong. He joined the Fuzhou Cultural Troupe at the age of 16 and became a stage actor.

Five years ago, he became the male lead in two major projects, "Children of Xisha" and "Jinggang Mountain," thanks to his handsome appearance.

The former was directed by Shui Hua, and the latter by Cheng Yin; both were among the four most prominent directors of the Beijing Film Studio, boasting impressive casts and investments.

However, due to policy reasons, the former was almost finished filming but was still canceled, while the latter was stopped as soon as filming began.

Lao Mao felt he was having a run of bad luck and that he might never become famous in his life. Unexpectedly, at the age of 26, he was recommended by Wei Ming to director Xie Jin and got the opportunity to star in "The Herdsman".

After only a few days of screenings in major cities across the country, he already felt the joy of fame.

From Fuzhou to Shanghai, along the train journey, people often called out his name from the movie, "Xu Shengfang!"

When he arrived in Shanghai, he saw a huge poster of himself and Sister Gong Xue hanging outside the Grand Cinema. He heard that for the previous six months, it had been Guo Kaimin and Zhang Yu hanging there, and it hadn't been changed even when "Good Things Take Time" was showing.

When he entered the Shanghai Film Studio, Director Xie Jin, who was in a great mood, told him another piece of good news.

"The August First Film Studio called and said they wanted you. What do you mean by that?"

Since Lao Mao was part of the cultural troupe system, he was considered a soldier. If he wanted to switch to the film industry, the August First Film Studio would be the best choice, as he wouldn't have to leave his military uniform.

"Of course I'd like to!" Lao Mao replied without hesitation, showing no attachment to his former workplace.

In his previous life, he was transferred to the August First Film Studio after "The Herdsman," where he became colleagues with the handsome young actor Tang Guoqiang and met his destined Chen Xiaoer.

However, Gong Xue, who was in a similar situation, chose the Beijing Film Studio. She didn't want to wear a military uniform anymore and was living with her ex-husband out of wedlock, because she was afraid of bringing shame to her former workplace.

Moreover, if she married Xiao Wei but he continued to have an affair with Zhu Lin, she was even more afraid that Xiao Wei would be shot because of her status.

Zhu Shimao had a meal with his old friends Gong Xue, Niu Ben, and others at the Shanghai Film Studio canteen. He learned that Gong Xue had been transferred to the Beijing Film Studio and had been invited by director Wang Haowei to star in Wei Ming's new script, "Mom, Love Me Again." Old Mao was truly envious.

He had read the script as well. If the male lead's character wasn't so awful, he would have volunteered himself. In fact, he wasn't even the male lead; the male lead should be the little gourd.

However, Zhu Shimao's work at the Shanghai Film Studio was not without its successes. Director Zhao Huanzhang's new film, "Joyful Reunion," was looking for a male lead. The film was set in Shandong Province, and he hoped to find actors with a northern flair.

He originally wanted to find Ma Xiaowei, who had worked with him before, and who was from the Jiangsu Drama Troupe. However, Ma Xiaowei was summoned to Yanjing by the Beijing Film Studio. As a result, Zhu Shimao, who was also tall and strong and came from Shandong, became Zhao Huanzhang's alternative.

Then Zhao Huanzhang and screenwriter Xin Xianling rushed to Yanjing to see if there were any suitable male and female leads, since the actors from the Shanghai Film Studio all had too southern a temperament.

Because Gong Xue was also going to Beijing, they were able to travel together. Along the way, Gong Xue was often recognized, partly because of "Good Things Take Time" and partly because of "The Herdsman".

Director Zhao Huanzhang joked, "In another month or two, once the influence of 'The Herdsman' has grown further, you will be the next Zhang Yu, but unfortunately you're from the Beijing Film Studio."

Gong Xue joked, "I've lived in Yanjing for several years and I'm more used to the North now."

Screenwriter Xin Xianling laughed and said, "It's a pity that your temperament is still more Jiangnan-style, otherwise we would have chosen you for the role of the second sister-in-law."

Gong Xue asked curiously, "Teacher Xin, could you tell me about your movie?"

The screenwriter glanced at the director and then smiled, "Alright, then let me tell you, 'Joyful Reunion' begins with the wedding of Chen Renwu, the second son of the Chen family, and his wife Xue Shuilian..."

~
Sister Xue is coming to Beijing, and she may stay in Yanjing permanently in the future. However, she won't stay for too long this time because the main outdoor locations for "Mom, Love Me Again" are in the south, whether for experiencing life or filming.

So she and director Zhao Huanzhang moved into the Beijing Film Studio Guesthouse together, and now the Beijing Film Studio Guesthouse has a significantly higher level of association with the Shanghai Film Studio.

Zhao Huanzhang found Ma Xiaowei as soon as he arrived. Ma Xiaowei's first film, "Love of the Sea," was also Zhao Huanzhang's directorial debut.

However, this time Ma Xiaowei was offered the role of a scumbag father in "Mom, Love Me Again". No one else wanted to play the role, but he dared to play the Chairman of the Central Committee, so what was there that he wouldn't dare to play? So he agreed. Moreover, the director said that the female lead was Gong Xue!
The two people who were supposed to work together on "The Happy Bachelor" met beforehand.

"I'm really sorry, Director Zhao," Ma Xiaowei apologized.

Zhao Huanzhang sighed: "Fine, since you can't play the role, I'll have to choose Zhu Shimao."

"Ah, Zhu Shimao, the author of 'The Herdsman'?"

"Yes, a famous actor." Director Zhao was quite proud of himself.

Afterwards, Zhao Huanzhang met with his colleague Da Shichang from Shanghai Film Studio. Filming for "The Mourning" was about to wrap up, and he would be able to return to Shanghai for the Chinese New Year.

When Zhao Huanzhang talked to Da Shichang about the main actors needed for "Joyful Reunion", Da Shichang suggested, "I know an actress who is originally from Shandong. She is very tall and has a very northern personality. Would you like to meet her?"

"What's your name?"

"Zhu Lin".

"Huh?" Zhao Huanzhang was taken aback. "Why is it Zhu Lin again?"

"Again? Someone recommended her before?" Da Shichang immediately thought of her.

Zhao Huanzhang nodded: "We were on the same train as Comrade Gong Xue when we came here. After she heard our script, she recommended this actor. However, I heard that he is not a professional actor, but she said that he is very close to Second Sister-in-law."

Da Shichang smiled knowingly and said, "It seems that Comrade Gong Xue and I share the same view."

During his long time at the Beijing Film Studio, Da Shichang had seen Wei Ming come to see Zhu Lin more than once.

He also saw Wei Ming go to see Gong Xue at the Shanghai Film Studio.

These three people are strange~
~
"What? You want me to act in a movie?" Zhu Lin looked at the director from Shanghai Film Studio in surprise.

Director Shui Hua said, "It's an audition, and it might not even be you. You should take a look at the script first."

"Oh." Zhu Lin said, bewildered.

Then Director Shuihua started praising Zhu Lin to Director Zhao Huanzhang, saying how hard-working and quick-witted he was, and so on, clearly showing her support.
……

(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)