Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 330 The World Belongs to All! The premiere of "Hero" was incredibly impressive!

Exhausted, Yuanyuan lay on Ma Xun's chest.

"Will adding subtitles really make it easier for more people to understand?"

"At least, it's much better than not adding anything."

"But Director Zhang... although he doesn't say it, I can tell he's a very proud person."

"Of course, Zhang Yimou is one of the top directors in China. Don't let his wrinkled face fool you. He may seem very kind, but he's definitely someone who cares a lot about his image."

Ma Xun's words made Jia Yuan laugh heartily.

"How could you talk about Teacher Zhang like that? When I see him, I'll definitely tell him that you're talking about him behind his back like that."

"Oh? I didn't expect my Yuanyuan to be such a gossip."

They were obviously joking, but when Ma Xun said that, Yuanyuan was actually very happy.

Gossipy woman... Is she happy?

No, it's the one that came before, 'My Garden'.

"I'm saying this! So what?"

"Go ahead and tell me, what am I afraid of? He just looks like that anyway."

"Haha...you're so naughty!"

"Yuanyuan, you don't know, Zhang Yimou is really difficult to deal with. It took me a lot of effort to add a few things."

Ma Xun then explained about adding subtitles.

As Yuanyuan listened, she gradually understood.

Adding subtitles is, in essence, a matter of saving face.

A renowned director added subtitles, which Zhang Yimou definitely didn't want.

It's embarrassing.

The problem is that if it's not added, many viewers will indeed be confused after watching it.

The narrative of the film "Hero" is not problematic in itself.

It is one of the few films by Zhang Yimou that has some substance.

In Ma Xun's personal opinion, although many people criticize Zhang Yimou, saying that he can't tell a story.

But if you look closely, there are two movies with very good stories.

The first one is "Shanghai Triad". This film brought together the top actors in China at the time. Gong Li also played a woman of the night. Li Baotian and Li Xuejian were both very talented.

The final shot of the movie shows the world from an upside-down perspective, listening to the old man lecturing Gillian Chung.

The logic is reversed.

The second one is this movie, "Hero".

The film's narrative technique is quite sophisticated, but Rashomon's multi-faceted analysis of a story inherently presents a certain barrier to entry.

Zhang Yimou chose to use variations in basic color tones to divide the film into segments, but this may not necessarily allow moviegoers to understand his meaning.

Moreover, the moral of the story explained at the end of the film.

In reality, it is about 'the world belongs to everyone'.

Nameless was the lowest-ranking official in the Qin state; Broken Sword only joined forces with Flying Snow to assassinate the King of Qin because of his love for her; and Sky was a chivalrous knight.

Their ultimate goal in assassinating the King of Qin was actually for the sake of the world.

But during this assassination attempt, they also learned a lesson.

The only one capable of unifying the world was Qin King Ying Zheng.

If King Ying Zheng of Qin is killed, then the world will return to the state of constant warfare and no hope of peace.

There is a very small detail here.

"It seems that Broken Sword is the most powerful among these assassins?"

Ma Xun smiled and nodded at Yuanyuan's question.

"Your observation is very good."

"Really?" Yuanyuan was overjoyed; she had been praised.

Actually, Ma Xun's praise was from the perspective of acting skills.

Yuanyuan has always been criticized for her poor acting skills, but in this film, she demonstrated good observation skills.

That's what Ma Xun said.

"Among these assassins, the one who stands out the most is Broken Sword. Have you noticed what makes him different?"

"This...this...it seems, it seems."

"He harbored no hatred towards the King of Qin himself."

"Oh, right, right."

Yuanyuan was a little embarrassed, but after Ma Xun said that, she realized it too.

Ma Xun smiled and continued, "Broken Sword is because he loves Fei Xue and is helping Fei Xue avenge her. Nameless's parents were killed, so Broken Sword does not carry hatred. It is precisely because of this that he was able to comprehend 'the world' the earliest among these assassins."

Yuanyuan nodded repeatedly after listening, feeling that she finally understood the movie.

But think about it carefully.

Why didn't Teacher Zhang explain it more clearly?

Ma Xun smiled again, "What did I say before?"

"what?"

"He cares about his image."

"What does this have to do with face?"

"Most great directors like to use some mysterious techniques. The reason why Broken Sword was able to figure out that principle first was that Zhang Yimou wanted to keep it a secret, or perhaps he wanted to have a showdown with the audience."

Let's see if the audience can spot this hidden 'thing'.

After thinking it over again, Yuanyuan burst into laughter.

The reason why Broken Sword became an assassin was only mentioned briefly in the movie.

His performance in this movie... was quite pretentious.

In reality, this "pretending" was correct; Tony Leung really didn't misact, he should have pretended.

Since Broken Sword is an assassin without hatred, he should naturally be detached.

Hatred can blind you.

Therefore, Feixue was never able to move on and could never understand Canjian.

The same is true for the nameless.

Although he had mastered an astonishing move, capable of killing someone every ten steps.

Unfortunately, even mastering unparalleled martial arts couldn't make him let go of his hatred.

Only Broken Sword could comprehend the principles of this 'world'.

He puts on airs, acts aloof, and has a higher level of sophistication, which actually fits his character's persona very well.

but!

Zhang Yimou just didn't emphasize the reasons why Broken Sword is so special.

This guy just had to gloss over it with a single sentence.

Although we try our best not to repeat the same thing over and over again when making movies.

However, all that's needed is to arrange some lines.

For example, when Broken Sword is face to face with the King of Qin, there is an extra line.

I have no grudge against you. But for the sake of all living beings...

Right? There are a few more lines like that.

This would definitely lower the barrier to entry for this movie.

To enable more viewers to better understand this film.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yimou just doesn't film like that.

This was the only trick Ma Xun could pull.

Add some subtitles to give viewers helpful reminders.

Just like this broken sword, it at least tells the audience that he is the most special one among all the assassins.

Of course, we wouldn't go so far as to add those low-class subtitles.

This kind of calligraphy is full of vigor.

Moreover, the text is relatively short, giving it a very antique feel, which perfectly matches the atmosphere of this film.

It should be very effective.

As Ma Xun was pondering this, Yuan Yuan seemed to have thought of something.

"It seems... Teacher Zhang is quite arrogant."

arrogant?

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun smiled and kissed Yuan Yuan's forehead, "If you talk about Director Zhang Yimou like that, then I must have met him..."

Good grief, you're just copying and pasting someone else's post?

You're so mean!

Yuanyuan was so amused that she couldn't help but kiss him back.

……

The next day.

"Mr. Ma, this subtitle is great!"

"Teacher Zhang, so you see..."

"I agree, of course I agree."

"That's great."

"Mr. Ma, I feel great now."

"With Teacher Zhang's words, I have even more confidence."

"Haha... Our film 'Hero' is sure to be a great success!"

"No, our film 'Hero' is a blockbuster!"

Clearly, Zhang Yimou has chosen to concede defeat in the bet between Ma Xun and Zhang Yimou.

Of course, it's not about admitting defeat; we're all doing this for the good of the movie.

So, there's not much more to say.

We are going all out to prepare for the official release of "Hero"!

A grand premiere will be held in early July.

The premiere was mainly handled by Zhang Weiping and Jiang Zhiqiang.

We'll definitely be inviting many friends from within the industry, and we'll also be inviting many people from around the world.

As for who to invite... Ge Luming is definitely the one to come.

Ma Xun estimates that Harvey or Quentin will likely be involved; they actually have some ideas.

But right after the preview screening of "Hero" ended, and just as we were preparing for the premiere...

Some media outlets have started to exert their influence!

"Hero's preview screening sparks negative reviews from moviegoers!"

"Zhang Yimou's reputation as a box office poison may continue!"

"Don't understand? What story does 'Hero' tell?"

As expected, some media outlets in mainland China began attacking the film.

Ma Xun had received Wang Changtian's report long ago, so he was somewhat prepared for this matter.

It's very simple; these kinds of attacks are usually carried out by traditional media outlets.

Newspapers and the like.

Ma Xun's Douban.com is starting to exert its influence.

The official homepage of "Heroes" is constantly releasing various information.

The film's historical context, as well as some analysis of the main characters.

In addition, swordsmanship, weaponry, other martial arts, etc...

With all the information released, any serious moviegoer will see that we take this movie very seriously.

Naturally, many netizens discussed this on Douban.

As for traditional media, this is not the Wang brothers' backyard either.

Ma Xun was working on the internet, while Zhang Weiping began to showcase his network of connections.

Many newspapers also came out to speak well of "Hero".

At least based on the information released so far, this movie is definitely worth watching.

This kind of media clash actually increased the attention given to "Heroes"!
But at that moment, a force suddenly appeared.

"Jet Li's Hollywood journey ends in a crushing defeat!"

"Jet Li regrets lowering his film salary!"

"Big Brother Long is furious. He was originally invited to play the male lead in the movie 'Hero'!"

Hong Kong media!

Here comes the Hong Kong media that don't do their jobs properly.

These guys are shameless when they start, spreading all sorts of gossip and rumors.

It's simply indescribable.

This is how to do?
Don't forget, there's also Jiang Zhiqiang!

"Many of the news about 'Hero' is false. If you continue with these so-called revelations, I will sue..."

Wow, this rich kid is pretty tough!

That could be considered a solution. Hong Kong media have never had any bottom line, so why not just have Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong?

Whether Jiang Zhiqiang can succeed in dealing with them is another matter entirely.

It's fair to say that the release of a blockbuster film is bound to be fraught with difficulties.

And just like that, the premiere of "Hero" finally arrived.

And this premiere was no ordinary event either.

The location was chosen to be the Overseas Chinese Hotel.

In addition, CCTV-6 simply broadcast it live!
Han Sanping attended in person!
There are also many celebrities and big names.

Jiang Wen, Quentin Tarantino... that's right, international stars are all here.

You could say it's incredibly cool!

(End of this chapter)