Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 117: Outstanding Results, An Unexpected Delight (Please Subscribe)

There was no special ceremony held for this preview screening.

We simply invited them over to see the quality of "Chasing Girls".

The version currently being shown is not the final version, but a 120-minute director's cut.

The people sitting in the first row were all bigwigs, such as Lei Juekun, Zou Wenhuai, and Fang Yihua, who came on behalf of Shao Yifu, etc.

The second row was filled with well-known figures in the industry, such as Hung Ching-po and his Hung Clan, Wong Tin-lam (Wang Fat Boy's father), RTV's Mak Dang-hung and Lee Siu-hung, Ti Lung, Lau Chung-yan, and all the main actors from "Chasing Girls".

The third row consisted of actors who came to show their support, such as Tang Zhenye and Huang Rihua.

Two rows were empty at the back, and then some media people who had bought tickets, as well as some celebrities who hadn't been invited but had come because of the reputation of the place, sat in the back.

In fact, Zhang Shuai'an also sent invitations to Jin Yong, Huang Zhan, and others, but they did not come. On the left side, Xu Dunle did not come, but instead sent a director.

There was no host for this preview screening; the film was started as soon as most people arrived.

The film opens with a stirring piece of music.

As the music began, the camera zoomed in from afar, revealing Yau Tsim Mong under the night sky to be exceptionally bustling, with neon lights flashing everywhere.

A slender yet upright figure is dancing on the stage.

His dance moves are expansive and rhythmic, making them particularly eye-catching.

However, he was wearing a mask, and the camera never showed his face.

This segment was performed by Zhang Shuai'an himself, who danced a shuffle dance with elements of breakdancing.

The accompanying music was composed by Chen Xunqi under the guidance of Zhang Shuai'an, and it was titled "Shuffle".

This plot point wasn't originally planned; Chen Xunqi felt that a highly stimulating scene could be designed at the beginning to immediately draw the audience in.

Zhang Shuai'an then seriously considered this question, and just then he saw the skill [Melbourne Shuffle Dance] in the system shop, which only required 60 Star Points to redeem.

This dance style is said to have originated in some underground dance clubs in Melbourne, Australia in the 80s, and then gradually spread.

In 1992, Australians began calling this dance Shuffle, and the name was thus established.

After 2000, it began to become popular worldwide through the Internet, especially YouTube.

This dance style features simple, fast, powerful, and highly rhythmic movements that make it look very unique and are especially popular among young people.

To put it bluntly, it looks simple yet dazzling, and it has a very pretentious feel to it.

Zhang Shuai'an, with his song and dance moves, spent 100 star points to win the app.

As for the songs, he only needed to show Chen Xunqi the sheet music he had redeemed, and he could leave the rest to Chen Xunqi.

As expected, Chen Xunqi never disappoints when it comes to composing music.

Although it's not the same as the original, the effect is just as good, and the dynamics are even smoother and more fluid.

As for dancing, it was a piece of cake for Zhang Shuai'an, a physical education student. Before he transmigrated, he even enrolled in yoga and Pilates classes to pursue the beautiful girls in the dance department.

"I've never seen this dance move before! Did he create it himself?"

In the back row, several people watched the opening dance steps and instantly became excited. Among them were the three still-forming "Central Three Princes": Leslie Cheung, Pak-Keung Chan, and Pauline Chung.

(The Three Princes of Central: Danny Chan, Leslie Cheung, and Paul Chung)

Zhong Baoluo, with her slightly curly hair, said softly, "I do think this song is quite catchy; I've never heard it before."

Danny Chan was not good with words, he just smiled, listened attentively to the music, and swayed slightly.

The movie continued, and after the music ended, Shi Tian was startled awake from his bed. His mother then pushed open the door and urged him on.

It turned out that today was the day of the blind date. Shi Tian was flustered and his comical appearance made everyone burst into laughter.

During this process, Xia Ping, who plays his mother, constantly scolds him, thus introducing some background information.

Roberto is already in his thirties. After graduating from university, he suffered a major setback and became somewhat self-destructive. He has been unable to find a job since then, living off his parents at home and occasionally writing articles to earn some pocket money.

Her mother couldn't stand it anymore, so she ordered him to get married before the end of the year, or she would commit suicide.

Roberto had no choice but to start his plan to seduce women while simultaneously going on blind dates.

Today, he made plans with two girls.

Because the movie features seven or eight women, the pace is quite fast, with a joke almost every five or six seconds.

The scene where he confesses his love to Yu Mulian is hilarious, with even Zou Wenhuai and Lei Juekun's lips curling into slight smiles.

Then Roberto uses two different personas to navigate relationships with all sorts of women.

Zhang Shuai'an is responsible for being handsome, making everyone present feel pleasing to the eye; Shi Tian is responsible for breaking this illusion of a teacher, providing contrast and humor.

Viewers can appreciate the charm of these different women from various angles, while also understanding their challenges.

In the final moments, with his sister's help, Roberto arrived at the church and snatched Chung Chor-hung back from Lau Chung-yan, achieving a happy ending.

"Pa pa pa 1"

After the movie ended, the audience spontaneously applauded.

This movie is indeed very well made, with funny moments, highlights, handsome men and beautiful women, and several refreshing soundtracks.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Chow Wen-huai showered Zhang Shuai-an with praise, saying, "An-zai, your movie is definitely going to be a huge hit. All the theaters in the Golden Harvest Cinemas will be open to you, guaranteeing a full screening."

Lei Juekun smiled but didn't give a direct answer. He simply said, "You can polish it a bit more and compress the film's length to around 90 minutes. Come back to me in a few days. This movie is indeed quite good; we can talk about it."

Fang Yihua didn't say anything and left right after the movie.

The left-wing director smiled and chatted with Zhang Shuai'an for a few words, only saying that he would tell General Manager Xu his impressions of the film, and as for whether he would agree to its release, that would have to wait for a while.

Zhang Shuai'an was indeed a little disappointed. After making such a big fuss, he still couldn't impress these people?

It seems the divisions within the Hong Kong film industry are more severe than he imagined.

However, the situation wasn't as bad as he had imagined; at least all of Golden Harvest Cinemas were open to him.

Lei Juekun did not give up outright, which clearly showed that he was indeed very interested, but he was not in a hurry to make a decision due to other concerns.

As for Shaw Brothers cinemas, judging from Fang Yihua's appearance, Zhang Shuai'an felt that the chances were slim.

On the left side, there aren't many theaters to begin with. It would be best if they could perform, but it wouldn't be a big deal if they couldn't.

Don't be discouraged.

Zou Wenhuai was happy to see Zhang Shuai'an suffer setbacks in other theaters, and comforted him, "So what if it's only shown in Golden Harvest? 'Young Master' still grossed over ten million at the box office, breaking the record in Hong Kong film history."

"Mr. Zhang, hello, may I have a few minutes of your time?"

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a gray suit approached Zhang Shuai'an and asked in a low voice.

Seeing this, Zou Wenhuai patted Zhang Shuai'an on the shoulder and turned to leave.

"May I ask your name?" Zhang Shuai'an asked, looking at the man.

The visitor introduced herself: "My name is Jiang Zuyi. I am the owner of Edko Films and the manager of Broadway Theatres."

Zhang Shuai'an was taken aback. The name was unfamiliar, but he was familiar with Edko Films and Broadway Theatres.

In his memory, these two things should be associated with a person named Jiang Zhiqiang.

After estimating his age, could this person in front of me be Jiang Zhiqiang's father?

Jiang Zhiqiang became very famous in later generations, being one of Asia's most influential film distributors and most successful film producers. He was responsible for bringing films such as Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Zhang Yimou's "Hero," and Jet Li's "Fearless" to the world. Time magazine even named him an "Asian Hero."

Zhang Shuai'an asked, "I wonder what business Mr. Jiang has with me?"

"Although I don't own any cinemas, I do have over a decade of experience in film distribution."

Jiang Zuyi said earnestly, "If Mr. Zhang is willing to authorize me to distribute this film, I can probably set up seven more theaters for simultaneous screenings."

"Oh, that's great!" Zhang Shuai'an's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "This isn't the place to talk. There's a nice tea restaurant nearby, how about we have afternoon tea together?"

Jiang Zuyi smiled and agreed, "Okay."

The two left together.

"Mr. Zhang Shuai'an, please wait a moment."

He hadn't taken two steps when he heard someone calling his name again from behind.

Zhang Shuai'an stopped and turned to look at the source of the sound.

A boy of similar age walked over, and one of them waved to him. The other two stopped instinctively.

The man approached Zhang Shuai'an and said, "Your name is Zhang Guorong, my English name is Leslie. These two are my friends—"

Before he could finish speaking, he turned his head and saw that his two companions had disappeared.

"They just left," Zhang Shuai'an replied with a smile.

Leslie Cheung gave an awkward smile: "They're a bit shy, I'm sorry."

"What do you want from me?" Zhang Shuai'an had a pretty good impression of Leslie Cheung; he thought the man was quite gentle and loyal.

Leslie Cheung smiled and said, "It's about the dance and music at the beginning of the movie. I'd like to discuss it with you."

"Alright, let's go have some tea together."

Zhang Shuai'an casually invited him.

"Okay." Leslie Cheung agreed without any hesitation.

He hadn't walked two steps when someone else came over to greet Zhang Shuai'an.

Zhang Shuai'an then invited them, along with some of the female leads from "Chasing Girls," to have afternoon tea together. What was originally just a conversation between two people quickly turned into a large group heading to a nearby tea restaurant.

This scene almost scared the owner of the tea restaurant to death.

Zhang Shuai'an booked the entire shop, leaving He Jiatong and Fatty Wang to attend to the others while he and Jiang Zuyi found a private room to discuss some matters.

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