eurekapd Chapter 127 The Golden Lion is in Hand
Chapter 127 The Golden Lion is in Hand
Gu Heng was also wondering to himself, "Something's not right here."
In the previous Venice Film Festival, Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" won the highest honor, the Golden Lion. So why didn't those people receive a single phone call this time?
Didn't even get a consolation prize?
Actually, this story begins with a closed-door meeting of the judging panel a few days ago.
Who is the chairman of this year's jury?
It's Zhang Yimou!
According to the old rules of the three major European competitions, the first thing the judges will argue about after closing the door is who gets the Golden Lion.
If Gu Heng hadn't interfered and created "Mr. Tree," Zhang Yimou, for the sake of prestige for Chinese-language films, would have simply pushed forward with "Lust, Caution."
But then, "Mr. Tree" came along.
Goodness, after watching the film, Zhang Yimou's wrinkles all smoothed out.
It struck a chord with him!
It took Zhang Yimou back to the time when he was filming "The Story of Qiu Ju".
The same perspective from the bottom, the same land, the same stubbornness.
So as soon as they sat down at the discussion table, Zhang Yimou immediately brought up "Mr. Tree" without saying a word.
The judges present were not blind either. The artistry of "Mr. Tree" was evident to all, especially Wang Baoqiang's explosive acting skills. Who wouldn't say it was awesome after watching it?
However, since it was a matter of deciding the Golden Lion Award, some European judges immediately raised objections, arguing that "Lust, Caution" had bolder sex scenes and more compelling espionage elements.
The two sides argued for more than an hour, and drank three pots of water.
Just as the two groups were locked in a stalemate, New Zealand director Jane Campion launched her attack.
Campion is a typical feminist pioneer and was quite unimpressed with "Lust, Caution".
"Mr. Tree is clearly more realistic and insightful than Lust, Caution."
During this period, both domestically and internationally, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding "Lust, Caution." Many film critics feel that the explicit sex scenes are too contrived and that the portrayal of human nature is untenable.
In contrast, what about "Mr. Tree"?
There are absolutely no political landmines, no controversy over the scale, and no so-called cultural barriers.
The repression and madness of marginalized people at the bottom of society are universally applicable!
At this point, one oblivious judge muttered, "Last year, Venice already gave Chinese-language films quite a few awards. If they give them more this year, what will happen next..."
Zhang Yimou cursed inwardly: Is this Venice or a pork-sharing convention?
But he didn't say it aloud; he simply tapped the table lightly: "Venice has always enjoyed exploring the most raw and realistic stories from different regions. Since we can't reach a conclusion through debate, let's just vote."
In the end, the vote was 6 in favor, and even the judges who initially opposed it raised their hands when they saw the trend was clear.
Clearly, Zhang Yimou's final statement played a decisive role in setting the tone.
The Golden Lion is in the bag.
As Zhang Yimou looked at the voting results, a subtle smile appeared on his lips.
He really thought highly of Gu Heng.
As for Ang Lee?
Americans, not familiar with them.
He was also the chief director of the Olympic Games!
Back to the awards ceremony.
Gu Heng and the main cast and crew took their seats in the audience.
The domestic broadcast camera, from the sixth princess, was biased, focusing most of the time on their side.
Nonsense, if we don't film our own people, are we going to film those foreign devils whose names we don't even know?
The closing ceremony proceeded very quickly, starting with the presentation of individual awards.
Gu Heng sat calmly in his chair, actually curious about what kind of big award his film could win.
Wang Baoqiang, who was standing next to him, was so nervous that he started rubbing his thighs frantically.
It must be said that the judges and directors at Venice have a good sense of humor.
When the Best Actor award was being presented, the big screen suddenly flashed.
They played a funny clip from the movie "Lost in Thailand" where Wang Baoqiang is showing off a huge can of milk!
The foreign filmmakers and journalists present were dumbfounded: What the hell is this nominated film? We've never seen it before!
Immediately afterwards, the screen went black and cut directly to a scene from "Mr. Tree": Wang Baoqiang, with messy hair, a cigarette between his fingers, and a vacant, neurotic look, wandered around the village entrance.
A comparison of two extreme scenarios!
The filmmakers in the audience were stunned: Holy crap, these two completely different characters are actually played by the same person?!
The contrast is incredible!
The award presenter on stage smiled and read out a long string of English words with a heavy Italian accent, finally shouting out a name: "Wang Baoqiang!"
Wang Baoqiang was still sitting in his chair, looking completely dazed.
He didn't understand a word of the first string of gibberish, but he would never misunderstand the last three words.
He turned around abruptly, his eyes instantly reddening, and hugged Gu Heng tightly, so excited he was incoherent: "Brother! Director Gu! It's me! It really is me!"
"Alright, alright, you're going to break my ribs already!"
Gu Heng patted his back impatiently, "Hurry up and go claim your award! The whole country is watching you!"
Watching Wang Baoqiang awkwardly walk onto the stage to accept the award, Gu Heng was also in a great mood. He had personally presented a Best Actor award at one of the three major European film festivals!
After Baoqiang came down with the trophy, the rest of the award ceremony became a bit boring.
Best screenplay and best cinematography have nothing to do with them.
Gu Heng was a man with little patience to begin with, and his eyelids were drooping as he listened to the incoherent gibberish on stage.
Yang Mi, who was sitting next to him, was even more stunning.
The girl had been complaining of hunger for a while, and now, taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, she secretly took out two Ferrero Rocher chocolates from her handbag.
"Give me one too," Gu Heng said in a low voice.
"Have you no shame? That's mine." Although Yang Mi said it with disgust, she still peeled off a piece and stuffed it into Gu Heng's mouth.
The two of them were like elementary school students sneaking snacks during class, whispering to each other with their heads close together, their cheeks puffing out.
This scene was caught perfectly by the camera lens of the sixth princess, which was sweeping over from the side.
Gu Heng glanced at the scene out of the corner of his eye and realized something was wrong!
He elbowed Yang Mi in the lower back, instantly straightening her posture. A smile immediately appeared on her face, and she began to clap wildly.
Yang Mi gasped when she was poked, and the little fox reacted quickly, swallowing the food before it was even chewed, and clapped with great poise along with Gu Heng, even giving the camera a cool and noble smile.
This scene, without missing a single second, was broadcast live to television sets in millions of households across the country via the signal from Princess Six.
"Holy crap, hahaha! Director Gu was definitely dozing off and sneaking a bite to eat just now!"
"This is hilarious! One second he's eating rice, the next he transforms into an artist!"
"When Yang Mi swallowed just now, I saw her neck stretch out way too far. Isn't she afraid of choking to death?"
Finally, the climax of the awards ceremony arrived.
As the chairman of the jury, Zhang Yimou, dressed in a smart Zhongshan suit, walked onto the awards stage with great spirit.
He took the envelope, leaned close to the microphone, and announced loudly, "The winner of the Golden Lion Award is... 'Mr. Tree'!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire "Mr. Tree" crew cheered!
Gu Heng straightened the hem of his suit jacket and strode confidently onto the stage, drawing everyone's attention.
When he received the heavy Golden Lion trophy from Zhang Yimou, Zhang Yimou patted him on the shoulder and chuckled softly, "Well done, you didn't let us down!"
"Thank you, Director Zhang."
Gu Heng walked up to the microphone.
"Thanks CCTV, thanks MTV... Oh wait, wrong show."
A soft chuckle rippled through the audience.
"Thank you to the school, thank you to Teacher Cui, thank you to Chairman Han, and of course, I also want to thank my investor, which is myself." Gu Heng's acceptance speech came out without any seriousness.
Finally, thank you for this wonderful era.
After saying that, he didn't linger on the emotional part and stepped down from the stage.
Then he shoved the Golden Lion Trophy into Yang Mi's arms.
"Take it and play with it."
His casual expression made it seem as if what was handed to him wasn't the Golden Lion, representing the highest honor in the film industry, but a rag doll from a roadside ring toss game.
The foreigners' eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
This is a Golden Lion! Can't you show a little respect?
Yang Mi hugged the golden lion tightly, unable to put it down. Her own man is still the most handsome!
At that moment, she felt like the happiest woman in the world, even though the trophy was a bit heavy and uncomfortable to hold.
But it smells so damn good!