Chapter 814: Received rave reviews and became famous in one battle
“I feel that every character in this film is very annoying, and the relationships between the characters are also very ugly, unlike Farewell My Concubine, where every character is aesthetically lovable.
But Cheng Kaige likes it, and he doesn’t listen to any of my opinions at all…”
Xu Feng had a dinner with Michael Phillips and the Benigni couple, during which she couldn't help but complain about Qi Cheng Kaige's performance during the creation of "Feng Yue".
Michael Phillips sighed and was glad that he did not invest more at that time.
However, he also developed a secret fear of Xu Feng because he couldn't let her take Roberto away. This little bald curly-haired boy was his baby now.
"Life is Beautiful" was invested with 20 million US dollars. Most of the funds came from his money, and a small part came from Columbia Pictures. They were old acquaintances. He brought Columbia Pictures in more for better distribution.
Michael Phillips bet one-third of his fortune on this movie, which was definitely a big gamble for him.
Such a huge investment set a record in his film career.
Of course, he had handled large investments before, but he was a producer, not an investor.
The reason why Michael Phillips dared to place such a big bet on "Life is Beautiful" was certainly not because of Roberto Benigni, but because of Lin Weimin.
Cheng Kaige, who was in the middle of the situation, might have misjudged the unprecedented success of Farewell My Concubine, but Michael Phillips saw it very clearly.
Cheng Kaige certainly contributed partly to the success of Farewell My Concubine, but the greatest credit lies in the brilliance and influence of Lin Weimin's original work.
The movie almost completely restored the classic plots, character settings and dialogues in the novel. Michael Phillips still remembers the enthusiastic reaction of the audience when the movie was released in the United States.
As a super best-selling book with tens of millions of copies sold in the United States and a drama adaptation that has attracted millions of fans on Broadway, "Farewell My Concubine" has a popular base in the United States that far exceeds that of ordinary classic masterpieces.
After all, most classics are very famous, but their sales are average, and many works have not been adapted.
Michael Phillips firmly believes that Lin Weimin's fame and prestige in the United States have already surpassed many long-established predecessors in the world literary arena. Even among local American writers, there are not many who can be compared with him.
Michael Phillips is confident in the influence and appeal of his work.
Another point about "Life is Beautiful" that deserves his attention is that the copyright of this novel was bought by Spielberg. If it weren't for the resolute resistance of a small group of Jews in the United States, this movie would have been adapted into a film and television long ago.
After giving up "Life is Beautiful", Spielberg turned around and made "Schindler's List".
When Michael Phillips initially invested in the film, he did not think that it would be able to achieve the same success as "Schindler's List", but after watching the finished film, he could not help but praise God and Lin Weimin.
masterpiece!
Roberto Benigni has contributed a masterpiece to world cinema!
This is what Michael Phillips really thinks.
Roberto Benigni, the seemingly unprepossessing comedian, gave him a huge surprise and also gave rise to a surge of ambition in his heart.
Maybe, maybe "Life is Beautiful" can replicate its success!
What kind of success is "Farewell My Concubine"?
In terms of awards, it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe, and the Academy Award; in terms of box office, it has grossed nearly 400 million US dollars worldwide.
The last movie that won both awards and box office success like this one was probably "Forrest Gump".
If we look back at the history of global cinema, there are only a handful of films like this one.
Michael Phillips's ambition comes from the quality of "Life is Beautiful" and all the feedback after the film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
rave reviews!
This film is destined to go down in the history of celebrity films, even the public opinion and impact it has aroused are consistent.
Since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, "Life is Beautiful" has been leading the pack in terms of audiences, professional filmmakers, and program reviews, with an air of dominating the world.
In addition to Lin Weimin's original novel, the biggest credit for all this goes to Roberto Benigni, the curly-haired little bald man. How could Michael Phillips not cherish him?
"By the way, have you watched the news? Mr. Lin won the Pulitzer Prize in the United States two days ago. I wanted to call him to congratulate him, but I couldn't get in touch with him." Xu Feng said.
"Of course." Michael Phillips said in a subtle tone, "The public reaction to his winning the award this time is extraordinary."
Xu Feng looked at his expression with some confusion in his heart, not knowing the reason for Michael Phillips' expression.
While everyone was discussing Lin Weimin, he had already boarded the return flight on May 17.
The comrades who came here also came back on the same plane.
During the flight, Lin Weimin chatted casually with the team leader and got a piece of news from him.
In July, an important US official will visit China.
With Lin Weimin's award, the WJ personnel of the two countries eased the tensions of the previous period, and it seems that it is only a matter of time before the resumption of dialogue.
"Don't tell anyone about this." The team leader warned.
This information must be highly confidential, but Lin Weimin was an important driving force behind the easing of relations between the two countries, so the team leader did not hide it from him and just gave him a reminder.
"Don't worry, I have no other advantages except that I keep my mouth shut."
After a long flight, the plane finally landed at the Capital Airport.
After getting off the plane, unlike in the past, Lin Weimin was arranged to use a special channel.
After returning home to rest for a night, he appeared at the press conference early the next morning.
The press conference was organized by the Press and Publication Administration. Many reporters were invited to attend the press conference, and the media represented were all heavyweight domestic media.
Compared with his previous triumphant returns, Lin Weimin's treatment after winning the award in the United States this time seemed different, and the reporters who attended the press conference all noticed this.
The press conference was hosted by the head of the Press and Publication Administration, who was particularly enthusiastic when he saw Lin Weimin.
The "Collection of World Literature Classics" was just published some time ago and received special praise from many leaders, and the Publishing Administration also benefited from it.
This time, Lin Weimin won another big prize in the United States. Outsiders may not know the inside story, but the leaders know it very well.
Otherwise, why would the Press and Publication Administration hold a press conference?
There is no need to elaborate on the content of the press conference. The reporters who came were familiar with the high-sounding introduction and question-and-answer session.
That evening, the "News Broadcast" reported that Lin Weimin had brought glory to the country and attended a press conference.
Starting from the next day, many domestic media followed up with reports.
"Lin Weimin wins two Pulitzer Prizes", "Breaking the record, Lin Weimin sweeps the Pulitzer Prizes", "With the blessing of two Pulitzer Prizes, Lin Weimin becomes the first person in Asia"...
The overwhelming news reports tacitly filled the eyes of the people.
The United States, the Pulitzer Prize, Lin Weimin...
This should be the first large-scale official report about the United States in the past year, and it is related to our country's writer Lin Weimin. Ordinary people did not notice anything unusual.
Although the relationship with the United States is not good now, it is a good thing that a writer has won an award in the United States. However, some people with a certain political sensitivity have detected something unusual in these reports.
The follow-up reports from many media outlets have attracted a lot of attention and heated discussions among the domestic public.
This kind of attention and discussion has no effect on Lin Weimin.
After the press conference, he returned to the National Literature Society.
After returning to work after a business trip of more than a week, the first thing he had to do was to hand over the work to Cheng Zaochun.
How is the handover done specifically?
It was simple. The two of them swapped the nameplate on the office door.
The office is still the same office, the president becomes the editor-in-chief, and the editor-in-chief becomes the president, and there is no problem in being re-elected for four more terms.
Although Lin Weimin loved to joke with Cheng Zaochun, he still paid attention to taking care of the old comrade's emotions at critical moments.
No matter how much he wants you to take over, it's still a change of identity, so you still have to pay attention.
Leadership changes are a big deal for any organization.
But in the Guowen Society, there is a feeling of it being a subtle and silent influence.
Quietly, the Guowen Society changed its color.
Lin Weimin officially took charge of the work of the entire company, Cheng Zaochun focused on the book publishing business, and Lao Zhou, well, Lao Zhou was still the same Lao Zhou, growing stronger with age.
After taking over as president, Lin Weimin presided over the first meeting and proposed the appointment of Zhao Xin at the meeting, promoting him from director of the editor-in-chief's office to assistant to the president.
A new official has three things to do when he takes office, not to mention that Lin Weimin has been the crown prince for so many years. As soon as he took office, his prestige was no less than that of Comrade Cheng at his peak.
Of course, his prestige was no less before he took office.
Zhao Xin got the job as the president's assistant as she wished and was overjoyed.
In the second half of last year, in order to fulfill the promise Lin Weimin had made for her, Zhao Xin worked extremely hard to finally make the "Guowen Daily" and the book sales rankings a reality. After waiting for several more months, she finally got what she wanted.
Moreover, she was the first personnel proposal after Lin Weimin took office. Anyone could see how much Lin Weimin valued her, which made Zhao Xin full of gratitude towards Lin Weimin.
The editor-in-chief... no, the president is truly a man with a keen eye for talent!
Zhao Xin's voice represents the voice of a large number of people in the Guowen Society. During the years that Cheng Zaochun served as the president, the Guowen Society has undergone earth-shaking changes.
But the real changes basically came after Lin Weimin took office as editor-in-chief.
We all work in the same unit, and all can see the contribution that Lin Weimin has made to the development of Guowen Society over the years. Among them, there are many young people like Zhao Xin who have tasted the benefits that Lin Weimin has brought to them.
The editor-in-chief became the president, and the president became the editor-in-chief. This did not cause any waves within the Guowen Publishing House, and the employees' work pace continued as usual.
The only thing that can arouse everyone's interest in discussion is probably what measures Lin Weimin will issue after taking office.
When Lin Weimin took office as president of Guowen Publishing House, internal affairs were calm, but it sparked considerable discussion in the domestic publishing industry and literary circles.
He had just won a major literary award in the United States, and immediately after returning to China, news spread that he had taken up the position of president of the Chinese Literature Society.
Both the main job and the part-time job are successful. Anyone who hears the news will be envious.
And at this moment, another piece of news came from overseas.
At the 49th Cannes International Film Festival awards ceremony on May 21, the film "Life is Beautiful", written, directed and starred by Italian director Roberto Benigni, won four major awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor.
Become famous in one battle!
The name of screenwriter, director and actor Roberto Benigni spread to countries around the world with the closing of the film festival.
"Life is Beautiful", which won four of the most important awards at the Cannes Film Festival, was adapted from Lin Weimin's work "Life is Beautiful Anyway".
(End of this chapter)
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