How can I say this about Jiaxin...
There was no need to shatter some of her fantasies, so Alan just thought she didn't understand.
Who doesn’t want to have some fantasies and pursuits?
Anyway, it’s not long until Christmas, so I can just send her home before the holiday.
…
At tea time the next day, Patrice, led by a servant, came to Alan's bedroom and finally met his master.
"Master, you?"
Patrice looked around and thought that the ventilation in the bedroom might not be good. Although the room was large, there was still a faint...fishy smell in the room?
…
Alan collapsed on the sofa in his bathrobe, yawned, and pointed to the sofa next to him, asking Patrice to sit first.
"I'll do it. I'll do it."
Patrice was not in a hurry to sit down. Seeing that Alan was about to pour him tea, he quickly bent down to take the teapot from Alan and poured two cups of tea. Then he picked up the documents that had just been placed on the table.
"You went on a business trip to America. How did it turn out this time?"
Alan just asked casually. He mainly wanted to tease Patrice whether he went to America to hook up with middle-aged and elderly women in Hollywood again.
but……
Patrice, who was usually very cheerful, grinned when he heard Alan's question and said, "These Americans used to be easy to talk to, but I don't know what happened this time. They got stuck when rating our film!"
"Um?"
Alan struggled to sit up, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and asked in confusion: "Is there a problem with the rating?"
"Yes Master, we only got PG-13 this time!"
"???"
…
The American Film Market classification system has several levels.
Let’s not talk about good or bad. From a commercial perspective, the best is definitely the G-Class, which represents the masses.
I'm not referring to that car company, I'm referring to the level that the general public can see.
Above G is PG, which requires guidance when watching.
But it's not a big problem. Some shots may be slightly leaky. Allen's previous movie "Deep Water" was at this level.
Above this, it reaches PG-13.
This is a strict rule and can only be watched by children aged 13 and over accompanied by their parents.
And above that, there are R and NC-17.
Not to mention the R rating, many plasma films are of this rating, mainly the NC-17 rating, which can be understood as not suitable for children.
If the film is rated this level, then...
The box office in theaters might not be that good, but video tapes generally sell very well!
…
But now Allen's new movie is rated PG-13, which is a bit disgusting.
Neither up nor down.
You either make it a mass-market grade, or just make it NC-17. Why are you making it this way now?
Children can’t watch it and adults are not interested in it. How can we play it?
Although Allen did not seek good box office results in American theaters, he mainly sold video tapes.
But it's shameful to have this rating mark printed on the videotape.
And it will also affect the sales of his videotapes!
The most important thing is that children are not allowed to watch it, so this movie is made for American children!
He has lost all his major clients, isn't this just asking for trouble?
…
“What about the review opinion?”
Alan narrowed his eyes. He wanted to hear what the Americans were going to say.
"Uh... they said there were some bad leads in the movie."
"Bullshit! Our movie is adapted from a novel, and the novel we bought was also written by Americans. How come the novel is fine, but my movie is a bad guide? Did I force them to learn? Do they understand art? I'm warning them, warning them!"
As soon as Patrice finished speaking, Alan got angry. What a bullshit review opinion.
…
"What about those people we used to support? Did they use their connections?"
In America, there is nothing that cannot be solved by US dollars. If US dollars don’t work, we can always use British pounds!
In the American Film Association, old Carl was responsible for supporting a few people who had a say.
"I used connections. This is the result after using connections. There are several suggestions for handling the matter."
Patrice had no way of saying anything because the American was very stubborn this time and even giving him money wouldn't work.
…
Allen became more and more angry when he thought about the fact that the movie he had "worked so hard" to shoot was going to be modified by the Americans.
I was just thinking about not showing it in the US, but...
Adults, you can't lose such a big market just for a little bit of anger. The main target audience of this movie is Americans.
…
"Master, what do you think? How about we make some minor changes? Cut out some clips and make an American special edition? Anyway, when we sell the video, we can make an uncut version."
Patrice looked at the angry Allen and gave his opinion carefully.
"change?"
If you ask me to change, I have to change?
Who do you think you are?
But we have to change it.
Alan stared at the coffee table for a long time, picked up the cigarette box, took out a cigarette, lit it with an irritable look on his face, thought about it, and suddenly had an idea.
…
"How long is our movie now?"
"97 minutes."
“You’re…”
Allen flicked the ash off his cigarette and said, "Take the movie back, delete the problems they pointed out, and use other shots to make up the current length for me. Then send it back for review and get a G rating! Delete any violations. Delete whatever they want to delete!"
…
"???"
Patrice was a little confused for a moment. Why did the young master, who was so angry just now, suddenly change so much?
"this……"
Allen stared at the confused Patrice, smiled and said, "Let's pass the review first. Once we get the rating, we'll use the original version when we release it in theaters! It'll only be released for more than a month anyway, so how can these people in charge of review keep an eye on us?"
"ah?"
Patrice didn't expect that the young master would come up with such an idea. This is a substitution!
But if I'm discovered then...
Just as I thought of this, my eyes met Alan's again, and I heard Alan speak slowly.
"Patrice, you're old now, and sometimes you don't have the energy to do things well. It's reasonable to make a mistake like taking the wrong master tape once in a while, right?"
"???"
Alan's words made Patrice stunned, but then he reacted. If nothing happened, everything would be fine. But if anything happened, he would be the one to take the blame!
But there is no need to be afraid of this. It is good to be the one who takes the blame. It is a credit!
Patrice now hopes that the Americans will find out that the movie has been changed so that he can be implicated. By then...
Is there any hope for the title next year?
"It makes sense. It makes a lot of sense! Master, I...my eyesight has really been bad lately. Please leave it to me! I...I'll go edit the film right away!"
After saying this, Patrice stood up excitedly, like an energetic young man in his fifties or sixties.
…
"???"
Looking at Patrice rushing around with an excited look on his face, Alan was a little confused. What was going on?
Are you in a hurry to go back to America for a date?
…
On October 20, in a private room of a small coffee shop in Cardiff, Cardiff TV was broadcasting the midday news on a TV hanging on the wall.
A serious drink-driving hit-and-run incident took place in the Port of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire last night.
The female reporter stood at the door of a bar with a microphone in her hand, pointing at the dried black blood on the ground and said, "According to the report of Officer Jack from the local police station in Carmarthen, at around 11pm last night, a Korean man drove drunk and passed by the door of the Violet Bar. He hit two couples who had just come out of the bar. After the accident, the man drove away."
"Okay...Hello, Officer Jack. Can you tell us about the situation?"
The female reporter briefly introduced the background situation, turned around, and handed the microphone to Officer Jack, who was wearing a police uniform next to her.
"Well... it's like this. I was parked at the dock not far away to write patrol records. I heard some noise over here. When I drove over, the car had already gone far away. I called for support on the radio. The perpetrator was blocked by my colleagues at another intersection, but instead of stopping, he turned the car around and drove back."
At this point, Officer Jack pointed to the marks on the ground and said, "I received the news and set up a tire shredder in front. The situation was urgent at the time. After the perpetrator's vehicle was damaged, he got out of the car and tried to break into the bar to escape. I saw that he had a weapon in his hand, so I shot him decisively."
"Uh-huh!"
The female reporter looked serious and nodded as she listened to Officer Jack's introduction of the situation.
As expected, Carmarthenshire has the highest level of public security!
The police officers were able to respond quickly to such an emergency thanks to the perfect patrol mechanism.
The perpetrator attempted to rush into the bar and was carrying weapons, which posed a threat to the civilians in the bar. However, Officer Jack was able to shoot so decisively and killed the Korean perpetrator.
This also fully demonstrates that the overall quality of the local police in Carmarthenshire is indeed much higher than other areas in the Principality of Wales!
It is worthy of being a county with a 100% crime-solving rate!
…
"Okay, thank you for introducing the situation to us, Officer Jack. We won't delay your work then."
"Well...it's okay. It's my break time now. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me."
Officer Jack on TV nodded coolly at the female reporter and saluted.
The female reporter held the microphone and faced the camera, interpreting last night's emergency with a serious face. She said that as the end of the year approaches, public security is facing tremendous pressure. Even Carmarthenshire, which has a far superior public security situation, has had such an accident. What about other areas in Wales?
…
"Sir... Rex's mobility is quite impressive. I didn't expect that he could accomplish it in such a short time."
Thomas is a regional councillor in Wales. Although his home is in Carmarthenshire, his office is usually in Cardiff, where he has to attend meetings frequently.
Today, Alan came here mainly to visit Cardiff University and asked Thomas about the destroyer. Unexpectedly, he saw some interesting news on TV.
…
"Haha, Rex is very capable and responsible. You should get in touch with him more often and spread our power as soon as possible."
"I know, sir, don't worry."
Thomas took a sip of coffee, picked up the remote control and turned off the TV, then whispered, "Regarding the issue of destroyer storage that you are concerned about, I have asked other members of parliament to submit the proposal. It should have been sent to London by now. Will there be any results before Christmas..."
"Don't worry. The current economic environment is not good. The strong suggestion from the local government to replace the ship is likely to be approved. There are also a large number of workers without work in the shipyard. Building a new destroyer is not a big deal. It can also stimulate the economy. You just need to take care of the follow-up work."
"Uh-huh!"
"Once the plan is approved, you must first follow the formal procedures to complete all preparations before the storage, and the maintenance and upkeep of the destroyer must be in place."
"I understand! But..."
Thomas was a little puzzled. If all this was done, wouldn't it be truly sealed?
…
Looking at Thomas who was a little confused, after all, people like them generally cannot experience such things as intervening in warships. They have no experience and it is like a mountain to climb to different fields!
Allen pointed at the table and said, "After the warship is maintained, before it is sealed, the recipient will have to conduct a systematic inspection again. The procedures involved are very complicated. By then, the ship will have hidden damage to its hull structure and will not meet the conditions for sealing."
"so……"
Alan slowly laid out the general plan.
…
To seal a warship is not just to find a port and dock the ship.
Someone has to be responsible for guarding and daily maintenance!
Seal and seal, these sealed ships are there so that they can be put into use one day!
But if the hull has hidden damage, it is not suitable for long-term storage, then...
The sealing results have come out, the ship has arrived, and hidden damage has been found. What should we do?
The ship is "dead".
Putting it in a dedicated storage port would only be a futile waste of the empire's finances!
In this situation, Master Allen, as an idealistic and responsible nobleman, has to step on the scene!
He will spend 20 million pounds to buy the ship.
…
But for a "junked ship" with hidden damage to its hull, it is obviously not worth so much money.
At this point, the Welsh Assembly needs to come up with a solution. We can't let down the heart of Sir Alan, who is devoted to his country, right?
How about just giving the ship to Mr. Allen?
Anyway, this ship is already a hot potato. Keeping it will waste financial expenditure on maintenance. Throwing it away is against the rules, and selling it to Master Allen would seem awkward.
Thomas needs to take action in this link.
Let's push each other.
The Welsh Parliament saw that Sir Allen wanted the ship, so they prepared to give it to him, and Sir Allen would be responsible for handling the ship.
And Allen is definitely not going to take advantage of the empire, he has to make a concession!
In this way, play house and act out a play with Thomas.
In the end, Alan couldn't refuse the kindness, so he reluctantly got the destroyer without spending a penny.
but……
Is that all?
No no no.
How can we do this without spending a penny?
Master Allen is a sign of nobility, he must be respectable!
Since buying a boat doesn't cost money, why not donate some money to support local education in Wales?
Cardiff's primary schools need strengthening!
Let's donate some money to improve the school's hardware level and teaching quality. It just so happens that... after donating the money, the school will become better and William can come to school.