enjoyebooks Chapter 144 The Tragic Genius
Chapter 144 The Tragic Genius
Chapter 144 The Tragic Genius
In the lobby of the Sunset Tower, a gentle saxophone was playing languid jazz music, and the atmosphere grew increasingly lively amidst the clinking of glasses.
Hearing Krapo confirm the name himself, Qin Han finally felt a sense of relief.
George Lucas was, to Hollywood producers of this era, nothing more than a marginal director with no box office appeal.
He was very aware of the young director’s current situation. Before preparing for "American Graffiti", Lucas had only made one true feature film debut, "500 Years Later".
It was thanks to Francis Coppola's strong recommendation and his own money that the fledgling Lucas was able to gain access to resources from a top giant like Warner Bros. at the very beginning of his career.
This should have been a phenomenal start that would have driven countless young filmmakers mad with envy.
However, the mismatch between talent and the market caused this genius to be shattered overnight.
The film "500 Years Later" has an overly avant-garde "dystopian" core.
In Lucas's vision of the 25th century, humanity lives in an underground world devoid of sunlight.
Everyone was forced to shave their heads and wear identical white uniforms.
There were no families, no art, and no private feelings allowed. The rulers suppressed emotions and sexual desires by forcing residents to take psychotropic drugs.
This suffocating artistic expression clashed head-on with the mainstream sentiment of American society in the 1970s.
At that time, the real world belonged to hippie culture.
An anti-war march, deafening rock music, psychedelic drugs, long-haired young people in floral shirts chanting "love and peace".
People go to the cinema to escape the bitterness of reality, to have fun, and to vent their emotions.
Who would want to spend two hours in a movie theater watching a bunch of bald men in white clothes taking medicine in a lifeless underground world?
When Warner Bros. executives sat in the screening room and watched this extremely depressing film, their reactions were predictable.
In an effort to salvage an investment that was on the verge of going down the drain, Ted Ashley demonstrated the decisiveness expected of a studio head—he exercised his "final cut" right and forcibly sent security personnel to snatch the film negatives from Lucas's editing room.
Warner Bros. hired an editor who ruthlessly cut out the lengthy philosophical shots that Lucas considered the soul of the film.
However, even after this commercial "censorship," the film's marketing and distribution still turned into an unprecedented disaster.
Fred's marketing department was in a frenzy when faced with this film—they had absolutely no idea how to design the movie poster!
Hanging out a bunch of expressionless bald heads? That would only scare the audience away.
Amid the chaos, the film was hastily crammed into theaters.
The final result was naturally disastrous; this debut film, on which Lucas had placed his ambitions, grossed less than two million dollars at the box office.
This revenue not only greatly disappointed Warner, but also put Coppola and Lucas, the main investors, on the brink of bankruptcy.
As Qin Han savored the rich champagne in his glass, looking at Coppola who was still indignant on behalf of his younger brother, a wave of emotion welled up in his heart.
Hollywood, the world of fame and fortune, has cruel and realistic rules: you can be eccentric, you can be short-tempered, but you absolutely cannot let investors lose money, or you'll be out.
Having experienced this devastating financial crisis, Coppola, who had always been arrogant and disdainful of film studios, was forced to bow to reality.
In order to prove his commercial value to those giants again and to fill the huge financial hole, he took on Paramount's noir film, The Godfather.
The rest is history. Coppola's enormous success not only paid off his debts but also propelled him to Hollywood stardom, a stroke of good fortune despite the misfortune.
However, George Lucas didn't have the same formidable abilities and good fortune as his older brother.
There are never any real secrets among the Hollywood elite—a rookie director who botches a million-dollar investment, or a stubborn, market-unreserved underground experimental film enthusiast.
This explains MGM's indifferent attitude towards his work.
For a long-established giant that has just recovered from a debt crisis, what they need are stable projects that can quickly generate cash flow.
Even Coppola's influence wasn't enough to make them take another risk.
Qin Han smiled inwardly; fate was indeed unpredictable.
The brilliance of his genius was not overshadowed by this failure.
In his previous life, after being repeatedly turned away, Lucas, who was desperate, finally found a glimmer of hope at Universal Pictures.
At the time, Universal Pictures also didn't have high hopes for this teen film with its trivial plot.
However, out of consideration for Coppola, who had just shone at the Oscars, they reluctantly gave a budget that would be considered "meager" by Hollywood standards—a mere $77.
This amount of money is not even enough to cover the salary of some big-name stars for a single movie.
Universal executives treated it as a small favor to Coppola, and had no expectation that the film would make a splash in theaters.
The results of it?
This meticulously crafted and budgeted film, shot entirely in a borrowed beat-up car, "American Graffiti," accurately captures the vulnerabilities of American society in the 1970s.
Neon-lit drive-in fast food restaurants, retro rock music drifting from car windows, and carefree graduation celebrations allowed all Americans to once again experience the innocence unique to the late 1950s and early 1960s, a time before the Vietnam War tainted them.
It struck a chord with the deepest, most tender feelings of nostalgia in the hearts of an entire generation of Americans, sparking a nationwide movie-going frenzy.
When the final box office statistics were placed on Universal's desk, everyone was shocked.
With a production cost of $77, it raked in a staggering $1.15 million at the box office!
At the age of 0, George Lucas silenced all those who had once mocked him with an unrepeatable miracle.
In a dramatic turn of events, he went from a "poisonous director" on the verge of bankruptcy on the fringes of Hollywood to a super-rich man worth tens of millions.
And this is just the beginning.
Riding on the unstoppable momentum of "American Graffiti," Lucas is preparing to bring his magnificent and grand cosmic opera to the big screen.
In the following years, he spent countless nights writing, creating the masterpiece that changed the Hollywood film industry and became known as America's "Journey to the West"—Star Wars.
A massive market worth hundreds of billions of dollars, including related merchandise, toys, theme parks, and generations of Americans who have lived with the roar of lightsabers.
The very origin of that vast universe, comprised of the Force, the Sith, and the Jedi, lies in that roll of 16mm film that MGM had kicked out of the store.
Now, due to his unintentional interference, Universal Pictures' funding pool has been drained ahead of schedule by "Jaws".
These two groundbreaking masterpieces, which are about to ignite the world, along with that yet-to-be-awakened super director, naturally fell into his pocket!
"Qin? Are you listening?"
Coppola's voice pulled Qin Han back from the blueprint of the future to reality.
The portly director looked at the young man who had suddenly fallen silent, a hint of unease in his eyes, thinking that this up-and-coming agent had also been discouraged by Lucas's previous failures.
"Of course, Mr. Coppola." Qin Han gathered his thoughts, his smile utterly sincere.
He raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Coppola's: "I'm just thinking about how to welcome this masterpiece that may be underestimated by everyone."
"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, bring that roll of film, bring George Lucas, I'll be waiting for you in the screening room on the third floor."
Coppola's shoulders slumped, he let out a long breath, and gripped Qin Han's hand tightly: "I knew it!"
You're not like those old fogies!
"I assure you, tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, it will be an absolutely wonderful visual experience!"
Having secured Coppola's services, Qin Han was in high spirits.
His gaze swept around the hall, and soon his eyes locked onto another target.
Frank Albranche, CEO of Paramount Pictures, was smoking a Havana cigar and chatting with several independent filmmakers.
This man, who also wields immense power in Hollywood, just now ruthlessly humiliated Sidney of Universal.
When Stanfield in Colombia raised questions, he consistently examined himself with a detached, spectator-like attitude.
However, this questioning also gave Qin Han a new idea: he needed the Paramount leader to "cooperate" with him.
He strode through the crowd toward the sofa area.
"Mr. Frank, did you enjoy the food tonight?"
Qin Han's voice interrupted the group's discussion about a certain female celebrity's figure.
Several producers turned around, saw that these were the main characters of the evening, and tactfully made an excuse to disperse, leaving the two alone.
Frank Albrans didn't seem annoyed at being interrupted. He immediately stood up from the sofa, beaming, and extended his hand to Qin Han: "Qin! This party was absolutely fantastic, especially the amazing Chinese food. My God, it's a hundred times better than French snails."
He exhaled a puff of smoke, seemingly sensing Qin Han's purpose in coming over: "Regarding that little incident earlier—Qin, I hope you won't take it to heart."
The CEO flicked off his cigarette ash, his tone extremely candid: "You know, Stanfield is a straightforward person, and he has absolutely no ill intentions towards you or Hans Films."
"In Hollywood, it's remarkable in itself for a company whose core competency is packaging and distribution to rise so quickly."
"I believe he was simply very curious about your creative abilities."
He took a half step closer, lowering his voice as if the two were already old friends: "After all, Ted isn't someone who's easily swayed. It's extremely rare to get him to endorse you."
Such polite words are best left unsaid.
Qin Han knew perfectly well that these old foxes' "curiosity" was always based on self-interest.
"Mr. Frank, you flatter me. It is an honor for me to receive the attention of so many senior colleagues, and it is also a driving force for Hans's company. I can completely understand that."
"Actually, what I said on stage wasn't entirely a joke to lighten the mood."
He looked at Frank's slightly narrowed eyes and said in a calm and unhurried voice, "The adaptation of 'Carrie' was handed over to Universal because they were the first to terminate our early development."
"However, Hans has always sought diversity in its partners. If Mr. Frank is interested in my writing—"
"I am willing to hand over my first original screenplay, which I have personally written, to Paramount Pictures."
Upon hearing this, a look of wild joy flashed across Frank Albrans' face.
He didn't even bother with the expensive cigar in his hand, stubbing it out in the crystal ashtray, afraid of missing any of Qin Han's next words.
The screenwriting ability is personally certified by the president of Warner Bros.!
This is not some empty promise. If Paramount can secure Qin Han's first original work, it will officially be on the table in this battle for emerging Hollywood resources!
"Qin, I knew it! You're someone who knows how to distribute profits!" Frank pressed on impatiently. "Can you tell me a little bit? What kind of story is it? A kung fu movie? A war movie? Or an inspirational film like Rocky?"
Qin Han did not answer immediately. Holding his wine glass, the two walked together to the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
The Sunset Tower offers a spectacular view; from here, the entire Los Angeles cityscape at night resembles a black velvet carpet studded with countless diamonds.
"Mr. Frank, look at this city." Qin Han raised his hand and pointed to the dazzling sea of lights outside the window.
"Right now, Los Angeles' glamour overshadows everything. But what if you went back in time to the 1930s?"
"During the impact of the Great Depression, crime was almost everywhere here."
"What I'm going to write is not an ordinary crime story." Qin Han turned his head and looked at the Paramount CEO who was already captivated: "It has the most fascinating elements of film noir: a cynical private detective who makes a living by investigating extramarital affairs; a femme fatale with deadly charm; and a powerful madman who wants to build his own empire by monopolizing the city's water supply."
Greed, incest, murder, the corruption of power —
"I want the audience to see the true nature of this City of Angels beneath its glamorous exterior."
A few simple sentences had already piqued Frank's intuition: this script was definitely of high quality!
"Qin—" He swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming with greed: "How much of this story have you written? What's it called?"
Qin Han pointed to his head: "Every line, every twist, is already in my head."
"As for its name—it's called 'Chinatown'."