enjoyebooks Chapter 143 "American Landscape"
Chapter 143 "American Landscape"
Chapter 143 "American Landscape"
Sidney Sinberger held his champagne glass high, the light reflecting off it brilliantly. His smile was impeccable as he repeatedly waved to those around him.
Qin Han stood on the stage, suppressing his laughter, but he caught a glimpse of the fleeting pain in Sidney's eyes.
Looking back at the early days of Hans Films, in order to gain a foothold in Hollywood and quickly solidify the cooperative relationship between Warner and Universal, he did not hesitate to give up the vast majority of profits.
Without the initial concessions, there would have been no successful trial run of "The Big Boss," no smooth start to filming of "Enter the Dragon," and no box office storm for "Fist of Fury."
But now, the situation is different.
Since the night of the Oscars, the roles of hunter and prey are quietly reversing.
Hans will have more and more top-tier projects in his hands, and then it will be his turn to enjoy the sumptuous feast on the table.
"As a new company, I must admit that Hans has an amazing pipeline of projects," a deep male voice rang out from the crowd.
Columbia Pictures' current CEO, Steinfeld, stood up from the sofa with a glass of bourbon whiskey in his hand: "However, Mr. Qin, I have a small question."
His gaze swept over the words "Rocky" and "Jaws" written on the whiteboard: "I heard that you started out as a screenwriter when you first entered this industry."
"These exciting projects presented tonight, apart from the kung fu film directed by Mr. Bruce Lee, all seem to be novel adaptations. I'm very curious—"
"When will everyone have the opportunity to see an original screenplay written by Mr. Qin himself?"
The moment this question was raised, the atmosphere in the hall subtly shifted.
The other tycoons around also slowed down the swirling of their glasses and perked up their ears.
Stanfield's question was very clever. On the surface, he was looking forward to Qin Han's works, but in reality, he was subtly probing Han's Film Industry's trump card: Is Qin Han just a "middleman" who is good at reselling copyrights and playing marketing tricks, or is he a "creator" with real creative ability?
In Hollywood, if a company relies solely on buying out other people's content to keep it afloat, it will quickly collapse once it runs out of copyrights or writers leave.
Before Qin Han could even speak, Bruce Lee's brows were already furrowed.
As a kung fu master who is extremely protective of his own, he stood up without hesitation when he saw someone publicly questioning his most valued disciple.
"Mr. Steinfeld, I think you may have some misunderstanding about Ahan's talent."
Bruce Lee looked directly at the head of Columbia Pictures, his tone filled with undisguised pride: "Enter the Dragon, which is about to complete post-production, has a script that Ah Han personally revised."
"Before this, Warner Bros. provided a script called 'Blood and Steel.'" He smiled politely at Ashley. "To be frank, it was practically a pile of scrap paper. The adapted script, apart from retaining the background setting of the story, had its core themes, character motivations, and the logic of the action scenes all completely overturned and rewritten by Ahan."
"Without his creative talent, there would be no 'Enter the Dragon' as we know it!"
Ted Ashley, who was suddenly called out, did not feel embarrassed. On the contrary, as a staunch ally of Hans Films tonight, he was more than happy to do a favor at this time.
"Bruce is absolutely right." He raised his glass and gestured to Stanfield: "The original 'Blood and Steel' and the current 'Enter the Dragon' are on completely different levels."
"Mr. Qin's control over the pacing of the story and his keen sense of commercial elements are top-notch, even within the entire Hollywood Writers Guild. Warner Bros. is well aware of this."
After seeing the Warner president's personal endorsement, everyone who had initially been looking forward to a good show turned into a smile of admiration.
Faced with Bruce Lee's defense and Ted's strong support, Qin Han felt a warmth in his heart.
He turned to Steinfeld, showing no displeasure at the man's probing: "Mr. Steinfeld's expectations are also my own goals."
"Han's Films is much more than just a copyright agency. You can all wait and see. After I finish the publicity and preparation work for these key projects, I will take the time to personally write an original script for everyone."
A broad smile appeared in his eyes as he raised his champagne glass to the tycoons in front of him: "However, there's something I must say upfront. I've always had great confidence in my writing, so when the script is finished, I hope you esteemed tycoons will give it a shot—"
"Remember to bring your checkbooks and buy it from my desk for a hefty price."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
This somewhat arrogant joke ignited the atmosphere in the hall, instantly dispelling the previous tentative atmosphere. Everyone was amused by Qin Han's straightforward and frank tone.
"As long as your book is strong enough, Columbia's checkbook is always open to you!" Stanfield laughed and raised his glass, downing the whiskey in one gulp.
After the opening ceremony, Qin Han gestured to his side.
Accompanied by a deep and melodious gong sound, the double doors on both sides of the hall were pushed open by the waiters, and more than ten silver food carts were slowly pushed into the hall.
Unlike the elaborate yet cold caviar, foie gras, and sandwiches served at traditional Hollywood parties, the steaming Cantonese dim sum exudes an enticing aroma in bamboo steamers: crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside Peking duck is sliced thinly; there are also sweet and sour pork ribs drizzled with rich sauce, and fragrant Yangzhou fried rice—
The rich aroma instantly captivated the noses of these Hollywood celebrities.
"Oh my God, this taste is simply criminal!" The portly producer didn't hesitate to abandon his champagne and head straight for the roast duck table.
The atmosphere in the lobby became more casual and relaxed.
Guests gathered in small groups, enjoying the novel Chinese buffet while whispering about industry gossip and future collaborations.
Qin Han held a plate of crystal-clear shrimp dumplings, his gaze sweeping through the crowd before quickly locking onto his target.
Near the floor-to-ceiling window, Francis Ford Coppola was holding a plate of stir-fried noodles piled high like a small mountain, chatting animatedly with Elvis Presley.
Elvis's hearty laughter echoed through half the hall. He held a half-eaten spring roll in his hand and was excitedly gesturing something to Coppola.
Qin Han carried the plate over.
"It seems you two are having a very pleasant conversation." He smiled and joined their conversation. "Elvis, you need to control your calorie intake. Don't forget you promised me you'd get back to your peak physique."
Elvis took a big bite of the spring roll without a care in the world: "Qin, don't blame me. These amazing oriental foods are more fascinating than any stimulant! Besides, I'm exchanging ideas about art with the most knowledgeable people in Hollywood."
Upon hearing this, Coppola's face, which had been beaming with joy because of the delicious food, stiffened slightly, and he let out a sneer.
"The person who knows movies best? Elvis, don't mock me. In this damn place, art will always come second to money."
Qin Han noticed the director's emotional shift and, recalling his intelligence, asked casually while munching on a shrimp dumpling, "What's wrong, Mr. Coppola? 'The Godfather' just won big at the Oscars, and you're now a hot commodity that all the major studios are vying for. Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Upon hearing Qin Han's question, Coppola seemed to have finally found someone to confide in.
He grabbed a glass of whiskey from a passing waiter's tray, took a big gulp, and the alcohol flushed his cheeks slightly. "Qin," he said on stage today, "Han's most enjoys discovering truly talented creators. That really resonated with me."
He leaned against the glass window, his eyes flashing with anger and helplessness: "Just two days ago, I personally took a roll of sample footage to MGM's headquarters."
"It was a work by a very talented young man. I would stake my reputation on it; the story will definitely resonate with an entire generation."
"I thought that with the Oscar I just won for 'The Godfather,' the MGM executives would give me some face and allocate some production funds for this new project. Not much, $80 would be enough."
At this point, the veins on his neck bulged slightly: "And guess what? The vice president didn't even glance at me, just said he had other plans, and 'asked' me to leave!"
Qin Han feigned surprise and handed the empty plate to the waiter beside him: "MGM rejected your recommendation outright? They didn't even bother to review the sample footage?"
"They only saw it as a rough roll of 16mm film and rejected it without a second thought!" Coppola angrily waved his arms. "Those idiots sitting in their fancy offices have no idea what the soul of independent cinema is!"
Suppressing his excitement, Qin Han looked sincerely at the renowned director before him: "Mr. Coppola, since MGM doesn't recognize its value, why not bring this film to Han's?"
"As you heard today, what Han's Film Company excels at is polishing pearls that have been covered in dust."
"If that film is really as good as you say, Han's Film Studio can definitely step in."
"We can act as the contractor, handling all the initial funding, and then find Universal or Warner for distribution. Trust me, Ted and Sidney will definitely take any project that comes through Hans's channels seriously."
Upon hearing the suggestion, Coppola scratched his already somewhat messy hair and let out a long sigh.
"Qin, I must admit, your proposal is very tempting. Actually, my initial target for cooperation was not MGM, but Universal Pictures."
Qin Han raised his eyebrows slightly, but did not interrupt him, quietly waiting for him to continue.
"Universal has a long tradition of supporting independent films, and although Sidney is just a Jewish businessman, he has a keen eye for judging the market potential of films."
"However, just a week ago, I received a message from within Universal."
Coppola looked up, meeting Qin Han's gaze directly, a hint of bitterness in his voice: "They told me that Universal just approved a top-secret, high-budget plan. They're preparing a thriller blockbuster about giant sea monsters, and all the funding and marketing resources are being poured into this new project—the one you just mentioned, *Jaws*!"
"Under these circumstances, it would be difficult for Sidney to allocate a portion of the budget to invest in a teen independent film without any stars."
"That's when I changed my mind and went to find that old stubborn guy at MGM."
Upon hearing this, Qin Han finally realized what was going on!
It turned out that I had unintentionally manipulated the timeline.
In its original timeline, the Jaws project, a favorite of Universal Pictures, was delayed until 1974 before it was fully launched.
By the time it was completed, it wasn't released until the summer of 1975.
This timeline allowed Coppola to successfully secure his first investment from Universal Pictures and complete the challenging filming of that teen movie.
But now, because of my involvement, the development of Jaws has been accelerated by a whole year!
A butterfly flapping its wings, known as "Han's Films," propelled Peter Benchley to the pinnacle of his career ahead of schedule, but inadvertently blocked the financing path for an independent film that should have belonged to Universal!
The gears of fate had gone awry, yet miraculously, they brought this priceless treasure right to his doorstep.
Having just recovered thanks to "The Godfather," MGM has finally escaped the brink of bankruptcy.
That deep-seated arrogance from the big-budget film studio era has resurfaced once again.
Even when faced with Coppola, the creator of "The Godfather," they still only want to believe their own outdated standards of judgment.
Now, their arrogance has become the perfect assist for Hans Films.
Qin Han forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately pop the champagne, maintaining an expression of focused listening: "This is truly a regrettable misunderstanding."
"However, there is a Chinese saying that goes, 'A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.' Even if we miss out on two major studios, it doesn't mean that this work has lost its chance to see the light of day."
"Mr. Coppola, as I've said before, Hans is most fond of discovering geniuses."
"A director whose work you value so highly, even going to great lengths to find funding for, must have something special. MGM's lack of vision is their loss."
"Tomorrow, at 10 a.m., come back here again with that roll of 16mm film. I'd like to be the first viewer of this sample."
Sensing the firmness and respect in Qin Han's words, Coppola's tense nerves, which had been strained by anger, relaxed.
He gripped Qin Han's hand tightly. "Thank you, Qin. I promise, this will absolutely not disappoint you."
"He was a very shy young man, but his mind was full of wonderful ideas. His name was George Lucas."
"That work that was thrown out as trash was called 'American Graffiti'."
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