Chapter 984 The Best Movie

Since getting the remake copyright of "Infernal Affairs", Ronan waited for four years before "The Departed" finally came out. Martin Scorsese and the gangster theme are simply a match made in heaven.

If it was placed in the previous life, Ronan would definitely say that something filmed in "The Departed" completely destroyed the artistic conception of the Hong Kong version, but now he doesn't look at it that way anymore. In essence, this film by Martin Scorsese It is only for the North American and Western markets, and other situations have not been considered at all.

Ronan has been operating films for many years and knows one thing very well. With the strength of Hollywood films and Oscars in the global film market, as long as "The Departed" performs well in North America and wins a few key Oscars, it should have a strong presence in Asia. The online and offline income of the company is not less than a penny.

Over the years, it has always been a trivial matter for a film that won the best director or best picture statuette to increase the income of tens of millions of dollars in the global market.

Of course, preconceived opinions have always influenced Ronan, and it's no exception now.

For "Infernal Affairs", there are really too many good memories, and it also represents the last glory of a video hall era.

After "Infernal Affairs", Hong Kong films were unable to rebound, and the era of video halls came to an end.

In some ways, this is also the feeling of Ronan, a group of film lovers born in the 1980s.

This kind of feeling is like a Hong Kong movie, once gone, there is no turning back.

But for Oriental films, this is a blessing. The decline of Hong Kong films has led to a large number of talents going north, which has also indirectly promoted the rapid development of the Oriental film industry.

Perhaps, the filmmakers in Hong Kong City have various problems, but their role in promoting the commercialization of the oriental film industry cannot be denied.

As for those who cling to the movies and glories of Hong Kong City in the past and cling to them stubbornly, the rolling traffic of history will crush all ghosts and demons into pieces.

Ronan's energy quickly returned to the film itself.

The Hong Kong version of "Infernal Affairs" is undoubtedly a crime genre film full of romanticism, and it can be described as a typical Hong Kong city movie.

However, Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" is not a simple remake of "Infernal Affairs". Even if the main line of the plot follows the Hong Kong version, it has essentially become a completely Americanized story.

In addition to relying on the same story clues, the artistic conception and style of the whole movie are also very different from the Hong Kong version.

To put it bluntly, the Hong Kong version meticulously rendered a "cool" and poetic Infernal Affairs, while the American version was less provocative, deep and romantic, creating a more realistic and cruel story. .

Most typically, in the climax scene in the middle of the two films, when the police boss is thrown from upstairs, the Hong Kong version uses a variety of techniques and soundtrack to render it, while the American version is simple, rough and direct, and the only thing the protagonist reads is One word - fuc.k! fuc. k! fuc.k...

A street gangster who has not received higher education, there is no better way to express it besides "fuc.k" at this moment.

It also creates a real sense of brutality.

Of course, no one knows what the reality is like. After all, everyone is in Hollywood, not gangsters.

In Hollywood in this era, perhaps the gangsters can affect the companies or people at the bottom, but the characters in the superstructure of Hollywood don't care about the gangsters at all.

The two sides are not at the same level at all.

In other words, the cruelty and truth of "The Departed" is the cruelty and reality recognized by North American audiences and Oscar judges.

Martin Scorsese is a director deeply rooted in North America,

I understand what gangster movies are liked by North American audiences, and I also know how to cater to the tastes of the audience and even the Oscar judges. This is not a typical Hollywood commercial film aimed at overseas markets. Juno is somewhat similar.

Therefore, it is conceivable that when this "The Departed Walker" is released in Asia, it will definitely be sprayed miserably.

Because movies can never escape the influence of social and cultural environment.

Just like the Hong Kong version of the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy, which was introduced to North America by the Embassy Films successively. This classic series of films was even considered as the rescue work of Hong Kong movies in Asia. $160,000 at the box office.

For the latter two films, Embassy Pictures did not release them in theaters at all, and directly pushed them into the offline DVD market.

To date, the DVDs of the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy have sold less than $2 million in total in North America.

No one can ignore the difference in the market.

And North America has always been the most closed and unfriendly film market in the world to foreign films.

Sometimes, the ideal is full, but the reality is extremely cruel. Ronan is very clear that it is more difficult than expected for foreign films to break into North America, especially at the box office.

Relativity hasn't released a single Oriental film in theaters on a large scale since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero.

The film culture differences between the East and the West are sometimes exaggerated by some films.

Many American-style film expression techniques are difficult for most Eastern audiences to accept, especially purely American themes, such as a lot of shit and fart comedies, Eastern audiences can't get a laugh at all.

Similarly, some Eastern movie styles cannot be understood by Western audiences.

This is quite normal.

For example, let me say that what Ximen Chuuxue blows is not snow, but blood.

This sentence is enough for Eastern audiences. Even just one line can make people associate the picture, and even the audience can immediately imagine such a scene in their minds - an ancient town, a small shop, a sunset, a sword dripping with blood, A man in white clothes stood motionless, and the hem of his clothes fluttered slightly in the wind—Sword God, what a cool word.

But what about in North America? This typical oriental method is difficult to find a market.

So, the Western style of expression would pull out a knife and shout "fuc.k! you!"

To reduce sensationalism or to pretend to be cool, but to show the real performance of people under fierce conflict as much as possible. This can be regarded as one of the biggest differences between the American version and the Hong Kong version. In fact, think about the plot at the end of the film, where two undercover agents meet on the rooftop. One person is extremely angry and the other is highly nervous. How would a normal person behave in this situation?

I'm afraid the situation in the US version is closer to reality, a beating, and fu.ck, fuc.k scolding at the same time...

But it's not aesthetic, it's not romantic, and it doesn't look cool.

Think about it, how many audiences' hearts were instantly touched by Electric Eye Liang's sentence: "I'm sorry I'm a policeman"?

Even now, Ronan still remembers that scene and lines very clearly, which feels so classic.

In contrast, Tom Cruise and Will Smith's sloppiness is too rough, just like the difference between San Fernando Valley's art films and Port City's classic third-level films.

The former screamed and directly took off and fucked hard, while the latter set off a very romantic atmosphere.

Even a macho artist like Mr. Xu has a different kind of romance.

The artists in the San Fernando Valley are all yelling "F". How can they be like Teacher Xu, who can tap superb acupuncture points, play on swings, play Hot Wheels, pop watermelons, and tug-of-war with cattle, etc.

This is called a man's romance, called brilliant.

It is estimated that Western audiences will be confused and do not understand what Teacher Xu is doing.

This is typical film cultural differences.

Although it is a remake of the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy in Hong Kong City, "The Departed" is a completely Americanized film. There is no trace of familiarity in the same story line. This may be a Master directors have always only used their own voices to speak, which may be the most direct manifestation of cultural differences.

"The Departed" definitely has a deep brand of Martin Scorsese. If the Hong Kong version of "Infernal Affairs" can read romance, sadness, and delicacy, then what can be read in "The Departed" is only Cold, cruel, and gritty, these are two styles that are absolutely opposite.

At the end of the premiere screening, there was warm applause in the theater, and the applause lasted for a long time. Martin Scorsese had to bring Tom Cruise and Will Smith to the stage to call off the curtain.

Again and again, the audience burst into applause.

Standing in the third row, George Lucas applauded and said to Spielberg: "This is Martin's best film since "Goodfellas."

Spielberg nodded in agreement: "I don't think there's anything wrong with being in the top five of Martin's movies."

The two great directors have their own judgments on this film, but their opinions are basically the same.

After the premiere, the media also received a lot of praise. It seems that Martin Scorsese, who has returned to the gangster theme, has returned to his peak moment.

"The all-new American crime masterpiece from legendary director Martin Scorsese, whose talent shines at the highest peak."

"This story thoroughly expresses Martin Scorsese's artistic and spiritual accomplishments with equal intensity."

"This is the most dynamic, exciting and uplifting film of the year."

As Ronan expected, "The Departed" has received a lot of praise in North America, and the reputation in the media has almost exploded. A large number of well-known film critics, including Roger Ebert, have given four and a half stars or even five stars to this film. Five-star ratings, even in most film review columns in the media and the Internet, it is extremely difficult to find comments below seven.

As for the original "Infernal Affairs", in the eyes of the North American media and film critics, it seems that it never existed, just like the French original version of "True Lies" and the Italian original version of "Scent of a Woman".

In all the publicity of Relativity Entertainment, the existence of the original movie is also deliberately ignored, which is exactly the same as "True Lies" and "Scent of a Woman" back then.

In a place like Hollywood, especially during awards season, if you can't even do the basics, how can there be room for development?

With the release of the movie, the Oscar publicity and public relations of "The Departed" will naturally officially start.

All kinds of carefully concocted touted soft articles emerge in endlessly.

"The setting of the scene is excellent, the emotion is as high as melting lava, and the lines and complex plot of the film are amazing."

Hollywood is so shameless.