Movie tycoon

Chapter 278 Future God of Songs (Part [-])
Shaw Brothers Film Company is a huge place, if you browse carefully, you may not be able to see it in an afternoon.However, Shao Daheng is very familiar with every plant and tree here. When he saw a pine tree, he said it was planted by himself in a certain year and a certain month; built.In short, he knew everything here so well that there was nothing he couldn't remember clearly.

Walking and talking like this, the old Shao Daheng seemed to have regained his youth, and he was refreshed, without any sign of fatigue.

As he walked, Daheng Shao walked to the projection room on the third floor. This is where he watched movie samples privately. When he walked in, the room was not too big. There was a small movie screen surrounded by various movie discs. , a polished projector stands quietly there.Shao Daheng walked over and touched the body of the projector with his hands, but there was no dust at all.

Fang Yihua, the sixth aunt behind Shao Daheng, said: "When you are not around, I will tell people to clean up frequently."

Daheng Shao smiled, and his smile represented a kind of recognition and comfort.

Looking at this place where he once fought, Shao Daheng was filled with emotion.

Recalling the past, the years are thick.

As a businessman, as the saying goes, business is business, in Zi Nian Zi, Shao Daheng watches several hours of movies every day, six to seven hundred movies a year, and the highest record is 9 movies a day.He has devoted himself to movies for 60 years, and no one can count how many movies he has seen in his life.He not only watched the films produced by his own company, but also watched other people's films as a reference.He watched every film carefully from beginning to end, staring wide-eyed and paying attention to every detail on the screen.It is said that once when he was watching a sample, someone made a long-distance call from Singapore to report that his eldest son had been kidnapped. He just asked, "Is there any injury? Can you pay for it?" After getting a positive answer, he Just hung up the phone and continued watching his beloved movie!
Of course Shao Daheng didn't watch movies for entertainment, but to make movies with a high sales rate and entertain people better.Shao Daheng has an exquisite "theory" when watching movies, which is called "watching movies with two eyes".Shao Daheng said: "In Hong Kong, I always watch a movie with two eyes. One is an artist's eye, and the other is a businessman's eye."

Since movies are cultural commodities, it is only natural to pursue the popularity rate; "selling" means making the movie "good-looking", which is "the eyes of the businessman" or "the eyes of the businessman".Some people say that Shao Daheng's production policy is "audience first", which is derived from "businessman's vision".In Hong Kong, or under the environment of the market economy, investing huge sums of money to make a film or rehearse a play, or to publish a book, is just for the sake of awarding, intrigue, or cultural achievements, without asking whether A blockbuster is unimaginable.

However, movies are, after all, artistic commodities attached to spiritual culture.The ancients said, "Words without words, deeds will not go far."If you blindly "audience first", blindly kitsch, or even immoral, then it will eventually be abandoned by the audience or the market.Shao Daheng understood this truth very well, so in addition to the "businessman's vision", he had to add an "artistic eye", or "artistic vision".In other words, he wanted Shaw Brothers to make films that were not only "popular", but also "popular".

Here is an example.As early as the opening of Shaw Studios, in order to hit the first shot, Shao Daheng personally selected the script, and finally selected "Jiangshan Beauty" which described the story of Diao Chan from dozens of scripts. Another blockbuster costume drama.However, as soon as the financial staff made the budget, they persuaded Shao Daheng to give up the film, because it would cost at least 100 million Hong Kong dollars!If the filming is not successful, Shaw Brothers may be paralyzed.But Daheng Shao firmly believed in his own vision and boldly appointed 30-year-old Li Hanxiang as the director. "Jiangshan Beauty" was an instant hit, setting the highest box office record for a Hong Kong movie at that time and winning five awards at the 1958th Asian Film Festival.According to some statistics, from 1973 to 46, the films shot by Shaw Brothers won [-] awards in all previous Asian film festivals, setting a high record in the history of Chinese films.

Yes, it is here that Daheng Shao has written brilliant achievements one after another, allowing Shaw Brothers to dominate Hong Kong, aspire to the top of Asia, and spread Hong Kong's reputation as Hong Kong's oriental Hollywood all over the world.

But now, everything around him is still the same, the projector is still the same, the screen is still the same, the movie discs around him are still the same, but he is already old, the old man is almost unable to walk, and he still needs to use this crutch...

Shao Daheng sighed all over.So what if he was once a "movie emperor"?Still can't resist the erosion and vicissitudes of the years!
Daheng Shao moved his steps and walked to the wall, where there were many award-winning photos of Shaw Brothers films hanging on the wall.In the photo, Daheng Shao was in high spirits, with a domineering look in his eyes.Through these photos, you can see how powerful Shao Daheng was in the film industry at that time, looking down on the world.

Looking at it, suddenly, Shao Daheng stopped on a group photo. In the photo, Shao Daheng stood side by side with a man with a wide mouth on one hand, holding the movie trophy that won the award for "Jiangshan Beauty". There are different smiles on their faces, whether they are full of ambition or high-spirited.If Shao Daheng was the movie emperor at that time, then the person next to him was a general with less than one man and more than ten thousand.It was this person who once helped Shao Daheng take charge of the universe and wrote the myth of the Shao Brothers, but it was also this person who personally used his own ability to break the myth of the Shao Brothers dominating the Xiangjiang film industry.Just in response to that sentence--Success is also Xiao He and Xiao He is defeated!
And the "Xiao He" in front of Shao Daheng is Zou Wenhuai, the big boss of Golden Harvest, the three giants in the Hong Kong film industry.

It is said that when Shaw Daheng was about to monopolize Hong Kong movies, there was a problem within Shaw Brothers. In 1970, due to disagreements with Shaw Daheng, the production director of Shaw Brothers, Zou Wenhuai, left Shaw Brothers with a number of Shaw Brothers senior executives, and formed Golden Harvest Film Production Company.Zou Wenhuai used to be the think tank of Shaw Brothers.What annoyed Shao Daheng the most was that he not only poached Wang Yu, the leading actor in the Shaw Brothers movie "The One-armed Sword", but also filmed "The One-armed Sword vs. the Blind Man", and "The One-armed Sword" The series of movies has always been Shaw Brothers' golden signature, and it is also the first blockbuster movie in Hong Kong with a box office of more than 100 million Hong Kong dollars.

In a rage, Shao Daheng immediately sued Golden Harvest for infringement. The lawsuit lasted for more than a year, and finally Golden Harvest won the case in the first instance.However, at this time, Daheng Shao smiled and said to the lawyer, it doesn't matter, and he is going to appeal.In fact, Daheng Shao didn't care about the copyright of "The One-Armed Swordsman" at all. He wanted to take advantage of the lengthy lawsuit to bring down Golden Harvest Company, because the huge legal fees had made Zou Wenhuai a little bit powerless.

Just when Golden Harvest Company was in danger, Golden Harvest accidentally got Kung Fu superstar Bruce Lee from Shaw Brothers. Xianyu turned himself over and became the new overlord of the film industry in one fell swoop, staged a good show of "Wu Yue Fighting for Hegemony".

"Why hasn't this photo been thrown away?" Daheng Shao asked casually.

Outsiders don't know, but Sixth Aunt Fang Yihua knows very well that Zou Wenhuai's rebellion from Shaw and the establishment of Golden Harvest has always been a problem in Shao Daheng's heart.If it wasn't for Zou Wenhuai, the Shaw Brothers wouldn't have declined so quickly.If Zou Wenhuai hadn't established Golden Harvest, Shaw Brothers would not have fallen from the position of overlord.Shao Daheng, the "Movie Emperor", will not only have such a short period of glory.

"Oh, this photo is also very old. As part of Shaw's history, I think it should be preserved..." Sixth Aunt Fang Yihua said indifferently, "However, if you don't like it, I can send someone to take it to the warehouse."

With that said, Fang Yihua was about to call for someone to do it.

At this moment, Shao Daheng waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's hang on here, the two of us are almost 150 years old together, so what do we care about!" , actually relieved a lot.Yes, a person who is almost a hundred years old, why should he bear grudges against these secular grievances?

Having figured this out, Shao Daheng waved to Fang Yihua again and said, "Let's go, let's go to the soundtrack room - I haven't been there for a long time, and I don't know what it looks like now..." There was a hint of nostalgia in his tone .

Walking to the soundtrack room, Shao Daheng heard a melodious singing before he reached the door.

Aunt Six was about to go over to greet the people inside, but Daheng Shao stopped her.Waving his hand means not to disturb the people inside.Gently pushed the door open and walked in, only to see Huang Zhan, Gu Jiahui and others were engrossed in recording the movie's theme song.

No one noticed Daheng Shao's arrival.Because at the moment everyone is immersed in the beautiful atmosphere created by Chen Xiaotang.

Wearing earphones, Chen Xiaotang was still singing softly, he sang very attentively and concentrated, as if he had forgotten his own existence, only the music was with him.

Beside, Huang Zhan's fingers swayed gently in tune with the singing, while Gu Jiahui nodded lightly, immersed in his own artistic conception along with the melody.

Everyone listened quietly to Chen Xiaotang's singing, they seemed to be air and did not exist.

Shao Daheng looked at them through the glass, and Chen Xiaotang's faint "Swords and Swords Are Like a Dream" rang in his ears, and a thought unconsciously popped up in his mind-isn't the arena of swords and lakes the same as the arena of movies?Wandering in this kind of rivers and lakes, the years make people old, who is the leader of the rivers and lakes? !

"What do you think of this Chen Xiaotang's singing?" Suddenly, Shao Daheng asked his sixth aunt Fang Yihua.

Fang Yihua was stunned for a moment and said: "Two words - wonderful!"

"Haha, it's rare to be praised by a famous singer like you!" Shao Daheng seemed very happy.

Although he was born in film, he is also an expert in composing and singing. Otherwise, Shaw Brothers would not have so many wonderful musicals.As for the sixth aunt Fang Yihua, let alone, she was born as a singer, and she once shined in the music scene, so her evaluation is absolutely pertinent.

"Then do you think our Shaw Group has a chance to regain its glory this time?" Daheng Shao continued to ask.

"As long as everyone is united, how can it not only regain its glory? I think Shaw may regain its glory!"

"Brilliant? Haha, brilliant!" Shao Daheng laughed suddenly, as cute as a child. "I don't hope for any glory, I just want Hong Kong to understand that even an old horse, Shaw Brothers, can break new ground and create new legends! And he—" Shao Daheng pointed at the Chen Xiaotang, who recorded the song, "He is my horse!!! Golden Harvest has Bruce Lee, and Shaw Brothers has Chen Xiaotang!!!"

Sixth Aunt Fang Yihua was surprised, she didn't expect Shao Daheng to compare Chen Xiaotang with Bruce Lee, after all the gap between the two is too big.

"Are you doubting my vision?" Seeming to see the question in Aunt Six's heart, Shao Daheng said firmly, "When it comes to knowing people and judging people, I, Shao, say that I am second, and no one dares to say that I am number one! I, this Chen Xiaotang will definitely not be a thing in the pool one day, but I am still a little tender now, it is better to go through more twists and turns, to hone it well, Muxiu will be destroyed by the wind in the forest, it is better to hide the edge!" Said After finishing this, Shao Daheng turned around slowly, "Don't read, let's go——" Leaning on crutches, he returned along the original road.

At the back, Aunt Six was still in a daze, until Uncle Shao Daheng came to the door, then she came to her senses and hurriedly chased after him.

In the soundtrack room, Chen Xiaotang, Fatty Wang Jing, Huang Zhan, Gu Jiahui, etc., did not notice Shao Daheng coming and leaving quietly.At this point they were all immersed in the recording of the theme song.

It wasn't until Chen Xiaotang finished recording the song that the applause broke out suddenly.

"Okay, that's really great! Tang Zai, you really opened our eyes!" Huang Zhan applauded.

"Yeah, no wonder your fans are dying, listening to your song is really an indescribable enjoyment!" Gu Jiahui exclaimed.

"The singing is great! But can you hurry up, there is a dinner party tonight, if you, the one who pays the bill, don't go, how can we have the nerve to eat and drink?" Fatty Wang Jing urged.

Facing everyone's praise, Chen Xiaotang blushed a little. After all, he thought that this song "Sword and Sword is Like a Dream" still did not reach the charm of Zhou Huajian in his previous life.

In fact, Chen Xiaotang thought about it a lot. Everyone has their own characteristics in singing. Zhou Huajian's singing is characterized by his "drag tone" and "glissando", while Chen Xiaotang's singing is more sonorous and magnetic.If Zhou Huajian's "Sword and Sword is Like a Dream" in his previous life seemed unrestrained, then Chen Xiaotang's "Sword and Sword is like a Dream" is sonorous and powerful.They are so different that they cannot be compared at all.

No matter what, the recording of this song has been completed, so Chen Xiaotang can breathe a sigh of relief; as for the next song, it will be easier for him.

When Chen Xiaotang was about to complete the recording of the theme song of "Yitian", Huang Zhan and Gu Jiahui would never have imagined that their urging Chen Xiaotang to sing the theme song of this movie would cause such a big sensation in the future.

At this time, the fat man Wang Jing was only thinking about the free dinner at night, how should he kill Chen Xiaotang?Stab it hard, or open a small mouth and let the blood out slowly? ---
Someone thought sinisterly.

(End of this chapter)