Martin Scorsese and Spielberg are two directors with very different styles.
In terms of film art alone, Martin Scorsese is purer than Spielberg, and Spielberg is one of the most successful commercial directors in Hollywood. In terms of his ability to make money, he is far ahead of Martin Scorsese. Above Seth.
Although the two have different styles, this does not prevent the two from having a very good relationship in private. Therefore, when discussing with Martin Scorsese to take over the task of filming the American version of "Infernal Affairs", it naturally fell to Spielberg. On the body.
Spielberg deliberately waited until nightfall in Yunnan Province before calling Martin Scorsese, but it was already morning in the United States on the other side of the phone. Martin Scorsese was enjoying coffee and reading the newspaper at his home in Los Angeles when suddenly He was surprised to receive a call from Spielberg.
After answering the phone, Martin Scorsese asked with a smile: "Steven, it should be night in China now, right?"
"That's right." Spielberg smiled: "You really should come here to experience it if you have the chance. I shot in the mountains. The natural scenery here is really amazing."
"Oh come on..." Martin Scorsese joked: "I'd better not go to the mountains with my old bones. I'm not as young as you."
Spielberg said with a smile: "The difference between the two of us is only four years."
Martin Scorsese smiled slightly and asked him: "You are calling me from half a world away. You don't just want to chat with me, do you?"
Spielberg said: "To tell you the truth, I called because I have a project that I want to work with you on."
"Oh?" Martin Scorsese asked curiously: "Is it related to the movie?"
"Of course." Spielberg said: "Li Mu, the boss of Makino Technology, bought the remake rights of "Infernal Affairs" from Warner Bros. and wants you to direct it."
Martin Scorsese asked in surprise: "Li Mu? Oh my god, is that the Chinese Li Mu who has a net worth of hundreds of millions at a young age?"
"Yes, that's him." Spielberg said with a smile: "You should know that we have a relatively close cooperation with Li Mu. The movie I am making now was also invested by Li Mu."
"I know, "Flying Tigers"!" Martin Scorsese said: "I also heard someone talk about it yesterday, saying that Warner bought the remake rights of a Hong Kong movie for US$1.75 million, and it didn't take long for it to happen. , someone bought it back at double the price, it should be the "Infernal Affairs" you mentioned, right?"
Spielberg smiled and said: "Your news is quite good. Yes, it is this film. Li Mu wants to invest in and distribute it with DreamWorks. I wonder if you are interested?"
Martin Scorsese said: "To be honest, I am of course very interested in cooperating with people like Li Mu, but I am not very interested in remakes of movies. Besides, it is a remake of a Chinese movie. The level of their film industry is It’s much worse than us…”
Spielberg asked Martin Scorsese: "Martin, have you seen this movie?"
"not yet."
"Then you watch it first." Spielberg said: "Take some time to watch it first and get a feel for it. The theme of this movie is a police film, and the setting is very brilliant. I believe you will like it."
Martin Scorsese thought for a moment and said: "Well... I am actually preparing a movie project now, about Howard Hughes. If the preparations go well, filming may start next year. Maybe there will be a time conflict?"
Spielberg said: "Martin, put Howard Hughes aside for a moment. You can shoot his story anytime, but the opportunity to cooperate with Li Mu is right in front of you. You should also know, Cooperating with Li Mu can obtain a lot of powerful resources. This is an excellent opportunity. If you don’t believe it, take a look at the Makino Ticketing System. DreamWorks has a stake in the Makino Ticketing System in North America. These are all in cooperation with Li Mu. Afterwards, the resources obtained from Li Mu.”
Martin Scorsese suddenly fell into a dilemma. Regarding Howard Hughes's movie, he had actually wanted to make it for a long time. At this time, he was in the early stages of preparing to put the theory into practice. If he took over the filming of Li Mu's movie at this time , which will undoubtedly postpone the film you want to make.
However, Spielberg is right. Li Mu has strong resources. Even top tycoons like Buffett and Bill Gates may not be able to match Li Mu’s resources in the media and entertainment industry. If they can catch up with him, If you have good relationships, you will definitely get a lot of resources in return in the future, so this is definitely a rare and good opportunity.
However, Martin Scorsese still feels a little bit reluctant to remake a Hong Kong movie, because he is worried that Li Mu, as a Chinese, and a rich Chinese, is deliberately spending money to help Chinese movies hit Hollywood. If this is the case for the film project he is preparing, then he will become a springboard for China Film to enter Hollywood. After all, he is also a super first-line director in Hollywood. If he really destroys his reputation and endorses China Film, he may be unavoidable in the future. To be laughed at by Hollywood...
Listening to Martin Scorsese's delay in replying on the other end of the phone, Spielberg probably understood what he was worried about, so he said: "Martin, I'm not advising you to agree now, but I hope you can let it go. To learn more about this collaborative project, at the very least, you should find a copy of "Infernal Affairs" and watch the movie from beginning to end. I personally feel that this movie is very suitable for you to direct, and I believe that it will be directed by you. Your ability can create a new level for this movie, and you can also create a new level for yourself through this movie, so you must watch it first. After watching it, if you are really not interested, I won’t do more. Force it.”
Martin Scorsese thought that Spielberg had said this, and it would be outrageous if he was still hesitant, so he agreed and said: "I will go find a copy today and take a look. "
Spielberg said: "This film has not been released on DVD in the United States, but several major film companies including Warner should have copies provided by Hong Kong Film Company. You can borrow it from them."
"OK." Martin Scorsese said, "I'll make a call later and watch the movie as soon as possible."
…
When Martin Scorsese got the copy, it was 9pm US time.
He called a film company with which he had close cooperation to search, and the relevant staff of the other party searched in the warehouse for a day before finding a copy of the Hong Kong version of "Infernal Affairs" in an inconspicuous corner.
Martin Scorsese then sent his assistant to drive across Hollywood to retrieve the copy from the other company, and then sent it across Hollywood to his own hands.
At this time, it was the morning of the next day in China time. The DVD that Makino Imaging sent to Spielberg from Yanjing was delivered by Taobao 9 Logistics' express delivery, air transportation and land transportation, and it was delivered in less than 24 hours. Spielberg's hands.
It just so happened that the weather was unfavorable at the shooting location today. We were originally going to shoot the pilots' exterior scenes at the airstrip, but a light rain started falling in the early morning and showed no intention of stopping.
The entire crew rested and waited at a rest area near the filming location.
Seeing that the rain would not stop for a while, Spielberg said to the assistant director Ning Hao, who was responsible for the start: "Ning, it seems that the morning's shooting has been ruined. Help me inform everyone that the staff will rest where they are." On standby, the actors can go back to the hotel to rest first.”
Ning Hao nodded and hurriedly gave instructions.
Spielberg called Leonardo and Tom Hanks and said to them: "If you have nothing to do, why don't you go to my office and watch a movie together?"
The crew rented out half of the county party committee guest house in this small county in the mountains. The conditions were limited, but even so, several rooms were set aside for the crew to use as offices. The crew held meetings and the director reviewed the film in the office. Spears Berg also has his own separate office, which is fully equipped.
Leonardo and Tom Hanks didn't know why Spielberg asked them to go to the office to watch a movie, but they knew that with Spielberg's professionalism, it must not be leisure and entertainment, it must be work-related, so The two agreed without hesitation.
When Spielberg, Leonardo and Tom Hanks came to the office, Martin Scorsese, who was far away in Hollywood, USA, had just received the copy. He took the copy to his villa. Underground, there is a projection room specially built by him, which is fully equipped with high-end theater projection and sound equipment. For a great director like him, this is the only way to feel the best when watching movies.
However, the conditions for the three Spielbergs in the guest house of the county party committee in the mountainous area of Yun Province were much simpler. They could only watch the film with a small professional monitor and a DVD.
Martin Scorsese has never seen "Infernal Affairs" or even understood the movie. He has the common problem of many Hollywood directors and actors. He always feels that the best movies and film workers in the world are not good enough. I am in Hollywood, so I instinctively look down upon non-Hollywood movies and their staff.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks had not seen this movie either. When the DVD played the opening credits of Asia, when they saw Chinese characters appearing on the screen, they both asked Spielberg in surprise: "What's this?" Is it a Chinese movie?”
Spielberg nodded and said, "That's right. Treat yourselves as the audience. Watch this movie carefully. If you have any opinions and thoughts, we will discuss it after watching it."
The two of them nodded in agreement.
The title of "Infernal Affairs" contains a lot of Buddhist elements, which neither Martin Scorsese in the United States nor Leonardo and Tom Hanks in China are very interested in. So the three of them were a little uninterested at first.
At the beginning of the chapter, the gangster played by Eric Tsang appeared in the temple, which also made the three of them feel disappointed.
Most Westerners are Christians. Although they are not fanatical about religion, they are relatively firm in their beliefs. Moreover, Western culture has been exported to the Eastern world for a long time, so that Easterners have long been accustomed to watching it in European and American movies and TV series. I went to churches, statues, priests, and even learned many details about Christianity. However, the export of Eastern culture to the West has always been weak. When Westerners see Buddhist content in movies and TV series, they actually don’t buy it, and even feel a little resistant.
Fortunately, the three of them were able to continue watching patiently.
And when Zeng Zhiwei said in front of the camera that he wished his younger brothers all the best in the police department, the three of them suddenly sat up straight involuntarily.
The underworld actually sent people to the police system? That’s interesting!
None of the three people expected that as soon as they felt it was interesting, they began to be gradually attracted by the movie. Just as Li Mu analyzed it for Li Ziwei before, the core setting of "Infernal Affairs" is genius-level and surpasses all previous ones. What the filmmakers never expected is that "Infernal Affairs", which combines A-type plots, B-type plots and AB-type plots, is enough to make everyone's eyes shine!
After experiencing the boredom and resistance in the first two or three minutes, the three of them watched the nearly 100 minutes of the movie intently and with great immersion!
And when Tony Leung Chiu-wai's Chen Yongren was suddenly shot dead in the elevator, the three of them were completely shocked. They never thought that a Chinese gangster movie could be so exciting!
Martin Scorsese was deeply shocked when he saw this scene. Although he is reluctant to admit it, this movie is really a masterpiece! The setting of the main plot and the exquisite plot gave him great confidence! He believes that if he takes such a genius setting and makes it Hollywood-like, it will definitely become a classic Hollywood gangster movie!
(End of chapter)