Chapter 196 Counterattack
After the incident, many filmmakers supported Jiang Heng.

For example, Stephen Chow, who has always been isolated by Hong Kong filmmakers, made a rare public statement to the media, recounting Jiang Heng's great contributions to Hong Kong and Chinese-language films, and calling on everyone to support Jiang Heng and his new film.

Zhou Xingxing also called to counsel and persuade Jiang Heng, saying that some people in Hong Kong just take advantage of their age and seniority.

In 92, Stephen Chow's films accounted for seven of the top fifteen box office hits in Hong Kong, and the top five were all his films, but he was still suppressed and looked down upon. He was a runner-up in the Hong Kong Film Awards several times, and it was not until 2001 that he won the Hong Kong Film Awards for "Shaolin Soccer".

Even so, many people still do not recognize him.

Jet Li also called in to complain, saying that when he was in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, he was suppressed even more severely and even experienced death threats. He just didn't dare to say anything because the other party was too powerful. Now he was a little outspoken.

Finally, I would like to advise Jiang Heng that with his current fame and status, he is more valued by the country and cannot be compared with the outdated film and television industry forces in Hong Kong. He should take action when it is time and there is no need to give them face.

Cheng Long also called, but he was a peacemaker, thinking that everyone was from the same Hong Kong family and should live in harmony to make money.

Jiang Heng didn't think too much about it. He felt that his reply at that time was indeed not tactful enough. If they wanted a salary of 100 million, it would be their problem if they couldn't afford it.

I thought if I didn't respond, the matter would be over, but it turned out to be getting worse.

At the preparatory press conference for the production of "Red Cliff", producer Zhang Jiazhen said that the total investment in the film is 8000 million US dollars, which is equivalent to more than million RMB, making it the Chinese-language film with the highest investment.

As for the box office, it will also break existing records.

When asked what he thought of Jiang Heng and his new film, Zhang Jiazhen said that he was just a commercial film director who was good at special effects, and his films had nothing good to offer except for the good-looking special effects.

Mainland audiences just go to watch it because it's new and novel. In a few years, the show will surely run out of steam and its true colors will be exposed...

Such specific remarks instantly aroused great excitement among the Hong Kong media reporters. After recording the remarks, they added some embellishments and changes, and a fiercely worded article was produced.

The title also caught people's attention, "Big producer Zhang Jiazhen blasted Jiang Heng and listed the 'seven deadly sins'!"

Zhang Jiazhen is a man who really deserves the title of "big producer". After studying film production at New York University, he returned to Hong Kong and worked as the production manager of Ka Hop Films. Later, he joined Mak Dang-hung Film Company, De Paul Films, and Xu Ke Film Studio. In 90, he began to cooperate with Wu Yusen and served as Chow Yun-fat's manager during that period.

In 94, he partnered with Rainie Wu to establish a Hollywood film production company, and participated in the production of well-known films such as "Broken Arrow", "Face/Off", "The Replacement Killers", and "Anna and the King".

Later, he formed a film company with Rainie Wu and participated in the production of films such as "Windtalkers", "Bulletproof Monk" and "Memento Moments".

It can be said that the relationship between Zhang Jiazhen and Wu Yusen is similar to that between Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou, they are old partners.

Zhang Jiazhen's big move against Jiang Heng in front of the media is basically the same as Wu Yusen's big move.

It’s tolerable, it’s unbearable!

It just so happened that "Journey to the West: Pingdingshan" was about to be released, and there was a lot of media publicity and interviews. Jiang Heng formally responded when he was interviewed by "Southern Weekend".

"I used to like Mr. Wu Yusen's "A Better Tomorrow" very much. It was really touching when I was young. After that, I didn't watch many films. I felt that they were all the same. But times are changing, and the audience's preferences are also changing. As filmmakers, we should also make corresponding changes to adapt to the new era.

Why is Hong Kong's film industry declining? Because those themes have been exhausted and there is nothing new left.

When a 17- or 18-year-old or in his early 20s walks into a cinema and sees some shit and fart scenes, and the police and the gangsters battle wits, he thinks it is very novel and interesting. But when he walks to the door of the cinema at the age of 30 and finds that the movies are still similar, he will definitely not even think about buying a ticket! Hong Kong movies have been stagnant for too long, like an old man who is complacent and does not notice the changes in the outside world.

For example, South Korea, which was completely the back garden of the Hong Kong film market before, produced a very good film "Memories of Murder". The fact that such a film can be produced shows that Korean films are going to rise...!"

At this point in the conversation, the reporter from Southern Weekend couldn't help but ask, "Memories of Murder, what kind of film is this? Is it really that good? Will it be introduced to the mainland for public screening?"

Jiang Heng smiled: "That's hard to say! Let's talk about the topic just now. I think one of the important reasons for the decline of Hong Kong films is that new directors have no chance to make a name for themselves. All the resources are given to big directors like Mr. Wu Yusen."

"You don't think highly of the film Red Cliff?"

Jiang Heng smiled and nodded, "I don't think Mr. Wu Yusen can film it well. The Three Kingdoms is the most well-known period of history for Chinese people, but in Hong Kong, people understand the Three Kingdoms more from the perspective of 'jianghu morality' rather than the larger historical pattern."

The reporters were very excited when they heard this. This was like saying directly that Wu Yusen’s movie “Red Cliff” would fail!

“Is it a big problem to shoot like this?”

Jiang Heng nodded, "Of course, the Three Kingdoms War is not a fight between street thugs. If it loses its historical weight, the mainland audience will not accept it, let alone other places!"

"Then if Director Wu Yusen accepts your suggestion, this film will perform well, a blockbuster with a 600 million investment!"

Jiang Heng smiled and said nothing.

It would be strange if Wu Yusen would listen to advice!

Directors are a group of people who are relatively stubborn and insist on their own way.

According to original history, the film "Red Cliff" was a co-production between the two places, and many of the producers and screenwriters were from the mainland.

Such as Han Sanping from China Film Group, Yu Dong from Bonanza, Feng Xiaogang's exclusive producer Hu Xiaofeng, and the famous screenwriter Lu Wei.

Especially Lu Wei, he is no ordinary person. He was the screenwriter of films such as "Farewell My Concubine" and "To Live".

With so many mainland filmmakers, can't they see that there's something wrong with the style of "Red Cliff"?
It is definitely noticeable, but on the one hand, people have superstitious faith in Wu Yusen's ability as an international director, and on the other hand, the filming of the film was indeed the responsibility of the director, which is why he made such a movie.

Therefore, Jiang Heng felt that the probability of Wu Yusen listening to advice was close to zero.

However, after the interview, the reporter from Southern Weekend went back and finished the manuscript overnight, writing an article with quite sharp words.

Once published, it caused a huge sensation.

Jiang Heng’s meaning in the article is very clear: Wu Yusen is old, outdated, and can no longer adapt to the times.

Readers found this sharp and confrontational article extremely stimulating, and at the same time became curious about the Korean movie "Memories of Murder" mentioned by Jiang Heng.

What kind of film is it that Director Jiang Heng would praise as being so good? Can it be seen in mainland China?

(End of this chapter)