The Golden Age

They may repeatedly play the villain when facing a third party, but they never do so with each other; over the years, they have been happy to have each other.

—Peter Handke, *Slow Country*, 1979

……

"Alright, let's stop arguing about these pointless things."

The leader, no longer so serious, said calmly, "The leaders will be watching your sample footage later. They'll make their decision after they've seen it. You've all read the script; what do you think?"

This question was directed at the factory directors of several other factories, as well as those famous directors.

The first to speak was Xie Jin, director of Shanghai Film Studio: "I think this script is very well written. If it weren't for Lao Chen beating it to the punch, I would have wanted to film it myself. This script is very clean. Although it contains some metaphors, they are not a big deal. Why can't we continue filming it? It's inappropriate to call the director and screenwriter back for questioning based solely on some people's unfounded rumors and conspiracy theories."

Xie Tieli from Beijing Film Studio chimed in, "Indeed, this is a very good script. Old Chen is also a seasoned director with a long history. If you're asking if he has any ill intentions, then I can only say that you underestimate Old Chen and his ideological awareness."

"I think the whistleblower is talking nonsense! We've only just emerged from the turmoil, and last year Deng Xiaoping proposed adhering to the 'Hundred Flowers' policy and loosening the constraints on artistic creation!" Ling Zifeng, a veteran director at the Beijing Film Studio, couldn't hold back any longer, practically cursing: "Some people are just bored and have nothing better to do than seize on a few words and start making a big fuss about metaphors and allusions... What, are they trying to start another literary inquisition?!"

Xiang Jiexin blushed with embarrassment. He wanted to retort, but he was afraid of incurring the wrath of the crowd.

Listening to everyone's discussion, the leader summarized and said slowly, "The arts and literature sector does need to gradually loosen its constraints, but it shouldn't be left to its own devices. It still needs the higher-ups to control the overall direction. After all, a ship needs a helmsman to navigate the ocean, and that's always true."

While it's important not to overreact, we must also remain vigilant. Indeed, some unscrupulous individuals will use film as a medium to smear our revolutionary achievements. Therefore, we must carefully verify information to avoid wrongly accusing an innocent person or letting a bad one escape!

A little while later, someone whispered a few words in the leader's ear.

Then he announced, "Okay, let's go to the screening room and see a sample of this movie."

Soon, everyone was led to a screening room that could hold several hundred people.

Actually, the filming was less than two-fifths complete, but the film reel already had more than two hours of footage.

The photographer did a rough cut during their meeting, so they only need to watch it for about an hour.

At that time, the on-site sound recording conditions were not good, so all the audio was dubbed in post-production.

Therefore, you will see that there is no sound in the video at this point.

The first film in China to be recorded with sound simultaneously was "Hibiscus Town" directed by Xie Jin in 1987.

More than an hour passed quickly.

Although there are only four or five scenes, namely the part where Zhang Mazi leads his men into the city, the part where they confront each other in the rainy night, the part where he kills the double in the square, and the part where Zhang Mazi sleeps in bed with the county magistrate's wife in the beginning and with Ma Bangde in the end.

The leader asked, "Have you finished reading it? What are your comments?"

"This is truly indecent!" Xiang Jiexin was the first to speak. "Yang Zaibao put his hand on the actress's chest. What is that if not lewd behavior? He should be severely punished! And the two men in bed together is an extremely filthy implication."

Well, now the lead actor has been dragged into the controversy too.

"You're a filmmaker too!" Chen Huaikai finally snapped, yelling, "You should know that artistic truth is not the same as reality. This is a bandit and a county magistrate's wife who used to be a prostitute. Anything could happen between them in this situation! The later part is clearly just a joke between film characters, and there's no real implication."

"So, you want to film all the things they do in bed?!" Xiang Jiexin retorted without any politeness.

"You!" Chen Huaikai was so angry that his chest tightened. "You're just being unreasonable."

Huang Wenbin said calmly, "Old Chen, there's no need to get angry with him. I remember a story about Su Dongpo and the Buddhist monk Foyin. Su Dongpo asked Foyin what he looked like, and Foyin said he looked like Buddha. Then Foyin asked Su Dongpo what he looked like in Dongpo's eyes. Su Dongpo replied that he looked like dog excrement. Su Dongpo thought he had won and went home to brag to his sister, Su Xiaomei. But Su Xiaomei said he had lost!"

Xie Tieli suddenly interjected, "So, Su Dongpo asked Su Xiaomei, 'Why is that?'"

"Su Xiaomei said that Foyin has Buddha in his heart, so he sees Buddha in everything," Xie Jin said with a smile.

"And since your heart is full of dog shit, everything you see looks like dog shit." This time, it was Ling Zifeng who spoke.

After he finished speaking, everyone present burst into laughter.

This story is said to have originated from Lin Yutang's "Biography of Su Dongpo" written in 1945. It has been widely circulated in later generations and is often used by marketing accounts and even applied to other people.

Everyone present was cultured and had read Lin Yutang's novels. Of course, the original joke was that it was supposed to be cow dung, but Huang Wenbin deliberately changed it to dog poop for the sake of being offensive.

"Just you wait. This movie will definitely be banned. It has crossed the line, and the leaders won't sit idly by." Xiang Jiexin felt deeply humiliated and trembled with anger. These people were clearly mocking him as a piece of trash.

A short while later, a commotion arose at the door.

Several figures slowly walked in.

Everyone who saw the old man in front of them instantly stood up excitedly.

The old man shook hands with each person in turn, offering words of encouragement.

Then she walked over to Chen Huaikai and said, "You did a great job filming. Keep filming. I'll go see it when it's released."

"Thank you, leader." Chen Huaikai nodded excitedly. "I will definitely complete the mission."

"He is the screenwriter of this movie," the leader said, pointing to Huang Wenbin and introducing him to the old man.

"What a handsome young man." The old man smiled and shook Huang Wenbin's hand, saying softly, "It's very well written, there are no problems, keep up the good work."

Huang Wenbin said earnestly, "Thank you for your praise. I will work hard."

This scene was captured by a photographer and will most likely be published in the newspaper.

The incident ended before it even officially began.

However, the play will definitely have to be put on hold for a while, because the Fourth National Congress of Literary and Art Circles is about to begin.

The leaders left quickly, and Xiang Jiexin also left reluctantly.

Several veteran directors surrounded Huang Wenbin.

"Comrade Xiao Huang, we've finally met!"

Xie Tieli walked slowly up to Huang Wenbin and said with a smile, "I really love your novel 'The Coffin,' also known as 'The Coffin in the Heart.' If I weren't still recovering, I would love to start filming it right away."

Huang Wenbin, not daring to be presumptuous, humbly said, "It is my honor to be liked by Director Xie."

Xie Jin stepped forward and grabbed Huang Wenbin, saying in a very familiar tone, "Comrade Huang, I've heard you owe our Shanghai Film Studio a movie. How about you write me a script first? I haven't gotten my next film project sorted out yet."

"Xie Jin, don't you feel guilty saying that?" Chen Huaikai glanced at Xie Jin and said sarcastically, "Everyone knows you snatched Lu Yanzhou's novel before it was even published, and you've already revised the script and published it in the latest issue of 'Film Creation.' You should be getting ready to film it now!"

"That notebook is indeed good, but it involves some sensitive issues, so the review process is stalled, and we don't know when it will be approved."

Xie Jin's face showed displeasure, and he even cursed loudly: "Those bastards are utterly despicable! They only focused on those so-called allusions and trivial details of a perfectly good story."

These words resonated with everyone present.

They had just gone through a censorship because someone was fixated on the protagonist's name, thinking it must be a veiled reference to someone.

Listening to the conversations of these renowned directors, Huang Wenbin gained a relatively clear understanding of the current state of the arts and culture scene.

In reality, it was a coexistence of openness and closure, of dynamism and melancholy. On the one hand, it was striding forward at a rapid pace, while on the other hand, it was shackled by constraints. Yet, against this backdrop, these people and the general public still created what is known as the "Golden Age" of the 1980s.