The Okura Hotel in Tokyo is a Japanese-style hotel specially built to welcome the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. All the interior decorations here are in traditional Japanese style, which is in sharp contrast with the modern hotel appearance.

"Good morning, sir, welcome, Ronaldo-san, ha, Diane-san. Please come with me, the room is ready."

The waiter, wearing spotless white gloves and a formal gown, bowed deeply, then stood up and welcomed Ronald and Diane into the suite they had reserved.

Ronald arrived at the suite. There was a translucent window on the wall of the living room. The reflection of the bamboo forest outside the window was reflected into the room. With the tatami covered with bamboo mats on the floor and the low coffee table, there was really a harmonious coexistence between the West and the East.

temperament.

"Thank you," Ronald took out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, took out a 20-dollar bill and handed it over.

"You're welcome, Ronald-san, please call me if you need anything." The waiter did not accept the tip, but bowed to Ronald again, turned around and walked out.

"Japanese people think that their service is of high quality, generally exceeding Western standards. Your tipping is an insult to their service." Diane, also wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, came up to explain the case. She

I have spent some relatively long time in Japan and filmed many commercials. I know the customs and customs here better than Ronald.

"My bad", Ronald smiled and put away his wallet. The interior decoration of this hotel was a bit old, but it was well maintained.

Steve Bannon persuaded him to stay here, which is one of the most prestigious high-end hotels in Tokyo.

Moreover, the Japanese chaebol know that he lives in this hotel that is very close to the Emperor's Imperial Palace, only a 20-minute walk away, so they will have an idea of ​​Ronald's strength. This is the top representative of Japanese style hotels, and now Japanese entrepreneurs

The consortium all has opinions on American entrepreneurs, and being able to respect their culture will be beneficial to the subsequent financing discussions.

"Let's go down for some brunch. I heard that the Chinese cuisine here is very good." After tidying up for a while with Diane, they went to eat hand in hand.

Passing through the wide lobby, the surrounding walls are decorated with diamond rhombus textures, and there are four musicians playing chamber music quartet in front. The musicians in suits and leather shoes and the female audience wearing traditional kimonos. The interior shape is simple with geometric shapes, and the ceiling

With the strings of lanterns hanging down from the ceiling, Ronald felt that here, the East and the West coexisted in a wonderful way for a moment.

When they arrived at the restaurant, of course Ronald ordered the hair-style toast that Bannon highly recommended.

"Sir, today's reservations have been sold out." The restaurant waiter bowed again and told Ronald that he would like to come early tomorrow. The toast here has a quota, and it will be gone after it is finished.

"Do you need to make a reservation for toast? What the hell, just bring up what you have." Ronald shook out the napkin and spread it. Japanese people have a pursuit of form. In fact, if a snack is difficult to make, it will not be served well.

That’s it.

"The toast here is really good, but you usually have to come in the morning." A familiar voice spoke English and said behind Ronald.

"Huh? Mr. Pike. Why are you here?" Ronald looked back and saw that the person slowly enjoying the toast in the corner was none other than the famous American movie star, Gregory Peck. He was wearing dark blue clothes.

Wearing a navy jacket, light-colored trousers underneath, a red tie, a pair of big glasses on his face, a full head of silver hair, and a graceful demeanor.

"Do you mind if we come together?" Ronald asked Gregory Peck.

"Come here, little Ronald. We haven't seen each other since the last time I went to China. I also watched your recent movie. It was very good."

Gregory Pike waved, and the waiter quickly came over to move the chairs, and Ronald and Diane sat at his table together.

"You are still so energetic." Ronald looked at him and said.

"I'm here to be a judge at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and you're also here to participate in the film festival?" Gregory Peck pushed the hair-style toast he ordered to Diane, and then poured a cup of maple syrup on it.

.

"Thank you, um... it's so delicious, it tastes like soufflé." Diane began to exclaim, this toast is really delicious.

"They soak the bread in egg liquid for 24 hours, then fry it and then bake it, so you need to come early to eat it." Gregory Peck is already 70, and looking at Diane is like looking at his granddaughter.

"I'm not here to participate in the film festival," Ronald replied with a smile, "I'm here to release Dirty Dancing. In fact, I didn't even know there was a film festival in Tokyo with a competition section."

"It's normal that you don't know. This is only the second time they have organized it. It is the only A-level film festival in East Asia that has competitive sections and is not divided into genres. They asked me to be the chairman of the jury just to expand their influence."

"Mr. Parker, if you are the chairman, it will be fair." Ronald couldn't help but think of this year's Cannes awards, where the chairman made a mess.

"Well, I'm glad you said that, but we all know that they only do it because my appearance fee is cheap."

"Hahaha……"

Ronald laughed. Gregory Peck still has such a sense of humor. He has semi-retired and has not made many movies in recent years. He likes to travel around the world and watch movies from other places.

"Are there any good movies that have participated in the competition in recent years?"

"Let me tell you, there is a Chinese movie that moved me very much. It was directed by a young man named Wu. The techniques and lens language are a bit backward, but it is very simple and powerful. The actor is also very good.

It has the power to let me see different movies.

It's the British guy on the jury who always makes trouble with me. He puts forward many opinions, but he can't stop my determination."

"I heard that the chairman of the jury has a lot of power?" Ronald didn't know how the film festival worked. He only spoke from his own experience of the awards farce in Cannes.

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "I have a lot of power, but I can only persuade them, but I can't decide for myself. Would you like to come and watch this movie? I can make it during the meeting.

Throw your opinions out as a reference."

"I may have different opinions from you. I will only speak according to my own opinion." Ronald didn't eat the hair-style toast, so he joked with Gregory Peck, who had occupied the last two portions.

.

"Haha, of course. Americans are free to express their own ideas. But I strongly suspect that you and I have the same aesthetic. What you said last time in China won my heart. Movies are not limited to Hollywood.

A kind of shooting method."

"Well, there are also government-sponsored ones like the ones in the country, which I can't understand either."

"Hahaha..." Diane laughed, picked up a piece of toast with a fork, and put it in Ronald's mouth.

"Yeah, it's really delicious." Ronald also felt that the Japanese chef put more thought into such a small food than the main course.

"Well, Mr. Parker, if that movie is still showing, I will go see it and write down my opinion for you."

"Of course, I will let them show you a special show. This is a story about people in northwest China who have been digging wells to find water for hundreds of years, but they have continued to fail."

"Sounds good." Ronald ate the omelette benedict. "These Japanese people make English breakfast even better than the British people. By the way, the one who is against you in the jury.

Who are the Britons?”

"Alan Parker, a Londoner."

"It's him, no wonder." Ronald didn't expect that in Tokyo, he would meet the director who was "famous all over the world". Why didn't he make a movie and come to Tokyo?

Ronald agreed to Gregory Peck, and then waited at the hotel for Bannon, who had just returned from the American Embassy nearby.

"We're going to meet with the reporters from Kadokawa Bookstore and Johnny & Associates tomorrow."

"Okay, let's get in touch with them first. By the way, why are you going to the embassy?"

"Wall Street matters, and many overseas matters, require assistance from the embassy." Bannon replied, "What are your arrangements for the evening? I will go see my old friends."

"I also went to meet old friends and met Gregory Peck. There is now a film festival here and he is a judge."

"Ah..."Her Highness" is not here?" Bannon is also a loyal fan of the old movies starring Audrey Hepburn and Parker.

"I haven't heard of it."

…

In the evening, Ronald and Diane went to the place where Pike mentioned and watched a Chinese movie.

The movie with only subtitles and Chinese lines was called "Old Well". Diane couldn't understand it clearly, and Ronald sometimes translated some plots for her.

But the power of the movie itself is very powerful, and Diane's own guess of the plot is also very close to ten. The pace of this movie is not fast, and the audio-visual language is also somewhat behind the development of Hollywood in recent years.

Ronald and Diane can guess the direction of the plot by looking ahead. Even so, the performances of the male protagonist and the two female protagonists, as well as the performances of the supporting actors, are all excellent and directly touch the common soul of mankind.

In the end, the male protagonist, whose name translates to "good for getting out of the well (prosperous spring)", relied on the betrothal gift earned from his first love's marriage and the dowry from his widowed wife to finally get out of the well. The scene ends with more than 100 people standing on the edge of the well.

The name of the ancestors who failed to dig a well over the years, and finally the name of the protagonist appears at the end, success!

Diane couldn't understand the lines and was moved to tears.

Ronald even felt that the simplicity of the film was the most powerful force. If the actor's performance was powerful enough, it could replace the skills and story and move the audience equally.

"I agree with you. I think this is a very moving movie, especially the simplicity of the male protagonist Yimou, which is powerful. His silence can move the audience more than his lines."

Ronald wrote a short review, called the waiters, and asked them to deliver it to Gregory Peck.

"Ronald, I knew you would agree with me." Early the next morning, Pike called. He was very satisfied with Ronald's comments, "Tomorrow I will vote for you."

One year of comments can crush the British ideas..."

"I'm glad I could help." Ronald put down the phone, tidied his clothes, went out to find Bannon, and went with him to an appointment with the presidents of Kadokawa Bookstore and Johnny & Associates.

…

"Ronald, old friends meet again."

Haruki Kadokawa and Johnny Kitagawa met with Ronald in an intimate sushi restaurant.

There is only one table of guests served here at noon every day. Basically, only senior executives of large companies and some politicians can make appointments. Ordinary people can only wait for the time, but the lucky ones can show off in their circle of friends for a long time.

"Hello everyone, how is the Japanese film market now?"

Ronald got straight to the point. He wanted to sell the movie to Japan and also wanted to introduce Japanese investors.

"You don't know, right? In the past two months, Japan and the United States have been fighting fiercely over the chip issue. NEC, Toshiba, Fuji and other companies are all considering whether to give up the American market because of the dynamic memory chip issue.

.”

"What chip?" Ronald looked at Bannon.

"Dram, a type of chip used in computers, is now manufactured in Japan at a much lower cost than ours, so the old guys in Congress are starting to wield the big stick of sanctions again."
To be continued...