Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 189 Can You Resist This?
The movie had already started showing in the theater, and Ronald just missed the title and title.

He saw a map of the African continent on the screen, and then the camera zoomed in, turning into a grassland.There are all kinds of wild animals on it: zebras, African elephants, gazelles, giraffes, etc. drink water and inhabit lakes and rivers.

The film's narration is in a language that sounds like German, but Ronald isn't sure.He heard several pronunciations of Kalahari repeatedly, which seemed to be place names.

The rivers, lakes, and ponds on the screen slowly disappeared, the oasis turned into a savannah, the green grass turned yellow, and the leaves of the trees fell off.

Ronald starts moving his ass, this is a documentary, right?Speaking of animals on the African grasslands?Or the importance of environmental protection?
There is no market for documentaries in American theaters, but there is a possibility that they can be sold to TV stations.If the quality of this documentary is good, would you like to talk to Helen's father?

The voice of the narrator changed, and the camera focused on a few primitive people covered by leaves. Ronald began to wonder again, is this a documentary about primitive people?

The language of these primitive peoples is interesting, with a lot of "clack" sounds when you inhale with your tongue and palate.It's like the sound that children sometimes make when they eat.

The movie focuses on how these primitive people found water on the arid grassland.They dig up the rhizomes and catch the dew with the leaves.The source of food is a certain kind of plant fruit, and it is obtained by shooting small herbivores such as antelopes with a bow and arrow stained with venom.

This kind of novelty-hunting documentary has a considerable market in America.Ronald has seen some documentaries broadcast by PBS, which are all over the world to shoot local customs.

Just when Ronald began to figure out how to sell the documentary to Helen's father, the scene turned to aerial scenes of big cities.Skyscrapers, highways, busy commuters, industrialized production lines, mass schooling, and more.

There's something interesting about this clip, Ronald thought.

The unhappiness of modern people in the life enriched by modern materials contrasts with the happiness of the primitive people in the primitive and poor life.Ronald rated the film's director a little higher.

But how to proceed next?Continue to compare various aspects of life between primitive people and modern people?This is also a good way.

The next shot switches back to the tribe of hominids, a hominid walking, and an airplane flying overhead.A pilot finished drinking Coca-Cola and threw the glass bottle of Coke out of the window, just in front of the primitive man.

Primitives thought it was a gift from God. After taking it back to the tribe, they found that the Coke bottle was harder than any natural tool. It could be used to process food, clothes, and even blow out rhythms as a musical instrument.

But with only one Coke bottle, everyone started to scramble and fight.Primitives thought it was not a gift from God but an evil thing, which destroyed the peace of the tribe, and planned to take it to the end of the land and throw it away.

Now Ronald saw clearly that this was a drama.

In the front, the method of fake documentary was used to quickly render and explain the environment of the story.By the end of the second film (about 22 minutes), the story has entered a huge suspense.

Rebel leaders in nearby countries stage coups to overthrow the local government.After the coup was stopped, the rebels detained a large number of innocent residents and fled to the Kalahari where the primitive people were, hoping to use them as hostages against the government forces.

The primitive man who threw a Coke bottle into the city was sentenced to prison for shooting a goat raised by others.A zoologist understands their language and believes that primitive people should not be sentenced for not having the concept of property rights.

The judge made the primitive man act as a zoologist's guide to serve his sentence.On the journey of sending the primitive man home, the two met the heroine, a school teacher, who was hijacked by the rebels.

At the end of the film, the primitive man used darts to anesthetize the rebel soldiers while rescuing the heroine and his students.

The hero successfully rescued the heroine, and the two finally got married.

The primitive man went to the sea and threw the Coke bottle into the sea.He returned to his tribe and lived a happy life.

The whole movie is a comedy, but it does not make people laugh with lines, but uses the contrast between primitive people and modern people to reflect the absurdity of some modern society.

Ronald likes this kind of high-level humor very much. Although he can't understand the lines, it doesn't prevent him from laughing from beginning to end.

After the screening, Ronald approached Mia, the manager who brought the film to the show, and offered to purchase the American distribution rights of the film.

"No, no, we can't sell the rights to distribute this movie in America right now."

"Why?" Ronald wondered.

Mia Toski is the film's producer, Poyet Toski's sister.

She replied with a wry smile, "Our film was shot in South Africa. My brother Poyet's Mimosa studio employs all white technicians. From the cameraman, to the lighting engineer, to the makeup artist, and even the printing workers. It's white."

"This is against the Sullivan principle, and your American legal system is a long-arm jurisdiction. If I cooperate with American companies, I will be blacklisted in the divestment movement, and my brother's theater chain cannot introduce Ami. Liga Films are showing."

Ronald was confused, and quickly asked Mia for details.

It turns out that South Africa now implements an apartheid system. Whites and blacks are not allowed to use the same bus, eat together, use the same faucet...everything must be separated.

Sullivan was an American bishop who was also a director of General Motors.When he visited the General Motors factory in South Africa, he found that the black leader Mandela was in prison, and South Africa implemented the apartheid policy.Shocked, Sullivan launched a boycott after returning home.

He called on all American companies to withdraw their capital from South Africa and not do business with South African companies if the South African government cannot release Mandela, abolish the segregation policy, give blacks the right to vote, or hire blacks on a large scale.

The few policies he formulated are known as the Sullivan Principles.If Mimosa Pictures sells the films it makes to companies in America, it triggers the Sullivan principle.

The Toski brothers are afraid that selling movies into America will be targeted by the news media, and they will be blacklisted. Not only can they not import American movies, but they can't also import film shooting equipment, technicians, etc. The hit is devastating.

"Then why don't you hire some black employees? Their wages are not high, right?" Ronald wondered if there was a tendency among his siblings to support racial segregation.

"Of course not. In this movie, we hired a large number of black actors." Mia quickly denied, "My brother and I actually support the abolition of racial segregation."

"But your country's Sullivan principle is very strict, only counting the proportion of permanent employees, and black employees must be paid equal to white employees. And we are a small company and cannot afford to hire so many underqualified employees for a long time.

You know we are not a manufacturing company, unlike GM who can hire some low-skilled black employees, we hire technical personnel who need long-term training. "

Ronald felt that it was a pity. If this movie could be introduced to America at a low price, it would be a bit tricky. "What if I buy out the distribution rights of your movie? Then the movie will have nothing to do with you,"

"Look at the protesting crowd?" Mia pointed at the door, "We tried to sell the movie to Polygram and release it in Britain.

These protesters advertised in newspapers, revealing that the film was shot by a South African studio, and were finally forced to cancel the release plan.Because Britain was also a participant in the divestment plan, the public had a bad impression of South Africa. "

"This is really..." Ronald was speechless, so he exchanged business cards with Mia, and then chatted about their South African film market.

"By the way, what's the name of your movie? I didn't watch it at first." Ronald finally asked.

"The Gods Must Be Crazy"

"So you guys in South Africa speak German? I didn't understand the lines at all. But the quality of your film is so good that I can laugh from beginning to end without understanding the lines."

"No, it's Afrikaans, a mix of Dutch and West German. We're going to do foreign language subtitles and try the European and Japanese markets."

"Are the primitive people in the movie really their living conditions?"

"Maybe in the past, but now the governments of Botswana and Namibia have driven them into private plots, and the living space is getting smaller and smaller.

Because of this movie, now our company gives that tribe $200 a month to go to a nearby grocery store and buy something to subsidize the tribe. "

Ronald nodded, it seemed that it was his wishful thinking, how could modern society not be affected?Even such primitive tribal residents can improve their living standards by making movies.It is also a good arrangement.

The two walked out of the theater while talking, but Mia was greeted by the demonstrators.Frightened by the eggs and slogans, he ran away.

Ronald escaped the egg by luck and wanted to run away.He found that the beautiful college student who went to the movies together two days ago was also in the crowd, and hurriedly said loudly while walking, "My own, don't hit me, I just pass by occasionally."

Seeing that it was Ronald, the beauty hurriedly stopped her companion, and asked him, "Do you want to buy a movie about South African racial oppressors?"

Her companions also surrounded her, and it seemed that she couldn't leave without explaining clearly.

"I won't buy their movies, Sullivan's principle, Sullivan's principle." Ronald quickly explained in terms he had just learned.

"Okay, you have to shout slogans with us to show that you don't support South Africa." Another fat girl who marched put a placard into his hand.

"What do you want me to shout?" Ronald was forced to hold up the "anti-apartheid" placard.

"Free Mandela."

"Free Mandela!" Ronald shouted.

"Multinational corporations leave South Africa!"

"Multinational corporations leave South Africa!"

Satisfied, the protesters let Ronald go.

With lingering fear in his heart, Ronald asked the beautiful college student he was familiar with in a low voice, "This movie is about primitive people, and there is no racial discrimination in it."

"The film companies in South Africa, why don't they make films that expose the ugly side of the apartheid system in South Africa, and make films that glorify the harmonious coexistence of whites and blacks in South Africa, what is their intention?" Fat girl shouted from the side, "If you don't object, you are condoning! "

Ronald was forced to shout two more slogans, and quickly got away.

"Protesting girls can't be messed with, can't be messed with."

(End of this chapter)