When the old man walked up to the second floor, he saw a young man of twenty-four or five years old, looking at a painting. On the stool next to her sat a girl of six or seven years old, looking bored.

Kitagawa Keiko was taken aback when she saw the old man, "Ah", then stood up, walked over quickly, and said respectfully: "Mr. Yamada, I didn't expect to meet you here, it's great!" Saying that, she felt that she took out a pen from her bag, handed a pen to the old man, and said excitedly: "You are my parents, and my idol, I grew up watching your movies! Can you sign me?"

The old man signed Kitagawa Keiko, returned the pen and book to her, glanced at Zhang Ran, and said, "Your friend likes Kurosawa's paintings very much!"

Keiko Kitagawa said: "He is Mr. Zhang Ran from China, he is a director, and he especially admires Akira Kurosawa." ”

The old man had a good relationship with many Chinese directors, and when he heard that Zhang Ran was a Chinese director, he walked over, stood next to Zhang Ran and looked at the paintings on the wall.

The painting in front of me is the storyboard of "Shadow Warrior", and at the end of the story, the cavalry army of the Takeda family charges bravely and fearlessly towards the enemy, but once faced with the muskets of the Oda family. The cavalry charge became more and more swift each time, and the musket response became louder and louder each time. In the end, the Wind Forest Volcano Flag fell, and Takeda was defeated. Kurosawa depicts the moment when the cavalry of the Takeda family begins to charge, with bright colors and a strong sense of tragedy, with a strong visual and emotional impact.

The two stood side by side in front of the painting and looked at it for four or five minutes, and the old man said with emotion: "The helplessness in the face of the irreversible tide of history is particularly strong, and Director Akira Kurosawa is really a powerful person!" and then asked Zhang Ran: "What do you think?"

Zhang Ran came back to his senses and glanced at the old man, with gray hair and brown glasses, as if he had seen it again. But Zhang Ran didn't think much about it. Looking at the painting in front of him, he said: "I like the color very much, the sense of hierarchy and space is very strong, the strong color, and the rotating lines show a strong emotional and visual impact, but the tone is very cold, which makes people feel hopeless!"

The old man nodded secretly in his heart. This young man is very powerful, and he really understands Kurosawa's paintings. He asked quietly: "He is a pessimist, but his films have never been pessimistic, except for "Shadow Warrior", which was shot desperately! You know how to draw, do you have anything to dislike about his paintings?"

Zhang Ran thought for a moment and said, "I think light is very important for expressing emotions, and if I were to paint, I would increase the depiction of light." The kind of light with a little bit of air, so I think it will be more textured. Actually, Kurosawa is very good at using light, and the reason why he didn't draw it was probably because it was a storyboard, so he didn't deal with it that way!"

The old man thought carefully about Zhang Ran's words, then shook his head and said, "This treatment is too formal, and the sense of ritual is too heavy. I don't really like this kind of picture, I like the more natural painting. I like traditional Japanese paintings. But if Kurosawa were still around, he would love you. ”

In fact, Zhang Ran does not pursue a sense of ceremony, he pursues a sense of picture, which is related to his original study of art. However, there is no fixed pattern in art, whether it is film or art. Everyone will have a different idea when they look at it. It's not a question of right or wrong, it's just a matter of personal preference.

Keiko Kitagawa looked at the two of them, and she couldn't figure it out, both of them were obviously directors, so why did they keep talking about painting. It's supposed to be a movie, right?

The two talked about the painting for more than ten minutes, Zhang Ran admired the old man's opinion in front of him, and said with a smile: "My name is Zhang Ran, I am a director, and I especially like the movies directed by Akira Kurosawa. This time I'm in Tokyo to attend the film festival, so I stopped by the former residence of director Akira Kurosawa!

The old man smiled and said, "It's amazing to be shortlisted for the Tokyo Film Festival at such a young age." I'm Yoji Yamada, and I'm also a director. ”

Zhang Ran was taken aback when he heard Yoji Yamada, Yoji Yamada is a national director of Japan, which is equivalent to Feng Xiaogang's status in China, and is much more powerful than Feng Xiaogang.

Yoji Yamada's most influential film in Japan is "The Story of Injiro", a total of 48 episodes of "The Story of Injiro" is the longest-lived comedy series in film history, "The Story of Injiro" is usually released on Obon and the first day of the first lunar month, and it is all the rage in Japan, and it is widely resonated and welcomed by Japanese audiences. The whole family went to the theater to watch "The Story of Injiro", which once became an important part of the Japanese saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. It wasn't until the death of Atsumikiyo, the actor of Injiro, in 1996 that "The Story of Injiro" had to be declared an end in sentimentality.

In the 80s of the last century, Yoji Yamada's "The Call of the Distant Mountains" and "The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness" were introduced to China, causing huge repercussions and becoming the memory symbols of Zhang Ran's parents and their generation.

However, Zhang Ran felt a little strange, how could a director of such status as Yoji Yamada come to Akira Kurosawa's former residence: "Mr. Yamada, why are you here?"

Yoji Yamada explains, "I also really admire director Akira Kurosawa, and I have received a lot of favors from him in the past, and he told me a lot about samurai and how to make samurai films. Now that my samurai film is about to be released, come and tell him. ”

Zhang Ran was a little surprised, Yoji Yamada's film style was obviously close to Ozu, but he didn't expect him to worship Akira Kurosawa. He thinks that Yoji Yamada's upcoming samurai film should be "Twilight Seibei", a director who usually shoots family life, makes samurai films, and makes samurai films so well, it's really amazing. I couldn't help but say: "Many directors are at the end of their peak, and their later works are greatly disappointed, and Mr. Yamada's high standard has been maintained for decades, I don't know how to do it?"

"It is my dream to make high-quality films and let more people enjoy them, and I have always demanded this from myself. However, in order to realize the ideal, it is often necessary to rely on the cultural needs of the times, and director Akira Kurosawa filmed "Seven Samurai", which was the king of the box office in 1954, which is the most perfect combination of art and commerce. The situation in Japan is far less optimistic than it was back then, but I always believe that as long as the movie is good, it will be popular. As filmmakers, we have to keep looking for better stories. ”

Zhang Ran nodded: "The audience's tastes change quickly, have you considered the audience's tastes?"

Yoji Yamada said in a leisurely tone: "Actually, it's not a good thing to think so much about making movies again, and you should dispel such concerns." I make movies that I want to see, I like and accept them, and that's it. If in the end young people don't like or don't cater to the trendy tastes, there is no way to do it. ”

Zhang Ran sighed with emotion: "I can't do it." There are a lot to consider, to consider the box office, to consider the audience's acceptance, I hope that one day I can be like you, just make my favorite movie with peace of mind!"

Yoji Yamada said, "Cinema is inherently the art of compromise, especially commercial cinema. Sacrifices are inevitable. The key is to grasp your original intention, each director only makes one movie in his life, and all his works are just imitations and improvements of his debut film, so you know what you want to convey the most, and just convey it to the audience. ”

Zhang Ran was stunned when he heard this, Yoji Yamada said that no matter how much a director changes the theme and content of the movie he shoots, the idea of implementing it in the movie will remain the same. Wong Kar-wai said that he found out after filming five movies in a row. What I have been telling everyone is nothing more than a kind of rejection shown in the movie, as well as a series of reactions after fear of rejection and rejection, and the reaction of choosing to remember or escape.

Movies may have a wide range, subject matter may be very different, expression techniques can be different, and stories are completely different, but the spiritual core of the movie is the same. Wong Kar-wai's films are all about rejection and rejection. Woody Allen satirized a lifetime of intellectuals, and Hitchcock filmed a lifetime of anxiety and fear. Akira Kurosawa has spent his entire life lecturing on doctrine and survival.

Cinema is a commodity, but definitely more than a commodity, otherwise it would not be called the seventh art. Michael Bay's film has everything it should have, with a complete story, a tight plot, and spectacular scenes. The box office is even more amazing. Everyone felt very exciting when they watched it, but there wasn't much worth remembering after reading it, and it was over after reading it. Good movies are thoughtful, just like a person is a soul, otherwise the walking dead.

Zhang Ran thought about this issue when filming "Bursting Drummer". Other times I didn't think much of it. Not many directors think about stuffing ideas into the movie from the beginning, and the ideas of the film are often natural expressions, which are the projections of the director's heart.

However, Zhang Ran understood what he wanted to express. When "Bursting Drummer" was screened at school, Huang Lei joked with Zhang Ran, the endings of your two movies are not artistic enough, too bright. At that time, Zhang Ran realized what he wanted to say to the audience.

Zhang Ran smiled and said, "Actually, I have the same opinion as Mr. Yamada, I want to tell a good story, and in my opinion, the most important thing about a good story is whether it can be grounded in your heart and can move yourself." I like the positive people in the tragic fate, their values are never polluted by the reality of society, even if the final outcome is tragedy, but always maintain hope. If I had to convey something, I wanted to make the audience see hope and be optimistic after watching it, even if the movie itself is a tragedy. I don't like movies that are too desperate, and I believe that it is because of hope that good can defeat evil and that humanity can survive!"

Yoji Yamada has seen many young directors, some of whom are blind and can't afford anyone's things, while others are blind and lack their own ideas. There are too few directors like Zhang Ran who can not only learn from others, but also have their own thoughts. And these people, without exception, later became excellent directors. Therefore, he was quite interested in Zhang Ran's films: "When will your movie premiere? If I have time, I want to see it!"

Zhang Ran originally planned to invite Yoji Yamada to attend the premiere of his movie, and it was a great honor for Zhang Ran to attend the premiere of his movie. This is a master!

At this moment, hearing Yoji Yamada say this, Zhang Ran hurriedly took out an invitation to "Burst Drummer" from his bag: "This is an invitation to the premiere of the movie, it will premiere on the afternoon of the 3rd, welcome Mr. Yamada to attend the premiere at that time!"

If you want to attend the premiere at the festival, you have to get an invitation, otherwise you will be rejected even if you are a big star. In addition to the official distribution of some invitations to the film premiere to invite celebrities to entertain, the film's producers also apply for some invitations from the film festival officials in order to invite people who naturally know each other to attend.

As the producer of "Bursting Drummer", Zhang Ran naturally also applied for an invitation. So far, he has sent out more than a dozen invitations, sent invitations to several Chinese crews, including "Lovers in the Sky", and gave Keiko Kitagawa one on the tram just now.

Yoji Yamada took the invitation, looked at the time on it, and nodded, "I'm very interested in your film, and I'll definitely be there!" (To be continued.) )