《長城》製作人 好萊塢和中國如何互相學習

The continuing courtship between Hollywood and China reached a new milestone last Friday with the release in China of The Great Wall,

隨着影片《長城》上週五在中國上映，好萊塢和中國之間的持續示好達到一個新的里程碑。

the much buzzed-about movie directed by Zhang Yimou and backed by Legendary Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Le Vision Pictures and China Film Group.

這部由張藝謀導演的備受關注的影片，由傳奇影業(Legendary Entertainment)、環球影業(Universal Pictures)、樂視影業和中國電影集團聯合出品。

With a budget of more than $150 million, the blockbuster epic, which features Matt Damon and Andy Lau fighting monsters on the iconic Great Wall, is the biggest co-production to date for the United States and China and probably the most expensive movie ever shot exclusively in China.

這部史詩巨片預算超1.5億美元，是迄今爲止規模最大的中美合拍片，或許也是完全在中國取景的最貴的影片，其中有馬特•達蒙(Matt Damon)和劉德華在標誌性的長城上大戰怪獸的場景。

Along with those attributes come high expectations.

隨之而來的是很高的期望。

Many are looking to see whether the film can help Hollywood further penetrate the fast-growing Chinese film market while fulfilling China’s longstanding ambition to make a global cinematic hit.

有許多人想知道這部影片是否能幫助好萊塢進一步滲透快速發展的中國電影市場，同時實現中國長久以來製作全球風靡影片的抱負。

If it succeeds, industry analysts say this type of big-budget, cross-cultural movie could be a model for future co-productions between China and the United States, the world’s top two film markets.

業內分析人士表示，如果它獲得成功，這種高預算、跨文化的影片可能會成爲中國和美國這兩個世界上最大的電影市場未來合作拍片的一種模式。

That will not become clear until after Feb. 17, when the film is released in the United States.

這些問題要得到答案，還得等到影片於2月17日在美國上映之後。

In an interview, Peter Loehr, chief executive of Legendary East, the China subsidiary of Legendary Entertainment, and one of the movie’s producers, discussed what Hollywood and China could learn from each other and why he rejected accusations of the film’s whitewashing in the casting of Mr Damon.

在下面的採訪中，這部影片的製片人之一、傳奇影業中國子公司傳奇東方(Legendary East)的首席執行官羅異(Peter Loehr)探討了好萊塢和中國可以從彼此身上學些什麼，以及他爲什麼反對外界指責這部影片選達蒙主演是在洗白。

How did you get involved in making this film?

你是如何參與到這部電影的製作中來的？

I got involved about four years ago when I joined Legendary.

我是在4年前加入傳奇時參與進來的。

The movie was about to shoot, and we were looking at the budget and the story.

當時這部電影即將開拍，我們正仔細考量預算和故事。

The story seemed pretty cliché and not exactly what we wanted to do, and we weren’t able to hit a budget number that we wanted to hit.

故事似乎很老套，和我們想要拍的不太一樣，預算也無法達到我們想要達到的數字。

So we hit a pause button, and we started to rework the script.

因此我們按下了暫停鍵，開始修改劇本。

Then we showed it to Zhang Yimou.

然後我們把劇本拿給張藝謀看。

He was the first and the only person we showed it to.

他當時是第一個也是唯一一個看到我們的劇本的人。

At one point did it become clear that The Great Wall was going to be a kind of test for future big-budget Hollywood-China co-productions?

在某個時刻，事情是不是變得很清楚，《長城》將成爲好萊塢與中國以後合拍大預算影片的某種試金石？

We didn’t set out to do that.

我們並非從一開始就作此打算。

It happened along the way.

它是一路摸索的產物。

We thought, there’s been a perfect storm of events that allow us to actually make this movie.

我們認爲，由一系列因素構成的完美風暴，讓我們具有了拍這部電影的現實條件。

The Chinese market is now big enough that we can return a big part of the box office on this movie and we can bring in major Chinese partners at significant investments.

中國市場現在足夠大，因此這部電影能爲我們帶來很高的票房回報，而且我們可以在進行重大投資時引進大手筆的中方合作伙伴。

Before, Chinese investors would say, Oh, we’ll put in $5 million.

以前，中國投資者會說，哦，我們會投500萬美元。

This time our partners are in for 30 percent of this movie.

而這一次，我們的合作伙伴分擔了這部電影30%的投資。

So we thought, Maybe we can make a real Chinese story and maybe the world is ready for this in a way they weren’t before.

於是我們覺得，或許我們可以拍一個真正的中國故事，或許這個世界與以前不同，已經爲此做好了準備。

Plus Zhang Yimou is amazing, and great actors and talented people want to work with him.

再加上張藝謀非常了不起，偉大的演員和有天分的人想要跟他合作。

Let’s just go for it.

那我們就放手去做吧。

After the first trailer came out, there was a lot of backlash from people including Constance Wu of Fresh Off the Boat,

第一支預告片出來後，遭到了很多人的強烈反對，包括出演過《初來乍到》(Fresh Off the Boat)的吳恬敏(Constance Wu)。

who criticized the movie as whitewashing for casting a white actor — Mr Damon — as the main hero.

她指責這部電影讓一個白人演員，即達蒙演主角是在洗白。

The casting of the movie was entirely organic.

電影的選角和劇本完全統一。

This is the way the screenplay was written.

劇本就是這麼寫的。

It’s not like that role was written as a Chinese person.

並非劇本里寫的這個角色是中國人。

It’s a plot point that this guy has to show up and do these things.

此人不得不站出來做這些事情，這是情節點之一。

He drives the plot.

他推動着故事情節的發展。

It’s interesting that so far, we haven’t really seen any of the same discussions of race in this movie in the Chinese media.

有意思的是，迄今爲止我們還沒真正看到中國媒體對影片中的種族問題進行任何討論。

It seems to be a very specifically American issue.

這似乎是一個非常具有美國特色的問題。

With this movie, Zhang Yimou and I set out to defy every stereotype that you can think of.

在這部電影中，張藝謀和我有意避開你能想到的一切成見。

All the roles you constantly see Chinese actors in are not in this movie.

影片中沒有你看到的華人演員始終在演的那些角色。

There is no mafia guy, there is no triad guy, there is no prostitute.

沒有黑幫分子、沒有三合會成員、沒有妓女。

There is none of that.

這些都沒有。

And there’s no stupid, phony, fake love story happening at the edge of the movie as the world is about to end.

在世界末日即將到來時，影片的邊緣也沒有出現任何愚蠢、虛僞、造作的愛情故事。

I think when people see the movie they’ll think, Wow, this is a big step in the right direction, and this is a true collaboration between actors in both countries and they at least have equal footing.

我想，人們在觀影時會想，哇，這是朝正確的方向邁出的一大步，這是兩國演員之間真正的合作，他們至少在地位上是平等的。

What about the movie do you think will appeal to American moviegoers?

你認爲影片的哪些方面會吸引美國觀衆？

It’s a classic adventure story with a great group of heroes.

這是一個典型的冒險故事，有一羣很棒的英雄。

Certainly there’s never been a movie shot on the Great Wall before, especially one in which you’re fending off monsters.

當然以前從來沒有過以長城爲主題的電影，尤其是抵禦怪物的那種。

Plus it’s a huge action canvas that works to Zhang Yimou’s strengths.

此外，這是一幅巨型動作油畫，是張藝謀的長項。

Zhang Yimou was in Los Angeles for postproduction, and he played with the 3-D effects for eight months.

爲了後期製作，張藝謀親自前往洛杉磯，並在3D效果上下了八個月的功夫。

So there are things you really haven’t seen before, like smoke coming out of the screen.

因此，影片有一些你以前真的沒見過的東西，比如從屏幕上冒出來的煙霧。

He took things that he would use in a classic Zhang Yimou art film and melded it into a really commercial format in a really interesting way.

他帶來了自己會在典型的張氏文藝片裏使用的東西，並用一種真的很有意思的方式讓它融入非常商業化的影片。

Based on this experience, what do you think American studios need to learn from Chinese studios and vice versa?

基於這些體驗，你認爲美中兩國的電影製片公司分別需要從對方身上學習什麼？

In general the US system of everybody being super independent and each department head having their own little fiefdom and only presenting finished work versus the Chinese system where everyone wants to ask the director every single little detail — I think there’s probably a middle ground to be found somewhere there.

總的來說，美國的制度是所有人都超級獨立，各部門的領導都有自己負責的小領域，只負責交出完成以後的作品，而中國的制度是，每一個小細節所有人都想問導演，我覺得可能可以在兩者之間找到一箇中間地帶。

What about on the more conceptual level?

在和觀念更相關的層面呢？

I think we need to probably start thinking less about China and how to make a good movie that has Chinese elements.

我覺得我們可能需要開始減少對中國，以及如何製作一部有中國元素的好電影的考慮。

When I worked at C.A.A. [Creative Artists Agency], I saw so many scripts, and everyone had a China idea and said, let’s do a remake of this and a remake of that.

在創新藝人經紀公司（Creative Artists Agency，簡稱CAA）工作的時候，我看到過太多的劇本，人人都有一個和中國有關的想法，說咱們翻拍這個，翻拍那個吧。

At the time, The Great Wall was the first project I saw that I thought, Wow, this makes total sense.

當時，看到《長城》後我覺得，哇，這非常有意義。

That’s a good story.

這是個好故事。

I understand that guy, I actually like that guy,

我理解這個角色，實際上我喜歡這個角色。

and I understand why the people he meets up with are initially very unwelcoming to him

我理解爲什麼見到他的人最初非常不歡迎他，但在他改變自己，對自己有了更多的瞭解後逐漸對他熱情起來。

and gradually warm to him as he changes and learns more about himself.

它是我看到後生出這種想法的第一個項目。

How does the movie stand out from past Hollywood-China co-productions?

這部影片和過去的好萊塢與中國的合拍片有何不同？

We feel like this is one of the first true co-productions.

我們感覺這是第一批真正的合拍片之一。

It wasn’t coming to China just for finance or for access to the market.

它不僅僅是爲了資金或是爲了進入這個市場而來到中國。

It was a story that organically took place here that organically had mixed actors,

故事本來就發生在這裏，本來就有不同國家的演員。

and it’s something that US studios and Chinese investors sparked to in the same way and invested in accordingly.

它是美國電影製作公司和中國投資者同樣喜歡，並相應地進行投資的一個東西。

It’s basically what a co-production is supposed to be.

從根本上來說合拍片就應該是這樣。

The Chinese side is supposed to be 30 percent, but on a film of this scale, the Chinese side being 30 percent is unheard-of.

中方應該佔30%，但在這種規模的電影中，中方佔30%的情況聞所未聞。

So it must mean something.

因此，這肯定有一定的含義。

They must have really liked it.

他們肯定是真的喜歡它。

They must not think it’s whitewashing or pandering or anything like that.

他們肯定不認爲這是洗白或迎合或任何類似的想法。

So I guess, for me, being able to attract a filmmaker like Zhang Yimou and being able to attract a significant Chinese investment says something about the D.N.A. of this movie.

所以我猜，在我看來，能夠吸引到像張藝謀這樣的電影製作人，能夠吸引到鉅額的中方投資，這就說明了這部電影的DNA。