Chapter 1935: new area

As the most influential artist in the world today, Hugo has reached the pinnacle of an actor.

The awards have been swept away-it is only one Venice Film Festival trophy away from the actor Grand Slam; the box office has broken through history-even if "Titanic" squeezed "Independence Day" to the second place in film history, but Hugo In terms of box office appeal, it is second to none in terms of influence-as can be seen from the premieres of "Titanic" and "Perfect", Hugo doesn't need to show up to cause a topic at all.

As an actor, Hugo has almost no room for further development and improvement, but in 1997 Hugo still brought huge surprises.

Hugo starred in "L.A. Confidential" as an actor, "Perfect" as a screenwriter, and stood behind the scenes of these two works as a producer. This is not only the successor to Tom Crewe. Another feat after Si entered the ranks of "Mission Impossible" producers has brought Hugo's Hollywood power to a new high and entered a whole new world! In the position of producer, Hugo handed in a perfect answer.

"L.A. Confidential" swept the US$260 million box office, followed by a series of film history records. Even if it is not as good as the US$600 million box office of "Titanic", it is not inferior; "Perfect and Perfect" will not show up on the premiere weekend. In the absence of dew, it actually counterattacked a box office of 148 million U.S. dollars, which not only surprised the entire North American market, but also ranked among the top ten in the year-end list, ranking seventh in the year.

Both of these two works have entered the top ten of the North American year-end box office rankings, which is undoubtedly the greatest affirmation.

Of course, Hugo had done such a feat before. In 1993 and 1994, he had achieved such results for two consecutive years, but in 1997 it was different because these two works were more based on the producers. The achievement of Hugo’s status means that Hugo’s ability has been affirmed once again. It also means that Hugo’s power in Hollywood is bound to rise to a higher level. It also means that Hugo’s influence is comprehensive. The flowering place has been verified.

"L.A. Confidential" is undoubtedly a major victory for Hugo to return to the role of actor. This work is a brand new work launched by Hugo after "Independence Day". This time Hugo did not choose the main visual effects work, but returned. The retro genre works of the golden age of Hollywood-just like the "death of a salesman", "L.A. Confidential"'s interlocking and meticulous script is amazing, and the protagonists burst out amazing sparks. , So that the viewing process has become a real intellectual enjoyment.

Different from the visual impact of "Independence Day" or "Titanic", "L.A. Confidential" is the pinnacle of traditional film art. From narrative rhythm to character creation, from the story itself to the core ideas, it can be said to be the golden age. classic work. It can be said that both "L.A. Confidential" and "Titanic" can be regarded as a perfect combination of commercial films and art films, but the former is closer to art films, while the latter is more inclined to commercial films.

In the face of the trend of changing visual effects, "L.A. Confidential" announced a place in traditional movies with a box office of 260 million US dollars. It has even become a clear case for traditional academics to defend their views and fight against the era of blockbuster films. , All this proves the great success of this work.

As an indispensable part of the "L.A. Confidential", Hugo's performance in the movie has once again subverted everyone’s fixed impressions, showing amazing performance control, throughout the movie The rivalries of Hugo and other actors are full of praise and talk about it.

The success of "L.A. Confidential" can be said to be a classic return, while the success of "Perfect" can be said to be a magical breakthrough.

In this year’s year-end list, there are four comedies in the top ten, "Men in Black", "The King of Big Talk", "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Perfectly Perfect", but "Perfectly Perfect" has its innate nature. Disadvantage, this is a comedy drama. The hilarious humor is not the core of the movie. In fact, it is difficult for the movie to make people laugh. The movie discusses the social issues in delicate brushstrokes. The story of the alien seeking warmth and reliance is more of a work with bitterness in a smile.

Despite this, "Perfect and Perfect" has created a new history, not only achieving a high box office score of nearly 150 million US dollars, but also ranking third in the box office of film history among romantic comedies. More importantly, this work has really made Hugo's screenwriter status truly attracted the attention of everyone. It proves that the birth of "Before Sunrise" is not accidental, and it also proves that the name "Hugo Lancaster" was born. The weight has been out of the category of actors.

As an actor, a screenwriter, and a producer, Hugo is expanding his influence step by step, and has successfully entered the Hollywood decision-making level. In fact, no one can ignore Hugo's unique vision as a producer, and the name "Golden Hand" is by no means an empty name.

Except for "Scent of a Woman", "Yihai Xiongfeng", "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Schindler's List" after the Golden Raspberry Award, these works Hugo does not have the right to choose. He has always Both are the chosen ones, which proves the agent's ability and the insight of the producers of these works.

But after that, starting from "Life and Death" and "Pulp Fiction", Hugo gradually took over the decision-making power of the agent and had the right to choose independently. Since then, the works have achieved great success without exception, even It was the unsatisfactory box office "before sunrise", which not only won Hugo's reputation in screenwriting, but more importantly, in the past three years, the popularity of this work in the video rental market has made people look at it.

—— DreamWorks recently announced the revenue figures for "before sunrise". This work has made 8 million U.S. dollars in profit by relying on video tape rental. This is a pure dividend. As a work with an investment of only 2.5 million yuan, it has already made a lot of money during its release. Now relying on the video tape market to achieve such excellent profitability, it can be called a model of art film.

It can be said that Hugo's vision for selecting works has been recognized by Hollywood-this is also the reason why the media is so noisy and excited after the box office of "Titanic" and "Perfect" premiered far from reaching expectations. But now it has once again and further proved that Hugo's vision is unique, he has a keen sense of work, and can often achieve incredible success.

This has made Hollywood's major production companies have to start paying attention to Hugo’s identity as a producer, because Hugo’s insight can bring outstanding projects, which is what they desperately need; and no one will forget Hugo’s box office appeal. , Just like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, even if they are not involved in directing, but the named producer can often gild the film. Now, as an actor, Hugo has also initially shown With this ability, it is eye-catching.

What contributes to this momentum is the recognition of colleagues!

At the end of the year, the major award ceremonies lit the flames. The American Screenwriters Guild gave a huge affirmation to the "perfect" script, and Hugo was once again nominated for the best original script, not to mention whether it was awarded or not. , It is already a huge victory to be unanimously recognized by professional screenwriters-it is worth mentioning that "L.A. Confidential" was also nominated for the best adapted screenplay; the American Association of Producers also announced their nominations. , "Perfect" and "L.A. Confidential" were both shortlisted. These two works with Hugo as the producer not only achieved box office success, but also gained absolute recognition in the professional field. The artistic achievements are also eye-catching.

In addition, the name of Hugo appeared in the nomination list of the Best Actor of the Screen Actors Guild-he relied on the wonderful performance in "L.A. Confidential" to successfully enter the competition for the award, and Kevin Spacey was Was nominated for best supporting actor, Charlize Theron was also nominated for best supporting actress.

These unions are different from comprehensive awards such as the Golden Globes and Oscars. They are all selected by their respective unions. In other words, they are recognized by their peers. In the field of art, peer recognition is crucial. Taking directors as an example, many directors want to be recognized by the Directors’ Guild of America more than the Oscars. The Best Director Award is more golden because this is a purely professional competition, without any commercial, publicity, or public relations factors.

Therefore, Hugo has been recognized in the three major unions of screenwriters, actors, and producers. This is unprecedented, not to mention whether it will be awarded in the end, but Hugo's current strong momentum is beyond doubt. Everyone in the circle clearly knows that winning a prize requires luck, and nomination is a test of strength. The recognition of the three major unions has become the epitome of Hugo's strong presence in the circle.

What's more, no one will ignore the news: DreamWorks, which has been moving frequently, has begun the establishment of the issuing department, and Hugo will take advantage of the trend to buy shares in DreamWorks, and truly become the decision maker of DreamWorks, and Steven Spear Berg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg go hand in hand, which is also a direct manifestation of Hugo's status as a decision-making tier.

In a brand-new field, Hugo opened the door with an absolutely strong and high-profile posture.

At the same time, everyone should not forget an important fact, that is, Hugo’s strong influence is not only limited to the North American film field, but also powerfully radiated to all parts of the world. In addition, he is honored to death. The influence of the lead singer covers the world and set off stormy waves. This has also become the most important aid to the appeal of Hugo's film, and has become an important bargaining chip for Hugo to hold more voice among the top decision-makers.