America 1987

Chapter 77 Dancing with Wolves

He watched a spy drama called "Dancing with Wolves" when he was a child, and that's probably the meaning he was referring to.

"OK, OK," Catherine gestured that it was okay, then promptly changed the subject, "I just read it through, and it seems... your script is a bit too boring?"

"Uh," David thought for a moment, then admitted, "to be honest, I find it pretty boring myself."

"what?"

Traditional Hollywood emphasizes dense conflict, event-driven plots, clearly defined villains with well-defined goals, and a climax in the third act that resolves everything.

The movie "Dances with Wolves" is quite the opposite: there are almost no villains, "integration" is the goal itself, and the ending is a tragic retreat with no sense of victory.

The film also devotes a significant amount of time to the protagonist learning Lakota, observing bison, interacting with wolves, and depicting daily tribal life. These de-dramatized scenes are hailed as "poetic" by some, but simply "a diary entry" by others.

Similar to online novels, slice-of-life stories are considered "delicate" by those who enjoy them, but "watery" by those who are used to fast-paced, exciting stories.

David used to consider himself an artsy youth and had watched a few art films, which had cultivated some patience for watching movies. Even so, when he watched "Dances with Wolves" for the first time, he felt it was a little boring.

"If you find it boring, then why are you even writing it?"

"Cultivate the ability to appreciate... no, to create good works," David explained. "The three elements of a story are characters, plot, and setting. I plan to make a film that emphasizes characters and setting, and downplays plot, to hone my character development skills."

Actually, Catherine's indifference to this work is not entirely due to the bland plot; a large part of it is due to the cultural and cultural gap in filmmaking.

Westerns are a unique film genre in the United States, embodying the nation's core self-image—the westward expansion, pioneering spirit, and the clash between civilization and barbarity.

Its status in American films is equivalent to that of martial arts films in mainland China.

Well, from this perspective, David Copperfield making "Dances with Wolves" in an era when Westerns were dying is just like Wu Jing making "The Swordsman" decades later in an era when martial arts films were dying.

However, the latter's global box office barely reached the break-even point, which shows that martial arts films were truly dead at that time. It is said that Brother Jing has already begun to develop and prepare for the next martial arts film. He is a retrograde of the times and a true tough guy. No wonder he is the man who can make "Wolf Warrior 2".

"It's normal that you feel bored. It's just the threshold for genre films. Let's not talk about the script anymore..." David was about to talk about something else.

Catherine suddenly interrupted, "By the way, why did you add a romance subplot to your Western?"

"Hmm, is there a problem?"

"Although I don't watch these kinds of movies, I still know these basic movie knowledge."

Well, the male protagonists in traditional Westerns are usually bounty hunters, and their character is that of a Sigma man who has no interest in women and is quick to draw his gun. Romantic relationships are indeed a rare thing.

"From a purely market perspective, this movie is already boring, and without a female lead, I reckon the audience will fall asleep."

This is David's honest opinion. When he first watched this movie, the first twenty minutes were so bland that he almost cursed. It was only after the female lead appeared that he had a little more patience.

After all, love is a universal language, and it is easier to spread across cultures than simple political reflections, which is crucial to global box office success.

Moreover, the feminist movement today is not as extreme as it became in later generations. So extreme was Han Han's decision to give "Pegasus 3" an all-male cast to avoid being criticized for not meeting Xiaohongshu's requirements for female characters, thus physically avoiding any potential criticism.

Who are you planning to cast?

"What? The female lead? Go audition. This role doesn't offer much room for you to showcase your talent, so you don't need to participate."

David said casually, then feigned curiosity and asked, "What, are you interested in this role?"

Are you the male lead?

"Uh, yes."

"If you are, then I'm interested."

David was momentarily speechless. He really had no intention of picking up girls or anything like that while making this movie; he was simply treating it as a job.

The original "Dances with Wolves" was commercially successful partly due to the box office appeal of its lead actor, Kevin Costner.

Kevin was at the peak of his career, a "top Hollywood star" and a "box office guarantee." Coupled with the gimmick of directing and starring in the film, this attracted a large audience to the theaters, leading to positive word-of-mouth for the movie.

David thought about it and figured that if he wanted to find a Hollywood male star of this caliber, the salary would probably be between $300 million and $400 million, while the budget for "Dances with Wolves" in the original timeline was about $1500 million to $1900 million.

A single actor's salary can take up a quarter of the film's budget? No way, no way, David absolutely refuses to make a film with such a distorted funding structure.

After much thought, he decided it was better to do it himself. Thanks to the release of "Ghost" and his own excellent appearance, he can now be considered a near-A-list actor in Hollywood. Because he doesn't get much exposure, he is slightly less popular than Tom Cruise, but thankfully, not by too much.

As for the choice of the female lead, he did not plan to use the original actress. The reason was simply that she was too old. Born in 52, she was 13 years older than him, and he felt that he would be the one who would suffer if he had to film intimate scenes with her.

Although she looked quite charming on screen, that was mostly thanks to the makeup artist. Her facial features were also a bit too sharp, which didn't quite suit my aesthetic.

He thought about it for a moment and decided that it would be better to find someone a little younger so that he could get into character faster when filming kissing scenes.

He decided against it, saying that constantly playing lovers with Catherine on screen would likely cause audiences to get tired of the idea, which would affect his plans. So he decisively refused.

"No, no, no, this movie is a tough one. The filming environment will probably be very harsh, with a big temperature difference between day and night. Your skin won't be able to handle it. If you film for a few months, your skin will probably peel off."

He had already thought of a reason to refuse—the environment was harsh.

In fact, South Dakota, the main filming location for "Dances with Wolves," is indeed very hot in the summer.

Located in the American Midwest Great Plains, summer temperatures can reach 30-35 degrees Celsius or higher. The open grasslands under direct sunlight have no shade, making the perceived temperature even higher.

At night, the temperature may drop sharply to around 10 degrees Celsius, with a temperature difference of more than 20 degrees Celsius between day and night. Catherine's skin really can't withstand that.

When Jackie Chan went to the Moroccan desert to film "Armour of God," the large temperature difference between day and night caused the female lead, Carol Cheng, to suffer from sunburn, dehydration, and sandstorm burns. She even vowed never to work with him again.

Given the fact that the eldest brother, who was known for his womanizing ways in the original timeline, had just experienced this firsthand, David insisted that Catherine should not be cast as the female lead.

"It's not that I don't want you to take the role, it's just that this role really isn't worth such a huge sacrifice. You already have 'Ghost' to back you up, so you won't lack popularity for a while. 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' is currently showing, and 'The Rape of Pear Blossom' is coming out soon, which is enough to maintain your exposure. American audiences already know you pretty much..."

After much earnest persuasion, David finally dissuaded the other party from starring in "Dances with Wolves".