Bab 187: Adapted Screenplay
The actors were confirmed one by one, and the preparations for Infernal Affairs were also being completed step by step.
After De Niro agreed to continue the movie with a salary of 10,000 dollars, Levi's film basically had all the actors needed, and he was very satisfied with the lineup he made up.
Whether it is the Hong Kong version of Infernal Affairs or the American version of The Departed, both movies have a very good lineup. These movies will never lack various big names.
But now, Levi is able to bring together Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Liam Neeson, and the unfamous Ryan Gosling, Heath Ledger, and others. Levi is quite satisfied with his cast.
Although he definitely can't make up the scene of the six famous actors in Infernal Affairs, it is quite satisfying to have such a lineup. Seeing his actors step by step makes Levi look forward to the movie even more.
After sending Robert De Niro away, Levi returned to the company, facing Bob, he said, "What I hope most now is that the script of this movie can be written immediately, and then I can start to prepare for shooting immediately."
However, what he said was nothing in Bob's eyes, "If you really want the film to be better, don't keep pushing for the script here. If you really want the script, I can do it in one night. After finishing writing, can that kind of script be used?"
At Bob's level, writing a script is not difficult, but modifying someone else's script is another matter. It would be fine if he adapted it according to his own preferences in this script, but Levi made a lot of requests again, making Bob even more troublesome. He is obviously asking for so much and kept urging himself to do it quickly, which annoyed Bob even more.
Levi poured him a cup of coffee without saying anything: He also knew that Bob was very tired now: he was tired because Levi had high requirements for the script of the movie.
The main line of Levi's story basically follows the outline of the Hong Kong version of Infernal Affairs: he doesn't like the overcrowded and compact story in the American version. Rather than forcing the trilogy into one, he would rather only shoot the first one. Levi always felt that the script of Infernal Affairs was very poor, so naturally, he would not study that script again.
Hence the story Levi wanted: It started from a shipment to the undercover police death, and the undercover gangster was promoted after attending his memorial service. This is enough for a movie.
If you only watch the first part of Infernal Affairs, the result is still very satisfactory, and the film does not necessarily have to continue to the following sequels.
Levi wanted to capture the connotation of the film, but he didn't like filming a film into a stage play. He has always believed that movies should be close to reality, and the style of the American version made him appreciate it more.
Although the American version of the film made by Scorsese is not good enough in memory, in Levi's view, it is more because Scorsese's film style has always been like this.
Scorsese is not a director who pursues the beauty of the lens, and this difference is caused by different personal choices. Levi believes that what he does will be different from his.
This pursuit of details is what a good director must do. The play's scenery, characters, and events are meticulously detailed, which is the most important thing in a classic movie. Making everything very fake can indeed highlight an otherworldly taste, but the film itself cannot be regarded as very good.
Ungrounded movies are hard to gain popular support. The advantage of the Hong Kong version of the film is that it has the most attractive cast in Hong Kong and the specific psychology of Hong Kong people. However, if you want the movie to be recognized by more people, Levi thinks it is a good choice to change the environment to be more realistic.
Therefore, he still hopes that this movie will be closer to reality: maybe when filming, the film itself can be made more beautiful through framing, but the spotless scene in the Hong Kong version cannot appear everywhere.
Moreover, while these need to be guaranteed, there is also the problem of character creation: Hong Kong movies lack foreshadowing, which has been their old problem for many years, and the American version of the film in memory also lacks foreshadowing.
Matt Damon's state of mind during the transformation is really weak; the actors are poor, the director doesn't pay attention to the police line, and the screenwriter is foolish, completely ruining this role. These are all things that Levi needs to pay attention to.
How to prepare the foreshadowing in the front so that the character changes of the characters behind seem to be inherited rather than appearing abruptly; this is what Levi hopes the script will change.
Of course, in addition to these, there are also the lines that need to be changed: the lines in the Hong Kong version are too artistic, and although some are great, the overall style is still not realistic enough.
As for the lines in the American version... if there are many f-words, it does not mean the person can be regarded as a gangster. How gangster films should value their own words is also very important.
Some lines in gangster movies can be very classic, and the lines in The Godfather are still remembered by people after many years. Levi hopes to translate some classic lines from the Hong Kong version, but those f-words in the American version... he definitely doesn't need it.
He is not Scorsese; he does not accept that kind of excessive simplicity. In his movies, what is needed is more subtle and deep feelings, not full of scolding.
Moreover, Levi also hopes to add more unique shots: in memory, the American version of The Departed, in addition to using a lot of original Infernal Affairs shots, also used a lot of other Hong Kong film shots.
Since this was a script bought in Hong Kong anyway, Levi also felt that using some Hong Kong shots would be more beneficial to the film, so he also chose a few from his memory.
From the Hong Kong version of the movie, he selected a few scenes that he thought were good and asked Bob to use these shots when writing the script. Of course, as for how to express these shots with both philosophical and artistic conception and full tension in the shots, Bob needs attention when he writes the script.
These various requirements have already made Bob quite anxious, not to mention the need to explain the development of the two protagonists in the movie, the reasons for the formation of the characters, and at the same time, explain the different stories so that two people become the protagonists of the story, requiring a lot of intersection and parallelism for montage shots; it is quite difficult to straighten out such a context.
And at the same time, Bob has to relocate this story to the United States — Scorsese chose Boston, and Bob's choice of city is still New York — in this city, there are too many classics of gangster movies. Bob also hopes that this movie can join the level of these movies, and the city he chooses is naturally this classic city.
These things have increased the workload of adapting the script. Unlike Levi, who has both versions of the movie in his mind, Bob has to figure out all the adaptations by himself. It can be said that this is quite a difficult project.
It is not easy to reflect all of Levi's requirements without destroying the original main line and spiritual connotation of the story. A good adaptor doesn't just randomly read the script and make random changes.
The scenes in the original work, the meaning of the lines, the purpose of the scenes after the changes you want, and how to translate the lines all must be done properly.
Some people's adaptations can only be considered plagiarism, while others can have their own things. There is a difference in this.
What Bob hopes to achieve, of course, is adaptation, not plagiarism or tampering.
"If you really can't write fast enough, I might as well help you." Seeing Bob's hard work, Levi couldn't help but say.
"No need; there are so many things to prepare for the movie, not just the script. Once the actors are all in place, what about the soundtrack? Such a movie needs scene layout, and it's more important for you to prepare those." Bob shook his head; he knew Levi was also very tired, and Levi worked as hard as he did.
A classic movie needs more than actors and scripts; many other things have to be paid attention to as well. Costumes, sets, locations, as well as the soundtrack, sound effects, these things all need to be arranged by Levi. Rather than having Levi work here, let him arrange that and make the film better.
Gangster movies can produce very classic works, but the premise must be adequate preparation.
"I can only say that I will do my best to write the script as soon as possible." Bob can only agree to Levi's request, "I know everyone is waiting for this script, so this also makes me want to write a better script — this script, I hope it will become a classic!"
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
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Scott DePaepe
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The Main Man
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