Chapter 13: Movie Night

Once the film production was complete, Cheng Sheng immediately informed the principal, and then notified Yang Chao, Zhang Yang, the participating students, and Han Sanye of China Film Group.

Although China Film Group had not invested in his film, due to the gambling agreement, Cheng Sheng still needed Han Sanye to help distribute his movie.

Furthermore, Cheng Sheng hoped to submit the film for censorship under the name of China Film Group.

It shouldn't be too difficult for *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins* to pass censorship, but one thing was inevitable.

During the censorship process, films are usually cut at least once, regardless of whether there are any issues.

One reason for this is that the film rating system requires strict review of content to ensure it meets the corresponding standards.

For instance, the rating system specifies in detail the number of profanities and bloody scenes allowed in a film.

Secondly, films emphasize the distillation of essence; they cannot afford the long-winded shots permitted in television dramas.

Therefore, to ensure the audience stays in their seats for 90 minutes or longer, the film must be trimmed without appearing sluggish.

Third, some violent and erotic scenes are essential components of narrative, thematic presentation, and aesthetic form.

There were a few other reasons, but those were not very important.

The most important point is that "zero cuts" does not exist, because that would fail to demonstrate the authority of the Administration.

Of course, many films claim to be "uncut" when passing censorship nowadays.

But is that true?

Certainly not.

"Uncut" in the traditional sense can be seen as a gimmick; why would you cut a film that conveys positive energy and promotes great human kindness? It is likely just a promotional strategy from the distributor's subjective perspective.

"Uncut" has slowly become a method of promotion.

Although Cheng Sheng’s film had no issues, he was still afraid that the Administration might act arbitrarily.

However, if it were submitted under the name of China Film Group, they would surely show some leniency out of respect for the group.

After completing the film, Cheng Sheng planned to hold a screening.

He chose the school’s small screening room as the venue.

The number of people invited was small.

Aside from the school teachers, there were the main actors and Han Sanye.

Before the film started, Han Sanye offered some polite praise to Cheng Sheng, but Cheng Sheng could tell that Han Sanye didn't really care about his film at all.

He likely only came because of the gambling agreement, or perhaps to see what a film made with 100 million yuan looked like.

"Old Han, this film definitely won't let you down."

Principal Xu Xiaozhong sat next to Han Sanye and said.

"Oh! Looking at you, you seem very confident in the film Cheng Sheng made?" Han Sanye thought for a moment and lowered his voice.

Principal Xu Xiaozhong laughed: "Of course. I went to the set to see it; Cheng Sheng’s ability is beyond question, and the actors' performances are top-notch. I plan to submit this film to Europe under the school's name for a tour."

Hearing this, Han Sanye was shocked. He hadn't expected Xu Xiaozhong to rate Cheng Sheng and the actors so highly.

And he even intended to take the film to Europe to get it "gilded."

He had known Xu Xiaozhong for many years and knew he wasn't the type to brag.

If he could take the film to Europe in the school's name, then it seemed this movie wasn't as unbearable as the outside world claimed.

"Are you sure?" Han Sanye asked cautiously.

Han Sanye’s meaning was clear: he was asking if there was a real chance of being selected for European awards.

Xu Xiaozhong lowered his voice: "You'll naturally know the answer to that after watching the film."

The film began to play.

Amidst the sounds of battle cries, the film slowly unveiled its opening.

It started with Yang Guang being besieged at Yanmen Pass. Having already lost eight or nine of the forty cities in Yanmen Commandery, and facing the fierce onslaught of Shibi Khan, Yang Guang, holed up in the commandery, fell into a desperate situation. Waiting for him, besides death, was his own fear. As a monarch, his dignity was gone; hunger was the feeling of his entrapment, and disgrace was his state of mind.

How to escape this perilous situation became Yang Guang's primary goal.

Breaking out was impossible. Facing 100,000 Turkic cavalry, the probability of a successful breakout was slim. Every day they remained trapped meant less food and a greater chance of annihilation.

Seventeen-year-old Li Shimin was a member of this relief army. As recorded in history, this was the first battle of Li Shimin's military career. His insight and strategy saved Yang Guang and earned him a great reputation.

He proposed to Yun Dingxing that they use a ruse of war while the Turks were still unaware of the true situation.

This sequence lasted about twenty minutes, but the audience watching the film did not feel a hint of impatience; instead, they stared at the screen with solemn expressions.

The thousands of soldiers playing the Turkic troops launching a fierce assault on Yanmen Pass left everyone stunned.

They felt as if they were on the battlefield, experiencing its cruelty and fervor.

They wished they could transform into the soldiers of that time and fight a great battle against the Turks.

Seeing Yang Guang crying in fear, they could feel his cowardice and helplessness, as if they had been immersed in his character.

When the seventeen-year-old Li Shimin appeared, they shifted their immersion to him, feeling the charisma of the man who would later become the world-renowned Emperor Taizong of Tang.

A seventeen-year-old boy today is just a high school student, but this Li Shimin had already struggled on the battlefield, saved Yang Guang, and would later raise an army to revolt against the Sui.

No matter who watched Li Shimin in the film, they would call him a young hero.

The entire film had two protagonists: Yang Guang and Li Shimin.

And the contrast between the two in the film was very clear.

Yang Guang was muddled, cruel, hedonistic, and lacked empathy for the people.

Li Shimin was wise, martial, a young god of war who was undefeated on the battlefield, and polite to others—a perfect young enlightened ruler.

He was truly the famous "white moonlight" of history.

Fu Dalong and Zheng Guolin, who played these two roles, were a perfect fit in terms of temperament, and their acting was outstanding, allowing the audience to be immersed in these characters in a second and appreciate the chaotic times at the end of the Sui and the beginning of the Tang.

Of course, it wasn't just Fu Dalong and Zheng Guolin who gave outstanding performances.

There was also Du Ziguo, who played Li Yuan. He had played the same role in *The Heroes of Sui and Tang* last year.

Moreover, he was widely considered the best actor to have played Li Yuan.

Cheng Sheng naturally had to find him to play the role.

Du Ziguo was a major supporting character with a very high frequency of appearances, arguably the most frequent after Fu Dalong and Zheng Guolin.

In addition, Liu Duanduan, who played Li Jiancheng, also had many scenes.

Liu Duanduan was a student at the Central Academy of Drama. Cheng Sheng chose him to play Li Jiancheng mainly because he fit the character's temperament, and also because of another memory.

In another timeline, Liu Duanduan had been a minor, obscure actor for many years; what truly made him a household name was his role as the Second Prince, Li Chengze, in *Joy of Life*.