Birth of an actor

The premiere of "A Beautiful Mind" was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. In addition to the presence of all the creators, there were also two special guests. They were the two prototypes of the film: John Nash and his wife who just remarried this year Alicia Nash.

John Nash, who felt uncomfortable with the overly lively atmosphere on the red carpet after letting his wife arm in arm to accept photos from the media, and taking photos with William Bradley and Jennifer Connelly, soon Go into the theater foyer and enjoy the quiet.

Although he has won the Nobel Prize, the world of mathematics is far less distant than the world of physics and chemistry. John Nash does not enjoy a wide reputation in all walks of life around the world like Einstein and Hawking. People who knew him in the theater lobby There were very few, so there were not many pleasantries. Soon, the Nash couple walked into the screening hall with the crew and sat in the seats reserved for them in the front row.

John Nash, who seldom pays attention to external affairs, is a little restless today, because a biographical movie about him will be broadcast soon.

John Nash actually didn't want to attend the premiere of "A Beautiful Mind", he was persuaded by his wife before agreeing.

There is nothing more eccentric than sitting in a movie theater and watching someone else play you.

But when the movie started to show, when he saw the handsome freshman sitting in the most remote place in the 1947 Princeton classroom, with his head bowed and his eyes flickering slightly, watching the professor's high-spirited speeches and the students engrossed indifferently, in a trance, he seemed to see To a younger version of myself.

The young John Forbes Nash, who has a handsome appearance praised by everyone, is respected but doesn't care about the outside world, devotes himself to mathematics, and aspires to be a blockbuster.

John Nash's restless mood slowly returned to calm. His eyes were fixed on the color film. Through the film, his memory traveled back to Princeton 50 years ago.

At the same time, in a private theater at the Fox West Coast Theater, the famous Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood, who just won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival last year, was also sitting on a spacious and comfortable sofa, waiting for the film to be shown .

When he was in Hollywood in the 70s and [-]s, Clint Eastwood shot a large number of Western films. When he later became a director himself, he preferred to shoot art films with delicate emotions, and he often directed and acted himself.

The key to making a good movie, in Clint Eastwood's opinion, is not only to accumulate rich shooting experience, but also to constantly learn from excellent peers and learn from others' strengths to make up for one's own. insufficient.

"A Beautiful Mind" is one such film on his annual must-see list, in addition to the subject matter he is interested in, but also because of two names: Ron Howard and William Bradley.

A versatile director and a versatile actor, this kind of people usually have two endings when they work together, either the spark of inspiration colliding with the work is extremely brilliant, or it becomes mediocre in mediocrity.

Therefore, although Ron Howard has filmed the film "Apollo 13" adapted from real events, and William has filmed the biography "Shakespeare in Love", the cooperation between the two has not been considered by Hollywood to create a good film. The golden combination——until the Cannes Film Festival William Bradley took home a Palme d'Or trophy from the United States, and the news that the film festival judges praised "A Beautiful Mind" was released, Hollywood did not really pay attention to this movie, and it brought many Movies that are aimed at next year's awards season also regard it as a strong rival before the film is released.

'It is reasonable for other film companies to be so afraid of "A Beautiful Mind". ’ thought Clint Eastwood as the action unfolded on screen.

This is a film that is very much in line with Clint Eastwood's appetite. It looks like it is telling the life of the mathematical genius Nash, but it actually depicts the struggle between the extraordinary brain and the heart. ABeautifulMind, Mind can refer to both the heart and the mind (thinking), the meaning of the pun is very clever.

John Nash has an extraordinary brain. In 1947, he entered Princeton University as a full scholarship recipient to study mathematics. He was respected but not likable, because he never participated in the social activities of high society. No classes and no papers.

In the eyes of his classmates, Nash is a withdrawn and arrogant person. His interpersonal relationship is in a mess. Only Charles, a vagabond alcoholic roommate, really cares about Nash. It is Charles' care and encouragement that makes Nash feel warm in the fiercely competitive Princeton.

In a bar entertainment with his classmates, the appearance of a blond beauty aroused the desire of Nash and his classmates to compete for pursuit, and also inspired Nash's creative inspiration. Based on this, he wrote a paper on game theory, which overturned what people had been doing at that time. 150 years of economic theory is used.

At that time, during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, Nash, whose life was gradually improving, met William Parcher, who claimed to be an official of the US Department of Defense, and at the invitation of Parcher, he secretly worked for the Pentagon to crack the Soviet military code.But at the same time, Nash often felt that he was being followed, and he suspected that he was a Soviet killer.

When teaching at MIT, Alicia, a young and beautiful female student, expressed her affection for Nash. Alicia was cheerful and enthusiastic, and was very tolerant of the lonely and weird Nash. Nash gradually fell in love with her, but he did not dare to go further with her. .

At this time, roommate Charles reappeared. With his encouragement, Nash proposed to Alicia in a unique and romantic way, and the two entered the palace of marriage.

After marriage, Nash still worked secretly for the Ministry of Defense. One day, he was attacked by a Soviet killer while delivering a letter. Fortunately, Pacher saved his life. Nash panicked and lived like a frightened bird every day.

One day Nash was giving a speech at Harvard, and on the way he found a Soviet killer breaking in. He fled in a hurry and ran wildly on the Harvard campus, but was subdued and kidnapped by a doctor named Rosen.

Nash woke up in Dr. Rosen's office and found that his hands were handcuffed, and Dr. Rosen was trying to trick him. Nash thought he had fallen into the hands of Soviet agents and was struggling to escape. At this moment, Nash found that Charles was sitting in the corner of the room and looked at him. Nash hurriedly asked for help, but Charles showed a helpless and sad expression to him.

Nash was shocked and unbelievable. While struggling hard, he angrily accused Charles of betrayal, his expression almost crazy.

"The prodigal roommate finally showed his true colors! How do you say the name Charles Herman in Russian?!" In Nash's understanding, his college roommate must be a Soviet spy who had been ordered to monitor him for many years.

……

"Who are you talking to? Tell me who you saw."

"Nobody's here, John."

On the screen, Dr. Lussen spoke to Nash, who kept scolding, in a tone of doubt and pity.

Gasps erupted in the movie theater as Dr. Lucerne explained to Alicia that Nash suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, a condition in which people cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, and that Nash's prodigal roommate, Charles, was naive. Audiences were left bewildered when adorable niece and Department of Defense agent William Parcher was all a fantasy.

Alicia was not convinced by Dr. Lusen's diagnosis, even though the other party showed her enough evidence, she decided to investigate the details of Nash's work and find out the truth by herself.

"No, it's not true!"

"I don't believe that everything is Nash's fantasy!"

After the shock, many audiences in the movie theater protested one after another. The big reversal of the plot not only attracted their attention, but even made them want to cry out for Nash!

The movie is almost halfway through, and the image of John Nash with a very high IQ and a very low EQ has already been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, especially the process of inventing game theory and deciphering the Soviet nuclear bomb code for the Pentagon perfectly showed his genius. The audience would like to believe that such a person also suffers from schizophrenia.

"Maybe this is a huge conspiracy. It was during the Cold War at that time, and anything can happen!"

They don't want to believe that all this is Nash's hallucination, because whether it is the cheerful and kind roommate Charles, his innocent and lovely niece or the majestic and mysterious US Department of Defense agent William Pacher, what appears is so reasonable and real, Not at all like a figure imagined.

So most of the audience followed their own thinking and took it for granted that this must be a bigger conspiracy!Like Alicia in the film, they believe that Nash is mentally normal and definitely not suffering from serious mental illness like Dr. Luzern said, and they hope that Alicia can find evidence that can refute Dr. Luzern!

However, the plot of the film began to take a sharp turn from then on.

Alicia, convinced of Nash, broke into his office and found an address where Nash regularly delivered confidential letters for the country, but found that the place was an abandoned old house, and all the letters sent by Nash were piled up in the mailbox and never opened. However, she came to the mental hospital with the letter and told Nash the truth.

The audience in the theater was struck by the truth along with Nash on the screen.

The difference is that the audience has accepted this huge reversal, but Nash on the screen has not. He was shocked, resisted, and didn’t believe it. He asked Alicia to help him. After Alicia refused, he couldn’t accept it and walked away. , and then cut his arm bloody, but he couldn't find the password chip that was implanted in the arm by the Ministry of Defense.

"The implanted thing is gone, and I can't find it." Nash's right index finger and middle finger stirred in the wound on his left arm. Nash, who was sitting at the base of the wall, didn't feel anything, he was as helpless as a child.

At the Fox West Coast theater, Clint Eastwood noticed nearby audience members covered their mouths and started crying.

And the proportion of this part of people began to increase significantly when Nash was tied to the hospital bed in the film and received harsh electric shock therapy and insulin injection therapy.

The tone of the film has since undergone a complete shift.

It can be said that the tone of the first half of "A Beautiful Mind" is relatively bright and joyful, especially when Nash uses mathematics to demonstrate how ugly the clothes of his classmates are, and he directly proposes sex to the blonde who has a crush on him with zero EQ. Asked, but was slapped back by the other party. When the students mocked and booed, the movie theater burst into laughter.

There is also the part where Nash and Alicia fall in love and propose marriage. Although there are not many scenes, it still conveys a romantic and warm atmosphere.

But because of the cheerfulness and brightness of the first half, when the plot took a sharp turn and the tone became darker, the impact and touch on the audience was even greater. When Nash received harsh and painful medical treatment, they had almost substituted themselves into the film. Here, I completely empathize with it.

The audience laughed because Nash laughed, and cried because Nash cried.

With the support of Alicia, Nash began to struggle with schizophrenia, but the process was very difficult. Charles, his niece, and William Pacher reappeared around him. I can't tell whether this is a conspiracy or a real conspiracy, and I was almost coerced and lured to kill Alicia and her son.

However, when Nash was on the verge of going crazy, he finally used his remaining rational thinking to realize the fact that he had been suffering from schizophrenia from the fact that his niece Charles had never grown up for many years, and defeated his demons.

In the following many years, although Nash has not completely recovered, his fantasies are always there, but with the power of will, he has learned to face and ignore these fantasies with a peaceful mind.

Many years later, with the help of his former competitors, Nash returned to Princeton to continue studying mathematics. The gray-haired Nash was not only recognized by the professors of Princeton University, but also won the Nobel Prize. At the award ceremony, he Delivered a deeply moving speech to Alicia.

'There's a fine line between a genius and a madman. '

At the end of the credits, Clint Eastwood expressed his emotion.

When stepping out of the screening hall and shuttling in the cinema hall, you can still hear the people around you discussing the new releases of several movies. "A Beautiful Mind" is the most talked about, and Clint Eastwood even passed by the ticket window When I was in the theater, I heard a few viewers who had just come out of the screening hall discuss buying tickets to watch it for a second time.

On the way back, Clint Eastwood didn't stop thinking.

And the scope of his thinking has spread from the movie "A Beautiful Mind" itself to the Christmas schedule, and then wandered to other places.

Although he didn't watch "King Ali", which was released at the same time tonight, which is said to be Will Smith's ambition for the Olympic Games, nor did he see the upcoming "Gosford Manor", but he has seen enough movies this year , he dares to conclude that the excellence of the film "A Beautiful Mind" will definitely kill most of the other works in the awards season, and it will definitely be a hot spot for Oscar nominations next year.

Genius, lunatic, and Nobel Prize, when these three words are combined into a movie, the movie itself is so good whether it is script, actors, or camera. As long as "A Beautiful Mind" does not cause shocking scandals, as long as the academy judges If there is a problem with aesthetics and judgment, they will not nominate this movie, because these classic and popular elements simply poke the G-spot of most academy judges.

The biggest highlight of the film is that director Ron Howard invented three fictional characters to show the audience what delusional schizophrenia is and the impact of schizophrenia on Nash. His logical thinking and needs gradually emerged——Nash, who had just entered Princeton, needed his roommate Charles to relieve his loneliness of being isolated by his classmates. William Pacher, an official of the Ministry of Defense, was the embodiment of his desire to serve the country. Hope let him project a little girl again - so that when the huge reversal occurs, it is wonderful and suspenseful like a Hitchcock movie, and it is difficult for the audience not to be shocked.

Of course, in addition to the excellent director, the leading actor William Bradley is also one of the biggest contributors to the success of the film. He is like a young John Nash, with both a genius and a lunatic side.

Passing by a promotional wall with posters of "A Beautiful Mind", Clint Eastwood turned his head and took another look.

He still clearly remembered William's performance in "Shakespeare in Love". He never expected that William's acting skills would improve a lot in just two years.

It has been a long time since Hollywood has seen such a controversial and glamorous leading actor in a biopic, at least in Clint Eastwood's memory, the last leading actor who left him such a deep impression was "Angry" Jake LaMotta in Bull.

No wonder William Bradley has a face that makes it easy for people to underestimate his acting skills, but the gaming companies always increase the odds of him winning the Oscar winner when he has a new film released. Far ahead of other male actors in the same age group, even ahead of many Hollywood Mesozoic actors.

Thinking of Oscars, Clint Eastwood can't help but think of the 1999 Oscars season, when William Bradley was nominated for Best Actor for "Shakespeare in Love". William voted, but in the end he voted for Roberto Bernini, who was also the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor that year.

Thinking about it now, he didn’t really admire Roberto Bernini at the time, nor did he think that William Bradley was not qualified to win the award. That’s why he changed his mind in such a short period of time and voted for What about Bernini?It seemed, as if, after taking the call from Miramax and seeing the tape they sent.

The Weinstein brothers have really changed awards season, sighs Clint Eastwood.

Calculating the time, it seems that after the acquisition of Miramax from Disney and positioning the production company as an independent film distribution company, the pair of Jewish brothers with big wallets and a lot of resources began to be particularly active in the awards season Now, members of the academy can now enjoy the convenience of private screenings, cruise parties, and door-to-door delivery of videotapes of nominated films, many of which were first used by Miramax, and then other film companies began to follow suit .

I have to say that these attentive services did save the members of the Academy a lot of effort, so that they don't have to travel around to collect information in order to know all the nominated films and actors. Most of the members of the Academy, because they have not received the green Franklin Or a gift of great value, which did not violate the rules of the academy, so I didn't think I was being bribed or public relations, at most I was enjoying a little courteous flattery.

Clint Eastwood used to think the same way, but now, recalling his own experience in the nomination voting stage of the past few Oscars, his thinking has changed a bit.

……

Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

The applause in the screening hall lasted for a long time, which also showed how popular the movie was just shown.

The crew members in the first two rows stood up one after another. Amid warm applause, many people walked over, hugged and shook hands with Ron Howard or William Bradley, and sent congratulations.

From the perspective of clothing and imposing manner, these people are all big figures with high social status.

Because he was not a real crew member, John Nash didn't stand up, but he clearly heard what these people said, and it was almost unanimous praise.

"Congratulations on making such a great movie, A Beautiful Mind is an absolute masterpiece!"

"The video is so touching!"

"Ron Howard and William Bradley, I have already guessed that you will be a successful combination!"

John Nash is in a trance: Do people like this movie very much?

Judging from the protracted applause, it seemed so.

After the thoughts shook, some indescribable feelings spread in John Nash's heart.

He never imagined that people would like this movie so much, like his autobiography.

"Like" is a word that has been insulated from Nash for decades, and perhaps has rarely been added to him since he was sensible.

Even in those few years when game theory was just invented and life was proud, people around him admired and respected him, but few liked him. Most people thought he was withdrawn and weird, and they just maintained In polite communication, after he started receiving treatment for schizophrenia in the late 50s, and even more than 20 years later, he was once considered dead.

The movie beautifies his life. Nash’s real life is not as perfect and romantic as in the movie, but the movie does not beautify his character, nor does it beautify the experience of waking up from schizophrenia by relying on his own willpower. It can be said that The movie he watched was very melancholy.

The somewhat difficult film that he himself watched was actually liked by so many people, and almost every audience in the seat was applauding. John Nash couldn't tell what he felt in his heart for a while.

……

"Dr. Nash! Dr. John Nash!"

When John Nash and his wife Alicia Nash supported each other after attending the premiere of "A Beautiful Mind" and were about to leave the Dolby Theater in a taxi under the escort of security personnel, a man in a business suit The short-haired female reporter rushed over with her partner through many obstacles: "I am a reporter from FOX TV station, can I have a short interview with you?"

Other media that failed to break through the crowd of fans and security guards, such as CNN and NBC reporters, cast jealous glances at FOX reporters behind the arms of the security guards.

John Nash was already ready to get in the car. His wife, Alicia, patted her husband on the arm after seeing the reporters chasing him and the photographer with the FOX TV station logo on his shoulders. John Nash Nash looked back at the expectant expression on the face of the short-haired female reporter from FOX TV, and pondered for a while, as if thinking and hesitating.

"Just 5 minutes, no, 3 minutes! It won't take you long!"

"Okay." John Nash finally replied.

The short-haired female reporter was ecstatic. She asked the taxi driver to go to the side and wait for a while, and then quickly directed the photographer partner to ensure that the other party's shots captured the John Nash couple, the Dolby Theater behind them, and the media swarming out of the theater. After the fans took in the pictures, they raised the microphone and asked: "Professor John Nash, is today's premiere the first time you have seen the full version of "A Beautiful Mind"? After watching the movie, what do you think about the movie?" What do you think? And William Bradley's performance of you, is the film a success or a failure in your opinion?"

After John Nash heard the question, he didn't answer immediately.

The FOX female reporter asked three questions in one breath, but she didn't hear the answer immediately. She guessed that John Nash, like other old people, had begun to lose his hearing and his thinking became dull, so he didn't understand his question at all. ?Should she repeat the question slowly?

John Nash may be 73 years old and has suffered from mental illness for decades, but he is by no means an old man with a rigid mind. On the contrary, he still has the head of a mathematician with a flexible response and quick thinking. Before the FOX female reporter almost repeated the question, John Nash said: "Frankly speaking, this movie made me feel a little uncomfortable, and I have been in a low mood."

What! The female FOX reporter was amazed at first, and then her expression quickly turned into ecstasy, because she felt that she had caught a big news!John Nash didn't like this autobiographical movie based on him, or did he not like William Bradley?No matter which one it is, it will set off a very hot topic of public opinion!Considering that "A Beautiful Mind" couldn't even please John Nash, but it had almost [-]% good word-of-mouth after a few previews. Did Universal buy film critics to manipulate the film's word-of-mouth?Big news, this is going to be absolutely big news!

"The prototype of "A Beautiful Mind" said that the film could not bear the word-of-mouth or a great reversal." The reporter even quickly wrote down such a line in the interview book. Her eyes were shining with strong curiosity and ambition, and she was eager to see John. If Nash says a few more words, it will definitely be used in tomorrow's noon news!

"This is the first time I've seen a finished film of "A Beautiful Mind". I have read the autobiography written by Sylvia Nassar for me, and I have also read the script of the movie "A Beautiful Mind", but the text It is far less touching than the film. The film is so well made that many shots seem to be bloody uncovering the wounds that have scabbed and scarred. This is not a bad word, but it is expressing a very complicated It is amazing that this movie can do this, so I will watch it a few more times, even if every time I watch it, my stomach feels like it is overwhelmed..."

At some point, the FOX female reporter's shorthand stopped. She stared at John Nash's opening and closing mouth with a slightly dull gaze, and began to wonder crazily in her heart: 'What?Unexpectedly full of praise?As for the breaking news, only John Nash is dissatisfied with the movie, which is called breaking news! ’ She seemed to have seen a door leading to the FOX evening news closing quickly in front of her, but she could do nothing about it.

"If people watch this movie and can understand and respect people with mental illness more, it doesn't matter how uncomfortable I am personally, because in the face of mental illness, a genius with a high IQ and the most rational heart will not Blessed, mathematicians are as vulnerable as ordinary people."

Speaking of mental illness, John Nash inevitably showed some uncomfortable expressions. At this time, his wife Alicia put his arm around him and patted the back of his hand. Nash's emotions were quickly calmed down. .

'John Nash praised Howard's new work and called on the audience to understand and respect the mentally ill.' Professional habits allowed FOX female reporters to quickly write down the key points in the interview book. A reporter to John Nash, which would still help boost her standing in the office.

"Dr. John Nash, one last question—" the female FOX reporter brought the topic closer: "How much do you rate "A Beautiful Mind?"

"Five points—isn't it five points? Well, then 5 points." John Nash said: "I haven't finished answering your question just now. I think William Bradley's performance is very good. Sometimes , I feel in a trance that he is me."

"At least five points out of these 10 points are for William Bradley. I know he is very satisfied that Bradley has fully demonstrated the handsomeness and vigor of his youth." Nash's wife Allie After Xia finished adding, she took the initiative to seriously say into the microphone: "As for my rating, I will deduct 0.5 points from this movie-I was a little prettier than Jennifer Connelly when I was young."