Echoes of Hollywood

Gal Gadot was initially displeased with Murphy's question, but then she thought about the environment in which Murphy grew up and let it go.

She knew that in Murphy's eyes, people of all kinds—white, Asian, African, Jewish, Latino, and so on—were all the same. He wouldn't give special treatment to black actors and characters just because it was politically correct in Hollywood, nor would he look at Jews differently because of their historical suffering.

Initially, she had some reservations about Murphy's attitude, but as they spent more time together, she realized that Murphy did not intend to discriminate against anyone; he simply treated everyone as equals.

Gal Gadot was also aware that perhaps due to his education, her boyfriend knew very little about Western history.

The upcoming project that would involve a significant historical period was mostly based on imagination and had no real connection to actual history.

After a moment, Gal Gadot felt she should educate Murphy about the history she knew.

"The sequence of events was like this," she said seriously to Murphy, "Initially, people believed Poland would not lose the war; then, when the Germans invaded, people thought they could survive; then, they passed laws prohibiting Jews from sitting on public benches or going to parks and other places; then, they required Jews to wear the Star of David; then, they said all Jews had to be concentrated in one area; then, they walled off that area. There wasn't a key moment, nor much possibility to react or organize..."

Gal Gadot shook her head and continued, "When the Germans arrived in France in 1940, why didn't the French immediately resist? The situation was the same. At each complicated stage, people would say, 'This will pass, it will pass, it won't get worse...' But they were terribly wrong, it got worse and worse and worse! Eventually, most were killed."

Hearing this, Murphy thought deeply and seriously, then nodded slightly.

He had limited knowledge of Western history, but he was well-versed in some historical events on the other side of the Pacific.

"I'm sorry, dear," Murphy said proactively.

Gal Gadot leaned over and kissed him lightly on the face, "It's okay, I know you didn't mean any harm."

The conversation naturally shifted to the preparation and filming plans for "Inglourious Basterds," in which Gal Gadot would serve as the assistant producer, continuing her learning path.

However, the historical relationship concerning the Jews that Gal Gadot brought up made Murphy think about the film.

Of course, he had no interest in topics like the Holocaust, but he thought about the Germans' treatment of Jews, which could be applied to the film. This progressive, step-by-step approach is crucial in a movie; when these layers build up to a certain height, the final outbreak is undoubtedly more thrilling.

In this movie, it meant building up many mini-climaxes before the final climax not only involves killing Hitler but also gruesomely desecrating his corpse, allowing the audience to experience cathartic release.

If it were any other character, such actions would be a huge risk, but with Hitler, there was no issue. Anti-Nazi and anti-Hitler sentiment is completely politically correct—hundreds of times more so than so-called black political correctness.

In a socio-political climate built over decades, attempting to whitewash Adolf Hitler would be foolish.

Recently, Murphy had been further refining the script for "Inglourious Basterds." Every director has their own approach, and Quentin Tarantino's storytelling style definitely doesn't suit him.

For instance, Tarantino likes to use extensive dialogues that deviate from the main theme in many transitional scenes, whereas Murphy prefers not to ramble in his films. He uses every minute and second to create an unbearably tense pace.

This isn't to say that Tarantino's methods are bad, but each director has their own style. Every renowned director develops their own unique styles, even the generally formulaic Steven Spielberg.

In the completed script, Murphy did not use typical Hollywood tactics to create a tense atmosphere but considered physiological responses to try out some minor tricks.

For example, creating a tense atmosphere in the script means applying pressure on the film's audience, and the only thing that can torment viewers both psychologically and physically is time. Here, Murphy needed strategies to manage the duration of the entire scene and how to flexibly display the tense pace throughout.

In other words, during film production, it is crucial to masterfully handle drama, atmosphere, and rhythm, keeping a balance that leaves the audience guessing when the climax will occur.

And there are scenes that reflect the characters or other background elements.

Anyone who has seen a Tarantino film will remember how he handles explanations of a person or an important prop; he often uses blunt methods, typically inserting a narrative voiceover and corresponding visuals directly into the film.

But Murphy has never used this technique and does not plan to use it in the

 future.

Of course, this is just a matter of personal preference; no one can deny the effective use of this approach.

Often, the backstory is so complex that depicting it realistically would take too much time.

Therefore, narrative voiceovers are often used in the first act to explain the backstory, helping the audience keep up with the plot. Some writers dislike using voiceovers, seeing it as a lazy storytelling method.

This idea is usually correct, as using voiceover on explanatory visuals has almost become a standard formula for the first act of comedies and seems quite formulaic.

Despite this, it would be wrong to dismiss the entire script's value if this method is used correctly. When used properly, a narrative voiceover introducing the backstory can not only guide the audience but also engage them in a lively and stylish way.

In the completed script, including the introduction of highly flammable celluloid film, Murphy has embedded these elements within the story, not isolating them for special mention.

The backstory reveals crucial information about the character's identity and provides the basic elements of conflict in the story. How the director and screenwriter express the backstory in the film will significantly determine the structure of the entire script.

Whether Murphy chooses to reveal all the backstory in the first act or weave it throughout the story, the relationship between a character's backstory and their identity development should always be closely linked.

Often, retaining some crucial backstory information is useful; revealing this limited information in alignment with the story's progression or the character's personal development makes sense.

Additionally, in the introduction of the character Hugo, a German officer in the Basterds, Murphy will use an approach of identity diffusion.

Hugo barely speaks; his actions define his character. Every plot point and story about him is deliberately designed to add another dimension to the character portrayed in the film.

These are the differences arising from Murphy's different style and personal interests compared to Quentin Tarantino.

Letting him film entirely in Tarantino's style, Murphy was sure the chances of messing up were far higher than succeeding.

By mid-December, Murphy had finalized the script draft. Both 20th Century Fox and The Weinstein Company also brought good news; the two companies would jointly invest up to $80 million in the project for filming and production.

Since the project was now entirely led by Murphy, 20th Century Fox took a dominant role in this collaboration with The Weinstein Company, not only serving as the North American and international distributor for "Inglourious Basterds" but also securing a 51% investment share.

Under other circumstances, The Weinstein Company might have abandoned the project, but the candidate Quentin Tarantino brought in was Murphy. The Weinstein brothers vividly remembered the tremendous profits Murphy had generated for them before. Even with their primary operation focused on chasing Oscars, they could not resist the temptation of profit.

Meanwhile, Bill Roscoe also represented Murphy in negotiating the film's pay with both companies. The great success of "Man of Steel" had undoubtedly secured Murphy's position among Hollywood's top directors. Compared to other top directors, the investment-profit ratio of Murphy's films was undoubtedly higher. Without expending much effort, Bill Roscoe secured a contract for Murphy that matched his current status and appeal.

This was still a contract of advance payment plus revenue sharing.

According to the contract, Murphy would receive an advance payment of $12 million in three installments. Once "Inglourious Basterds" was withdrawn from North American and international markets, as long as the global box office exceeded three times the $80 million production cost, he would automatically receive 20% of the box office revenue share. If the North American box office broke $500 million, the share would increase to 25%...

Of course, 20th Century Fox and The Weinstein Company valued such a successful director like Murphy, but they were not fools. Murphy's bonus did not involve the major income sources of modern Hollywood companies, such as DVD sales and TV broadcasting revenue.

However, Murphy had previously arranged for Bill Roscoe to negotiate 15% of all future online pay-per-view, download, and rental revenues for "Inglourious Basterds."

Perhaps this revenue stream was not particularly high at present, but with a contract term of ten years, the future potential was limitless.

Having settled these matters, Murphy began to set up the production team. His filmmaking team was ready; he just needed to issue the call. The choice of actors, especially for the role of SS Colonel Hans, was his primary concern.

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