Chapter 00117: Copy! Copy!
# Copy! Copy!
Chapter 117
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 117: Copy! Copy!
Changping was still a small county town at the time.
Although it had a movie theater, it didn’t get first-run films and had to settle for leftovers.
Wang Xiaomei, a worker at a thermos factory, had heard that a new movie called Romance on Lushan Mountain was particularly good.
Since she had the day off, she decided to invite two of her coworkers to go into the city to watch the movie and do some shopping.
In those days, traveling from the suburbs to the city by bus took a long time.
After wandering around the city all morning, they happened to be near Qianmen and stopped at a cooperative under the Arrow Tower to grab a bite to eat.
“Here’s your wontons!”
Huang Zhanying swiftly brought the wontons to their table, along with three large bowls, and said with a smile, “It’s hot today, so we’re offering complimentary tea to help you cool down!”
“Thank you, comrade!”
Wang Xiaomei was pleasantly surprised.
Getting free tea with their wontons was unexpected, and it confirmed the cooperative’s good reputation.
She tried a wonton and found it quite tasty. “Where should we go to watch the movie later?” she asked.
“There’s a theater nearby called Daguanlou.”
“Xiao Li went into the city last time to watch Romance on Lushan Mountain. He couldn’t stop bragging about it when he got back. He was so full of himself!”
“I heard the movie is quite daring. The actress’s skirt goes up to here!”
Wang Xiaomei gestured to her thigh, and her two friends’ eyes lit up.
They exclaimed in shock, “Good heavens, that’s so capitalist! Her legs are practically exposed!”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s not like us, who are praised for our hardworking and simple ways!”
The three of them simultaneously looked down at their own pants—uniform gray trousers, with the cuffs rolled up just enough to reveal their ankles.
“Are you going to watch Romance on Lushan Mountain?”
Huang Zhanying suddenly walked over and chimed in, “It’s already noon. You definitely won’t be able to get tickets now. You’ll have to come back another day.”
“What? How can there be no tickets?”
“If you had been waiting outside early in the morning, you might have had a chance. But at this hour, forget about the afternoon show—even the evening show is sold out.”
“But we only have one day off. If we come back next week, it’ll be too late. We’re from Changping.”
“What should we do?”
Wang Xiaomei and her friends looked crestfallen.
Seeing their disappointment, Huang Zhanying said, “Alright, alright. We were planning to watch it tonight, but since you’ve come all this way, I’ll give you three tickets. Just pay me the original price.”
“Really? But then you won’t be able to watch it.”
“It’s fine. I know the screenwriter. I’ll make him get me tickets, or else I’ll beat him up!”
Huang Zhanying generously handed over three tickets.
Wang Xiaomei and her friends quickly finished their wontons and headed south, soon arriving at Daguanlou Cinema.
After getting their tickets checked and entering the theater, the three young women were filled with anticipation.
Finally, they could watch Romance on Lushan Mountain.
The movie did not disappoint.
The stunning scenery of Lushan Mountain, the actress’s fashionable outfits, and the male lead’s handsome yet endearing demeanor captivated them.
Twenty minutes flew by in the blink of an eye.
The audience was completely silent, their eyes glued to the screen, fully immersed in the film.
Meanwhile, in the projection room on the second floor, it was a completely different scene.
“Hurry up! Hurry up! Give me the copy!”
“Hold it properly! Don’t let it fall apart! Make sure you’re back on time, or we’ll both be in big trouble!”
“Then why don’t you get the cinema to install an elevator? My legs are about to give out!”
Xiao Zhang, the film courier, frantically grabbed two reels of film and rushed downstairs like a madman.
He stuffed the reels into the basket on the back of his bicycle and pedaled so hard that sparks seemed to fly.
He raced like lightning to another theater.
He was the courier for Daguanlou Cinema.
One copy of Romance on Lushan Mountain was shared among four theaters.
Each reel lasted about 10 minutes, and since the movie was 90 minutes long, there were nine reels in total.
The four theaters had agreed to stagger their screenings by 30 minutes.
Daguanlou would show the first two reels, and then Xiao Zhang would deliver them to the next theater.
That theater had its own courier, who would deliver the reels to the next theater after their screening, and so on.
In 1990, Ge You and Xie Yuan starred in a movie called Street Knight, which was about the life of a film courier.
Xiao Zhang was an expert cyclist, good enough to compete in the Tour de France.
A 10-minute journey took him only 8 minutes.
The next theater had better facilities—no need to go upstairs.
Instead, they had an “elevator” outside the building.
He placed the reels on the elevator and rang a bell.
The people upstairs would know the reels had arrived and would pull them up.
Xiao Zhang then pedaled back even faster than before.
From this point on, he would be shuttling back and forth between the two theaters until the final screening of Romance on Lushan Mountain ended.
A young life was being consumed in this endless cycle, like being trapped in a ghost’s maze.
“Where’s the copy? Where’s the copy?”
“Here it is!”
He dashed upstairs, grabbed two more reels, and didn’t stop for a moment.
This time, he pedaled too hard, and with a clatter, the bike chain came off.
Xiao Zhang nearly fell to his death as he swerved.
Cursing under his breath, he jumped off, fixed the chain, and got back on the bike.
The next theater was in chaos!
The first two reels had finished, but the new ones hadn’t arrived yet.
The screen displayed the message, “Film courier delayed. Please wait patiently.” The audience booed, whistled, and jeered.
…
“This movie is so good. Let’s come back next week and watch it again!”
“Sure, I’m not ready to let it go yet!”
“I can’t even describe it. I loved the scenery, the dialogue, and the characters—both the men and women!”
After the movie ended, Wang Xiaomei and her friends walked out, excitedly discussing the details.
Xiao Zhang, exhausted, passed by them unnoticed.
Watching a movie might seem like a peaceful experience, but it’s the film couriers who carry the burden behind the scenes.
After one screening ended, Xiao Zhang got a brief break.
He sat in the projection room, panting, and slammed his hand on the table. “I can’t keep living like this! Where’s the manager? I need to talk to him!”
“Why didn’t you order more copies? Are you all missing a brain cell? It’s us who are suffering!”
“What’s the film company even doing?”
He shouted inside, while the manager listened outside, not daring to make a sound.
Film couriers were more important than top salespeople.
If one quit, it would cause a chain reaction, and the entire theater would fall apart.
The manager composed himself, pushed the door open, and tried to soothe Xiao Zhang with a smile. “Comrade Xiao Zhang, are you upset again? You’re right. The company really messed up. They knew Romance on Lushan Mountain would be a hit, but they didn’t order enough copies. They deserve to be scolded by the audience!”
“Don’t give me that. I need more copies, or I’ll die from exhaustion!”
“We’ve got copies! We’re not stupid. Given the situation, we’re going to order more. But printing the copies takes time. There’s nothing we can do about that. You’re the backbone of this theater. You need to lead everyone through this tough time!”
Xiao Zhang was somewhat placated.
After resting in the projection room for a while, the next screening began.
Twenty minutes later, he grabbed two more reels and rushed downstairs, starting his endless cycle all over again.
…
Back then, there was no nationwide simultaneous release.
The exact screening dates for Romance on Lushan Mountain varied by region, but they all fell between early and mid-July.
In Beijing, the movie had already been showing for a week.
Dozens of theater managers went to the city’s film company to demand more copies.
The city company, in turn, went to the China Film Group to make the same demand, where they ran into representatives from nearby provinces like Liaoning, Hebei, and Shanxi.
At the same time, phone calls and telegrams flooded in.
There was only one demand: Order more copies, or the audience and the couriers will revolt!
The China Film Group took everyone to confront the film bureau’s leadership, as their approval was required.
“How many more?”
“180?!!”
The leader’s expression turned grim and awkward.
It was he who had rejected the initial order of 360 copies for Romance on Lushan Mountain, approving only 200. Now, they were asking for 20 more.
Good heavens, 380 copies!
“This is going to set a record!”
(End of Chapter)