If Dewey pointed out the valuable aspects of my movie from a macro perspective, the second article, "A Masterpiece of Psychology" by the famous American psychologist Thorndike, analyzed "Lust, Caution" symbolically from a professional psychological point of view.


    Starting from his profession, Thorndike carefully examined the character images of Dietrich and Bish in the movie and pointed out that these two characters are the types of characters that have never appeared in all American movies. They are the first people to awaken themselves on the silver screen. The movie shows a world full of symbols and metaphors. In this world, there is rich potential content in almost every shot.


    He praised my movie like this: "This psychological masterpiece by Andrew Coliono makes us professional psychologists also feel ashamed. It can be said that it has solved many long-standing difficult problems in the academic circle. The inspiration it gives us is huge. I think the entire history of psychology should remember this movie, and those who regard it as a filthy and dirty work, I can only feel sorry for them."


    At the end of the commentary section, there was an article titled "Is This a Movie?!" Its author was Mike Sennett, who was known as the king of comedy and on a par with Chaplin!


    Mike Sennett cursed my movie from beginning to end, saying that my movie destroyed all the existing rules and narrative structures of movies. The characters in it were deformed, terrible, and dirty. The lighting was dim, the shots either swayed unsteadily or emphasized the impact of close-ups, or suddenly became long - time oppressive and dull (I guess he was talking about my long shots). Such a thing could at most be said to be a Victorian (the notorious pornographic and dissipated period in British history) novel that had been transformed and put on the screen.


    "In Andrew Coliono''s eyes, there is only one thing, and the thing he pursues is also only one, that is, money. In order to achieve this goal, he has added all the things that stimulate the audience''s lust in this movie, without considering the inherent laws of movies at all. As someone who has been engaged in the film industry for many years and as an actor, I guarantee on my honor that Mr. Coliono''s freak is not a movie, but disgusting garbage with a stench of copper. As for himself, he is a fake director who knows nothing about movies and the obligations of movie creation!"


    It can be said that things have developed to this point and have become completely intense.


    As one of the largest and most authoritative newspapers in the country, the influence of the "New York Times" is unquestionable. The reputations of Dewey, Thorndike, and Sennett are well - known to every household. The three articles of them have strange and completely opposite views, which doesn''t surprise me at all. After reading these three articles, my heart actually had a glimmer of joy. After so many days of exhausting debates, the vast majority of opinions were to criticize and protest against "Lust, Caution". But today, there has actually been a situation where the voices of praise overwhelm the voices of opposition, and it is on the most authoritative "New York Times". This has added infinite confidence to me.


    With the support of Dewey and Thorndike, it has almost become a foregone conclusion that "Lust, Caution" will receive good reviews in the academic circle. As for the film industry, it is far from seeing the light. Sennett is regarded as a movie master in Hollywood. Even people like Chaplin respect him very much. His opinion will definitely make everyone in the film industry sentence my movie to death.


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    As for me, whether the reputation is good or bad doesn''t matter at all. The most important thing is to run DreamWorks, to make money to make movies, and to expand the company. Now DreamWorks has already spent all its family property on "Lust, Caution". If something goes wrong with it, I am basically finished. To take a step back, even if the film industry sentences it to death, as long as its box office is booming, I am not afraid. After all, outside the film industry, in the academic circle, "Lust, Caution" has been recognized. I have made money and expressed my movie concept in advance, and received certain appreciation in the academic circle. This is the result I most want to get at present.


    As for "Lust, Caution" being accepted in the film industry, I don''t have any excessive illusions.


    And the worst result for me is that after the film industry sentences "Lust, Caution" to death, it jointly boycotts it from entering cinemas. In that case, DreamWorks will have to go bankrupt, and I will have no choice but to pack up and leave.


    I am glad that I signed screening contracts with Lao Ma and others in advance. According to the information feedback in the past few days, the theaters in Los Angeles were full in the first two days, and the audience flocked in. Although the number of audiences decreased significantly in the following days due to the influence of public opinion, especially the call of the Catholic Church, the attendance rate still remained at least two - thirds. It should not be a problem to recover the cost after another week.


    However, there is always a shadow coagulated in the bottom of my heart, which cannot disperse for a long time. That is, in the past few days, no one from Malskrov, Fox, Leimer, Jack Warner and others has appeared in my company, and they haven''t even made a phone call. They seem to have evaporated from the earth. This strange phenomenon makes me always feel uneasy.


    On the evening of June 30th, when I was about to go to bed, I was startled by a violent knocking on the door. I opened the door, and Fatty plunged in.


    "Boss, it''s not good, really not good! We''ve been tricked!" Fatty shouted frantically, gasping for breath. He seemed to have run all the way here.


    I helped him to the chair and poured him a glass of water, asking, "Aren''t you sent to Oregon and Washington as our company''s representative to supervise the release of the movie for two weeks? Why did you run back!?"


    Fatty gulped down a glass of water and shouted, "Boss! Don''t mention it. First National Pictures, Biograph, MGM and other companies didn''t show ''Lust, Caution'' once in Oregon and Washington!"


    "What!?" When I heard what Fatty said, my eyes went black and I almost fell down.


    Oregon and Washington for two weeks are the important areas for the release of movies by several film companies such as First National Pictures, Biograph, MGM, and Fox. First National Pictures alone owns 2,000 theaters in the two states, and there are also quite a few theaters of other film companies. How could it be possible that there is not a single screening?!


    Moreover, they have all signed contracts with me!


    "Fatty, what exactly happened!? Tell me clearly!"


    Fatty looked at me with a long face and shouted, "Boss, when I got to these two states, the theater managers of these film companies either disappeared or made excuses not to see me. They just arranged for me to wait in the hotel for notice. Later, I felt strange, so I ran out and entered several theaters by myself. As a result, I found that the movies shown in the theaters were not our movies at all, and there were no promotional posters either. I secretly asked their projectionists, and they said that they had never received any posters!"


    Fatty was both anxious and angry, his face was ashen, and he was about to faint.


    "Has Gans come back?" Fatty asked me.


    "Not yet. He is responsible for Nevada and California." I answered absent - mindedly.


    Fatty stood up, walked to the window and paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. "Boss, I have a hunch that Gans is probably going to come back soon, and he will definitely bring bad news."


    Fatty''s words really came true in the middle of the night.