Joseph von Sternberg, born in Vienna, immigrated to the United States at the age of 7, and settled in Hollywood in 1924. In 1925, he directed his first film, "The Salvation Hunters," and a series of subsequent films, especially "The Blue Angel" shot for the German UFA film company, made him a top director highly respected by Hollywood people.


    I didn''t expect to meet him here. My heart was excited. He should not be very famous now, at most just an edge person in the film industry. Maybe I could recruit him under my banner.


    Sternberg was talking to a woman in her forties or fifties with a mysterious expression. Suddenly, he heard Griffith calling him, glanced over here, and hurriedly left the woman and walked over quickly.


    "This kid is good in everything, but he is particularly interested in women. Now he is penniless and probably still living off his looks from old maids," Griffith whispered to me.


    "Mr. Griffith, hello!" Sternberg came over, smiling and shaking hands with Griffith.


    I sized him up from head to toe. He was wearing a well-fitting gray suit, polished high-quality leather shoes, and his hair was shiny and combed back, revealing a clean forehead. To be fair, he was a handsome and dashing middle-aged man (in fact, he was just over 30 years old).


    Griffith pointed to me and said to Sternberg, "Come on, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Andre Colliano, my boss now."


    "So you are Mr. Colliano! My God! I''ve been looking forward to experiencing your charm. I didn''t expect to meet you here! Holy Mary! It''s my honor to meet you. Your ''Lust, Caution'' is simply a masterpiece!" Sternberg bowed to me with excitement.


    He is a guy who is good at socializing and pleasing both sides! I sneered inwardly.


    "Mr. Sternberg, I have read your article. It was written very brilliantly. David and I have said more than once that we wanted to meet you. Thank God," since he was so polite, of course, I couldn''t be stiff either.


    Griffith added fuel to the fire on the side, "Sternberg, Mr. Colliano speaks highly of you. He said that if you enter Hollywood, you will definitely become a good director."


    "Really!? Mr. Colliano, rest assured, I will work hard," Sternberg was so excited that his eyelids were shaking.


    "Come on, let''s go inside and talk." I pulled him and walked into the room.


    As soon as we entered the room, Sternberg was completely busy.


    "Oh my God, Mr. Morskolov! It''s my honor to meet you!"


    "Mr. Cohn! Nice to meet you!"


    "Mr. Lehmer! Your reputation is well-known to me. Salute to you!"


    ...


    This guy, seeing that there were movie company tycoons in the room, nodded and bowed, with layers of smiles on his face, looking ridiculously funny.


    However, such a person, when he flatters you, you won''t feel disgusted at all. Every word he says seems to come from the heart and is not pretentious at all. This may be the key to his smooth sailing in Hollywood later.


    However, for people like Old Ma, this little man in front of him was almost the same as the waiter outside the room, at most just an edge person in the Hollywood film industry, so they all smiled politely and no one paid attention to him.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After Sternberg finished his busy circle, seeing the cold attitude of Old Ma and others, he felt very embarrassed, standing and sitting uncomfortably, looking uneasy.


    Seeing him like that, I couldn''t help but laugh and took him to the outside corridor. At least he wouldn''t be so uneasy there, and he could also watch the beauties.


    "Sit down." I pointed to the reclining bed opposite.


    Sternberg looked at me gratefully and took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat on his forehead.


    "Mr. Sternberg, where are you currently working?" I asked, shaking the cup in my hand.


    He was ten years older than me, but he seemed a bit nervous because of the difference in status.


    "Mr. Colliano, I am currently writing scripts for United Artists. Mr. Griffith knows best," Sternberg pointed to Griffith.


    Griffith smiled and said to me, "Boss, this kid''s script is written very well. Didn''t that British guy Chaplin recently shoot a movie called ''The Gold Rush''? The script was written by him. I''ve been in United Artists for such a long time and have seen many screenwriters, including those famous ones, but this kid is the most to my taste."


    "The script of ''The Gold Rush'' was written by him!? Isn''t that movie all done by Chaplin himself?!" I exclaimed. When it comes to "The Gold Rush," who in later generations doesn''t know who doesn''t, and the scene of eating shoes in it has become a classic. Everyone admires Chaplin''s talent, especially the great imagination between many plots and shots in the movie, and the sympathy and profound portrayal of the lower-class people in the movie have won the audience''s great favor.


    This movie, because of Chaplin''s self-written, self-directed, and self-performed, has made his reputation soar. And now Griffith actually said that the script was written by Sternberg, how could I believe it?


    Seeing my extremely surprised expression, both Griffith and Sternberg were stunned. "The Gold Rush" hasn''t been shot yet. I heard it and was so surprised that it made the two of them feel a little strange.


    Sternberg looked at me angrily and said, "That son of a bitch British guy, the only thing he can do is to put on a hypocritical expression to gain fame. This script was originally one of the more than a dozen scripts I wrote. He read it and said it was good, so he took it away and signed his own name, only giving me $150 and sending me away, and threatened me that if I revealed the matter, I would be fired. God is my witness, may this son of a bitch die a terrible death!"


    Looking at Sternberg''s teeth-gritting look, I couldn''t help but be dumbfounded.


    When Griffith scolded Chaplin before, I didn''t care much, thinking that it was because of his hot temper that he must have had some trivial unhappiness with Chaplin, who was known for his elegance and calmness. But after hearing what Sternberg said, I couldn''t help but doubt whether the Chaplin he talked about was the excellent artist who was widely respected around the world for his noble character and works full of sympathy for the lower-class people.


    Sternberg and Griffith had no reason to lie to me, but if what they said was true, it would be too terrible. You know, I still have deep respect and goodwill towards Chaplin.


    "Besides writing scripts, have you ever thought about making movies?" I asked with a smile.


    In history, in 1925, Sternberg raised funds on his own to shoot his first film, "The Salvation Hunters." This film was the first American film to focus on the lives of the socially abandoned lower-class people on the docks, and it was well received by the audience. It was also because of this film that Sternberg attracted the attention of film companies and signed up as a director.


    Sternberg licked his lips and smiled, "I want to, I dream of it. I have written a lot of scripts myself, some of which I don''t want to give out to others and am ready to shoot myself in the future, but, Mr. Colliano, you know, without money, nothing can be done. So I especially admire you. You started from scratch and shot such a masterpiece. It''s simply my role model."


    Sternberg''s face no longer had the flattering and sycophantic smile just now, but showed a hint of bitterness and sincere respect. It was obvious that at this moment, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.


    "Boss, Sternberg admires you very much. The only poster behind this kid''s desk is ''Lust, Caution,''" Griffith smiled.


    I looked at Sternberg, and the slight annoyance in my heart disappeared completely. I knew how a person who wanted to make a movie but was suffering because of money felt, and I knew how he felt when his labor results were taken over by others and praised under their names (this kind of thing happened to me more than once before. Those son of a bitch directors signed their names on my script in front of me without even blushing.). So I understood this little man.


    "Sternberg, come to my house for a visit." I smiled.


    Of course, my visit was very purposeful.