An Unreliable Project

"Wait a minute, you said your name is Henry Brown?" Lauren Bacall confirmed again, "Audrey's assistant, that Henry Brown."

"Yes, it's me," Henry admitted, then asked with some concern, "What's wrong?"

"Audrey Hepburn's final recommendation, ' Love from a Different Culture,' by Henry Brown?"

Henry was initially puzzled by the name. Then he remembered that it was the book that Ms. Hepburn had published using his manuscript. The title seemed to have been chosen by the publisher.

The publishing house was basically responsible for editing and post-production. Since it was agreed that he wouldn't participate in promotion or book signings, Henry's royalties were at a low to medium level. He kept the copyright, but didn't concern himself with anything else.

Hearing someone mention that book so suddenly caught Henry off guard. Slightly embarrassed, he said, "I heard it didn't do very well; I didn't expect anyone actually to have read it."

Even Catherine Hepburn, standing beside him, looked surprised and said, "Henry, you don't know that book is very popular among a certain group of people?"

Henry said calmly, "Using that kind of argument is just proof that the book isn't a bestseller, but that those who like it really like it. Of course, of course, I'm honored that you like it."

"But as for that book, I'm at best a translator. The stories in it are original; I didn't make them up. So if you want to admire someone, go find the original author. Even though most of them have been dead for at least several hundred years."

"You silly child," Catherine Hepburn said, rubbing her forehead, "You always manage to see things from such a unique perspective, leaving everyone speechless. Is that funny?"

"If I had to say, it's absolutely hilarious." Henry grinned, a smug look on his face.

Catherine Hepburn complained, "Is it too late to correct your terrible temper now? I really want to see what kind of parents could raise such a troublesome child."

"What If...? you saw the person who raised me, I guarantee you'd think my kindness was the greatest miracle God could have given to the world."

Although Henry said this with a smile, everyone present was a shrewd old man, and they could easily hear the bitterness behind his words. Everyone tacitly forgot about it and changed the subject.

Lauren Bacall then said, "Would you be interested in writing a screenplay and adapting one of the stories into a movie? I know quite a few film companies are interested in the stories in that book. You still hold the adaptation rights, right?"

After a slight shift in thought, Henry immediately shook his head and said, "Everyone knows what kind of status screenwriters have in Hollywood. Directors can change things if they want to, actors can change things if they're in the mood, and producers certainly have a hundred reasons to make changes."

"Anyway, those stories weren't my original creations. Wouldn't it be better for anyone interested in making them to collaborate with the people in the places where the stories took place? I'd rather not seek out that kind of criticism."

"As for the dialogue, production companies that want to save money will naturally find ways to avoid my version. Instead of arguing about that, let's just look at the production company's sincerity."

Lauren Bacall asked in surprise, "You don't think the film company's adaptation is good?"

Henry chuckled and said, "Isn't Elizabeth Taylor's ' Cleopatra ' a perfect example? Actually, many scenes in it, while seemingly incorporating Egypt elements, are mostly misused."

"Take the example of placing guardian deity sculptures, the kind usually found in mausoleums, in the queen's bedroom. How many people would die in reality? But the criticism from Egypt cultural scholars is probably the least important part of the film's critique."

Mentioning that tragic and painful precedent, the veteran Hollywood figures present fell silent. Lauren Bacall, with a hint of dejection, asked, "Will it really end up the same way?"

Henry nodded seriously and said, "This was almost inevitable. The book's sales figures show that it's a translated work with a limited audience. So, when adapting it into a movie, controlling costs is the most important aspect for profitability."

"But because of the different cultural backgrounds, a lot of investment is needed to achieve the best possible recreation in costumes and sets. If the investment is too small and the production is rough, not only will people from the original culture not be satisfied, but Hollywood audiences may not be able to accept it either."

"If you invest too much, you'll face pressure regarding box office performance. Actually, the failure of ' Cleopatra ' cannot be entirely blamed on Ms. Taylor. She was just the most obvious target."

"But if I were to push forward with this translation adaptation project, even if it doesn't end in the same failure, but only results in a loss, I might be branded with shame for the rest of my life."

"I might die and this will still be remembered by Hollywood. There was once an overconfident fool who thought that a story from a foreign culture, presented in its original form, could also attract arrogant United States."

"I don't deny that many people have the courage to explore the outside world and the spirit to identify with other cultures, but this is ultimately not the attitude of the majority."

"When cost pressures exceed a certain threshold, attracting conservative audiences to the cinema to watch a film that promotes pagan culture becomes the only way for the film to make a profit. To be honest, just thinking about it is despairing."

Lauren Bacall said dejectedly, "I thought this would be a good project."

Pretending to be innocent, Henry honestly said, "I hope so too. But if we don't solve the problem of different cultures and not adapting well, things won't end well."

"What If...? some annoying person asked me about copyright issues, I'd just take a small amount of money. Ideally, I wouldn't even be listed as a co-signer. But since Ms. Bacon asked this question, I need to clearly state my concerns. I don't want to be seen as an annoying person afterward."

Catherine Hepburn chimed in, "Honey, next time you need to do something like this, you can tell me secretly first. I'll definitely help you get a substantial adaptation fee, and if it fails, it won't be your problem. Isn't that great?"

Lauren Bacall then abandoned her original idea, saying regretfully, "What a pity. I thought I could team up with Catherine to play the White Snake and the Green Snake."

Just for your information, Lauren Bacall was born in 1924. This year is 1994, so she's a 70-year-old grandmother. Catherine Hepburn was born in 1907 and is 87 years old; she could easily be considered a great-grandmother.

These two want to play Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing...

Well, in terms of age, an 87-year-old and a 70-year-old are indeed too young to play a thousand-year-old demon and a five-hundred-year-old fairy.

Henry didn't even know where to begin complaining.

Hollywood, which has been making films about Vampires queens for thousands of years, always knows to cast young girls in their twenties or thirties with faces full of collagen to play the role.

The Eastern fairy needs to enlist the help of a "beauty" from the Golden Age; this Western filter is practically frosted glass.

Or is Xu Xian blind? No wonder in the original version, it was Xu Xian who begged Fahai to subdue those two demons...