Chapter 141: Chapter 141 Very Important
Walking out of Spielberg’s office, Adrian let out a sigh of relief. It was finally settled, and all his hard work hadn’t been in vain. He knew very well that because of “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg hadn’t had a favorable impression of him, so he had kept his trump card up his sleeve until today.
The results were better than he had expected. Not only had he earned Spielberg’s respect—think about it, when someone you’ve always viewed as opportunistic and not particularly likable suddenly stands before you, going out of their way to fulfill your greatest wish without expecting anything in return, wouldn’t you be curious? Wouldn’t you want to find out why? Upon closer examination, you find that they share the same desires as you, and they tirelessly strive towards those goals nobly and at any cost. Your initial judgment was completely wrong. What kind of change would that bring to your thoughts? And how would it affect you later on?
Adrian had to admit that his acting was quite good. For a moment, he even almost believed he was as noble and great as he had portrayed. If it weren’t for the need for long preparations, he might even consider acting in movies. Well, that was the first gain, and the second was that he now held “Schindler’s List” completely in his hands. From any perspective, this was a necessary move.
Thank you, my… grandmother. As he drove his car onto the street, Adrian said this to himself, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. According to his father’s diary, the Jewish heritage of his grandmother had made her unpopular with many in the family. Even Uncle Anderson had seldom interacted with his mother after reaching adulthood. Aside from his grandfather, the person who got along best with his grandmother was his father. This was why Adrian could now make good use of this identity.
Perhaps to many, “Schindler’s List” was simply a fine piece that had won the Oscar for Best Picture, filled with artistic flair and humanitarian concern. At most, they would marvel at the immense effort put into the film’s production, the director’s meticulous spirit, and the fact that it was the first black-and-white film to win the Oscar for Best Picture after the 1960s and so forth.
But if one looks beyond the surface to the essence of things, some matters are not so simple. After World War II, when the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people became known to the world, Jewish groups worldwide strived to elevate the suffering of the Jews to a human tragedy for all.
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From the fifties up to now, countless literary works and films related to this subject have emerged. Among the most renowned is “The Diary of a Young Girl,” which used a little girl’s perspective to observe that turbulent time and caused a significant impact; it was even adapted into a film in the seventies. For a long time, this diary has been mandatory reading for Jewish families.
Yet, even with numerous works about the Holocaust, about Jewish suffering, and about the Western world’s remorse towards the Jewish people being published, there had always been a lack of a work that could stir up a significant global impact—until the appearance of “Schindler’s List.”
Spielberg always knew what the audience wanted to see and how to touch them; so even if “Schindler’s List” was shot in black and white and tackled such a heavy subject, it still swept away 300 million US dollars at the global box office. This is what Adrian had referred to as its entertainment value.
It was “Schindler’s List,” with an entertainment value that other Holocaust films lacked—well, calling it “entertainment” might seem a bit harsh. Regardless of its intentions, the film itself is indeed a work full of humanitarian spirit. Therefore, it can be said that Spielberg told this historical story in a way that was closer to the audience, even pleasing to them, and seized the right measure of it, thus causing a fervent response.
Just as Adrian had said to Eric at the premiere of “Casper,” audiences go to the cinema primarily for entertainment, not to delve into life’s philosophies. It is after they’ve been satisfied with happiness, emotion, and sorrow from the film that they’ll take the time to ponder the deeper meaning during their leisure.
For Jewish groups around the globe, a film that can fully engage the audience’s emotions and present the history of the Holocaust is precisely what they needed. Just thinking about the plethora of British, Swiss, and even Chinese Schindlers that sprung up after the film’s release shows the enormous power of the media.
Of course, this was partly because of the exceptional quality of the film itself, but also the zealous promotion by the Jewish groups. Adrian believed that even if “Forrest Gump” and “Schindler’s List” were released at the same time, the Oscar for Best Picture would still, under certain people’s influence, go to “Schindler’s List.”
That’s why Adrian had put so much effort into putting on a saintly face in front of Spielberg and, while winning him over, also completely took this film under his wing. Some benefits are not immediately visible, nor can they be measured with money. Besides, Spielberg would play a more critical role in the future, as challenging the existing order of Hollywood would require him to lead the way.
Having perfectly resolved this issue, Adrian returned to London with Kate. He had said everything that needed to be said, and the rest was up to Spielberg himself. He trusted that Spielberg would not mess it up.
The following two months were relatively leisurely. Adrian handed over all of the post-production work for “Howards End” except for the editing to others. Micromanaging everything could ensure the quality of a film to a greater extent, but at the same time, it was a very strenuous task. Unless the film was extremely important, there really was no need to go to such lengths.
Of course, this was not to say that “Howards End” was unimportant; he had been planning this year’s three films for a long time. Even if luck was not on his side, the quality had to be guaranteed. However, compared to “Pulp Fiction,” which aimed to win with skill, “Howards End” used a much more conventional approach, relying mainly on the actors’ performances and the director’s control. So as long as the editing was done well, the film would likely not have any problems.
Moreover, just because Adrian had delegated those miscellaneous tasks to others didn’t mean he wouldn’t be involved; the duty of supervision was still on him, and no work would pass without his approval.
Since he was relatively free, Adrian would take Kate to other European countries almost every weekend. After all, they were close by, and transportation was convenient. However, this arrangement greatly displeased a certain little one.
As long as Adrian was in London, Emma would inevitably hover around him—it was unavoidable since her most important daily activity was playing—even if Adrian was editing in his studio, she would sit by his side, watching or amusing herself with something, seemingly content.
Besides, every day after work, he also couldn’t get out of taking her to the park, not to mention the mandatory bedtime companionship, which left Adrian feeling helpless and without a solution.
“Can’t you try sleeping by yourself?” he had asked dejectedly one night, knowing full well Kate had already dropped several hints. But the little one, already fast asleep, simply turned over, draping her little arms and legs over him to continue her deep slumber, drenching his pajamas with her drool.
However, Emma didn’t take up all of his time. As a 2-year-old child, she couldn’t go abroad without a guardian, so every weekend she could only watch resentfully as Adrian and Kate left London together and returned together.
For most people, being away from a close one for a few days isn’t a big deal, but for a child who acts purely on feeling, it was quite displeasing. As a result, the relationship between Emma and Kate began to deteriorate further—okay, it was just that Emma unilaterally increased her hostility. Although Kate might occasionally complain, she wasn’t to the point of getting angry with a little “ghost.”
The little one began to openly glare at Kate in any situation, swinging her arms defensively whenever Kate approached Adrian as if to guard her territory. Thankfully, at least she didn’t resort to spitting to express her feelings.
It wasn’t long before all the staff at the studio were aware of this, privately joking that the “daughter” and the “mother” were at odds—could it be because of a “stepmother”?
Do I really look like a…”stepmother”?” Kate asked, panting, straddling Adrian. Her beautiful face was flushed, her mouth slightly open, and though there was a teasing tone in her voice, it was laden with thick desire.
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The white shirt she wore was soaked with sweat, clinging to her skin and perfectly outlining her shapely curves.
“It’s just a joke, they don’t mean any harm,” Adrian said with a chuckle, lying back on a lounger.
“To think this is happening right here…” She leaned on Adrian’s shoulders, her eyes half-closed as she complained.
“Seems like we’ve done this in the storage room of the rental apartment we used to have,” Adrian replied with a snicker, “Shall I mention some other places too?”
Although Emma made it troublesome for them to make love from Monday to Friday, it wasn’t without solutions, like the studio’s spare rooms or the back rooms in hotels. But today was different; today the little one had been picked up by her aunt, so the two of them had a rare opportunity in the editing room—of course, they had locked the door. Since they didn’t need to be as quick as before, they enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
“I knew you’d bring that up!” Kate grit her teeth, then suddenly sat down harshly, sparking a new battle.
(To be continued. For more on what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where chapters are more plentiful, and to support the author and legitimate reading!)