Chapter 374: Reliable Work?

Chapter 374: Chapter 374: Reliable Work?

Ang Lee closed the book, his fingers lingering on the last page, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.

He had been in the directing industry for decades and had read countless scripts and novels, but few works had ever moved him so deeply—not because of the twists in the plot, but because of the truth and weight of the emotions.

This kind of love carried the imprint of the era, the prejudices of society, and the struggles and pain of the characters themselves.

It was not a grand declaration, but an attachment woven into the bone and blood; it was not a public union, but a hidden endurance in the darkness.

Such repressed emotions required the most restrained lens language to present; it required a director with sufficient life experience and emotional depth to capture its essence.

At this moment, Ang Lee suddenly understood why Irene Coppola said she could not direct this film.

Irene Coppola was indeed a rare genius director in Hollywood.

At 22, she could switch freely between commercial blockbusters and art films, a talent that was astounding.

But she was too young, and her life experience had been too smooth.

Although she had keen market insight and excellent directing ability, she had not experienced that era, had not felt such deep repression and despair, and could not truly empathize with the inner worlds of Ennis and Jack.

This film could not be filmed well just by relying on technique.

It required the director to integrate their own life insights into it, required a profound understanding of the complexity of human nature, and required a personal experience of the pain of "loving but not being able to have."

Irene Coppola’s talent was enough to support her in making a wonderful film, but it might not be enough to support her in making such a heavy, such a delicate Brokeback Mountain.

Ang Lee felt secretly relieved that Irene Coppola had such self-awareness and did not blindly take on this project.

But at the same time, a new question emerged in his heart: was this subject matter really suitable for him?

Having spent many years in Hollywood, he knew the rules of this industry too well.

In 2003 Hollywood, LGBT themes were still in a sensitive area.

Although not completely banned as they were decades ago, it was extremely difficult to get a wide release and gain mainstream market recognition.

He remembered the controversy when The Wedding Banquet was released.

Although that film eventually achieved success, it also bore a lot of pressure.

And the subject matter of Brokeback Mountain was more direct and bolder than The Wedding Banquet.

It focused on a forbidden love between two men spanning twenty years, which was very likely to trigger a strong backlash in today’s American society.

If he took on this project and filmed it well, it might become a classic; but if he filmed it poorly, or if the market response was poor, it would not only fail to help him get out of the predicament after The Hulk, but might even lead to him being completely abandoned by the mainstream Hollywood market.

Struggling with this, Ang Lee picked up his phone and dialed his agent, Kevin.

Kevin was his old partner and the person he trusted most in Hollywood.

Back then, it was Kevin who saw his talent at a glance, brought him from Taiwan to Hollywood, and supported him all the way to where he was today.

Even after the failure of The Hulk and his career entered a stagnant period, Kevin did not give up on him and continued to try every way to find suitable projects for him.

Discussing work matters with Kevin was the safest choice.

After the call connected, Kevin’s familiar loud voice came through.

"Ang Lee! You finally remembered to call me! How is the trip in Northern Europe? Did you encounter any good opportunities?"

"It is alright, the scenery is nice, just a bit boring." Ang Lee’s tone carried a trace of fatigue. "I am calling you to ask if there is any reliable work for me in Hollywood recently."

Kevin’s tone instantly fell.

"Reliable work? Do not even mention it. Ever since The Hulk, those big studios have kept their distance from you. Only some low-budget, no-name crews have approached me. The scripts are terrible, and the production teams are all newcomers. Even when you first started making movies in Taiwan, you would not have looked at such crews."

He paused and added, "I have helped you turn them down many times. Making such films not only brings no benefits but will lower your class. Once we lower our standards, it will be hard to raise them back up. Just wait a bit longer. I will think of a way."

Ang Lee sighed helplessly.

"I know you have tried your best. Having no work for so long is indeed a headache, and I do not want to retire early like this."

"Who says otherwise!" Kevin’s tone carried a trace of anxiety. "Do not worry. I will continue to keep an eye out for you. As soon as there is a suitable project, I will notify you immediately."

"By the way, Kevin, there is something I want to discuss with you." Ang Lee hesitated for a moment before speaking about Irene Coppola’s invitation. "Irene Coppola recently acquired the film adaptation rights to a novel called Brokeback Mountain, and she invited me to direct this film."

"Brokeback Mountain? Irene Coppola?" Kevin’s voice was full of doubt. "Cannot she direct it herself? She is a director who can handle Pirates of the Caribbean and Million Dollar Baby; it is just a romance film. Does she need to find someone else?"

Ang Lee gave a bitter smile.

"Do not underestimate this film; it is not an ordinary romance film. I cannot explain the details over the phone. You should go buy a copy of the original book and see for yourself."

"Cannot explain?" Kevin was a bit confused. "It is just a novel. What is there not to explain? Fine, since you say so, I will go take a look. But long-distance calls are expensive. I will hang up first, and I will call you back after I finish reading it."

After hanging up, Ang Lee picked up Brokeback Mountain again and turned to the first page to reread it.

This time, he read more carefully, noting the author’s depiction of the characters’ psychology and the rendering of the atmospheric environment.

Gradually, he had some visual concepts in his mind.

However, the concerns about the subject matter still weighed on his heart like a stone, making it difficult for him to make a decision.

Meanwhile, in New York, after Kevin hung up the phone, his heart was full of confusion.

He really could not figure out what was so special about a romance film that Irene Coppola admitted she was not good at.

He immediately drove to a bookstore street in New York, wanting to buy a copy of Brokeback Mountain to read.

But to his surprise, he went to three bookstores in a row and could not find the book.

The clerk at the first bookstore said they had not heard of the book, the second bookstore’s computer system showed "out of stock," and the manager of the third bookstore told him that it was a niche short story collection with very little distribution on the market, and most bookstores rarely stocked it.

Kevin’s confusion deepened.

A novel as niche as this could actually be valued so highly by Irene Coppola that she specifically invited Ang Lee to direct it.

There must be something fishy about it.

He immediately called Irene Coppola and explained the situation.

Irene Coppola quickly had Vera Cecil find a channel to send another copy of the original book to Kevin.

As Ang Lee’s agent, Kevin’s literary literacy was not bad.

He spent an afternoon carefully reading the original Brokeback Mountain.

After reading it, like Ang Lee, he fell into deep entanglement.