“How about cutting out that scene? Finish the play on this side of the water. Don’t go to France at all.”
“Then the picture is spoiled!”
“No picture is spoiled until it goes out of our hands, you know,” and Mr. Hooley smiled satirically. “You know how it is in the picture business, Miss Fielding. Some unfortunate producer buys a script or a story. The scenario writer ‘saves’ the story by his work on the script. Then the continuity man ‘saves’ it a second time. Then the director ‘saves’ it after he gets it into his hands. We know that the star performer always ‘saves’ it again. And then the film cutter and the title writer each ‘save’ it.
“Most pictures are ‘saved’ in this way by the omniscience of all who work on it so that, when it is finally produced, the writer seldom recognizes more than a glimmer of his original idea in the final product.
“You are much better treated than most picture writers, you know very well. And here you have a chance to ‘save’ your own work,” and Mr. Hooley finished with a laugh.
“It is no laughing matter,” she told him. “I wanted this to be a really big picture. And I do not want to cut out Wonota. Without that throne-room scene it will fall flat.”
“We should have taken it in New York,” grumbled Mr. Hooley. “I felt it at the time. But Mr. Hammond contracted for so many weeks’ use of this island and the time is running out already.”
“And Wonota and Totantora are gone!”
“Exactly.”
“Do you know where they have gone?”