| Education |
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DEEP FREEZE |
"I hope you don't mind meeting us at the airport, Mrs. Craig . . . Donald . . . but the traffic into Tokyo is getting worse every day. Also, the fewer people who see us, the better. I'm sure you'll understand."
Dr. Kato Mitsumasa, the young president of Nippon-Turner, was, as usual, immaculately dressed in a Savile Row suit that would remain in style for the next twenty years. Also as usual, he was accompanied by two samurai clones who remained in the background and would not say a word during the entire proceedings. Donald had sometimes wondered if Japanese robotics had made even more advances than was generally realized.
"We have a few minutes before our other guest arrives, so I'd like to go over some details that only concern us. . . . "First of all, we've secured the world cable and satellite rights for your smokeless version of A Night to Remember, for the first six months of '12, with an option of another six months' extension."
"Splendid," said Donald. "I didn't believe even you could manage it, Kato - but I should have known better."
"Thank you; it wasn't easy, as the porcupine said to his girlfriend."
During the years of his Western education - London School of Economics, then Harvard and Annenberg - Kato had developed a sense of humour that often seemed quite out of keeping with his present position. If Donald closed his eyes, he could hardly believe that he was listening to a native-born Japanese, so perfect was Kato's mid-Atlantic accent. But every so often he would produce some outrageous wisecrack that was uniquely his own, owing nothing to either East or West. Even when his jokes appeared to be in bad taste - which was not infrequent - Donald suspected that Kato knew exactly what he was doing. It encouraged people to underestimate him; and that could cause them to make very expensive mistakes.
"Now," said Kato briskly, "I'm happy to say that all our computer runs and tank tests are satisfactory. If I may say so, what we're going to do is unique, and will seize the imagination of the whole world. No one, but no one else, can even attempt to raise Titanic the way we're going to do!"
"Well, part of her. Why just the stern?"
"Several reasons - some practical, some psychological. It's much the smaller of the two portions - less than fifteen thousand tons. And it was the last to go under, with all the remaining people on deck still clinging to it. We'll intercut with the scenes from A Night to Remember. Thought of reshooting them - or colorizing the original - "
"No!" said both Craigs simultaneously.
Kato seemed taken aback. "After what you've already done to it? Ah, the inscrutable Occident! Anyway, since it's a night scene it's just as effective in b/w."
"There's another editing problem we've not resolved," said Edith abruptly. "Titanic's dance band."
"What about it?"
"Well, in the movie it plays "Nearer My God to Thee."
"So?"
"That's the myth - and it's utter nonsense. The band's job was to keep up the passengers' spirits, and prevent panic. The very last thing they'd play would be a doleful hymn. One of the ship's officers would have shot them if they'd tried."
Kato laughed. "I've often felt that way about dance bands. But what did they play?" |
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