Chapter 939 - Successfully Erased

Judging by the number of clippings, the majority of the reports were about Laila herself. A large portion discussed her winning the Best Director award and breaking the age record, while another part analyzed the number of trophies she had won. Winning three awards in a single Oscar ceremony seemed unprecedented in film history.

After all, this was the Oscars, not some music awards where one could win a bunch of trophies for Best New Artist, Best Album, Best Single, and so on.

In short, without even realizing it, she had accidentally set another record. Laila smiled, finding the feeling quite pleasant. She wouldn't mind experiencing it a few more times. Unfortunately, she wasn't some prodigious genius who could take on multiple projects and rack up more trophies.

Laila was delighted with the reports about herself, as they were mostly filled with praise, almost elevating her to the status of a once-in-a-century genius director. Little did they know how much effort this so-called genius had put in. Perhaps in their eyes, she was only 27 years old, but if you counted the time she had devoted to film in her previous life, she could be considered quite seasoned.

Wasn't this another interpretation of "hard work pays off"? No wonder religions often preach about cultivating the next life, treating the suffering of the present as trials to create a happy future.

Laila continued reading and found many reports about 'The Lord of the Rings'. It was said to have tied the Oscar record, standing alongside 'Titanic' and 'Ben-Hur' in film history. It was also hailed as the most profitable trilogy in cinematic history, surpassing even Laila's other lucrative franchises like 'Harry Potter', 'Iron Man', and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.

Many were dissecting why the movie was so good, what made it stand out, and why it was so beloved by audiences. The conclusion was that the source material was excellent, Laila's adaptation was masterful, and the filming captured a grand worldview, creating another realistic world. This was why the movie became a historic classic.

The concentrated coverage of Laila and 'The Lord of the Rings' maintained its heat for days, and the media was more than happy to dig into everything related to them. Riding this wave, both the East and New Zealand seized the opportunity to promote their countries' beautiful landscapes. Think of the stunning mountains and rivers in the movie—those weren't created out of thin air but were real, breathtaking locations!

Tourism in both countries surged, especially in the areas featured in the film, which saw an influx of foreigners from around the world. Their arrival boosted local tourism and created economic benefits, leaving many locals grinning from ear to ear. Upon learning that all of this was thanks to Laila, she quickly became one of the most beloved foreigners in both countries.

Of course, Laila also capitalized on this wave, selling 'The Lord of the Rings' DVDs worldwide and making the merchandise the hottest items in newly opened specialty stores.

It was at this moment that an article published in the 'New York Post' dropped like a boulder into a pond, stirring up the mud and clouding the water.

The headline was attention-grabbing: "Moran's Success Is Only Because She Chose the Right Work."

The article had two main points. The first was that Laila's success at the Oscars, winning so many awards, was solely due to her choice of story.

Was the movie great? That wasn't Laila's credit but Tolkien's. Any other director could have made something equally brilliant. She was just lucky to have secured the adaptation rights years ago. Otherwise, those honors might have gone to another visionary director!

The second point argued that Laila's sweep of the Oscars, tying the record with eleven awards, had little to do with her directing. Instead, it was the cumulative energy of three films. While others competed with one movie, she had three. How fair was it to pit three against one? Coincidentally, the box office success made people think the film was truly the best in cinematic history.

The article concluded with a dismissive tone: "Using such 'underhanded' methods to win Oscars, do you think it can be compared to the other two films? 'Ben-Hur' aside, given the different circumstances of its time, let's not forget that 'Titanic' truly stands at the top of the box office rankings—and it's just one film!"

In short, the entire article accused Laila of being "excessive," claiming she had stolen other films' honors through "underhanded" means and undermined the fairness of the Oscars.

Surprisingly, many people believed this viewpoint.

After all, Tolkien's book was already a great Western literary work, so it was only natural for the movie to be good, right? If it had been poorly made, it would have been a waste of great material.

Moreover, while Laila seemed to have entered 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' for the competition, everyone knew the brilliance of the first two films would inevitably influence the judges' perception of the third. It was likely that the guilt over the first two films was poured into the third, allowing it to win so many awards.

The 'New York Post' article was malicious in its intent. The first point dismissed the film's excellence, attributing its success to Tolkien. The second point dismissed Laila's success, attributing her numerous awards to the fact that the film was part of a trilogy.

It couldn't be denied that these two factors played a role in the success, but to completely erase all of Laila's efforts was overly biased and unfair.

If adaptation were truly that easy, there wouldn't be so many film adaptations of novels that turned out to be terrible. If trilogies could accumulate energy, why hadn't any previous films achieved the same stunning success as 'The Lord of the Rings'?

The 'New York Post' used a sleight of hand to erase all the effort Laila had put into the film. The scary part was that many people were convinced by their argument, believing that this might indeed be the case. If that were true, then Laila didn't seem all that impressive, did she?

Laila was notified almost immediately after the article was published. The Murdochs had always been competitors of the Moran family, and while other outlets might hesitate to speak out or throw dirt, the 'New York Post' had no qualms about doing so if it benefited them.

Cooper had once been the New York Post's anti-Laila crusader, but since his disappearance from the paper, no one had seen him write similar articles. However, a paper like theirs was never short of talented reporters who could make anything sound convincing.