The Son of Cheops Two storytellers, one story.

The whole thing began with a challenge posted in Variety magazine:

"We rely on moviemakers to tell our stories. Soon we will forget how to tell our own stories. No moviemaker can tell a story as well as l, a human storyteller, can."

The letter was signed, "Son of Cheops." The letter probably would have been quickly forgotten, if it weren't for a follow-up letter published a few days later:

"Name the story."

It was signed, "Steve Amblin." Amblin was the most famous producer in Hollywood, so at first people thought it was a joke. But it wasn't.

A few days later came the reply: "John Henry. Regards, Son of Cheops."

Amblin went to work. He hired famous actors, built elaborate sets and worked on nothing else for two years. $200 million later, his movie was complete.

No one knows what the Son of Cheops did during this time.

The opening of "John Henry: the Movie" was a gala affair. The theater was crammed with important people. Limousines were lined up around the block. Critics loved the movie, and Amblin won an Oscar for Best Picture.

Exactly fifteen people came to hear the Son of Cheops tell the story of John Henry. Fourteen of them were his friends and family. The fifteenth was a reporter.

The reporter told the world how the Son of Cheops made his audience laugh and cry, how he reached out to every person there. How, for a short time, everyone forgot who he was and where he was. Everyone left feeling like he had met John Henry.

The Son of Cheops was deluged with offers to come tell stories. He accepted the offers under these conditions: he would tell stories only to small groups, and he would accept only enough money to cover his plane fare and lodging. Stories, he believed, were to be shared, not sold.

He died two years later, with no money to his name. Some say it was the constant traveling that killed him. Others say it was the emotional strain of being a storyteller.

Two years after that, Steve Amblin won another Oscar, this time for his masterpiece movie, "The Storyteller: Son of Cheops."

1
Click on the best summary of the story.
A.
A moviemaker and a storyteller compete to see who is the better storyteller. Both retell the story of John Henry. Steve Amblin, the moviemaker, produces an expensive film. The movie is a hit and Amblin wins an Oscar for Best Picture. When the Son of Cheops dies, Amblin produces a movie about the storyteller.
B.
A moviemaker and a storyteller compete to see who is the better storyteller. The Son of Cheops, the storyteller, thinks that stories should be shared, not sold. He travels across the country, telling the story of John Henry. His storytelling is powerful. When he tells the story to one group, they all feel like they have met John Henry.
C.
A moviemaker and a storyteller compete to see who is the better storyteller. Both retell the story of John Henry. The moviemaker produces an expensive movie. It's a hit. The Son of Cheops, the storyteller, tells the story to small groups. He thinks stories should be shared and not sold. After he dies, Amblin makes a movie about him.