Apocalypse Now Redux Page #31

Chef and Lance start to put down their M16s, the Chief

shouts out furiously from the boat.

CHIEF:

Chef! Pick up that weapon! Pick

it up! Stand fast!

Chef continues to shout to the French.

CHEF:

We are Americans! We are friends.

LAFAVRE:

Drop your weapons!

As Willard walks down the dock, French soldiers appear out

of the fog, totally surrounding them. Willard stops in

front of them, realizing there is no way out, and raises

his rifle in surrender .

CHIEF:

(to Lance and Chef)

All right, you men. Put down your

weapons.

They all drop their weapons. More soldiers step out.

CHEF:

(in French)

We are Americans. We are friends.

We are friends.

We SEE more French and Cambodian soldiers as they step out

of the fog onto the dock. They move forward cautiously.

It is strange. It is like meeting up with a group of

soldiers from the French Indo-Chinese War. It's as though

they've stepped into 1954. The soldiers are still wearing

parts of the red berets of their particular unit that fought

against the Viet Minh. There are also Vietnamese who serve

the French and who fought with the French. They all bear

older automatic weapons and suspicion in their eyes.

Another Frenchman joins the group. This is obviously the

patriarch of the family. HUBERT DEMARAIS is about fifty,

with a dignity and strength about him. He and Willard

look at each other.

WILLARD:

We lost one of our men.

DEMARAIS:

We French always pay respect to

the dead of our allies. You're

all welcome.

(pause)

Y name is Hubert DeMarais. This

is my family's plantation. It has

been such for seventy years, and

it will be such until we are all

dead.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. GRAVEYARD - DOLLY SHOT - DAY

The group is assembled. There is a platoon of Cambodian

soldiers standing by an open grave, SERGEANT LAFAVRE in

front of them.

LAFAVRE:

To my command! Attention! Weapons

on the shoulder! Present weapons!

The platoon present their weapons, as Clean's body is

carried toward the grave. The bugler brings the bugle up

to his lips and plays "Taps."

Willard looks up and sees something on the balcony of the

house.

HIS P.O.V:

A young WOMAN, dressed in white, is on the balcony. She

has been watching the ceremony. She turns back into the

house.

The Chief bends down and picks up the tattered American

flag, which is on Clean's body. Lance places Clean's tape

recorder on the body. The body is lowered into the grave.

CHIEF:

(to Willard)

Captain, accept the flag of Tyrone

Miller, on behalf of a grateful

nation.

He hands the folded flag to Willard.

INT. DINING ROOM - GROUP - NIGHT

We SEE the MeMarais interior. They have set up a table

for the crew, and with some of their own enlisted men.

The table is headed by Sergeant LaFavre, who is already

seriously into the wine.

A waiter comes to the table and stops next to Chef. He is

holding a plate full of chicken, etc. Chef's face lights

up as he regards the wonderful European-style food.

CHEF:

This food is really wonderful,

isn't it? The wine, the sauces.

I can't believe it. Can I speak

with the chef?

LAFAVRE:

The chef speaks only Vietnamese.

CHEF:

No kidding. He cooks like this

and he can't even speak French?

(to Lance)

Hey, Lance, the chef's a slope.

Lance has been loading up on food from the waiter's plate.

As the waiter moves away from him, Lance reaches across

the table for the bread and accidentally knocks over a

glass.

CHIEF:

Hey, Lance...

Lance realizes he is eating like an animal, sits back down.

The VIEW MOVES ALONG THE TABLE AND REVEALS that on a higher

level there is a more elaborate table set, where the

DeMarais family is dining with Willard.

Willard is sitting next to DeMarais, who is at the head of

the table. Christian, ANNE-MARIE, and old blind UNCLE,

Claudine, the TUTOR, and Philippe are all seated, listening

to one of the grandchildren, who is reciting a poem. The

other grandchildren stand nearby listening.

The child stumbles through the poem.

DEMARAIS:

(in French)

You still need to study with Mr.

Robert. Let's go. Not too bad.

Go to bed everyone now.

The children kiss their parents good night, and run out of

the room. DeMarais turns to Willard.

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