Argo Page #20

She stands and stares at the line of REFUGEES still *

waiting to cross: WOMEN balancing blankets tied up with *

all they own. An OLD MAN being helped by his SON. A *

couple of KIDS, a SEVEN YEAR-OLD shushing an INFANT in *

her arms. Lives that have become another tableau of *

refugees. *

Sahar, now one of them, walks into Iraq. *

323 INT. CIA (LANGLEY) - NIGHT 323

The celebration is quieter and drunker now.

LAMONT:

(a couple of beers

along)

We are the good guys! *

ROSSI:

Six down, fifty to go.

LAMONT:

Call the Times, nail it to

the f***ing door. The CIA

are the good guys.

MALINOV:

The Canadians are the good guys.

LAMONT:

-- we.’re not greedy -- them too --

MALINOV:

Only. Canada takes the credit, or

they.’ll retaliate against the

hostages. Great Satan wasn.’t

involved. No CIA.

LAMONT:

Is that right, Jack?

O.’DONNELL

Involved in what? We.’re as

surprised as anybody. Thank you,

Canada.

Jack raises a glass of Scotch and takes a drink.

324 ARCHIVE FOOTAGE 324

A homemade sign that reads: .“THANK YOU CANADA!.”*

(*Homecoming ceremony for Houseguests 2/1980.) Hundreds

are gathered to welcome the six back.

ARGO - Final 116.

322A CONTINUED:
322A

(CONTINUED)

TED KOPPEL (V.O.)

Finally, a sliver of really good

news.

*AMERICA HELD HOSTAGE, DAY 87, BROADCAST (1/29/80).

CUT TO:

325 CANADIAN MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 325

FLORA MacDONALD, late 60.’s. (*A.H.H. 1/29/80)

FLORA MacDONALD (V.O.)

It was a simple operation, really.

326 INT. STATE DEPARTMENT - LOBBY - DAY 326

The Houseguests arrive in the State Department lobby.

Television lights everywhere.

TED KOPPEL (V.O.)

The six fled the country posing as

Canadian diplomats. They simply

walked away.

Camera flashes, wild cheers. Banners: .“WELCOME HOME

CORA AND MARK!.” .“IDAHO LOVES YOU, LEE!.” .“WELCOME HOME,

BOB ANDERS!.” It.’s the first moment of national

celebration since the beginning of the crisis.

327 ARCHIVE FOOTAGE 327

IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SADEQ GHOTBZADEH speaks angrily

into a microphone.

SADEQ GHOTBZADEH (V.O.)

Sooner or later, here or anywhere

in the world, Canada will pay for

this violation of the sovereignty

of Iran. (*News conference

1/29/80.)

328 MORE ARCHIVE FOOTAGE (*1/30/1980) 328

Of the State Department WELCOME HOME CEREMONY.

Ambassador KEN TAYLOR is presented with a HUGE FLORAL

BOUQUET. Cheering crowds all around him.

329 OMITTED 329 *

ARGO - Final 117.

324 CONTINUED:
324

330 EXT. BY LESTER.’S POOL - DAY 330

Siegel in a bathrobe, looking out over L.A., holding

The New York Times in front of him: SIX U.S. DIPLOMATS,

HIDDEN BY CANADA, LEAVE IRAN SAFELY. Next to that, an

article about Ken Taylor: DIPLOMAT DIRECTED ESCAPE IN

IRAN. (Front page, *NYT 1/30/80.)

SIEGEL:

She said, .‘Why couldn.’t we pull

off something like that?.’ You

know what I said to her?

331 INT. CIA (LANGLEY) - THE PIT - DAY 331

Mendez stands at a desk on the main floor.

MENDEZ:

Wha.’d you say to her?

332 EXT. BY LESTER.’S POOL - DAY 332

SIEGEL:

I said, .‘Argo f*** yourself..’

333 INT. CIA ARCHIVES - DAY 333

And suddenly it.’s dead-quiet. We.’re in a vault inside a

vault in the basement of the main building.

Mendez.’s suitcase is laying on a low counter, an ARCHIVES

OFFICER toe-tagging and cataloging various items.

Separating Mendez.’s personal things from material related

to the operation.

Mendez empties his briefcase and the officer puts a

sticker on the VARIETY featuring the ARGO ad. Another on

the ARGO script. He.’s putting things into a box that

reads:
USCIA CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.

Mendez opens his accordion folder -- flips through it --

it.’s empty -- no. There.’s something inside.

In one of the compartments is a STORYBOARD FROM ARGO.

One that the Komiteh missed. While the Archives Officer

is turned around, Mendez slips the storyboard back into

the accordion folder and puts it back with his personal

things.

ARGO - Final 118.

334 EXT. CIA - FRONT PARKING LOT - AFTERNOON 334

O.’Donnell is on his way out, heading toward Tony who is

heading in. Seeing Mendez, he stops dead.

O.’DONNELL

And I left my autograph book at *

home. His Eminence called me. He *

wants to see you.

MENDEZ:

He wants to fire me himself.

O.’DONNELL

He wants to give you the

Intelligence Star. You.’re getting

the highest award of merit of the

Clandestine Services of these

United States. Ceremony.’s two

weeks from today.

Mendez stops walking. A beat.

MENDEZ:

If they push it a week, I can *

bring Ian. That.’s his winter *

break.

O.’DONNELL

The op was classified so the

ceremony.’s classified. He can.’t

know about it. Nobody can know

about it.

MENDEZ:

They.’re gonna hand me an award,

then they.’re gonna take it back?

O.’DONNELL

If we wanted applause, we would

have joined the circus.

MENDEZ:

I thought we did.

O.’Donnell claps Tony on the shoulder. Tony walks towards

the entrance and Jack heads to his car.

O.’DONNELL

(yelling to Tony; an

afterthought)

Carter said you were a great

American.

ARGO - Final 119.

(CONTINUED)

MENDEZ:

(yelling back)

A great American what?

O.’DONNELL

He didn.’t say.

335 INT. ARGO PRODUCTION OFFICE - ANGLE ON A POSTER - DAY 335

on the wall. ARGO: A COSMIC CONFLAGRATION.

A hand takes the poster down.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

Chambers is disassembling the office. Boxes packed.

Everything now off the walls.

A PRODUCER walks by, sees Chambers in the door.

PRODUCER:

What happened to your picture?

CHAMBERS:

It.’s in turnaround.

He turns out the lights.

336 EXT. ROAD UP TO CHRISTINE.’S HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON 336

Mendez.’s car heads up the road, past a mailbox. Pulls up

to the house.

337 EXT. CHRISTINE.’S HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON 337

Mendez, a duffel bag on his shoulder, knocks on the door.

He waits. After a moment, Christine opens the door.

MENDEZ:

Hi.

CHRISTINE:

Hi.

They look at each other.

Before she can speak, he.’s embraced her. Holds tight. *

It.’s something in between romantic and fraternal. Not

reconciliation, necessarily, but warmth. She

reciprocates. It feels right, and good.

ARGO - Final 120.

334 CONTINUED:
334

(CONTINUED)

Rate this script:3.0 / 2 votes