Barry Lyndon Page #12

MINISTER GALGENSTEIN

Does this assignment interest you?

RODERICK:

Yes, Minister, I am interested in

any work in which I can be of

service to Captain Galgenstein.

The Minister studies Roderick, coldly.

EXT. CHEVALIER DE BELLE FAST'S HOUSE - BERLIN - DAY

Roderick, now dressed in civilian clothes, admires a

beautiful carriage, waiting at the door. Then he enters.

INT. CHEVALIER DE BELLE FAST'S APARTMENT - DAY

CHEVALIER:

You are the young man who M. de

Seebach recommended?

RODERICK:

Yes, sir. Here is my letter.

Roderick bows, and hands him a letter from that gentleman,

with which the Captain had taken care to provide him.

As the Chevalier reads the letter, Roderick has the

leisure to examine him.

He is a man of sixty years of age, dressed superbly,

wearing rings, diamonds and laces.

One of his eyes is closed with a black patch, and he wears

a little white and red paint, and a pair of moustachios,

which fall over his lip.

The Chevalier is seated at a table near the window to read

the letter.

CHEVALIER:

Your name is Lazlo Zilagyi?

RODERICK:

Yes, sir.

CHEVALIER:

You come highly recommended by Herr

Seebach.

RODERICK:

Herr Seebach was a very kind

employer.

CHEVALIER:

For whom else have you worked?

RODERICK:

No one, sir. Before that I served

in the army but had to leave due to

weakness of the loins.

CHEVALIER:

Who else can give me information

about you?

RODERICK:

Only the agency of servants.

The Chevalier puts the letter down, looks at Roderick for

a few seconds, and then smiles.

CHEVALIER:

You will do. I will give you 30...

a day. I do not provide your

clothing; you will sleep at home,

and you will be at my orders every

morning at seven o'clock.

He notices Roderick begin to tremble and look peculiar.

CHEVALIER:

Is there something wrong?

He goes up to Roderick.

RODERICK (V.O.)

It was very imprudent of me; but

when I saw the splendor of his

appearance, the nobleness of his

manner, I felt it impossible to keep

disguise with him. You, who have

never been out of your country know

little what it is to hear a friendly

voice in captivity; and there's a

many a man that will understand the

cause of the burst of feeling which

was about to take place.

The Chevalier takes Roderick by the shoulder.

RODERICK:

(as he speaks,

bursting into tears)

Sir, I have a confession to make. I

am an Irishman, and my name is

Roderick James. I was abducted into

the Prussian army two years ago, and

now I have been put into your

service by my Captain and his uncle,

the Minister of Police, to serve as

a watch upon your actions, of which

I am to give information to the same

quarter. For this odious service, I

have been promised my discharge, and

a hundred guineas.

Sobbing, Roderick falls into his arms.

CHEVALIER:

The rascals! They think to catch

me, do they? Why, young man, my

chief conspiracy is a faro-bank.

But the king is so jealous, that he

will see a spy in every person who

comes to his miserable capital, in

the great sandy desert here.

EXT. BERLIN - PARK - DAY

Roderick and the Chevalier walking.

RODERICK (V.O.)

And I think he was as much affected

as I was at thus finding one of his

kindred; for he, too, was an exile

from home, and a friendly voice, a

look, brought the old country back

to his memory again, and the old

days of his boyhood.

CHEVALIER:

I'd give five years of my life to

see the old country again, the

greenfields, and the river, and the

old round tower, and the burying

place.

EXT. BERLIN - STREET - DAY

Roderick and the Chevalier walking.

CHEVALIER:

My lad, I have been in every

service; and, between ourselves, owe

money in every capital in Europe. I

have been a rolling stone. Play --

play has been my ruin! That and

beauty. The women have made a fool

of me, my dear boy. I am a soft-

hearted creature, and this minute,

at sixty-two, have no more command

of myself than when Peggy O'Dwyer

made a fool of me at sixteen.

EXT. BERLIN - LAKE WANNSEE - DAY

Roderick and the Chevalier walking along the bank.

CHEVALIER:

The cards are now my only

livelihood. Sometimes I am in luck,

and then I lay out my money in these

trinkets you see. It's property,

look you, and the only way I have

found of keeping a little about me.

When the luck goes against me, why,

my dear, my diamonds go to the

pawnbrokers and I wear paste. Do

you understand the cards?

RODERICK:

I can play as soldiers do, but have

no great skill.

CHEVALIER:

We will practice in the mornings, my

boy, and I'll put you up to a thing

or two worth knowing.

INT. CHEVALIER'S ROOMS - BERLIN - DAY

Quick cuts -- Roderick being taught the profession of

cards and the dice-box.

EXT. GARDEN HOUSE - BERLIN - DAY

Roderick, Minister Galgenstein, and Captain Galgenstein.

RODERICK (V.O.)

I carried my little reports to

Captain Galgenstein at the Garden

house outside the town where he gave

me rendezvous. These reports, of

course, were arranged between me and

the Chevalier beforehand. I was

instructed, and it is always the

best way, to tell as much truth as

my story would possible bear.

Dialogue comes up from under voice over.

RODERICK:

He goes to church regularly -- he is

very religious, and after hearing

mass comes home to breakfast. Then

he takes an airing in his chariot

till dinner, which is served at

noon. After dinner, he writes his

letters, if he has any letters to

write; but he has very little to do

in this way. His letters are to the

Austrian envoy, with whom he

corresponds, but who does not

acknowledge him; and being written

in English, or course, I look over

his shoulder. He generally writes

for money. He makes his party with

Calsabigi, the lottery contractor,

the Russian attaches, two from the

English embassy, my lords Deuceace

and Punter, who play a jeu d'enfer,

and a few more. He wins often, but

not always. Lord Deuceace is a very

fine player. The Chevalier Elliott,

the English Minister, sometimes

comes, on which occasion the

secretaries do not play.

INT. CHEVALIER'S APARTMENTS - NIGHT

The Chevalier is at play against several gentlemen,

including the Prince of Turbingen, while Roderick signals

the cards.

RODERICK (V.O.)

It was agreed that I should keep my

character of valet, that in the

presence of strangers I should not

know a word of English, that I

should keep good lookout on the

trumps when I was serving the

champagne and punch about; and,

having a remarkably fine eyesight,

and a great natural aptitude, I was

speedily able to give my dear

benefactor much assistance against

his opponents at the green table.

Several cuts of playing and cheating to illustrate voice

over.

RODERICK (V.O.)

Simplicity was our secret.

Everything successful is simple.

If, for instance, I wiped the dust

off a chair with my napkin, it was

to show that the enemy was strong in

diamonds; if I pushed it, he had an

ace, king; if I said, "Punch or

wine, my lord?" hearts was meant.

If "Wine or punch?" clubs. If I

blew my nose, it was to indicate

that there was another confederate

employed by the adversary; and then,

I warrant you, some pretty trials of

skill would take place. The Prince

of Turbingen, although so young, had

a very great skill and cleverness

with the cards in every way; and it

was only from hearing Ritter von

Brandenburg, who came with him, yawn

three times when the Chevalier had

the ace of trumps, that I knew we

were Greek to Greek, as it were.

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