Being John Malkovich Page #15

LOTTE (CONT'D)

Hello, friend

CUT TO:

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

We see the menagerie of animals on the otherwise deserted

street, dispersing into the night. A lone dark figure turns

the corner, and walks slowly up the street to Craig and

Lotte's building.

CUT TO:

INT. CRAIG AND LOTTE'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Lotte and Elijah see the dark figure coming up the steps.

The buzzer rings. Lotte and Elijah jump.

LOTTE:

They've come to kill me, Elijah. See,

I know too much. I should get the

door. It's impolite to keep death

waiting.

Elijah looks at her sweetly, a great sadness in his eyes.

Then he leads her by the hand out the window.

CUT TO:

EXT. VEGAS HOTEL - NIGHT

The marquee reads: World's Greatest Puppeteer Craig

Schwartz and his Magical Puppet John Malkovich.

CUT TO:

INT. DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT

Malkovich sits in a tuxedo and watches himself in the

dressing table mirror. Maxine, in a tight black number,

reclines on the couch.

MAXINE:

This is it, lover. You're stepping

onto that stage a nobody and

presto-change-o, you're coming

back the greatest puppeteer the

world has ever seen.

MALKOVICH:

I'm nervous. Malkovich is fighting

me hard today.

Malkovich jerks a bit, gets it under control.

MAXINE:

Doesn't he know how important

tonight is to us?

MALKOVICH:

He's a selfish bastard.

CUT TO:

INT. LAS VEGAS THEATER - NIGHT

The house is filling with formally dressed audience members.

The cultists and Lester, also in tuxes and gowns, are among

them. The lights go down.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

Ladies and gentlemen, it is the

great privilege of the Luxor hotel

and Casino to present Craig Schwartz

and his magical puppet John

Malkovich.

The orchestra starts up. The curtains part.

LESTER:

Blasphemous bastard.

Malkovich tap dances out onto the stage. He is amazingly

nimble and the audience "oohs" and "aahs."

LESTER (CONT'D)

(grudgingly)

Pretty good though.

Malkovich does an amazing triple somersault, lands on one

knee and, with spread arms, begins singing: "Kiss Today

Goodbye." in a beautiful tenor. The orchestra catches up

with him. The audience goes wild. A pretty-boy young man

with a big tousle of black hair and a shiny, tight suit

appears at the back of the house. An usher glances over at

him.

USHER:

Oh, Mr. Mantini! We weren't expecting

you tonight, sir. Um, I'm afraid

there's not an empty seat in the

entire house.

MANTINI:

(not taking his eyes from the stage)

Make one empty.

USHER:

Y-y-y-es sir.

The usher looks nervously around for someone to boot.

Martini waits in the back. On stage, Malkovich is now

performing the "back of the car scene" from "On The

Waterfront." He alternates between the Marlon Brando part

and the Rod Steiger part, moving back and forth from one

stool to the another. He performs it magnificently. We see

Lester in the audience wiping a small tear from his eye.

LESTER:

Not too shabby.

Mantini is now sitting in a good aisle seat next to a

beautiful woman. Her boyfriend is being hauled toward the

exit by the usher. The beautiful woman watches, with some

concern, as the boyfriend is taken away. Then she turns and

smiles flirtatiously at Mantini. Mantini smiles back. On

stage Malkovich is dressed in a ringmaster's outfit and

juggling chainsaws.

MANTINI:

Nothing more than a Goddamn clown.

At this point the entire audience stands and gives Malkovich

a spontaneous standing ovation. All except Mantini. Even the

cultists get up.

CUT TO:

INT. SEWER - NIGHT

Lotte sits sadly in the wet tunnel. She is scrunched-up

against the damp cold. A small fire smolders in front of

her. We hear footsteps approaching. It is Elijah, carrying

supplies:
food and blankets. He covers her with a blanket

and sits down next to her.

LOTTE:

They're going to take over the

world, Elijah. Evil will reign.

But, then, evil already reigns,

doesn't it? So what difference

does it make if John Malkovich

is wearing the f***ing crown while

it's reigning?

Elijah sighs, then holds his stomach. The ulcer is

returning.

CUT TO:

INT. FLEMMER'S APARTMENT - DAY

It's a conservatively furnished upper westside apartment.

Looks like it belongs to a Columbia professor. The walls

are lined with books. Mr. Flemmer sits at his desk, his

head in his hands, deep in thought. The doorbell rings.

FLEMMER:

It's open.

The door opens and Lester pokes his head in.

LESTER:

It's just me, boss. I brought

croissants.

Lester enters with a greasy white paper bag.

FLEMMER:

Have a seat. I wracking my brain

over this Malkovich thing.

LESTER:

We saw his show at the Luxor last

night.

FLEMMER:

(impressed)

Vegas? What'd you think?

LESTER:

The kid's got talent. You've never

seen Malkovich like this. Schwartz

had him up there singing and dancing.

Impressions.

FLEMMER:

Impressions? Those are hard.

LESTER:

Very talented son of a b*tch. Too bad

we can't kill him.

FLEMMER:

I suppose I could come to him in a

dream. I don't know. That's the best

I can think of right now.

LESTER:

A scary dream?

FLEMMER:

No, a sexy dream. Of course, a scary

dream.

LESTER:

(noncommittally)

I like that.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT

Malkovich sits on the floor in silk pajamas. He is

surrounded by newspaper clippings. He is drinking

champagne from the bottle. Maxine is at a dressing

table, brushing her hair.

MALKOVICH:

They love me, darling! "Craig Schwartz

is fantastic!" The New York Times.

"If only Craig Schwartz had always

been inside Malkovich!" Women's Wear

Daily. "Craig Schwartz - The world's

greatest puppeteer!" Paul Wunder,

WBAI Radio.

MAXINE:

Oh, darling. It's a dream come true.

We're going to ride this straight to

the top.

MALKOVICH:

Sleepy suddenly.

MAXINE:

Busy day, my little fire chief. Why

don't you climb into bed, and I'll

meet you there in just...

But Malkovich is already passed out on the floor on top of

his clippings. Maxine smiles maternally, gets up and puts

blanket over him. We stay on Malkovich's face.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. HELL - NIGHT

Craig wanders across a jagged, rocky landscape. Geysers of

flame shoot up around him. The sky is red. He is frightened.

He arrives at a desk. The man behind the desk is facing away

from him. He swivels to face Craig. It is Flemmer, looking

the same as usual except for little red horns and a sinister

grin.

CRAIG:

Who are you?

FLEMMER:

I am the Devil.

CRAIG:

Oh.

FLEMMER:

Leave Malkovich. He is mine.

CRAIG:

Okay. Sorry. I didn't know.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL SUITE - CONTINUOUS

Malkovich awakes with a start. Maxine looks over at him.

MAXINE:

Bad dream, darling?

MALKOVICH:

I've got to leave Malkovich.

MAXINE:

You've got to be kidding.

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