Bridge of Spies Page #12

They eye Donovan as they approach, slowing.

He eyes them, not slowing.

They pass, but several paces on Donovan senses something

wrong. He turns.

One of them, the biggest of the group, speaks to him in

German.

Clearly it is a question. They all look at him, awaiting an

answer.

Donovan stares, uncomprehending.

The big guy repeats the question. This time impatiently.

He grabs Donovan’s coat by a lapel. Examines the material

HEAD YOUTH:

So.... We apologize. If this

offends?

Donovan realizes they are demanding his coat. He asks for

directions to Unter den Linden. The Head Youth points out

the directions.

Donovan shrugs out of the coat, ceding it.

WIDE:

Looking towards the street: Donovan is a small figure. He

wears only his suit. He’s freezing. He runs.

New angle:
he stands before an imposing building, in good

repair:
the embassy. He heads for its door.

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 67.

INSIDE:

Donovan comes to a reception desk.

DONOVAN:

Do you understand English?

RECEPTIONIST:

Yes, sir.

DONOVAN:

I’m James Donovan. I’m here to meet

a Mr. Vogel.

RECEPTIONIST:

Mr. Vogel?

DONOVAN:

He doesn’t work here. I’m just

supposed to meet him. That’s all I

know.

OFFICE:

Some minutes later. The receptionist is showing Donovan into

though a series of magnificent rooms to a parlor of sorts.

There are three people in the room: a woman in her fifties, a

much younger woman, and an older man in a three-piece suit.

The older woman is effusively emotional and charges Donovan,

weepily:

WOMAN:

Mr. Donovan! So we finally meet

you!

She hugs him, Donovan stiffly unresponsive.

WOMAN (CONT’D)

...I am Helen Abel! How is our

husband? How is Rudolf?

DONOVAN:

He’s... good as can be expected -

HELEN:

And we will get him back, yes? This

is our daughter, Lydia...

DONOVAN:

How do you do? (to the older man)

And you’re Mr. Vogel?

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 68.

CONTINUED:

The man is momentarily thrown. He recovers, laughing:

MAN:

No no no no. Not Vogel, no. I am

cousin Drews.

He vigorously shakes Donovan’s hand.

HELEN:

This is Rudolf’s beloved cousin

Drews.

DONOVAN:

Yes. Cousin Drews.

DREWS:

I am Cousin Drews.

DONOVAN:

Cousin Drews, yes.

HELEN:

I’m Helen Abel!

An awkward pause...

HELEN (CONT’D)

When will you see him?

She pulls him down to a small sofa.

HELEN (CONT’D)

When will your government release

him?

DONOVAN:

I’m sorry, I’m a little...lost here.

I’m supposed to meet a Mr. Vogel.

LYDIA AND DREWS:

Yes, Mr. Vogel is our lawyer.

DONOVAN:

Yes, and I thought we were supposed

to negotiate the exchange.

HELEN:

To bring Rudolf here.

DONOVAN:

Well yes...yes, to bring him here,

but it doesn’t happen unilaterally.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 69.

CONTINUED:
(2)

DONOVAN (CONT'D)

Do you understand? It has to be an

exchange...

Helen bursts into tears.

Lydia puts an arm around her to comfort her. Cousin Drews

kneels in front of the sobbing woman, comforting her as well.

Donovan dubiously watches this show.

A door clicks open -- not the one Donovan entered by but one

set into a panel of the wall near the mirror behind the desk.

A man enters.

MAN:

Mr. Donovan.

Donovan rises, extending a hand.

DONOVAN:

Mr. Vogel?

Shaking hands, his manner dry, urbane:

SCHISCHKIN:

No no, no. My name is Schischkin,

Ivan Schischkin. I am second

secretary of the Soviet Embassy. It

would not be appropriate for Mr.

Vogel to join us; he is a German

national.

DONOVAN:

So you are...here to...

SCHISCHKIN:

To facilitate this meeting. (to the

group on the couch) Perhaps Mrs.

Abel would like to compose herself

privately? And let Mr. Donovan and

myself to talk?

The group takes the cue and leaves by the main door, faces

suddenly stern.

Now the room is quiet. A beat.

DONOVAN:

So, I’m confused...

SCHISCHKIN:

Yes.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 70.

CONTINUED:
(3)

DONOVAN:

I don’t care who I talk to if it’s

about an exchange of...personnel.

Are you the person to talk to?

SCHISCHKIN:

Yes yes -- of course we should talk.

Please, have a seat. Sit down.

They sit opposite one another at a small table.

SCHISCHKIN (CONT’D)

So, how did you arrive in the

Eastern sector?

DONOVAN:

The train. The S-Bahn.

SCHISCHKIN:

You were alone?

DONOVAN:

Yup.

SCHISCHKIN:

And you are credentialed -

DONOVAN:

You must know about me, sir. I’m a

private citizen, a lawyer in

Brooklyn -- in the United States --

and I’ve taken some time out of a

busy schedule to help my client,

Rudolf Abel. I’m authorized to

arrange an exchange of Abel for

Francis Gary Powers -- this is a

full pardon of Abel (handing a paper

across) that will be signed when the

exchange actually takes place.

That’s the only reason I’m here. I

hope and expect to make this

arrangement quickly -- Abel for

Francis Gary Powers (a measured

beat) and -- Frederic Pryor.

SCHISCHKIN:

We don’t have Pryor.

DONOVAN:

No? You don’t?

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 71.

CONTINUED:
(4)

SCHISCHKIN:

I’ve heard of Pryor. But he is held

by German Democratic Republic, not

by the Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics.

Schischkin hands him back the pardon.

DONOVAN:

Well, I’ll tell you the first

problem, the names of your countries

are too long.

Schischkin smiles.

SCHISCHKIN:

If we release Powers it is only to

promote good will between our

countries. So it cannot be an

exchange. Perhaps you could release

Abel as a token of good will to our

friends in Germany, and then some

months later we would release

Powers, there’s an idea.

DONOVAN:

No, that won’t work for us at all,

you see we need this to be an

exchange. You can call it what you

want, but an exchange it must be. We

can have Abel within forty-eight

hours. We need Powers at the same

time we give you Abel.

SCHISCHKIN:

Well this is -- can we call this

“The Impatient Plan”?

DONOVAN:

Call it whatever you want.

Donovan’s cold’s getting worse. He blows his nose.

SCHISCHKIN:

I can relay your Impatient Plan to

Moscow, see what they say. But they

will wonder, why so Impatient?

DONOVAN:

Because I have a cold, I don’t live

in Berlin, and I want to get home.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 72.

CONTINUED:
(5)

SCHISCHKIN:

They will think, well, the Americans

must have gotten all the information

that Abel had to give. And now they

are now impatient to trade him,

hoping to get in return this man

Powers who perhaps has not yet given

up the information that he has to

give. This is not an equitable

trade, sir.

DONOVAN:

But you’re saying, if Powers has

given up everything he knows, then

Moscow would trade? Why wouldn’t

they? As for Abel, if he dies in an

American prison, the next Russian

operative who gets caught might

think twice about keeping his mouth

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