Bridge of Spies Page #18

Utterly superfluously, to Hoffman:

MURPHY:

Yeah, that’s Powers.

Schischkin projects:

SCHISCHKIN:

All right, Mr. Donovan. We go now!

DONOVAN:

Hang on.

He looks back to their side of the bridge: Michener on the

field telephone. Feeling their look on him the man looks up,

talks into his phone.

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE

Pinker with his phone.

PINKER:

Believe me, I’ll tell you. There’s

no one here.

GLIENICKE BRIDGE

Another headshake from his contact.

Abel is looking inquisitively at Donovan: what is this?

DONOVAN:

They’re releasing another man at

Checkpoint Charlie. Just waiting

for confirmation that he’s there.

SCHISCHKIN:

Now -- as per plan, if you please!

HOFFMAN:

Okay, let’s go. Pryor’ll show up,

or he won’t; let’s go.

DONOVAN:

They’re waiting to see if we’ll do

it without him. We just have to

stand here, show them we won’t.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 104.

CONTINUED:

HOFFMAN:

I don’t give a sh*t what they want,

we have our objective. Go ahead

Abel. Go ahead sir, you can go.

SCHISCHKIN:

(projecting)

If it is not to plan, we go home.

We exchange now or we go home.

Abel doesn’t understand the back-and-forth. To Donovan:

ABEL:

We’re waiting for another man?

DONOVAN:

Yup.

ABEL:

You want him too?

DONOVAN:

I want him.

HOFFMAN:

Doesn’t matter what he wants, sir,

I’m in charge and you are free to

go. Please go. Walk across.

Abel is looking at Donovan.

ABEL:

Stoikey Muzhik.

A beat; he decides.

ABEL (CONT’D)

I can wait.

Hoffman stalks off.

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE

The contact alerts Pinker in the guard house. Pinker picks

up the phone as a car approaches.

PINKER:

It’s something...not sure yet.

GLIENICKE BRIDGE

The contact nods, acknowledging. Calls out to men on the

bridge.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 105.

CONTINUED:

CONTACT:

Hang on!

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE

The sports car comes to a stop. Vogel and Pryor emerge.

Vogel escorting the young man to Pinker.

GLIENICKE BRIDGE

The contact gives a thumbs up to the men out on the bridge.

CONTACT (CONT’D)

We got him!

ABEL:

I sent you a gift, Jim. It’s a

painting. I hope it has some

meaning to you.

DONOVAN:

I’m sorry I didn’t think to get you

a gift.

ABEL:

This is your gift. This is your

gift.

Abel starts across the bridge. As does Powers, from his

side.

He and Powers pass each other at the center of the bridge.

They do not look at each other.

Powers is arriving. He and Murphy embrace.

He and Murphy embrace. Hoffman is urgent.

HOFFMAN:

Go. Go. Go.

The men move off, all but Donovan who stands facing the other

side. He and Abel regard each other from across the gap, as

Schischken helps - or steers? - Abel into the back seat of

his car. Not friendly, not unfriendly.

The floodlights go out as Donovan stands there, watching the

car with Abel pull away.

AIRPORT:

Two sedans pull up outside a cargo plane. The Agents,

Donovan and Abel get out.

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 106.

CARGO PLANE INTERIOR

Powers and Donovan are seated next to each other. Engines

are revving.

Plainclothes Avalon approaches.

AVALON:

Mr. Donovan. Colonel Abel asked me

to give this to you.

He hands him a cardboard tube.

Powers is looking around, bewildered and apprehensive. To

Pinker as he passes:

POWERS:

Pardon me, sir?

Pinker keeps on walking. Hoffman’s behind him, and Power

snags him.

POWERS (CONT’D)

Were you in charge of this thing,

sir?

HOFFMAN:

(curt)

Yeah.

POWERS:

Well I gotta thank you, I gotta

thank somebody -

Hoffman does not acknowledge. He brushes past him to take a

seat further back.

Powers, hung out to dry, watches him go.

With a hurt look he turns to Donovan, only because Donovan is

next to him.

POWERS (CONT’D)

I gave them nothing. I gave them

nothing.

DONOVAN:

It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t

matter what people think. You know

what you did.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 107.

CONTINUED:

Donovan opens the cardboard tube, withdraws a rolled-up

painting. An excellent portrait of himself.

DONOVAN HOME:

Donovan stands outside his house, gazing at it, suitcase by

his side. He removes his hat, lifts his suitcase and

approaches the front steps as a beaming Mary emerges onto th

veranda.

MARY:

Well. Welcome home!

Donovan climbs the steps and sets down his suitcase and hat.

DONOVAN:

What a trip.

They kiss and embrace, him holding her a little closer and

longer than ordinary.

MARY:

...You okay?

DONOVAN:

Yeah. I’m fine.

MARY:

You get the marmalade?

DONOVAN:

Yes, yup, yup.

He retrieves a jar and hands it to her.

MARY:

Good. (she inspects it) Jim!

DONOVAN:

What.

MARY:

This is from Arno’s! On the corner!

DONOVAN:

Well, honey, I was busy -

MARY:

Oh for Pete’s sake...

DONOVAN:

I’m sorry, we were so busy. Where’s

Roger, is he home?

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 108.

CONTINUED:

MARY:

He’s home. Carol’s home. Peggy’s

home. Everyone’s home.

Roger’s voice is heard shouting from another room.

CAROL (O.S.)

Mom, come quick! Look!

She runs into the house.

DONOVAN HOME -- LIVING ROOM

Mary arrives at the threshold to watch Roger, Carol, Peggy,

and Doug crowded in front of the TV. Mary holds her breath

as the President’s press secretary, PIERRE SALINGER,

addresses the nation’s media.

SALINGER (ON TV)

Francis Gary Powers has been

released from prison in the Soviet

Union, and turned over to American

authorities early this morning in

Berlin. The president has commuted

the sentence of Rudolf Abel. Mr.

Abel has been deported, and has been

released in Berlin.

In B.G. Donovan enters the house and continues on past the

living room.

SALINGER (ON TV) (CONT’D)

Efforts to obtain Mr. Powers’

release had been underway for some

time -- in recent efforts, the

United States Government has had the

cooperation and assistance of Mr.

James B. Donovan, a New York

attorney.

Mary can’t believe what she’s hearing.

PEGGY:

I thought Daddy was fishing. For

salmon.

Mary turns, expecting to see Donovan behind her, but he’s not

there. She moves toward the staircase, sees his suitcase on

the floor.

DONOVAN HOME -- MASTER BEDROOM

Mary comes up the stairs and enters the room.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 109.

CONTINUED:

Donovan is face down on the made bed, fully dressed, and

finally sound asleep.

Mary picks his hat up off the floor and just stands there

looking at him, her eyes filling with tears.

TRAIN:

Subway, the next day. Donovan riding into work. He sits by

the window as he did on the S-Bahn but now, finally, looks

like he’s had a good night’s sleep.

Passengers on the train are reading their newspapers,

headlines about the spy exchange. One woman - the same woman

who once looked at him disapprovingly - looks below the fold

and sees a photo of Donovan. Recognizes him sitting across

from her. She smiles. He is uncomfortable, but then he

smiles too. His look drifts to his window.

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