Joe Versus the Volcano Page #19

Synopsis: Joe versus the Volcano is a fable which opens with somewhat surrealistic scenes of the dehumanization of Joe Bank's job and work environment (at a company whose product rather literally screws people) with imagery that seems to have been inspired by the classic film Metropolis. Joe is diagnosed with an incurable disease, quits his dehumanizing job, and accepts an offer to briefly "live like a king, die like a man" - but to fulfill his agreement he must willingly jump into a live volcano on the island of Waponi Woo in order to appease the volcano god. En route to the island, Joe meets a series of interesting characters in NYC and LA, then boards a yacht, captained by Patricia Graynamore. During the voyage Joe and Patricia survive disaster, fall in love, and finally arrive at the island where they face their destiny.
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Production: Warner Home Video
  1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
5.7
Metacritic:
45
Rotten Tomatoes:
62%
PG
Year:
1990
102 min
1,803 Views


The BIG WOO THUNDERS AGAIN - they all look.

The feast grows quiet and somber.

CHIEF:

Once more I'll call among the

Waponis for a hero.

The Chief stands. The Waponis abase themselves. The

Chief speaks to them solemnly.

CHIEF:

Who knew woe sue-weigh?

Who knew woe?

(he waits; as no one

moves; he calls out

once more)

Drama said, said sue-weigh?

(he waits; as no one

moves; he is disgusted

with them; he speaks

with finality and

dismissal)

I na box, bum, pelica. Box.

(CONTINUED)

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev. 8/25/89 97.

186 CONTINUED: 186

The Waponis slowly get up, shamefaced. The Chief sits.

He speaks to Joe and Patricia.

CHIEF:

They are all afraid to die.

There is no hero among them.

They deserve to die.

Joe stands.

JOE:

Take me to the volcano.

Natives cheer. They form an aisle again, leading off in

the direction of the Big Woo. Flaming torches dot the

aisle. The natives start the same call and response they

had going when Joe's raft was first sighted. Emo calls

and the natives respond. This call and response

continues through all the following. Joe walks off, down

the aisle. The Chief follows him. Before Patricia can

follow the Chief, the crowd closes in, following Joe up

the mountain. Patricia tries to reach Joe.

186B EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT 186B

PATRICIA:

Joe! Joe!

But she can't be heard above the din of the call and

response. She's restrained by the women in the village.

186C EXT. FOOT OF TRAIL - NIGHT186C

A head torch man leads the way up the mountain path. He

carries a heavy, lit torch that he swings from side to

side with a ritual motion. With each swing he lights

another permanent tiki sconce along the path's upward

progress. He is followed by Joe, dapper and alone. Joe

in turn is followed by the Chief, who walks with a ritual

movement, not unlike the bent-kneed gait of a Sumo

wrestler, leaning first on one leg then on the other. He

is assisted in this gyration by two lackeys, one to his

left, one to his right, who catch him as he leans to his

most extreme angle and gently shoves him back the other

way. Behind the Chief, comes the general native

population all of whom carry torches.

186D WHOLE VILLAGE - PATRICIA' S POV186D

is going up the trail, with Joe and the Chief at the head

of the column. Some of the natives carry ducks.

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev. 8/25/89 98-98A.

187 EXT. SIDE OF BIG WOO - TRAIL - NIGHT 187

Flaming torches now delineate the trail up the mountain.

The line they describe looks very like a German

expressionist version of a lightning bolt. The Big Woo

is RUMBLING more and more. The whole sky over the

mountain is suffused with red.

187A OMITTED 187A

188 EXT. WITHIN COLUMN - NIGHT 188

Patricia struggles. She's slowly struggling up the

length of the column.

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev. 6/2/89 99.

188 CONTINUED: 188

She's starting to get hysterical.

PATRICIA:

Joe! Joe! Don't do it!

Don't do it!

189 EXT. HEAD OF COLUMN - JOE AND CHIEF - NIGHT 189

They are silent and solemn and focussed. They arrive at

a spot just below the rim of the volcano. There is a

little well worn trail leading from they stand to where

the rim.

JOE:

Is there any ceremony or

anything?

CHIEF:

No. You just jump in.

Joe nods. Patricia breaks through the crowd and throws

herself at Joe's feet. She's sobbing.

PATRICIA:

Don't do it! Please don't do

it, Joe! I love you! I've

fallen in love with you! I've

never loved anybody! I don't

know how it happened! And

I've never even slept with you

or anything and now you're

going to kill yourself!

Joe pulls her to her feet. The Chief takes a step away,

to give them privacy.

JOE:

You love me?

PATRICIA:

Yes, I love you! I can feel

my heart! I feel like I'm

going crazy! You can't die

and leave me here on this

stinking earth without you!

JOE:

I've got to do it.

PATRICIA:

Why? The Chief doesn't even

want you to do it.

(CONTINUED)

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev . 6 / 2 / 8 9100.

189 CONTINUED: 189

JOE:

'Cause I've wasted my whole

life. And now I'm going to

die. I've got a chance to die

like a man and I'm going to

take it! I've got to take it!

PATRICIA:

I love you!

JOE:

I love you, too. I've never

loved anybody, either. It's

great. I'm glad. But the

timing stinks.

Joe kisses her, waves to the Chief, and starts to walk up

the little path. The natives are silent, staring. The

Chief is sad. Patricia is rooted, staring after him,

stricken. When Joe has just about reached the summit,

Patricia wakes from her trance, and bolts up the little

path after him.

189A EXT. UNDERSIDE OF PLATFORM - NIGHT 189A

Throughout the following, occasionally we CUT TO a carved

wooden figure of an alarmed but committed little man, who

is under the platform holding it up. Of course, he's

actually an inanimate strut, but as his little knees

quake ever more violently under the platform's oppressive

weight, we fear for the moment when he and therefore the

platform on which Joe and Patricia stand will give way

and fall into the volcano.

190 LITTLE SHELF ON MOUTH OF WOO - PATRICIA AND JOE - NIGHT 190

Behind them are flames and sparks and smoke.

PATRICIA:

Joe!

JOE:

Get out of here! Go back

down!

PATRICIA:

No.

JOE:

Please let me do what I've got

to do!

(CONTINUED)

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev. 5/16/89 100A.

190 CONTINUED: (A1) 190

PATRICIA:

Marry me!

JOE:

What!

PATRICIA:

Marry me!

She shouts down the hill.

PATRICIA:

Chief! Chief! Could you come

up here, please?

JOE:

What the hell are you doing?

(CONTINUED)

101.

190 CONTINUED: 190

PATRICIA:

I want him to marry us.

JOE:

I'm jumping into a volcano!

PATRICIA:

So marry me and then jump into

the volcano.

The Chief arrives.

CHIEF:

What?

PATRICIA:

Could you marry us?

CHIEF:

Okay.

JOE:

I don't want to get married!

PATRICIA:

What's the problem? You afraid

of the commitment? You'll

have to love me and honor me

for about thirty seconds! You

can't handle that?

JOE:

(to the Chief)

Alright. Marry us.

PATRICIA:

Thank you!

JOE:

You're welcome!

CHIEF:

Do you want to marry her?

JOE:

Yes!

CHIEF:

Do you want to marry him?

PATRICIA:

Yes!

(CONTINUED)

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev. 6/2/89 102.

190 CONTINUED: (2) 190

CHIEF:

You're married.

PATRICIA:

Thank you, Chief.

CHIEF:

I'm going now.

The Chief leaves. The volcano has been ROARING LOUDER

and LOUDER. Joe stares into it.

PATRICIA:

Don't jump in.

JOE:

I want you to listen Patricia,

because these are my last

words. I gotta be brave. I

gotta jump in.

He braces to jump. She lifts her hands. She hesitates.

Courage floods her soul. She completes the gesture for

the first time.

PATRICIA:

I'm jumping in with you.

JOE:

Oh no you're not'

PATRICIA:

Whither thou goest!

JOE:

I'll knock you out! I'll

throw you down!

PATRICIA:

And take away my freedom of

choice?

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John Patrick Shanley

John Patrick Shanley is an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatre and film director. His play Doubt: A Parable won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the 2005 Tony Award for Best Play. more…

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