Jonathan Demme and the Making of 'The Manchurian Candidate' Page #8

And you know how it works.

Wars are fought

one battle at a time.

Battles, you win one bullet at a time.

And I'd be lying to you if I said

that I didn't factor in,

in a huge way,

the fact that you have

a vested, personal,

political and patriotic interest

in how all of this shakes out.

I'd be lying to you.

You're right, major.

I do.

RADIO NEWSCASTER:

A $5,000-a-plate dinner

honoring the CEO

of Votron Incorporated,

the nation's third-largest producer of

the controversial touch-screen units

that will be used in the forthcoming

election, was disrupted last night,

when protestors disguised as

waiters and kitchen staff

unleashed a blizzard

of symbolic chants from above,

resulting in a momentary panic.

The supporters of presidential hopeful

Vice President Edward Nelson

fled to exits and dove under tables.

Security personnel quickly subdued

the protestors, one of whom...

ELLIE:

The man is insane, Tom.

Full-blown schizophrenia.

He's been stalking Raymond,

the FBI is all over this already.

I've seen the files.

- Have you seen them?

- All over what?

Your bipolar war buddy

has been sharing his dreams

with Senator Jordan.

Hello, Raymond.

Hello, senator.

How's Jocelyn?

Have you fact-checked this

with anyone, Tom?

- Raymond.

ELLIE:
Hm?

JORDAN:

Do you recognize this man?

No.

His name is Atticus Noyle.

He's a South African scientist

and mercenary.

Someone our CIA turned to

for covert mind warfare

against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Someone who has sold

his technology and services

to terrorists and rogue states.

And what does he

have to do with me?

Major Bennett Marco

claims that this man...

...brainwashed you.

In his dreams.

Contrived to have you win

the Medal of Honor.

And has you poised to be the first

privately owned and operated

vice president of the United States.

Sir, I've already spoken

with Ben Marco.

Unfortunately, he's not a well man.

He's delusional.

Nevertheless,

he's pulled from his mad hat

some remarkably lucid connections

between his dreams

of your exploits in Kuwait

and this Dr. Noyle

and the private equity fund

Manchurian Global,

your mother's primary political

benefactor for the past 15 years.

Oh, come on, Tom.

They contribute to half the Senate.

Both sides of the aisle.

What are you saying?

At the time of Desert Storm,

Dr. Atticus Noyle

was working under a research grant

from Manchurian Global,

developing deep implant

behavior modification.

Oh, my God.

Rogue scientists, mind control,

Manchurian Global.

- You.

- Tom.

Connect the dots, Raymond.

Where was your famous

Lost Patrol

for those three missing days?

Eluding capture in the desert?

Or somewhere else,

being microwaved

by this Atticus Noyle?

- Oh, Tom.

- I'm sorry, senator,

but what exactly

are you suggesting I do?

Bow out gracefully.

Personal reasons,

an obscure illness.

Yield your spot on the ticket

and go into seclusion.

Oh, that's what this is about.

And then surrender yourself

to federal authorities.

Help them trace this thing

to its source

and address whatever damage

may have been done to you.

And I'll be waiting

for your press announcement

first thing in the morning.

- And then we'll talk.

- Tom.

If there's any inkling of truth

in any of these charges,

if anyone has ever harmed

a hair on his head,

I will find out about it.

You have 12 hours, senator.

But if it's not true,

I will see you impeached

on the floor of the Senate

and bury you.

Good night.

It's preposterous.

Idiotic story.

Mother, there's something

I have to tell you.

What?

I've been having the dreams.

Ben said there were tests

they could run to see if...

No. Where are you going?

Sergeant Shaw.

What?

Sergeant Raymond Shaw.

RAYMOND:

Mother, I...

ELLIE:

Raymond Prentiss Shaw.

RAYMOND:

Yes.

ELLIE:

Listen.

[SEAGULLS CAWING]

[TRAIN HORN HONKING]

CONDUCTOR [ON PA]:

Good morning to you all,

and welcome to Amtrak's

northbound Acela,

making station stops

at Baltimore, Philadelphia,

Newark, New York's

Penn Station

and Boston as the last stop...

Who's that?

RAYMOND:

It's Raymond, sir.

JORDAN:

Oh, don't do that.

You're gonna get

soaking wet, Raymond.

Raymond.

I came to apologize, sir.

Raymond, what are you doing?

- I'm sorry.

- We'll get some help for you, son.

It's not your fault, Raymond.

It's not your fault.

- I'm sorry, sir.

- It's your mother...

[GURGLING]

Dad!

Help!

Oh, God. Daddy!

Help!

Raymond? What are you doing?!

What is going on?

What is happening?

Where's my father?

What are you doing?

Dad! Dad!

[GURGLING]

TV NEWSCASTER:

The five-term senator

and recent front-runner for his party's

vice presidential nomination

appears to have

accidentally drowned

when his kayak overturned near

his Chesapeake Bay weekend home.

Police say his daughter,

35-year-old Jocelyn,

may have been trying

to rescue Jordan

when she was herself overcome

by the icy water.

The bodies of Senator Jordan

and his daughter

were discovered this morning

by a crab fisherman

who spotted the capsized kayak

floating far offshore,

nearly a mile from

Senator Jordan's residence.

Neighbors say the senator was an

expert kayaker whose morning trips

were a familiar sight along

the western bank of the Bay.

TV REPORTER:
Governor Arthur,

do you have any comment

on this tragic event?

Senator Jordan was a statesman

of the highest integrity.

Tom Jordan was a friend.

A damn fine man.

Just a great American.

That's all for now. We'll have

something for you a little later.

TV NEWSCASTER:
They're the latest

target of SEC corruption probes,

but private equity fund

Manchurian Global confirmed today

it is continuing with plans to

finance privately owned combat units

to relieve beleaguered

U.S. Troop deployments worldwide.

It is a move that could save the

Defense Department billions of dollars.

How does Arthur die?

You know who I'm talking about,

the new president.

If he dies, Raymond Shaw becomes

the new president, doesn't he?

Chain of succession.

That's what you got in mind.

That's what you people wanna do.

You wanna really run the world,

don't you, Susie? Rosie?

Whatever the hell your name is. I got

my library card and I got your tapes.

I do my research too.

We're going to the feds,

we're going to the police,

the newspapers, whatever it takes.

I am the feds.

Now, get off me!

[ROSIE PANTING]

Get off of me!

We found...

...an implant device...

...in Al Melvin.

You found one in Melvin.

Just like you said.

I'm part of a shadow unit.

We've been watching you.

Trying to sort this thing out.

This isn't an election, this is a coup.

This is... In our own country,

a regime change, in our own country.

Ben, don't. Ben.

This is rich people, Manchurian Global

funding bad science

to put a sleeper in the White House,

and that's what's going on, Rosie.

- That's what's going on.

- I wanna believe you.

Well, then, believe me.

Help me. Help me.

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