Kafka Page #17

KAFKA:

What have you done with

Gabriela Rossmann?

MURNAU:

As a matter of fact you've

caught us in a state of

considerable excitement. Our

latest preparation we believe

-- we pray -- is perfected.

It should take years off her.

He's concocting another potion now, pouring an acidic-looking

liquid from one container to another. Kafka is looking

increasingly worried.

MURNAU:

And if not -- well, there are

always what I call my caprices

of vivisection.

He glances at the dangling animal parts. And now, finished

mixing his cocktail, he picks up some sort of suturing tool,

pressing the trigger on it to start the end burning and

SIZZLING.

MURNAU:

Actually, if it weren't for

the aberrant dilemma posed by

someone like yourself --

continually asking for out-of-date

files -- I'd probably give up my

revisionist policies altogether.

I'm sure what we have to do is

start instead at the very

inception -- with the embryo --

from a single cell even.

(leers at Kafka)

The lure of the Golem -- the

man-made man. You appreciate

that, I know.

Ekman takes Kafka by the arm to lead him toward the operating

table. The Laughing Man moves in closer too, emitting a

psychotic chortle.

MURNAU:

To corrupt the image of man

and then offer redemption ... This

is the dawn, Kafka. A new man is

being born here. A more resilient

man ... A superman.

Kafka attempts an escape around the operating table, but the

Laughing Man blocks his way and corrals him back to where he

was before. Dr. Murnau holds out the sinister aperitif for

Kafka to take and drink in toast.

MURNAU:

To a new world -- of Gods

and monsters.

The glass comes closer and closer to Kafka's lips -- if he

leans away from it any further he'll be lying on the

operating table -- but now a WRENCHING noise makes everybody

turn.

The body of Mr. Pick, bloody and ragged, is dragged up with a

SMASH through a breaking floor-panel by the great chain.

Kafka has his chance. The next time anyone looks at him he's

holding the nozzle of the burning device under Ekman's

throat, finger on the trigger.

-- And on the other side of the laboratory a wide elevator

platform rises into view -- carrying the prisoners from the

dungeons!

KAFKA:

Throws Ekman aside and runs away.

EKMAN:

Falls to the floor, holding his hands up over his head with a

SCREAM as the ghastly creatures from the depths converge on

him -- but they pass him by -- intent on getting Murnau.

The last out of the elevator is the most horrible BEAST-MAN

yet -- and we finally see the use to which various

animal-parts have been put.

MURNAU:

Just stands by the operating table, waiting for them. He

knows there's no way out and he's far too practical a man to

waste energy running or screaming.

CUT:

DOORWAYS:

Kafka running through the Castle, through door after door

after door after door, leaving them all banging behind him,

back and forth.

CUT:

THE LABORATORY:

Ekman stumbles to his feet, watching in horror as the

prisoners of the Castle strap Murnau to his own operating

table.

One by one, the prisoners file past the intricate surgical

tools neatly laid out on white cloth. Each prisoner selects

the implement of his choice.

Ekman, too, runs away out of the laboratory.

The Laughing Man, snickering, isn't sure whose side he's on.

But then, LAUGHTER BUILDING, he goes to join the others in

line.

CUT:

DOORWAYS:

Kafka still running in the maze -- through a final door. And

he finds himself right back in --

THE LIBRARY:

With the brightness of the laboratory facing him through its

open door. Horrible SOUNDS coming from in there.

THE HIDDEN BOMB-CASE

Almost time.

KAFKA:

Running again, through the maze of corridors. He HEARS

running footsteps behind him -- looks back to see Ekman

running after him. Ekman catches up -- but runs past Kafka

in his panic to escape -- out onto a metal walkway around a

central area of offices.

THE LABORATORY:

Murnau can't be seen, only the deranged men huddled closely

around the operating table.

THE HIDDEN BOMB-CASE

Abruptly stops ticking.

THE CENTRAL OFFICES

The floors SHUDDER as the BOOM in the laboratory is heard and

felt. The metal walkway breaks and Ekman goes sliding off it

-- while Kafka manages to hang on. He ducks his face down as

glass from all the surrounding office windows SHATTERS and

SHOWERS -- and then paper starts sailing down all around.

Literally a hailstorm of documents.

On the floor below where he fell, Ekman tries to stand, but

the falling flurry of paper keeps him at bay. He waves his

hands wildly trying to see his way through it all, but it's

too much. Now his feet are trapped in it. It's starting to

rise around his legs. Papers are fluttering down from floors

and floors of surrounding offices above, filling the air.

Ekman suffocates and drowns and disappears in the paper

piling up around him -- one lone arm and hand the last we see

of him.

THE LABORATORY:

Totally wrecked -- and jutting out of the broken walls are

burst pipes -- spurting red, blue, and black INK everywhere.

THE CENTRAL OFFICES

Kafka is managing to climb back onto the unsafe metal walkway

-- when ZING! -- a bullet ricochets near him.

The Assistants! They've nearly fallen through another

doorway where the walkway on that side broke, but got each

other stuck in the door just in time. One of them is wildly

FIRING a revolver in Kafka's direction. The other tries to

grab it and both FIRE it together in all directions.

Kafka runs away, avoiding a snake of broken wire, flipping

about, SPARKING off the metal.

The Assistants, shoving each other, extricate themselves back

through their doorway to find another way to chase Kafka.

THE LABORATORY:

The burst ink pipes drip empty. The sound of maniacal

LAUGHTER abruptly stops. The ink has filled the lab halfway

to the ceiling. It's covered everything and every ... body.

A last bubble pops, leaving a lake of ink with a surface

smooth as glass.

CUT:

UNDERGROUND FILE VAULT

Kafka has found his way back here -- rushing in. But wait:

Which file cabinet did he come out of? He's surrounded by

file cabinet drawers all alike. He starts running around,

pulling open drawers, trying to find the secret doorway

through one of them.

SPIRAL STONE STAIRCASE

Here come the Assistants, running round and round.

UNDERGROUND FILE VAULT

Kafka runs round and round, opening drawer after drawer. He

finds the one! Jumps in! Pulling it closed after him just

as --

-- the Assistants stumble in. They look at each other, then

immediately start rushing around opening drawers. They run

back and forth and all around, bumping into each other,

making themselves dizzy.

LUDWIG:

(pulls open a drawer)

Oskar!

OSKAR:

(turning from another)

Ludwig?

-- But Ludwig just pulls out a file folder.

LUDWIG:

This is filed incorrectly!

OSKAR:

Here too! They're all in a

dreadful muddle!

They start trading files back and forth, trying to put the

system back in order. The attention span of squirrels,

they've forgotten all about looking for Kafka.

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