Planet of the Apes Page #6

APE PHOTOGRAPHER

Smile.

The hunter bares his teeth.

145 CLOSE ON TAYLOR

He faints.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

146INT. A SURGERY - ANGLING DOWN ON TWO OPERATING TABLES NIGHT

The surgery is dimly-lit. (If possible we should be unaware of the

source of illumination.) Taylor lies strapped to the nearer table. He

appears to be unconscious. The young female captive, Nova, is strapped

to the table beside him. She is conscious. Taylor is receiving a direct

blood transfusion from her.

Hovering over Taylor are a NURSE and a surgeon named GALEN. Both are

chimpanzees. Galen wears a bloody surgical apron, the nurse a white

smock. Galen is removing a filthy bandage from Taylor's neck. A door

behind them opens and DR. ZIRA, an animal psychologist,enters. She,

too, is a chimpanzee and wears a smock like the nurse's.

ZIRA:

Which one was wearing the strange

clothes?

GALEN:

Him.

Zira looks down at Taylor.

ZIRA:

Will he live?

GALEN:

(irritably)

I don't know. This beast lost a lot

of blood.

Galen paws through a tray of surgical instruments. The equipment is

obsolescent and the room untidy -- like that of a callous small-town

veterinarian.

GALEN:

(to Nurse )

There's no probe here. Find one!

NURSE:

Yes, sir.

She exits. Zira runs a forefinger across a dusty table.Her voice is

soft and well-modulated.

ZIRA:

This place is dirty, doctor.

GALEN:

(defensively)

These animals are dirty, doctor. They

stink, and they carry communicable

diseases. Why aren't they cleaned up

before they're brought here?

147CLOSE TWO SHOT - TAYLOR AND NOVA

His eyes come open. Over this we hear:

ZIRA'S VOICE

(o.s.)

You don't sound happy in your work.

GALEN'S VOICE

(o.s.)

I'm nothing more than a vet in this

laboratory...

Taylor feebly turns his head and looks at Nova. She returns his gaze

with an unchanged empty stare. We sense that Taylor realizes her blood

is flowing into his veins. Over this we hear:

GALEN'S VOICE

(o.s.)

You promised to speak to Dr. Zaius

about me.

ZIRA'S VOICE

(o.s.)

I did. But you know how he looks down

his nose at chimpanzees.

Taylor rolls his eyes toward the apes. Weak as he is,we see his

astonishment at hearing them talk.

148BACK TO GROUP AROUND OPERATING TABLE

as the Nurse reenters with a probe and hands it to Dr. Galen, who

protests to Zira:

GALEN:

But the quota system's been abolished!

You made it. Why can't I?

ZIRA:

What do you mean, made it? I'm an

animal psychologist, that's all. We

don't have any authority.

GALEN:

You do pretty well when it comes to

getting space and equipment.

ZIRA:

That's because Dr. Zaius realizes our

work has value.

GALEN:

Hmph.

ZIRA:

The foundations of scientific brain

surgery are being laid right here -

in studies of cerebral function in

these animals.

GALEN:

They're still dirty. And their bite is

septic. Look at that ...

He shows Zira infected teeth marks on the back of his left hand.

GALEN:

(to Nurse)

Hold his head.

The Nurse complies, gripping Taylor's skull with both hands. Galen

leans down and begins to probe the throat wound. Taylor passes out.

DISSOLVE TO:

149INT. A ROW OF CAGES - ANIMAL LABORATORY - TRACKING SHOT DAY

The cages are no larger than small jail cells. There are four of them.

Bars, not walls, divide the cages, so that all four are visible. Each

of the first three cages is occupied by a primitive male. At the moment

the first two are quiet -- dozing or scratching apathetically. The

third occupant is stolidly regarding a half-dozen brightly colored

hollow wooden boxes, or blocks, Of varying sizes and proportions on the

floor of his cage. He is trying to stack the boxes in such a way as to

reach a banana dangling from a cord twelve feet overhead. He has

correctly selected the first two large, sturdy blocks for his tower

under the banana -- but the tall third block is too unstable on its

small base to support the broad-based fourth block.

149-ACLOSE - TAYLOR

Taylor, Looking much stronger, sits on a pile of dirty straw in the

fourth cage. There is a clean bandage around his throat. He watches the

block-building primitive with contemptous amusement.

Both the third and fourth blocks tumble to the floor when the primitive

tries to mount his tower. He stands there, staring dully at the

scattered blocks, then up at the unattainable banana.

149-BMED. - THELABORATORY

A door at the end of the aisle opens and a gorilla named JULIUS enters,

dressed in a keeper's uniform. He quickly closes the door, snatches up

a broom, starts sweeping. Julius is obviously late for work. Taylor

struggles to his feet, moves to the bars of the cage, tries to call

out.

TAYLOR:

(soundlessly)

Hey! Hey!

The three other primitives move toward the bars of their cages. Julius

barks at them.

JULIUS:

Simmer down!

(points at Taylor)

You especially.

The third primitive goes back to stacking his blocks. Julius comes up

to Taylor's cage, indicates a like set of blocks strewn across its

floor, extends his broom handle to whack the banana overhead.

JULIUS:

Better give it a try, stupid. Unless

you like going hungry.

He returns to his sweeping. Taylor glowers at him. A moment later, the

door at the end of the aisle opens and Dr. Zira enters.

JULIUS:

Good morning, Dr. Zira.

ZIRA:

Good morning, Julius. How's our patient

today?

JULIUS:

No change. The minute you open the door,

he goes into his act.

She starts down the aisle toward Taylor's cage. He grasps the bars,

awaiting her anxiously. As she passes the second cage, the primitive in

it shakes the bars, jumps up and down. His tongue is hanging out. Zira

smiles, stops, digs into the pocket of her smock.

ZIRA:

(playfully)

Well, what do we want this morning? Do

we want something? Speak! Come on, speak!

The primitive continues to jump up and down energetically. Zira takes a

cube of sugar from her pocket, holds it up for his inspection.

ZIRA:

Do we want some sugar, old-timer?

The man eagerly sticks his hand through the bars. She drops the cube in

his hands. He jams it into his mouth.

JULIUS:

(concerned)

You could get hurt doing that, Doctor.

ZIRA:

Don't be silly. He's perfectly tame.

She moves toward Taylor's cage, Julius behind her.

JULIUS:

They're all tame until they take a

chunk out of you.

150CLOSE SHOT - FEATURING TAYLOR - ZIRA AND JULIUS

Taylor starts to open his mouth as Zira comes up to the bars.

ZIRA:

Well, Bright Eyes, is our throat

feeling better?

TAYLOR:

(frantic mouthing)

Listen, listen -- I can speak --

He winces, puts his hand to the bandage.

ZIRA:

(sympathetically)

Awww, it still hurts, doesn't it?

JULIUS:

See? He keeps pretending he can

talk.

Taylor glares at Julius, slams the bars.

TAYLOR:

(mouthing)

I'm not pretending! I can talk!

Zira hurriedly takes a pen and notebook from the breast Docket of her

smock, starts to scribble.

ZIRA:

(excitedly)

Did you see that? It's remarkable!

JULIUS:

Huh?

ZIRA:

He's trying to form words.

JULIUS:

Well, you know what they say.

Human see, human do.

Taylor is staring in silent fascination at the open and notebook.He

stops mouthing, points at them.

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