Primary Colors
- R
- Year:
- 1998
- 143 min
- 673 Views
I've seen him do it a million
times, but I can't tell...
you how he does it, Henry.
The right-handed part.
I can tell you what does with his
left hand. He's a genius with it.
He might put that hand on your elbow
or your biceps, like he's doing now.
Basic movie. He's interested in
you. He's honored to meet you.
But if he gets any higher, if he gets
on your shoulder, like that...
it's not as intimate. He'll share a
laugh with you, a light secret.
And if he doesn't know you that well,
but wants to share something...
emotional he'll lock you
in a two-hander.
You'll see when he shakes hands
with you, Henry. Governor.
Governor Stanton, this is
Henry Burton.
I meet your grandfather when I was a boy.
I hitchhiked to Washington to hear
him speak. He was a great man.
Thank you, sir.
He's glad you're coming on
board, I can see.
I'm not coming on board. I'm
just meeting him.
No, no. Take it easy.
Why is he here? He's a southern
governor nobody knows.
You sound like a campaign
manager already.
-Howard, I'm not.
-I'm kidding.
If I said Stanton's here because he
-you'd say I was full of it.
-Yes.
Howard, Henry, this is Mariane Walsh,
the librarian who runs these classes.
Thank you, Governor Walsh.
Governor Stanton, I'm sorry.
I'm a little nervous.
I'm sorry.
If you'll walk with me, I'll take
you up to the library.
the library is much, um...
-Better.
-Yes, yes.
We're very proud of the library.
When did you start the
reading program?
Three years ago. We have
very little money.
It's the only reading program like
it in Harlem I know of.
-There may be others, but I don't,...
-Know of them.
You okay?
-Are you okay?
-I'm fine.
I'm Ruby. I'm a domestic. I've
been in this class 2 months.
-Jack Washington. I'm a handyman.
-Hello, Jack.
-Twana Carter, waitress...
-Good to meet you.
Anthony Ramirez, freelance
carpenter.
I wanted to say welcome
aboard.
What? I'm not on board.
I just...
-You're kidding, right?
-Yeah.
Tell the governor a bit about
yourself, Dewayne.
And until I come here, I
couldn't read a lick.
Dewayne's dyslexic.
They just kept passing me up.
Third grade, fourth grade.
I just sit the back, sticking
to my own self.
It was like no one noticed.
And I went all the way through and
graduated elementary school.
They sent me to Ben Franklin...
that's general studies.
They could have sent me
to the Bronx Zoo.
No one ever said:
"Dewayne, you can't read.
What will you do with...
your sorry ass?" Excuse-me.
Anyway, graduation come and
my mama come.
She took the day off from the laundry
where she worked. So, we're there...
Dr. Dalembretti calls out the
names on the diplomas...
and what each kid done.
Like "Sharonna Harris,
honors."
"Tyrone Kirby, Regents Diploma."
And then...
he come to my name.
And he say, so everyone
heard it...
he said, "Dewayna Smith...
"receive a certificate...
of attendance."
You could hear people
buzzing.
And I had to go up there and get
it. I had to stand up there...
just dying...
trying not to look at anyone.
Trying not to look too stupid.
And, uh...
Mama's in front. She has her hat
on and her purse in her lap...
tears coming down from behind
her glasses...
like someone... like
someone died.
I want to thank you...
for sharing that with us,
Dewayne.
I want to thank you all for
having real courage.
a war hero, in World War II.
He went to Iwo Jima, where
they raised the flag.
He took out four machine gun
nests of japaneses soldiers...
who had pinned down
his buddies.
Did it with one grenade, his rifle,
bayonet, and bare hands.
Sh*t.
President Truman gave him
the Medal of Honor.
And when he came home,
there was a parade.
The town fathers came to my
parents' house and said:
"Charlie, what are you going to do
now" Charlie said he didn't know.
The mayor said,
"Maybe you'd like a college scholarship
in State University"
didn't want to go back to school.
Maybe he'd like a management
job with the bank.
"Don't be cooped up...
in a school or bank. Come
manage my crew."
And you know what? Charlie
turned them all down.
-What did he do?
-Nothing.
He just laid on the couch and smoked
Luckies. Couldn't get him off it.
Was he messed up in the head
from the war?
No.
It was just that he
couldn't read.
He couldn't read and was too
embarrassed to tell anyone.
He had the courage to win
the Medal of Honor...
but didn't have the courage to do
what you're doing here.
He didn't have the courage to get
the help he needed.
So, know that I appreciate what
you're doing. And I honor it.
When people say, "Jack Stanton,
why spend so much...
effort on adult literacy?"
I say to them...
I say, " Because"...
see courage."
I want to thank you.
I want to thank you for allowing
me to visit here today.
Let's get him out of here.
He likes it.
Governor Stanton, thank you
for coming today.
I will be damned.
I'm... Ooh! I'm sorry.
You're going to work for him.
Won't you?
No, I'm not. I'm just going to
meet him and talk.
-About what?
-Well, about going to work for him.
How can you quit on Adam Larkin
and get in bed with some...
cracker who's done piss for
blacks in his state?
I could say the same about Larkin.
But he will. He has to wait.
He's a black Congressman.
I don't like Larkin. I don't know
what Stanton wants, but...
I do. He wants to use the grandson
a black man i politics,
to get votes.
That's hilarious. Yeah, put a black
man on the team,...
that'll roll in these votes.
That's why so many black men
run the country.
If politics upsets you, work for
the Black Advocate.
We're never disillusioned.
Hand me that tie.
Get your own damn tie.
No, no tie, no suit. Just
leather jacket cool.
I'll be back in 2 hours, then we can
discuss the Black Advocate.
Don't be mad.
Okay, be mad, but only for 2
hours. Wait up for me.
Oh, my God. My boy.
Henry Burton. I am
mighty honored.
I'm Arlen Sporken, the Governor's
media consultant.
Nonfat caffeine?
I am delighted you're on board.
Honey, get me a sandwich.
Only if you pinch my cheek
and call me sugar.
I'll get it. We're going to
win this thing.
Absolutely. But the big question
is Ozio. You think...
has the "cagones" to run.
It's cojones.
I don't know Ozio well enough
to judge his cojones.
They're big, but they're glass.
Governor, it's nice to...
You remember Miss Walsh.
-Sorry.
-You all right, darling?
Thank you for this, um, opportunity
to discuss the, um...
The program. A great program,
don't you think, Henry?
Yes. It's an excellent program.
Now, tell the board what
we discussed.
Yes, I will.
-I'll just see my way out.
Thank you.
She's on the board of the
teacher's union.
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"Primary Colors" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/primary_colors_16222>.
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