Sabotage Page #4

Synopsis: Mr. Verloc is part of a gang of foreign saboteurs operating out of London. He manages a small cinema with his wife and her teenage brother as a cover, but they know nothing of his secret. Scotland Yard assign an undercover detective to work at the shop next to the cinema in order to observe the gang.
Genre: Thriller
Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
Production: Scott Entertainment
 
IMDB:
7.1
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
NOT RATED
Year:
1936
76 min
799 Views


Not at all.

I'm only too glad

to pay what the job's worth.

Well, I don't see anything against it.

I'll call in tomorrow about 11:00.

And afterwards...

I'll settle with you

when you've done the job.

Of course,

if the Arsenal lose to Birmingham

on Saturday, I shan't be so pleased.

Arsenal? I don't follow.

No, I know you don't follow Arsenal,

but they're a good bet, believe me.

Don't forget I filled in about 10 coupons.

Stands me in at about 15 bob,

so I'd better...

MR. VERLOC:
Why, I know him.

- What were you doing up there?

- MAN 1:
Who is he?

He's from the grocery next door.

I know him, all right, but...

What's happened?

I was showing Ted the back of the screen

and the loudspeakers.

Wasn't that all right?

I hope I didn't hurt you.

You never know, you know.

Well, Mr. Verloc, no harm done, I hope.

I must be getting back to the shade

of the old apple tree.

Sorry.

Good night, all. Good night.

That is Detective Sergeant Spencer

of Scotland Yard.

- But who is he after?

- You're having us on.

What are we going to do about him?

But he's connected

with the fruit stall next door, I tell you.

Spencer got me my last stretch,

the one I'm on license from now.

- What're we gonna do about it?

- One thing.

This job is off, out, finished.

- We go quick from here and scatter.

- And keep scattered.

If he comes out again, tell him

you don't know where we live.

Say we've gone abroad, anything you like.

(MUSIC PLA YING ON SCREEN)

Yesterday, at Simpsons,

when you had lunch with that fellow.

With Ted, you mean?

Remember what he said to you?

Did he ask you any questions

about yourself? About me?

None that I can think of. Why?

Because he's a detective

from Scotland Yard, that's why.

Spying on us, on me, through you.

But why should he?

What is there to find out?

I'm all right. It must be one of those

fellows who came here tonight.

But you said he was spying on you.

No, not me.

This place, I meant.

If he has anything against anybody

why didn't he come straight to you?

You'd help him.

I'll talk to Mr. Detective Ted.

No, no. I'll speak to him myself.

- You may clean all that.

- Right-o, governor.

Where's Ted?

He's gone.

- Has he gone to Scotland Yard?

- Sorry, Mr. Verloc.

Of course, I didn't like the idea,

but I couldn't refuse.

You see, it was official.

But why? What's wrong?

- Did they say what it was about?

- Not so far as I know.

You must have been showing

some funny sort of films, I daresay,

you know, perhaps a bit too hot.

Was he there?

Post.

I was trying to get hold of him

since first thing this morning.

- Wasn't there anybody there to answer?

- No.

Well, it's too late to stop him now.

He's gone out with an order.

All right. All right.

An old man just left this.

I thought he must have made a mistake.

No, that's all right.

It's only a pair of birds for Stevie.

I was just phoning about it.

You're terribly good to him.

Not to you?

If you're good to him, you're good to me.

You know that.

Yes, I know.

- What made you think of it?

- Someone made the suggestion.

Go and call him, will you?

(DOOR CLOSES)

Stevie.

What are you doing up there?

There's a surprise for you inside.

- What is it?

- Go and see.

There was no one on the door.

Forgive me for busting in like this.

We're getting used to it.

I'm afraid we've nothing showing

at this early hour.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Verloc,

but I'm here on business.

Same business as last night?

Mrs. Verloc,

there's nothing personal in all this.

Isn't there?

You had us fooled all right. Trying to make

Stevie and me think you were a friend.

- Do you think I enjoyed it?

- Then why did...

Listen. I asked to be taken off this job

this morning.

You can guess why.

But it's not as easy as that.

In my job you have to do as you're told.

What have you been told? If it's about

the men who came here last night,

my husband had nothing to do with it.

You'd better realize that.

They came here on business

about the cinema.

That's just it.

You've no idea what their business was.

Whatever it was, I'm sure my husband

hasn't done anything wrong.

I hope you're right.

Why do you say it like that?

Because we believe there's something

going on here connected with sabotage.

That blackout the other night,

you remember?

Well, my husband

hasn't anything to do with sabotage.

He told me that night

he'd been in all evening.

That wasn't true.

I saw him come back with my own eyes.

I don't believe it.

You're making things very difficult for me.

I'm afraid

I've got to ask you a lot of questions.

Now, about those men.

I've told you before, he's the most

harmless person in the whole world.

He wouldn't do anything to...

TED:
Did these men arrive together

or one by one?

Did you recognize any of them?

Are you quite certain that you didn't know

one of them by sight?

(WHISTLING)

Stevie!

They're beauteous. Which one's the hen?

Well, you'll have to wait

till one of them lays an egg.

Wouldn't it fool everybody

if one day the gent laid an egg?

- Gosh, wouldn't that be funny?

- You're right.

By the way, has that two-reeler

gone over to the Canterbury yet?

There's plenty of time.

I was just wondering.

Maybe you could take it along now.

'Cause there's another little job

I want doing at the same time.

- You know, kill two birds with one stone.

- Not my birds.

No, they'll be here when you come back.

No, it's that projector gadget

wants seeing to.

Harris out at Watford says he'll do it

cheaper than they will in town.

But he can't come right over here

and fetch it, so what we'll do is this.

You leave it in the cloakroom

at Piccadilly Circus,

and Harris picks it up at 1:30.

But can he get it without the ticket?

Oh, that's all right.

You leave the ticket with the man.

Harris knows him. We've done this before.

(WHISTLING)

- You'd better get along now.

- Well, there's no hurry.

- You'll have to walk all the way.

- Walk? What for?

Well, you know

you can't take film tins in public vehicles.

Oh, yes, I forgot.

You needn't tell your sister that you are

going as far as Piccadilly.

You know what she is.

Always thinking

you are going to get run over.

She needn't worry.

Heads I wash, tails I don't.

Tails it is.

(SIGHING)

For God's sake, why don't you go?

I mean, hurry up. You might be late.

Don't forget

it's got to be there by 1:30 at the latest.

Hello, Steve. What have you got there?

I'm taking a two-reeler

over to the Canterbury.

"Bartholomew the Strangler."

That sounds a juicy one. Have you seen it?

- Fourteen times.

- Must be quite a wrench parting from it.

- Well, so long, Bartholomew.

- So long.

- Careful of the crossing.

- I can look after myself, can't I?

- Steve, is Mr. Verloc in?

- Yes, I just left him.

I'm afraid I've had to impose on you,

Mr. Verloc.

I couldn't afford to let you in on this.

Now I've put my cards on the table.

I've come here to ask for your help,

nothing more.

I see.

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Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjuz̪ɛf ˌkɔn.rad]; born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language. Though he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he was a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. Conrad wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of what he saw as an impassive, inscrutable universe.Conrad is considered an early modernist, though his works contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced numerous authors, and many films have been adapted from, or inspired by, his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that Conrad's fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew, among other things, on his native Poland's national experiences and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Sabotage" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Jul 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/sabotage_17314>.

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