The English Patient Page #4

29INT. BASECAMP AT POTTERY HILL. DUSK.

A SHOT RINGS OUT, disturbing the evening meal. Alm�sy and others go

outside. Silhouetted on a ridge, a group of men sit astride camels.

One of them holds his rifle aloft, clearly pointing towards the sky -

means friend. Fouad peers at the horizon.

FOUAD:

European, I think, with guides.

CLIFTON:

(can only see shapes)

How do you know?

MADOX:

(frowns)

Yes, and I think I know who this is.

30EXT. BASECAMP AT POTTERY HILL. DUSK.

ALM�SY AND MADOX WALK OUT TO INTERCEPT THE ARRIVALS as the first Arab

dismounts, the procession of camels splaying out as if in collapse.

Alm�sy speaks in Arabic, exchanging the ritual greetings.

DURING THIS, FENELON-BARNES, sole European in this expedition, has

finally persuaded his camel to sit, and dismounts irritably, slapping

the animal in disgust.

FENELON-BARNES

Ugly brute. Shits and roars and

complains all day.

(bypassing Alm�sy and

approaching Madox)

Of course, you have your aeroplane.

Two now! Do you still call yourselves

explorers? I assume not.

MADOX:

(stiffly)

Fenelon-Barnes.

ALM�SY

Yes, I think a sailor can call himself an

explorer, can't he? Or should Columbus

have swum to America?

31INT. BASECAMP AT POTTERY HILL. DUSK.

The arrivals come inside. Madox handles the introductions.

MADOX:

I think you know all of us, except for

Geoffrey and Katharine Clifton, who've

recently come out from England.

CLIFTON:

Apprentices.

MADOX:

This is Clive Fenelon-Barnes.

FENELON-BARNES

(to Katharine)

I know your mother, of course.

KATHARINE:

Hello.

FENELON-BARNES

I'm also searching for the lost Oasis,

but by more authentic means.

MADOX:

(of Alm�sy)

Anyway, my friend here has a new theory -

that Zerzura doesn't exist. So we may all

be chasing windmills. Have some food.

FENELON-BARNES

Well, it's certainly not between here and

Dakhla. Nine days of nothing but sand

and sandstorms. An egg. I found an

ostrich egg and some fossils.

KATHARINE:

Isn't Zerzura supposed to be protected by

spirits who take on the shape of sandstorms?

ALM�SY

What kind of fossils?

FENELON-BARNES

I'll invite you to my paper at the

Royal Geographical Society.

Are you still a member?

He takes a long drink from a bowl of frothing camel milk.

ALM�SY

I think you know I am.

FENELON-BARNES

(ignoring Alm�sy)

Quite impossible, Madox. You must know

that. If you attempt to cross the Sand

Sea due east of Kufra by car you'll leave

your bones in the sand for me to collect.

ALM�SY

(leaving the tent)

If you come across my bones - I hope

you'll do me the honor of leaving

them in peace.

(to Katharine)

Excuse me.

FENELON-BARNES

You have my word as a gentleman.

(watching him leave)

I've discovered a unique type of

sand-dune. I've applied to the King

for permission to call it

The Fenelon-Barnes Formation.

32EXT. BASECAMP AT POTTERY HILL. NIGHT.

LATER, supper over, the company is entertaining itself.

Alm�sy, standing outside his tent, watches the merriment from a

distance.

D'Ag is nearing the end of a passionate rendition of Puccini's E

Lucevan Le Stelle. He sits down to much applause from the others and

SPINS AN EMPTY CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE on the sand. It comes to rest pointing

at Clifton who gets up, grinning, and plunges into Yes! We Have No

Bananas with great gusto. His version involves CHANGING LANGUAGE

during each line of the chorus - prompted by Oui! or Ja! or Si! from

the others. Song finished, much bowing and guying, he spins the bottle

and it arrives equidistant between Fenelon-Barnes and Katharine - until

with a little NUDGE from the husband it settles on his wife. Katharine

gets up, awkward.

KATHARINE:

I can't sing.

(the audience groans)

but I can tell a story.

(to Alm�sy, who has arrived)

I might need a prompt. Do you have your

Herodotus? I've noticed you carry it...

ALM�SY

I'm sorry - what have you noticed?

MADOX:

Your book. Your Herodotus!

Alm�sy looks uncomfortable.

KATHARINE:

(reacting quickly)

It doesn't matter. Really. I think I can

muddle through. Okay - The Story of

Candaules and Gyges. King Candaules was

passionately in love with his wife -

(Geoffrey whistles proudly)

One day he said to Gyges, the son of

somebody, anyway - his favorite warrior -

ALM�SY

(quietly prompting her)

Daskylus...

KATHARINE:

(smiles)

Yes, thank you, Gyges, son of Daskylus -

Candaules said to him I don't think you

believe me when I tell you how beautiful

my wife is. And although Gyges replied he

did find the Queen magnificent the King

insisted he would find some way to prove

beyond dispute that she was fairest of

all women. Do you all know this story?

The men all encourage her to continue her story.

33*.INT. THE PATIENT'S ROOM. NIGHT.

- and Hana's voice CONTINUES THE STORY as she reads to the Patient who

listens, eyes closed, still in the desert.

HANA:

(reading from the Herodotus)

I will hide you in the room where

we sleep, said Candaules.

She stumbles over the word.

THE PATIENT:

Candaules

HANA:

(not neurotic)

Candaules...you're laughing at me.

THE PATIENT:

I'm not laughing at you. Go on, please.

HANA:

When my wife comes to lie down she always

lays her garments one by one on a seat

near the entrance of the room, and from

where you stand you will be able to gaze

on her at your leisure...

34*.EXT. BASECAMP AT POTTERY HILL. NIGHT.

KATHARINE:

(her story continuing)

And that evening, it's exactly as the

King had told him, she goes to the chair

and removes her clothes, one by one,

until she stand naked in full view of

Gyges. And indeed she was more lovely

than he could have imagined.

Alm�sy stares at her, framed by the velvet black sky. Katharine turns

to looks at him.

KATHARINE:

But then the Queen looked up and saw

Gyges concealed in the shadows. And

though she said nothing, she shuddered.

The next day she sent for Gyges and

challenged him. And hearing his story,

she said this -

CLIFTON:

Off with his head!

KATHERINE:

#NAME?

death for gazing on that which you

should not, or else kill my husband who

shamed me and become King in his place.

Clifton makes a face of outrage. For Katherine the story has

collapsed. She wants it to be finished.

KATHERINE:

So Gyges killed the King and married

the Queen and became ruler of Lydia

for twenty eight years. The End.

(an uncomfortable moment)

Do I spin the bottle?

Alm�sy shrinks away from the fire, disappears into black.

MADOX:

(to Clifton)

And let that be a lesson to you!

35INT. THE PATIENT'S ROOM. NIGHT.

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