The Grand Budapest Hotel Page #11

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

The details of the conspiracy, now amatter of public record, were, at thattime, impossible for us to apprehend.

The door cracks open. A young washer-woman with a clubfoot and a rag in her hands peers out. Jopling hands thewoman his card. She studies it.

INSERT:

An engraved calling card on bright, white stock whichreads:

J.G. Jopling, Esq.

PRIVATE INQUIRY AGENT

The woman looks back up to Jopling, nervous. He says ina low voice:

JOPLING:

I’m looking for Serge X. (a young man inthe service of my employers, the familyDesgoffe und Taxis of Schloss Lutz).

WASHER-WOMAN

(timidly)

Yes, sir?

JOPLING:

You’re his sister?

WASHER-WOMAN

Yes, sir.

50.

JOPLING:

Seen him lately?

WASHER-WOMAN

(surprised)

No, sir.

JOPLING:

(doubtful)

No, sir?

WASHER-WOMAN

(innocent)

No, sir.

JOPLING:

I need to find him right away. For hisown safety -

(pointing in her face)

-- and everyone else’s. If he shows up?

WASHER-WOMAN

(tentatively)

Yes, sir?

JOPLING:

(darkly)

Tell him Jopling says, “Come home.”

Pause. The woman nods. Jopling turns away and walks overto a black motorcycle parked at the corner.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

-- but one thing was certain: theDesgoffe und Taxis were a very powerfulfamily --

Jopling puts on a pair of goggles, kick-starts hisengine, revs the motor, and rumbles away. The womanshuts the door and locks the bolt.

CUT TO:

Jopling racing his howling motorcycle through the centerof the city at midnight. Under the goggles, his eyes arecalm.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

-- and time was not on our side.

INT. MESS HALL. NIGHT

Another evening meal. The full assembled staff sits atthe long table, anxious and curious, murmuring. The cookwaits, uncertain, gripping a cauldron by his oven-mitts.

A door swings open.

51.

Mr. Mosher and Zero stride into the room. Mr. Mosher

holds up an envelope and beckons to Zero.

MR. MOSHER

A letter from M. Gustave. Zero?

The staff whispers excitedly then falls silent as Zeroascends M. Gustave’s podium, opens the envelope, andtakes out a piece of paper. Pause. Zero clears histhroat and reads in a formal voice:

ZERO:

“My dear and trusted colleagues --”

CUT TO:

M. Gustave in his cell (where his podium seems to havebeen magically transported). A gentle halo of lightglows behind him. He addresses the camera as he beginshis usual pacing:

M. GUSTAVE

-- I miss you deeply as I write from theconfines of my regrettable andpreposterous incarceration. Until I walkamongst you again as a free man, theGrand Budapest remains in your hands --

as does its impeccable reputation. Keepit spotless and glorify it. Take extra-

special care of every little-bitty bit ofit as if I were watching over you like ahawk with a horse-whip in its talons -(

brandishing a soup-ladle)

-- because I am. Should I discover a

lapse of any variety during my absence, Ipromise: swift and merciless justice willdescend upon you. A great and noble househas been placed under your protection.

(Tell Zero if you see any funnybusiness.)

CUT TO:

Zero at podium. He concludes:

ZERO:

“Your devoted M. Gustave.” Then there’s a

poem, but we might want to go ahead andstart on the soup, since it’s forty-sixstanzas.

Mr. Mosher signals to the cook. He begins to serve asZero reads on:

52.

ZERO:

A moist, black ash dampens the filth of adung-dark rat’s-nest and mingles with thethick scent of wood-rot while the lark-

song of a gutter-snipe echoes across a -

INT. CORRIDOR. DAY

M. Gustave pushes a metal cart with a stack of platesand a steel tureen on it through a barred door. He stopsin front of a large cell where four convicts loiter ontheir bunks playing cards, scratching graffiti on thewalls, and looking at dirty pictures.

M. GUSTAVE

May I offer any of you inmates a plate ofmush?

The convicts all look to M. Gustave at once. No one

speaks. M. Gustave hesitates.

M. GUSTAVE

No? Anyone? You -- with the very largescar on your face?

M. Gustave points to a seven-foot giant with a deepslash from the top corner of his forehead all the waydown and across to the other side of his chin. The giantfrowns. He stands up. The other convicts look uneasy.

M. GUSTAVE

Come now. Try it. It’s, actually, quitewarm and nourishing this morning. Itneeds a dash of salt.

M. Gustave prepares a plate of lumpy gruel for thegiant. He shakes-in a touch of salt from a shaker. Thegiant tastes it. Pause. He shrugs, pleased. He nods. M.

Gustave smiles.

M. GUSTAVE

Good day.

M. Gustave pushes his cart to the next cell. A baldwrestler lifts weights while an old man spots him.

M. GUSTAVE

Mush, gents? Any takers?

The wrestler and the old man look at M. Gustave blanklywith the barbell in the air. M. Gustave shrugs and saysregretfully:

M. GUSTAVE

Suit yourselves.

53.

M. Gustave pushes his cart to the next cell. Theseconvicts are all asleep. M. Gustave says with a musicallilt:

M. GUSTAVE

Rise and shine. Chop-chop!

A wiry, pint-sized convict the shape of a fire-hydrantsquints out from under his covers. He is Pinky.

M. GUSTAVE

Good morning, Pinky.

Pinky yawns and sets his feet to the floor. The convictsin the other bunks also begin to rustle. Their faces arebrutal, and their bodies are hard and powerful. They areG.nther and Wolf. (A fourth convict, also in the room,

begins to get out of bed, as well -- but his face is notrevealed for the moment.)

M. Gustave reaches to the lower shelf of the cart and

produces a pink pastry-box. All the convicts quicklygather at a small table. (The fourth convict sits withhis back to the camera.) Pinky says eagerly:

PINKY:

Mendl’s again?

M. GUSTAVE

Precisely. Who’s got the throat-slitter?

G.nther digs in his sock and takes out a small weaponconsisting of a half-toothbrush fixed with wire to ahand-slivered straight-razor cut into serrated teeth. M.

Gustave folds open the pastry-box and cuts a Courtesanau chocolat into careful segments. The convicts eatdaintily. Wolf says, chewing:

WOLF:

Out of this world.

M. GUSTAVE

(obviously)

Mendl’s is the best. Well, back to work.

M. Gustave rises. Pinky says suddenly:

PINKY:

Mr. Gustave?

M. GUSTAVE

(hesitates)

Yeah?

Pinky exchanges a look with the others. They nod. Hedarts to the door, looks up and down the corridor, then

54.

closes it softly. He signals for M. Gustave to sit backdown. M. Gustave, slightly puzzled, obeys. They all leanin closer as Pinky whispers:

PINKY:

Me and the boys talked it over. We thinkyou’re a real straight fella.

M. GUSTAVE

Well, I’ve never been accused of thatbefore, but I appreciate the sentiment.

PINKY:

You’re one of us now.

M. GUSTAVE

(somewhat moved)

What a lovely thing to say. Thank you,

dear Pinky. Thank you, G.nther. Thankyou, Wolf. I couldn’t ask for a finertribute.

M. Gustave bows slightly. He hesitates.

M. GUSTAVE

Anything else?

Pinky looks to the fourth convict. He nods:

PINKY:

Tell him, Ludwig.

CUT TO:

The fourth convict. Numerous short scars chop skinny,

bald lines into his shorn scalp. His arms are tattooedheavily with skulls, skeletons, and images of the grimreaper. He has one silver tooth and a bit of butter-

cream icing on the side of his mouth. He is Ludwig.

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