The Grand Budapest Hotel Page #7

M. GUSTAVE

I know exactly who you are. It’s uncanny.

You’re little Albert.

HENCKELS:

I’m terribly embarrassed.

(to the soldiers)

Release them.

The soldiers immediately remove the hand-cuffs from both

M. Gustave and Zero while Henckels takes out a note-book

and begins to scribble something onto a yellow ticket.

M. Gustave sits down and presses his pink handkerchiefonto his nostril. Henckels says as he writes:

HENCKELS:

Your colleague is stateless. He’ll needto apply for a revised Special TransitPermit, which, honestly, at this point,

may be very difficult to acquire. Takethis.

Henckels finishes writing, tears the ticket out of hisnote-book, and hands it to M. Gustave.

HENCKELS:

It’s temporary, but it’s the best I canoffer, I’m afraid.

M. GUSTAVE

How’s your wonderful mother?

HENCKELS:

Very well, thank you.

M. GUSTAVE

I adore her. Send my love.

31.

HENCKELS:

I will.

Henckels motions politely for Zero to return to his seatand hands the scrap of paper back to him. Zero tucks itcarefully into an envelope. His hands are shaking.

Henckels says gently:

HENCKELS:

Your companion was very kind to me when I

was a lonely little boy.

(to both M. Gustave and Zero)

My men and I apologize for disturbing

you.

Henckels turns coldly to the first soldier. He lookssheepish. He says, robotic, to M. Gustave:

SOLDIER #1

I beg your pardon, sir.

Henckels and the soldiers immediately leave thecompartment, march down the corridor, and exit thecoach. Silence.

M. GUSTAVE

You see? There are still faint glimmers

of civilization left in this barbaric

slaughterhouse that was once known ashumanity. Indeed, that’s what we

provide in our own modest, humble,

insignificant -(

sighs deeply)

Oh, f*** it.

M. Gustave looks out the window as the train begins tomove again. Zero appears to be in a state of numb shock.

MONTAGE:

The cosmopolitan city of Lutz in the dead of night. Arickity Daimler taxi sputters along a windingcobblestone road at top speed. It squeezes up a narrowlane lined with shops. All are closed and shuttered. Itdips into a tunnel through a brick building. It crossesa stone bridge high over a river. It drives through aniron gate, circles around a garden, and skids to a stopnext to Madame D’s limousine.

Up a short path, there is an enormous mansion.

INT. FOYER. DAY

A bell rings. Feet clack and echo on the wide marblefloor. A maid in black hurries to open the front door.

She is Clotilde. M. Gustave and Zero enter the vestibule

32.

while the taxi waits outside. M. Gustave kisses Clotilde

on both cheeks and says immediately:

M. GUSTAVE

Where is she, Clotilde? Take me to her.

Clotilde leads M. Gustave with Zero in tow through aseries of doors, en fillade, until they arrive at adimly candle-lit drawing room.

Murals of cherubs cover the walls. There is a

harpsichord in one corner and a loudly tickinggrandfather clock in another. The feet of the corpse, insilver pumps, jut out, toes up, from inside the casketon top of a gold-leaf table.

M. Gustave stops and gasps. He turns to Clotilde andnods. She tugs Zero by the sleeve, and they withdraw. M.

Gustave picks up a chair, carries it to the body, setsit down, and sits. Silence. He speaks in a normal,

conversational voice:

M. GUSTAVE

You’re looking so well, darling. You

really are. They’ve done a marvelous job.

I don’t know what sort of cream they’veput on you down at the morgue, but I want

some. Honestly, you look better than youhave in years. You look like you’realive!

M. Gustave shakes his head in admiration. He leans down

and kisses Madame D. on the lips. Zero and Clotilde,

watching discreetly from the shadows in the next room,

look slightly revolted.

M. Gustave takes the corpse’s hand. He notices somethingand hesitates.

INSERT:

Madame D’s fingernails. They are now lacquered in a richplum.

M. Gustave says, deeply moved:

M. GUSTAVE

You changed it, after all. It’s perfect.

(calling to the next room)

Clotilde?

Clotilde advances into view. She says respectfully:

MAID:

Oui, M. Gustave?

33.

M. GUSTAVE

A glass of chilled water with no ice,

please.

CLOTILDE:

Oui, M. Gustave -- et aussi: M. Serge ad.mand. un mot avec vous en priv. dansson office, s’il vous pla.t.

M. GUSTAVE

(slightly irritated)

Oh. Well, all right.

(distracted, to the body)

I shan’t be long, darling.

M. Gustave stands up and follows Clotilde through therow of doors. Zero looks back at the casket as he trails

behind them.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

We were escorted through a green-baizedoor, down a narrow service-corridor, andinto the butler’s pantry.

INT. OFFICE. NIGHT

A small chamber separated from the kitchen by a glass-

panelled wall. M. Gustave checks his watch. There is aglass of water in his hand. Zero drinks a sip of milk.

In the background, a sous chef chops while the cook

stirs a bubbling broth. Kitchen and scullery maids dartback and forth clanking pots and pans.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

A moment later, the kitchen passage swungopen, and a small servant dressed inwhite jolted into the room.

An extremely anxious, petite butler enters with an ice-

bucket. He is Serge. He hacks chips off a frozen blockin the sink and fills the container briskly. He turns togo -- then spots M. Gustave looking out at him frominside the pantry.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

I’ve never forgotten the look on thatman’s face.

Serge is:
deeply distraught, physically exhausted, and,

above all, terrified. He swallows, holds up a quickfinger for M. Gustave to wait, then disappears back outthe door.

M. Gustave frowns. He says to himself:

34.

M. GUSTAVE

What the devil is going on?

M. Gustave looks to Zero. Zero is perplexed.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

I, myself, had never set foot inside ahouse of this kind in my life.

M. Gustave dumps his glass of water into a potted cactusand strides through the chaotic kitchen while Clotildewatches him with a feather duster in her hand. She makes

a reluctant move to advise him to stop -- but he fliespast her, bangs out the swinging door after Serge, andmarches into a dark corridor.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

I understood very little about the eventsthat were to follow -- but, eventually, Icame to recognize:

INT. TROPHY ROOM. NIGHT

A door opens. M. Gustave comes inside and stops short.

He hesitates. Zero sidles in next to him. They bothstare, mouths open.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

When the destiny of a great fortune is atstake, men’s greed spreads like a poisonin the bloodstream.

CUT TO:

A dark, woody parlor with mounted heads everywhere(lions, tigers, buffalo, antelope, etc). A murmuringaudience of fifty men in business suits is gathering andtaking its seats in rows before a dais. Every age,

build, and variety of facial hair is accounted for. Somecarry briefcases and canes. Most have strong drinks intheir hands. There are also several young dandies; a fewlittle old ladies; and a pair of country farmers.

MR. MOUSTAFA (V.O.)

Uncles, nephews, cousins -- in-laws ofincreasingly tenuous connection. The oldwoman’s most distant relations had come

foraging out of the wood-work.

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