The Manchurian Candidate Page #16

Takes out a bite-guard and puts it in Marco’s mouth:

8/18/03 79.

DELP:

-- fuhgetaboutit. No sale.

(then)

Try to relax, okay?

He throws the switch, sending electric current through

Marco’s head --

-- Marco’s body ARCHES off the table and he goes into

seizure -

IMAGES FADE IN AND OUT:

FB129 -- a man in a gas mask JAMS his rifle butt down. FADE FB129

OUT.

FBA129-- black-clad soldiers swarm Marco’s team. FADE OUT. FBA129

FBB129-- inside of a helicopter, grey light fluttering --FBB129

Laurent, gas mask down, confers with a pilot. FADE OUT.

FBC129-- jetting low across dark water as dawn breaks. FADE FBC129

OUT.

FBD129-- impression of an abandoned village --FBD129

FBE129-- an abandoned beach --FBE129

FBF129-- ruins of an ancient caravansary --FBF129

FBG129-- float DOWN on the upturned face of NOYLE. FADE OUT. FBG129

FBH129-- Marco’s HEAD SLAMMED DOWN, hard surface, a gun-like FBH129

ELECTRIC IMPLANT device FIRES its package into the skin

near Marco’s shoulder-blade. FADE OUT.

FBI129-- impressions of Melvin, Baker, Mavole, drugged, wired FBI129

up. FADE OUT.

FBJ129-- Raymond releasing Mavole’s throat --FBJ129

FBK129-- Bobby Baker, bloody hole in his forehead, falling FBK129

away --

FBL129-- the crazy pattern of the tile --FBL129

FBM129-- and Marco running, RUSHING FORWARD -- toward daylight, FBM129

past other platoon members, wires and I.V. tubes snaking

upward, watching animated Raymond Shaw hero footage on a

plasma screen, patriotic music BLARING.

FBN129-- breaking outside, a glimpse of the azure sea waiting FBN129

there --

-- but DOWN, TACKLED ... FADE OUT.

FBO129-- stumbling from helicopters into a rotor-torn FBO129

sandstorm -- the dust clearing to reveal ... weary,

dazed, exhausted soldiers in the middle of nowhere, under an

angry sun ...

... the SCREEN BLOOMS WHITE, and completely empty -- like an

Arabian desert --

130 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - DAY 130

Marco opens his eyes to the glare of a crisp autumn sun,

surreal colors:
blue sky, shimmering green, the skyline.

His head is in Rosie’s lap, he lies curled in the grass.

A banana-yellow motorized model plane buzzes in tight

circles overhead.

8/18/03 80.

Rosie’s talking, but Ben can’t hear her. Just the buzzing.

She stops, looks at him.

ROSIE:

Blank again?

Marco tries to say something, his mouth is dry.

ROSIE:

He said this would happen.

Marco stares, trying to orient himself. His arm comes up to

shade his eyes -- nothing written on it.

MARCO:

Who?

ROSIE:

Your friend.

MARCO:

I don’t remember a friend.

Nothing.

ROSIE:

Kind of like a computer system crash --

your brain goes down, then you boot up

again, but you lose all your RAM.

(hesitates)

Do you remember me?

MARCO:

(after a beat)

Eugenie Rose.

Rosie smiles. Marco closes his eyes again and --

SCREEN GOES BLACK.

Silence. Two beats.

Then the SOUND OF A TELEVISION fades up:

TV130 NEWSCASTER #3 TV130

U.S. planes bombed selected sites in

Guinea today, acting on intelligence that

the African nation’s military regime had

secretly resumed its chemical weapons

program ...

131 TIGHT - A TELEVISION (VIDEO) 131

131A Campaign footage of Raymond Shaw visiting schools in the 131A

131B inner city, Arthur riding horses in Wyoming, the two men 131B

131C meeting with business leaders in Chicago. 131C

8/18/03 81.

TV131 NEWSCASTER #4 TV131

... latest USA Today polls indicate a

"secure tomorrow" for Gov. Robert Arthur

and Congressman Raymond Shaw. The duo

holds a commanding lead, entering the

last two weeks of the campaign ...

132 INT. ROSIE’S COUSIN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT 132

Marco wakes up, still in a bed. Alone. The room bathed in

blue light from the small television where the news drones.

TV132 OMITTED TV132

Rosie comes out of the bathroom, wearing a long New York

Rangers jersey, bare-legged, barefoot, hair wet from a

shower. Beautiful.

MARCO:

It’s Wednesday.

ROSIE:

Yes.

MARCO:

Central Park was Monday. I came home

Friday.

ROSIE:

(smiles)

That’s right.

A long beat. Marco stares at the t.v. as she sits on the

edge of the bed, rubs her hair with a towel.

MARCO:

How did I get here?

ROSIE:

You called me.

MARCO:

El Dorado 59970.

(beat)

I remembered.

(beat)

I remember, and I didn’t dream.

ROSIE:

It’s been weird, talking to you. Knowing

that you could fall asleep with your eyes

open and wake up and have forgotten the

whole conversation. I hope to God that

part’s over.

MARCO:

What’d we talk about?

8/18/03 82.

ROSIE:

(vague)

Stuff.

(then)

You said you "loved" me. Not to scare

you. Out of nowhere, but more than once.

MARCO:

I remember that.

Beat. She smiles. She leans in, kisses him lightly.

ROSIE:

Liar.

MARCO:

What else did we talk about?

Rosie opens her mouth --

SCREEN GOES BLACK.

Two beats of silence, then -

133 INT. ROSIE’S COUSIN’S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAWN 133

Marco wakes up. Clear headed. Calm. Rosie is asleep

beside him on the bed. The television is off.

134 INT. BATHROOM - DAWN 134

Marco drinks water from the faucet, wipes his mouth. Stares

at himself in the mirror -- he looks like death warmed over.

Starts to smile ...

... but his eyes stray up to the half-open mirror of the

vanity -- reflecting, behind him, the bathroom wall: towel

racks, wall paper, a high VENT ... with a FAINT RED LED

glowing INSIDE.

JUMP CUT:
MARCO

Standing on the edge of the tub, stretched out, face pressed

up to the vent, trying to see inside --

SUBJECTIVE:
MARCO (B&W) - THROUGH THE VENT

Looking back at Marco, peering in. Slightly warped by the

lens. Freaking out.

RESUME - MARCO

He can just make out the shadow of a TINY VIDEO CAMERA,

wires snaking back into the ducting, micro-lens adjusting

automatically to focus.

8/18/03 83.

He slips off the tub, nearly falls, catches himself -

135

INT. ROSIE’S COUSIN’S APARTMENT - DAWN 135

Marco taping newspapers over all the heating vents --

INT. ROSIE’S COUSIN’S APARTMENT - DAWN

Marco going through cupboard, drawers, closets, looking for

... what, exactly?

He doesn’t know. His world is caving in. He pivots, looks

at Rosie, still sleeping.

INT. ROSIE’S COUSIN’S APARTMENT - DAWN

Rosie’s purse is dumped out on the table, and now Marco’s

going through her suitcase.

He’s dressed, now, even has his coat on.

Pulling out her clothing, discovering, at the bottom:

FILE FOLDERS, NOTES, REPORTS

Much of the same material that Eleanor Shaw showed Raymond.

Incriminating stuff about Marco, timetables, surveillance

photographs, psychiatric evaluations and

AUDIO TAPES:

Microcassettes, neatly labelled with dates and hours ...

INTERCUT - SUBJECTIVE: SAME (B&W) - SURVEILLANCE

ROSIE:

Ben?

Rosie, rolling off the bed, sleepy, crossing to where Marco

is gathering the files --

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