The Manchurian Candidate Page #22

194 OMITTED 194

8/18/03 110.

195 INT. GRAND BALLROOM - ON THE GIANT SCREEN, ABOVE THE STAGE 195

remote-cam images of the empty stage and podium blink to

life, enormous, finding focus, and --

AT THE BACK OF THE BALLROOM - ENGINEERING CONSOLE

196

a DIRECTOR and a team of TECH GUYS murmur in headsets,

commanding a matrix of monitors, control panels and mixing

boards. ON ALL THE SCREENS: different views of the empty

stage, from various cameras.

ANOTHER ALL-ACCESS SECURITY BADGE 196

just like Anderson’s. PAN UP:

MARCO -- resplendent in dress uniform, hair trimmed, a man

reborn. He looks so rejuvenated, for a moment even we don’t

recognize him.

INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - MARCO

steps over television cables and power lines, follows their

drunken path to the end of a narrow corridor --

UNLIT CORRIDOR:

197

Marco slips in and out of darkness.

echoing insanely from the ballroom.

INT. DISUSED PROJECTION BOOTH

Passing no one. NOISE

197

Marco enters, closes the door. Takes his coat off and folds

it neatly and puts it on the floor. FOLLOW HIM as he stoops

to find a HIGH-TECH METAL CASE hidden in the air vent ...

... he opens it, revealing a disassembled SNIPER RIFLE,

stereo RANGEFINDER EYEPIECE, live rounds, sandbag, tripod

and a SIDEARM ...

... he turns toward the back of a MASSIVE WALL-GRID of LIGHT

FIXTURES facing outward to the auditorium, hot with RED-

WHITE-AND-BLUE radiance.

He walks to the grid and peers through it -PUSH

OUT:

198 INT. BALLROOM - STAGE - A PROCESSION OF CAMPAIGN WORKERS 198

walks out of the back of the stage, a VIDEO A.D. with a

headset leading them, backpedaling, barking instructions

lost in the general din.

They all hold big, hand-printed NAME CARDS: Gov. Arthur’s

aide, TATUM (GQ dreadlocks) clowns around with his "Pres.

8/18/03 111.

Arthur" placard. Other p.a.’s and assistants hold: "First

Lady Arthur", "Arthur Kids", "Friends of Bob". Mirella

Freeman has her "V.P. Shaw"; Gillespie, trying to look

amused (but not very) his "Sen. Shaw/Veep’s Mom" sign.

BACK OF THE ROOM - ENGINEERING CONSOLE

The Director speaks into his headset, his voice broadcast

over the house speakers:

DIRECTOR:

Okay. Crowd cheering. Much elation.

The president moves to his mark -

CRASH:

199 OMITTED 199

200 OMITTED 200

201 OMITTED 201

202 OMITTED 202

203 OMITTED 203

204 OMITTED 204

205 OMITTED 205

206 FLURRY OF IMAGES (VIDEO) 206

Overlapping news reports:

TV206 NEWSCASTERS (#7/#8/#9) TV206

CBS/ABC/CNN/FOX project Robert Arthur and

Raymond Shaw to be the next President and

Vice President of/have won the

presidential election/have been elected

by a landslide --

207 INT. REGENT WALL STREET BALLROOM - NIGHT 207

Bedlam. Packed now with celebrants. CONFETTI rains down,

the CHEERING overpowers even the rock and roll band as it

strikes up a post-punk rendition of "Yankee Doodle."

208 INT. SECURITY COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT 208

TWO DOZEN MONITORS show different angles of the entrance,

corridors, security lanes, but --

ROSIE:

is off to one side with a couple other Feds and a SECURITY

GUY, reviewing the entry tapes from earlier --

8/18/03 112.

ON THE SURVEILLANCE MONITOR

people whoosh through gates in digitized triple time --

ROSIE:

Stop.

-- there’s Marco. The image slows. Marco moves herky-jerky

through the security station, stop-action. Rosie pretends

she’s interested in somebody else -- then:

ROSIE:

No ...

The tape resumes triple-time --

209 INT. PROJECTION BOOTH - MARCO 209

Deliberately hand-feeding live rounds of ammo into his rifle

-- CLICK, CLICK, CLICK --

-- he’s ready.

CRASH:

210 OMITTED 210

211 INT. REGENT WALL STREET BALLROOM - ON THE STAGE 211

Arthur and Shaw and their entourage explode victorious from

the back, just like in the rehearsal. ICONIC SAMPLING of

"regular Americans" in full-dress uniform accompany the

winners:
a soldier, a sailor, a fireman, a marine, a

policeman, a fighter pilot, everybody waving, smiling.

THE CROWD -- ecstatic.

ROSIE:

A tiny island of worry in a sea of celebration. The huge

light grids ripple with patriotic bunting effects.

She scans the crowd, the perimeter, the balconies ...

ON THE GIANT SCREEN, BEHIND THE STAGE

an ENORMOUS close-up of Arthur --

THE TWO COLOSSAL WALL-TO-WALL SCREENS

are alive with soaring, IMAX-style postcard footage of

Americana:
Monument Valley, Pike’s Peak, Columbia River,

golden waving fields of wheat -- city skylines -- perfect

beaches -- majestic off-shore oil rigs -- galloping herds of

buffalo -- the breathtaking grandeur of American nature,

American achievements --

8/18/03 113.

INTERCUT - MONITORS

Various angles on-stage of Arthur, his wife, his family,

close and loose --

212 THROUGH MARCO’S SCOPE - SAME TIME 212

Crosshairs finding, locking on Arthur -- who is waving, and

slowing to shake on-stage supports’ hands -213

BALLROOM FLOOR - ROSIE 213

staring up at the left-side lighting grid ... where she

thinks she saw movement. As it blinks OFF, and then ON

again in a different pattern, there’s the SILHOUETTE of

something.

A figure behind the grid. Marco? She’s sure of it ---

and she’s moving, pushing her way toward an exit, pulling

a tiny walkie-talkie from her pocket and yelling into it --

214 THROUGH MARCO’S SCOPE: 214

Rock-steady on Arthur and his hundred-watt smile, as he now

separates from the procession and moves to his center stage

mark --just like in the rehearsal.

The crowd begins to CHANT.

215 ON THE STAGE - RAYMOND 215

Calm and focused. Smiling. His mother leans close,

whispers something --

216 INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - BEHIND THE BALLROOM - NIGHT 216

Rosie joined in stride by Feds from the command center --

SOUND of the celebration booms through the building -217

INT. STAIRWELL 217

Rosie leads the way, two steps at a time, pulling her gun

from her holster and checking the clip --

218 MARCO’S EYE 218

clear and unwavering -- his pupil tightening as --

219 THROUGH MARCO’S SCOPE 219

Arthur turns to Raymond and gestures --

8/18/03 114.

220 ON THE STAGE - ELLIE 220

Her eyes shining as Raymond steps forward -- the ROAR of the

crowd --

221 INT. PROJECTION BOOTH - MARCO 221

He slips his finger through the trigger guard --

222 THROUGH MARCO’S SCOPE 222

Cross-hairs on Arthur. But a DARK BLUR suddenly passes in

front of Arthur, momentarily ECLIPSING Marco’s view -223

INT. BALLROOM - ENGINEERING CONSOLE - SAME TIME 223

A few of the camera monitors have empty frames, waiting for

Raymond to arrive, but --

DIRECTOR:

Dammit, Shaw missed his first position --

(then)

Find him -- go with him --

ON THE STAGE - SAME TIME

Raymond has joined Arthur center-stage, instead of moving to

the rehearsed first mark --

224

INT. PROJECTION BOOTH - MARCO 224

his finger motionless inside the trigger guard --

225

THROUGH THE SCOPE: ARTHUR AND RAYMOND 225

But Raymond is blocking Arthur now --

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