The Manchurian Candidate Page #23

226

CLOSE ON - MARCO 226

Frowning. Raymond has made Marco’s shot impossible -- kill

Arthur, and he kills Raymond too.

227

INT. PROJECTION BOOTH - MARCO 227

coming off the eyepiece of the scope.

FB227 OMITTED

FB227

228

He wipes sweat out of his eyes. Blinks. 228

229

ON STAGE - ELLIE - SAME TIME 229

Appalled at Raymond’s departure from the plan.

230

OMITTED 230

8/18/03 115.

231 OMITTED 231

FB231 OMITTED FB231

232 OMITTED 232

233 OMITTED 233

234 ON THE GIANT SCREEN, ABOVE THE STAGE 234

A sprawling hero shot of MT. RUSHMORE, featuring the

traditional quartet, plus stony CGI additions of PRESIDENT-

ELECT ARTHUR, and RAYMOND PRENTISS SHAW.

BALLROOM - ENGINEERING CONSOLE

DIRECTOR:

Now music --

MUSIC starts:
that lush, full orchestral rendition of "Here

Comes the Sun" that sweeps through the ballroom.

ABOVE THE BALLROOM - LIGHTING GRIDS

change to rippling American Flags --

235

INT. BALLROOM - SAME TIME 235

Music swelling, the room exploding with color and

celebration, lights flaring, side walls alive with iconic

American images --

The raucous crowd starting to CLAP in rhythm -- people

CROONING along with the song’s chorus, as -ON

STAGE - A JUBILATION TABLEAU

people waving, hugging dancing -- more super-insiders

joining the throng onstage, shaking hands, high-fiving --

RAYMOND PRENTISS SHAW

waving, staring up into the lights ... searching. Finds the

spot he’s been looking for -A236

PROJECTION BOOTH - MARCO A236

raising his gun again.

B236 RESUME - STAGE - RAYMOND B236

turns and smiles at his mother. Moves toward her --

8/18/03 116.

INTERCUT - VARIOUS MONITORS - SAME TIME

-- Ellie, stunned --painfully aware that the eyes of the

world are on her -- and Raymond moving, taking his mother’s

hands -- inviting her to dance.

C236

PROJECTION BOOTH - MARCO C236

places his eye to the scope --

D236

THROUGH MARCO’S SCOPE - ARTHUR D236

Marco finds him -- adjusts the crosshairs -

236

INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - SAME TIME 236

Rosie and the Feds sprint toward Marco’s projection booth --

237

ON STAGE - RAYMOND AND ELLIE 237

as Ellie surrenders to the moment, and enters Raymond’s arms

-- what else can she do? -- this is her son, her dream is

halfway there ... and the President can die another day.

They swirl off to the music --

238

THROUGH MARCO’S SCOPE - ARTHUR 238

perfectly centered in Marco’s sights, but then --

-- Raymond and Ellie glide in front of Marco’s target --

lingering in Marco’s eyeline, Raymond stares up into the

scope -- eyes trusting, urging, as if he’s saying: now --

-- then ARTHUR IS ALONE AGAIN, in the center of the

crosshairs, waving and grinning at the ROARING CROWD like a

man who’s just been elected President, but --

-- MARCO’s crosshairs SWING OVER, finding RAYMOND AND ELLIE

again --

239

STAGE - ON ELLIE - SAME TIME 239

looking into Raymond’s eyes ... follows his gaze up into the

dazzling glare of the stage lights -- first shadow of doubt

crawling across her --

240

THROUGH THE SCOPE - ELLIE AND RAYMOND 240

They’re right in Marco’s cross-hairs.

A241

MARCO A241

Committed. Almost serene.

8/18/03 117.

241

ELLIE 241

Eyes wide -- realizing too late --

242

INTERCUT - MARCO 242

Pulls the trigger. BAM BAM BAM.

Raymond and his mother are kicked back into the horrified

celebrants on the stage --

-- the same bullets ripping through both of them --

-- toppling together, dead before they hit the ground --

243

INT. PROJECTION BOOTH - SAME TIME 243

The Feds KICK the door in -MARCO

calmly putting a clip into the handgun from his kit -

starting to raise it --

ROSIE:

BEN!!!

She shoots him.

244 WIDE - THE BALLROOM - NIGHT 244

BALLOONS cascade down on a nearly black-and-white tableau of

pandemonium and chaos, against the soaring wall-to-wall

images of America’s greatness displayed on the IMAX screens.

Screaming and shouting. President-elect Arthur vanishing in

a phalanx of Secret Service. VIDEO CREWS pressing in on the

stage, morbidly curious ...

... and a strange clearing around the bodies of Raymond and

Eleanor Shaw, crumpled and bloody ...

... still locked in their embrace.

A245 INTERCUT - IMPRESSIONS OF NEWS FOOTAGE - ON A MONITOR A245

TVA245Crowds pressed to the Regent rear entrance -- frantic copsTVA245

clearing the way for BODY BAGS emerging on stretchers, one,

two ... three -- this third one guided and fiercely attended

by Rosie through the confusion -- shoved into a waiting

morgue truck ... WE ARE:

245 INT. A HUGE OFFICE SOMEWHERE - NIGHT 245

TV245 Donovan stands in front of a massive flat-screen televisionTV245

watching the mayhem at the Regent Wall Street ballroom.

8/18/03 118.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL: a numb collection of horrified

Manchurian Global executive office employees, watching in

silence ... a visibly shaken Whiting, ashen-faced, head in

his hands, eyes red with tears, and Johnston, stunned,

pacing --

JOHNSTON:

Jesus. Jesus H. Christ ... Jesus H.

Christ ...

TIGHTEN ON DONOVAN. Expressionless, except for a cryptic

frown. He raises his arm and uses a remote to kill the

picture.

SCREEN GOES BLACK.

246 OMITTED 246

247 OMITTED 247

248 A VIDEO STILL FRAME MATERIALIZES 248

flickering on. The SECURITY FOOTAGE of Marco entering the

Regent Wall Street hotel. His face turned away.

FLIP.

ANOTHER FRAME:

Marco turning toward us. His FACE becoming artificially

highlighted, digitized -- MORPHED. ZOOM IN as his features

BEGIN TO CHANGE. Non-descript. New features emerging.

Caucasian. Not Marco. CLICKING of a keyboard, and -

ROSIE’S REFLECTION -- becomes visible across the screen of

THE VIDEO MONITOR on which the security footage flickers.

We are:

249 INT. VIDEO CGI BOOTH 249

Where an ENGINEER works keyboard and mouse, digitally

altering the footage of Marco is Rosie watches, intently,

from just behind him.

Further back in the same room ... another senior FEDERAL

AGENT, Special Agent VOLK, from Marco’s interrogation ...

and Colonel Garret leans against the far wall, arms folded,

expressionless.

MEDIA ICON (V.O.)

(fading up)

... the FBI today released security

footage of the assassin of Raymond and

Eleanor Prentiss Shaw entering the hotel

two hours before the fatal shooting ...

8/18/03 119.

The Engineer finishes what he’s doing, resets the tape and

now it begins to PLAY again, IN REAL TIME -- and we watch a

white man in uniform go through security, as:

250 NETWORK NEWSCAST (VIDEO) 250

The footage we’ve just seen playing behind:

TV250 MEDIA ICON TV250

... Authorities say that they have no

further information about the identity of

the gunman, except that he was a white

male, perhaps 30 years of age, and not a

member of the armed forces.

(then)

The tragic deaths of the incumbent vice

president and his Senator mother mark the

end of a family dynasty that has

dominated American politics for more than

fifty years. The mother and the son,

polar opposites on myriad issues,

nevertheless managed to promise a "one

plus one equals ten" kind of equation to

many Americans; the hopeful, heady notion

that these two somehow comprised a united

vision of stunning, almost revolutionary

breadth and depth ... a combined

potential far greater than its parts ...

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