The Manchurian Candidate Page #7

8/18/03 31.

MARCO:

Right behind you, sirs.

Whereupon

SENATOR ELEANOR SHAW

powers through with Gillespie and a couple of our media

FLAKS, giving them an earful:

ELLIE:

-- billions of dollars, thousands of

troops, sacrificed on behalf of a

disastrous foreign policy which has only

served to galvanize our enemies -

ELLIE MARCO:

Excuse us please --Whoa --

FOR AN INSTANT Ellie and Marco lock eyes -- then the crowd

swallows her again --

GENERAL WILSON:

They oughta put up a crossing guard.

GENERAL SLOAN:

Or rig her with an air horn.

WITH RAYMOND:

-- distractedly staring at a pretty young woman (JOCELYN

JORDAN) near the entrance.

RAYMOND:

(to the bankers and wives)

I mean -- that’s supposed to be the whole

point of this great country, isn’t it?

That everybody matters. Not just the

people at this party -- no offense -- but

the people who can't afford to be here.

ELLIE:

(arriving:
)

Raymond -(

to the couples)

-- sorry to interrupt --

But she’s not. Slipping her arm through his and steering

him away...

ELLIE:

You must learn not to let yourself get

cornered by the bottom-feeders.

RAYMOND:

Including you?

8/18/03 32.

ELLIE:

I devour everything in my path, darling,

top or bottom, you know that.

...to join a lively group of corporate heavyweights. DAVID

DONOVAN is a man possessed of a commanding presence,

radiating charm, brilliance and stealth. J.B. (JAY)

JOHNSTON is younger than the others, a three-sport letterman

who graduated with distinction from Princeton and happily

works until there’s no one left in the office to give

instructions to. MARK WHITING is gracious and warm.

ELLIE:

Hello Mark.

Ellie greets Whiting with a fondness she reserves for old

friends -- as a former Tyler Prentiss prot.g., he now stands

comfortably at the fertile crossroads where big industry

meets big government, and profits soar.

WHITING:

Eleanor! Congratulations, Raymond. Your

grandad would be so goddamn proud of you.

RAYMOND:

Nice to see you Mark. Thanks.

The following flows, overlapping, easy:

ELLIE:

-- Raymond, this is J.B. Johnston, from

Manchurian Global --

RAYMOND:

Yes, hi -

ELLIE:

-- and David Donovan, their Managing

Director.

RAYMOND:

-- and co-chair of the U.S. International

Policy Caucus.

DONOVAN ELLIE:

One and the same. (teasing)

They’re desperate to be of

service to you, Raymond.

RAYMOND:

Go away, mother. You’ve earned your fee.

Raymond flashes a dazzling Kennedyesque smile, as the men

chuckle appreciatively.

ELLIE:

The plucky idealist.

8/18/03 33.

Ellie glides off, unfazed. The men banter on:

RAYMOND:

Gentlemen, how’s business?

WHITING:

Good, Raymond. Business is good.

JOHNSTON:

Could always be better.

RAYMOND:

Careful. Any better, you’ll be a

monopoly.

DONOVAN:

There’s the challenge. Maximizing the

market share and potential of a company.

WHITING:

Or a country.

Off their shared, collegial laughter --

ACROSS THE ROOM - MARCO - MONETS LATER

watches Raymond take his leave from the Manchurian Global

guys -- while, at the bar, the generals have established

their beachhead of Bloody Marys with a couple of younger men

in NAVY WHITES:

REAR ADMIRAL GLICK

Every great civilization has been

anchored by a great Navy.

GENERAL SLOAN:

Bullshit. You guys are sea chum, ripe

for some raghead with a rocket launcher

to put a hole in your bucket.

Marco laughs deliberately, trying to diffuse the tension.

MARCO:

(low)

If you can’t behave yourselves, Generals,

we’re gonna spend the rest of the day

watching the Orioles game back at the

hotel.

Whereupon Raymond parades past, with his Secret Service

handlers, oblivious to Ben until he calls out.

MARCO:

Congressman -- Sergeant Shaw --

Raymond turning, but not stopping --

8/18/03 34.

MARCO:

Ben Marco.

RAYMOND:

I know.

(strange, dreamy)

Hello Captain.

MARCO RAYMOND:

It’s Major, and -- (as if it surprises

him:
)

I need to talk to you.

But he keeps walking --

MARCO:

-- okay.

-- Marco frowns, watches Raymond weave through the crowd

towards Jocie, at the entrance. Marco follows, passing:

ELLIE AND JORDAN

locked in fierce, low battle, off to one side, voices hard,

rising out of the din:

JORDAN:

-- the political extortion you committed

in order to destroy my vice presidential

bid so that --

ELLIE:

Tom.

JORDAN:

-- so that you might vicariously bask in

reflected limelight from your son --

ELLIE:

(overlapping)

Tom, please, just because the party felt

a younger, more dynamic man could help

the ticket, I don’t think it’s fair for

you to single me out and --

JORDAN:

You know, I have such contempt for you,

Eleanor, that when I think of you, I

actually fear for this country. Raymond

is nothing. A riddle. A wild card at

worst. But you, you are the smiler who

wraps her dagger in the cloak of the flag

and waits for her chance to strike.

Which I pray will never come.

He wheels away --

8/18/03 35.

64 OMITTED 64

65 EXT. BOTANICAL GARDENS - ENTRANCE - MARCO 65

has found Raymond with Jocie -- outside -- but hangs back --

overhearing Raymond’s earnest and intense conversation with

Jocie, who is slightly uncomfortable with this but trying to

make light of it --

JOCELYN:

... but Raymond, my God, it’s been so

many years -- I’ve been married and

divorced --

RAYMOND:

I’ve changed too.

JOCELYN:

That’s not what I -- but, yes, it’s

great, really -- I see that you have --

congratulations -RAYMOND

-- But my feelings haven’t.

mean ...

Changed, I

Jocie starts to say something, is at a loss for words --

RAYMOND:

... I guess I’ve never stopped -- feeling

-- wondering -- how it might have turned

out, you know, between us, if --

JOCELYN:

(overlapping)

Raymond -- people can’t rewrite their

lives --

RAYMOND:

Jocie, I haven’t even been with another

girl since we ... stopped seeing each

other -- doesn’t that say something to

you?

JOCELYN:

That you must be just about the loneliest

person on earth, and it breaks my heart.

Raymond is staggered -- doesn’t know what to say --

JOCELYN:

I’ve got to go -- good luck with the

campaign.

She hurries to a waiting limo -- her father’s already inside

-- Raymond still wants to say something, he wants to stop

her, but --

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