The Night Manager Page #8

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 4141.

The PORTERS rushing for the doors.

A retinue of glamour sweeps into MEISTERS hotel in awesome

slow motion.

First up are two BODYGUARDS, FRISKY and TABBY, in navy

blazers who walk in, discreetly casing the joint, and

positioning themselves in corners of the large reception

area. Then LANCE CORKORAN, dressed in camel-hair, who walks

up to the reception clerk FRAULEIN VIPP and starts to discuss

the room arrangements.

Then a whole sweep of British privilege enters the room.

Around a dozen of them in all. And at the heart of the group,

two figures.

A YOUNG AMERICAN WOMAN. Blonde hair, designer quilted coat of

many colours reaching to her feet. She has the whiff of New

York State privilege and a touch of Manhattan bohemia. JED.

And behind her, a man whose face we have not seen in the

flesh until now.

RICHARD ROPER. Tall, slim, attractive, hitting sixty, fair

hair stirred with grey. A face to lose to at cards. A stance

of arrogant Englishness.

ROPER walks up to PINE. Moment’s tension.

ROPER:

I’m Dicky Roper. My chaps booked

some rooms here. Quite a lot of

them actually.

He smiles. PINE smiles too.

PINE:

How very good to see you Mr Roper.

My name’s Pine. I’m the night

manager. I do hope your journey

wasn’t too ghastly.

ROPER:

Where’s old Meister? Tucked up is

he with an Ovaltine? Or German

porn? How you doing with those

magazines darling?

This to the girl, JED, who is casually leafing through

magazines at a coffee table.

Snap back to JED. Beyond her an English couple, he tall and

handsome, 40 years old, we will later know him to be SANDY.

His wife beside him, sullen, bored. CAROLINE.

JED:

Just fine.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 4242.

PINE:

Herr Meister is unavoidably tied up

tonight I’m afraid. He asked me to

show you the rooms. But he does

enormously look forward to seeing

you in the morning when you’re

rested from the journey.

ROPER:

You English Pine?

PINE:

To the core sir.

ROPER:

Wise man. Corky! Are you proposing

marriage to the young lady?

He flicks a look aside to PINE. Quips under his breath.

ROPER (CONT’D)

(Highly bloody unlikely.)

CORKORAN is at the reception desk filling out forms for FRAU

VIPP.

CORKORAN:

Nearly there Chief.

PINE:

It’s the new security I’m afraid.

Swiss police insist. There seems to

be nothing we can do.

ROPER:

You been here long? Wasn’t here

last time we came was he Frisky?

This to the blazer.

FRISKY:

No he wasn’t.

PINE:

I’ve been here a year and a half

sir. To the day.

ROPER:

And before that?

PINE:

Italy. And before that Tangiers.

ROPER:

Travel a lot do you?

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 4343.

PINE:

I don’t tend to settle anywhere too

long. It’s one of the attractions

of the trade.

ROPER:

Not a gadfly are you?

PINE:

More of a nomad sir.

CORKORAN:

All done!

ROPER:

Bloody time too! Whatever happened

to your signing hand?

CORKORAN:

Wankers colic Chief.

ROPER:

Limp wrist more like.

And they are heading through the reception, across the Main

Hall to the Tower Suite lifts. The DOORMAN MARIO opens the

doors.

PINE:

Your key sir.

He holds it out. A golden master key. Wildly opulent and

O.T.T.

PINE (CONT’D)

One of Herr Meister’s new

innovations. A little outre I know

but our less sophisticated guests

adore it.

He dangles it.

CORKORAN:

Well I adore it and I’m bloody

sophisticated!

ROPER takes the key. Studies it.

ROPER:

Taiwan.

He smiles.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Catch.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 4444.

He throws it. One of the blazers, TABBY, dives expertly to

catch it at full-length allowing PINE to glimpse a Beretta

9mm automatic pistol under his jacket.

58 INT. ZERMATT. MEISTERS. TOWER SUITE. NIGHT. 58

A bath is running. PINE is showing ROPER and JED around. They

both clutch full champagne glasses.

PINE:

I believe quite a lot has changed

sir since you last came. We have

several new features.

FRISKY is on a mobile phone through a doorway on a landing.

CORKORAN is also on his mobile talking French. PINE listens

in even as he gives the tour. He is taking everything in.

CAROLINE (TO LANGBOURNE)

Sandy I’m going to sleep. Don’t

wake me when you come in.

She walks out into the corridor.

CORKORAN:

Oui mais il faut changer l’heure.

Pourquoi? Parce que nous venons

d’arriver, Monsieur Roper est

vachement fatigue et il faut

changer l’heure. Merci.

SANDY is also on the phone to a man in Prague.

SANDY:

Gregory listen to me. All we need

is delivery by Tuesday. Yes so talk

to your friends there by the

Moldau, sorry the Vltava, and get

them to start driving in the

morning...

PINE:

The bathrooms are fully

refurbished, mini spa facilities

and hot tub, and a jet-stream

lavatory.

JED:

I’m going to take that bath now

darling. Excuse me.

She smiles flirting at PINE and closes the door to, but not

shut. PINE can’t help noticing that she is undressing through

the gap.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 4545.

ROPER:

Pretty isn’t she? I went to buy a

de Chirico in Manhattan, and came

back with her instead.

JED:

Liar. You were buying a horse for

the Breeder’s Cup.

He smiles at PINE. Goes to the digital radio, turns it on.

Schubert plays. Lieder.

FLASH IMAGE in Pine’s mind of SOPHIE as she stood in her

dressing gown at the bed.

SNAP BACK to now. PINE collects himself. The Schubert plays.

Interrupted by:

CORKORAN:

Soldier Boris says okay Monday

lunchtime. Okay Monday lunch time?

ROPER:

Fix. (to FRISKY) Aren’t we changing

these?

He means the phones.

FRISKY:

I ordered them for six.

ROPER:

Nothing come Pine?

PINE:

Nothing that I’ve seen. I’ll chase

it for you.

FRISKY:

Bloody couriers are always late.

PINE:

Will that be all?

SANDY:

Your friend Appetites says he can

meet you in town tomorrow night.

PINE listening, gathering every word. ROPER is eating

pistachio nuts and throwing the shells into an empty

champagne bottle.

ROPER:

Too public. Make it here.

The bath has stopped running. He can hear her limbs entering

the water. A gentle splashing. The gap in the door is there.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 4646.

CORKY:

Play golf do we sweetheart?

PINE:

No I’m afraid not.

CORKY:

Me neither. Just the nineteenth

hole.

ROPER is listening to the radio playing Fischer-Diskau

singing Schubert. SANDY is on the phone, the water is

splashing and she is singing in the bath. CORKY is drinking

champagne. It’s intoxicating.

SMASH CUT to SOPHIE and PINE making love in the Chicago

House.

SNAP BACK to now. The music plays. PINE feels light-headed,

revenge, sex, money all combining in a heady brew.

JED:

I need more shampoo in here

darling. For the mouth, not for the

hair.

ROPER holds up the champagne.

ROPER:

Take it into her would you old boy.

PINE turns. ROPER smiles. Throws another pistachio shell into

the bottle.

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