The Princess Bride Page #13

The Man In Black says nothing.

BUTTERCUP:

You're the Dread Pirate Roberts;

admit it.

MAN IN BLACK:

(bowing)

With pride. What can I do for you?

BUTTERCUP:

You can die slowly cut into a

thousand pieces.

MAN IN BLACK:

Hardly complimentary, Your

Highness. Why loose your venom on

me?

CLOSE UP - BUTTERCUP, quietly now.

BUTTERCUP:

You killed my love.

CUT TO:

THE MAN IN BLACK

watching her closely.

MAN IN BLACK:

It's possible; I kill a lot of

people. Who was this love of

yours? Another Prince, like this

one, ugly, rich, and scabby?

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52.

BUTTERCUP:

No. A farm boy. Poor. Poor and

perfect, with eyes like the sea

after a storm.

CUT TO:

BUTTERCUP:

And probably, if she did not hate Roberts so, there would be

tears.

BUTTERCUP:

On the high seas, your ship

attacked, and the Dread Pirate

Roberts never takes prisoners.

MAN IN BLACK:

(explaining as a

teacher might)

I can't afford to make exceptions.

Once word leaks out that a pirate

has gone soft, people begin to

disobey you, and then it's

nothing but work, work, work, all

the time.

BUTTERCUP:

You mock my pain!

MAN IN BLACK:

Life is pain, Highness. Anyone

who says differently is selling

something. I remember this farm

boy of yours, I think. This would

be, what, five years ago?

Buttercup nods.

MAN IN BLACK:

Does it bother you to hear?

BUTTERCUP:

Nothing you can say will upset me.

MAN IN BLACK:

He died well, that should please

you. No bribe attempts or

blubbering. He simply said,

"Please. Please, I need to live."

It was the "please" that caught

my memory.

(MORE)

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53.

MAN IN BLACK (CONT'D)

I asked him what was so important

for him. "True love," he replied.

And then he spoke of a girl of

surpassing beauty and faithfulness.

I can only assume he meant you.

You should bless me for destroying

him before he found out what you

really are.

BUTTERCUP:

And what am I?

MAN IN BLACK:

Faithfulness he talked of, madam.

Your enduring faithfulness. Now,

tell me truly. When you found out

he was gone, did you get engaged

to your prince that same hour, or

did you wait a whole week out of

respect for the dead?

BUTTERCUP:

You mocked me once, never do it

again -- I died that day!

The Man In Black is about to reply as they stand there on

the edge of the sheer ravine. But then something catches his

attention and as he stares at it briefly,

CUT TO:

HIS P.O.V.:

The dust cloud caused by Humperdinck's HORSES is rising up

into the sky.

CUT TO:

BUTTERCUP:

and while his attention is on the dust cloud, rising high,

she pushes him with all the strength she has.

BUTTERCUP:

You can die too, for all I care!!

CUT TO:

THE MAN IN BLACK

teetering on the ravine edge, for a moment, then he begins

to fall. Down goes the Man In Black.

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54.

Down, down, rolling, spinning, crashing always down toward

the flat rock floor of the ravine.

CUT TO:

BUTTERCUP:

staring transfixed at what she has wrought.

There is a long pause. She stands there, alone, as from far

below the words come to her, drifting on the wind --

MAN IN BLACK:

... as ... you ... wish...

BUTTERCUP:

Oh, my sweet Westley; what have I

done?

And without a second thought or consideration of the dangers,

she starts into the ravine. A moment later, she too is

falling, spinning and twisting, crashing and torn,

cartwheeling down toward what is left of her beloved.

CUT TO:

THE DUST CLOUD:

rising.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL

Prince Humperdinck and the others reining in at the spot

where Buttercup promised ransom in exchange for her freedom.

The Prince shakes his head.

HUMPERDINCK:

Disappeared. He must have seen us

closing in, which might account

for his panicking in error.

Unless I'm wrong, and I am never

wrong, they are headed dead into

the fire swamp.

CUT TO:

COUNT RUGEN:

The mere mention of the Fire Swamp makes him pale.

CUT TO:

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55.

THE RAVINE FLOOR

TWO BODIES lie a few feet apart, not moving. It is, of

course, Buttercup and Westley. They might be corpses. After

a time, Westley slowly forces his body into motion and as he

does,

CUT TO:

BUTTERCUP:

bruised and torn, as Westley crawls slowly toward her.

WESTLEY:

Can you move at all?

BUTTERCUP:

(weakly stretching out

an arm toward him)

Move? You're alive. If you want,

I can fly.

WESTLEY:

I told you, "I would always come

for you." Why didn't you wait for

me?

BUTTERCUP:

Well ... you were dead.

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