The Princess Bride Page #18

BUTTERCUP:

coming out of her nightmare, alone in her castle bedroom. As

she frantically grabs a robe and starts to run.

GRANDFATHER:

(off-screen, still reading)

It was ten days till the wedding.

The King still lived, but

Buttercup's nightmares were

growing steadily worse.

THE KID:

(off-screen)

See? Didn't I tell you she'd

never marry that rotten

Humperdinck?

GRANDFATHER:

(off-screen)

-- yes, you're very smart. Shut-Up.

CUT TO:

BUTTERCUP:

bursting into the Prince's chambers. Count Rugen stands

nearby.

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73.

BUTTERCUP:

It comes to this: I love Westley.

I always have. I know now I

always will. If you tell me I

must marry you in ten days,

please believe I will be dead by

morning.

CUT TO:

PRINCE HUMPERDINCK

Just stunned. Finally, softly, he begins to talk.

HUMPERDINCK:

I could never cause you grief;

consider our wedding off.

(to Rugen)

You returned this Westley to his

ship?

RUGEN:

Yes.

HUMPERDINCK:

Then we will simply alert him.

(to Buttercup now)

Beloved, are you certain he still

wants you? After all, it was you

who did the leaving in the Fire

Swamp. Not to mention that

pirates are not known to be men

of their words.

BUTTERCUP:

My Westley will always come for me.

HUMPERDINCK:

I suggest a deal. You write four

copies of a letter. I'll send my

four fastest ships. One in each

direction. The Dread Pirate

Roberts is always close to Florin

this time of year. We'll run up

the white flag and deliver your

message. If Westley wants you,

bless you both. If not ... please

consider me as an alternative to

suicide. Are we agreed?

And she nods --

CUT TO:

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74.

A VERY THICK GROVE OF TREES

The trees are unusual in one respect: all of them are

extraordinarily heavily knotted.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL

Humperdinck and Rugen, walking into the grove of trees.

RUGEN:

Your Princess is really a winning

creature. A trifle simple,

perhaps, but her appeal is

undeniable.

HUMPERDINCK:

Oh, I know. The people are quite

taken with her. It's odd, but

when I hired Vizzini to have her

murdered on our engagement day, I

thought that was clever. But it's

going to be so much more moving

when I strangle her on our

wedding night. Once Guilder is

blamed, the nation will be truly

outraged. They'll demand we go to

war.

They are deeper into the grove now. Rugen is searching around.

RUGEN:

Now, where is that secret knot?

It's impossible to find.

(Finding the knot on

the tree he hits it,

and it opens, revealing

a staircase leading underground.)

Are you coming down into the Pit?

Westley's got his strength back.

I am starting him on The Machine

tonight.

HUMPERDINCK:

Tyrone, you know how much I love

watching you work. But, I've got

my country's five hundredth

anniversary to plan, my wedding

to arrange, My wife to murder,

and Guilder to frame for it. I'm

swamped.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

75.

RUGEN:

Get some rest -- if you haven't

got your health, you haven't got

anything.

Rugen smiles and hurries down the stairs as the tree slides

back perfectly into place.

CUT TO:

AN ENORMOUS THING

We can't tell quite what it is or what it does, but somehow

it is unsettling.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL

Count Rugen, dragging Westley up alongside the thing --

Levers and wheels and wires, you name it, it's there.

RUGEN:

Beautiful, isn't it?

The Albino starts attaching suction cups to Westley.

RUGEN:

It took me half a lifetime to

invent it. I'm sure you've

discovered my deep and abiding

interest in pain. At present I'm

writing the definitive work on

the subject. So I want you to be

totally honest with me on how The

Machine makes you feel.

CUT TO:

A DIAL:

with numbers ranging from a low of "1" to a high of "50."

Rugen goes to it.

RUGEN:

This being our first try, I'll

use the lowest setting.

And he turns the dial to "1".

CUT TO:

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76.

WESTLEY:

He has suction cups on his head now, on his temple, on his

heart, his hands and feet. He says nothing, keeps control of

himself

CUT TO:

COUNT RUGEN:

fiddling with his Machine a moment more. And then he opens

the flood gate, water pours down the chute, turning the

wheel, which in turn really gets The Machine going.

CUT TO:

WESTLEY:

and he's lying on the table, and he's only flesh and the

chains are metal and thick, but such is his desperation it

almost seems he might break them. A terrible sound comes

from his throat, an incessant gasping. It keeps on coming as

we finally

CUT TO:

COUNT RUGEN:

He switches off The Machine, picks up a large notebook and

pen, sits in a chair. The NOISE of The Machine subsides.

Rugen opens the book to a blank page.

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