The Stunt Man Page #13

107A

POV:

On the portable screen, Raymond in helmet and goggles is in the

cockpit of an airplane. He stuffs a bottle of champagne into a

leather flying boot, dangles the package over the side and lets it

go. Raymond looks down and salutes (like that famous scene in

"WINGS").

PRODUCTION MANAGER'S VOICE

Who says nothin' changes? Like to

see one of our boys in a B-52 try

that.

Eli's voice yells 'cut' on the sound track. The angle on the

portable screen widens and we see that the airplane sits on the

ground with an electric fan blowing wind in Raymond's face.

- 68

Now the scene on the portable screen changes: from the ground, we

see the same biplane flying low. An object drops from the cockpit

(the boot). Then there is a burst of flame in the engine. Trailing

smoke, the plane wobbles, crash-lands (sliding alarmingly close to

CAMERA). It ground-loops, goes up on one wing and, as it crashes

down, we see that the pilot who we assumed was Raymond, is really a

dummy that is flapping absurdly and falling to pieces before our

eyes during the crash. There are groans, laughter and raspberries

O.S.

107B INT. SCREENING ROOM (AS THE LIGHTS GO UP)

HARVEY:

Jesus, Eli, I'm sorry. I'll do a

pickup.

ELI:

(laughing)

It's so awful, it's beautiful. Wish

I could use it.

SAM:

(sarcastic)

That's all we'd need.

107C

ANGLE ON GROUP:

ELI:

(getting morose)

We goddamn well need something, Sam.

Something better than we got...

SAM:

(tight-lipped)

Better? How better?

ELI:

Wilder, crazier.

SAM:

(starting to shout)

Dropping a dead man's boots over his

own airfield, out of chivalry...

that's not crazy enough for you?!

ELI:

They did it in "Wings." Even the

dummy was bored.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

- 69

(anxiety at the breaking

point)

...Eli, please! You simply will not

accept the fact that we are living

on borrowed time...

But Eli and Sam are not listening.

ELI:

You can't shake your finger at 'em,

Sam. If you've got something to

say, you better slip it in while

they're laughing and crying and

jacking off over the sex and

violence. He should do

something...outrageous!

SAM:

(belligerent)

Like what?

ELI:

Something to catch the stink of

madness behind all that good clean

fun. Why the hell did we pick World

War I in the first place?...The

ultimate romantic insanity!

SAM:

(shouting)

Like what?!

ELI:

Like...I don't know what! What

would Lucky do if he were on the

wing of that plane? Picture that

because it would be a hell of a lot

realer than that flapping dummy.

Cameron is startled. He was not aware that Eli even knew he was in

the room.

SAM:

Is that what you're after, reality?

I thought you wanted something

outrageous!

- 70

ELI:

Reality can be pretty outrageous.

Look at soldier boy there, jumping

off f***ing buildings, risking his

ass every day, doing stuff way over

his head!...What would you do in

that plane, Lucky, if you were about

to die?

CAMERON:

(off guard, embarrassed)

What else? I'd dance for joy...I'd

probably do a jig.

ELI:

Great! That's what we'll do.

SAM:

Eli...

ELI:

All right, not a jig...a

Charleston...

SAM:

A Charleston?

ELI:

...On the wing of the airplane!

SAM:

(contempt)

...That's ridiculous.

ELI:

You're damn right...

SAM:

The Charleston is silly...They won't

believe it.

ELI:

(excited)

I'll do it so they'll believe it!

SAM:

(smugly)

You'll get a laugh, Eli.

109

110

111

112

- 71

ELI:

Only when I want them to laugh!...

(toward rear of the room)

Right, Lucky?

(SHOCK CUT TO SKY) - CLOSE ON GERMAN FIGHTER PLANE - DAY

It screams down vertically, full power, machine guns blazing, then

smashes into the earth, shredding to fragments hurled in every

direction. The dead German pilot is flung crumpled to the ground.

The plane's carcass explodes, filling the screen with fire and black

smoke through which we see a brightly colored PARACHUTE descending.

The FIGURE dangling beneath it passes through the smoke and flames

and tumbles to the ground, rolling, his parachute now ablaze. It is

Cameron dressed in a British flyer's uniform.

ANGLE WIDENS:

To show the hand-held Arriflex at Gabe's eye, Eli behind him,

steering Gabe by the back of his belt and carrying the battery pack

as they photograph Cameron shedding the harness. With the camera,

they crouch and move together like a three-headed, four-armed, four-

legged creature.

Banking steeply, a British fighter roars past Cameron, its wingtip

almost brushing the ground, machine guns rattling, driving some

advancing German soldiers back toward the woods.

The plane touches down to rescue Cameron, the pilot beckoning.

Cameron has pulled off the dead German pilot's boots and helmet.

Stray bullets strike about him as he sprints to the idling British

plane. It is a single-seater. It starts to pick up speed. He

grabs a strut and scrambles up onto the lower wing.

ANGLE ON CONSTRUCTION CRANE

The bucket hanging from the giant CRANE descends. Smoothly Eli

guides Gabe backward, seating him in the bucket. The bucket rises,

lifting Gabe while he photographs the scene, as the plane with

Cameron on the wing becomes airborne.

ANGLE ON PICKET FENCE

Behind it is a CROWD OF SPECTATORS who jump up and down shrieking.

CAMERA PANS to show Nina among them, her excitement hardly more

controlled.

113

114

115

- 72

ANGLE ON CRANE BUCKET AND BRITISH AIRPLANE

The giant arm of the crane swings and rises with the plane,

completing Gabe's spectacular shot. Now we see a HELICOPTER drop

into frame, photographing the plane from the other side. The

chopper and the vintage British plane bank together in perfect tight

formation with Cameron standing spread-eagled between the wing

struts like a flying Christ, as they soar into the sun.

ANGLE ON CAMERON

Seated on the wing, his back against he fuselage, legs firmly

against the struts. His white silk scarf streams into the tearing

wind. Jamming a champagne bottle into the German's boot, he holds

it up. The pilot grins approval, popping the cork on a second

bottle which spouts foam into the slipstream. Laughing, he passes a

glass to Cameron and pours from above. The liquid is lost in the

wind. Shrugging, he swigs from the bottle and hands it to Cameron.

Cameron drinks. The champagne pours down his throat and face and,

holding the strut with one hand, he rises to his feet.

The pilot waggles his wings, giving Cameron a seesaw ride to get his

bottle back. Cameron now seems drunk. He lets go of the strut and

stands leaning against the wind. As the pilot toasts his courage,

Cameron's balance falters and he grabs the strut.

Now, Cameron picks his way through the guywires toward the end of

the wing. Then he bounces up and down, rocking the plane. The

pilot starts to sing to Cameron's rhythm, "How ya gonna keep 'em

down on the farm..." And Cameron dances the Charleston.

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