The Truman Show Page #18

INT. INSURANCE COMPANY. DAY.

Close up on typewriting appearing on a page.

"Please accept my resignation from

American Life & Accident, Inc. to

take effect immediately.

Yours tru"

TRUMAN gets up from the typewriter in mid-word and strolls to a

fellow AGENT's desk.

TRUMAN:

(to agent, picking up

a dictionary)

"Yours truly..." You spell "truly"

"l...y" or "e...l...y"?

INSURANCE AGENT:

I always write "Yours faithfully..."

Truman finds the appropriate page in the dictionary and gazes at

the entry for a long moment. He looks up, staring into the

middle distance. His eyes widen as something clicks in his

mind. Suddenly LAWRENCE snatches the dictionary from his hand.

LAWRENCE:

Where the hell have you been, Burbank?

What the hell's going on?

TRUMAN:

That's what I'd like to know, Lawrence.

The AGENTS in the other cubicles turn in their direction.

TRUMAN:

I was just about to resign. Isn't that

a laugh? I just realized there's nothing

to resign from, is there?

LAWRENCE:

Listen, don't bother with the resignation.

Just get the f*** outta here.

TRUMAN:

(addressing the whole office)

Why're you all pretending? Huh?

(gesturing to a computer terminal)

What is this a front for? Why aren't I in

on the joke? Was I away that day?!

Noting two colleagues exchanging a look, he pulls the computer

off the desk to get their attention. It lands on the floor with

an expensive crash.

TRUMAN:

(hysterical)

I'm talking to you! Who am I?!

LAWRENCE:

(taken aback by the sudden violent act)

You better get outta here or I'm calling Security.

TRUMAN:

(mimicking)

"Security! I'm calling Security".

Truman picks up the framed photograph from his desk, containing

SYLVIA's hidden likeness. Suddenly he wheels on Lawrence,

pinning him to a cubicle wall.

TRUMAN:

You don't believe a single word you're saying!

(to the assembled group)

None of you do!

(suddenly talking to a sprinkler

head in the ceiling)

You hear me?!

We see Truman's manic face from the sprinkler head's POV.

Truman stomps off down the corridor, other Insurance Agents

giving him a wide berth. He shoves computers, desk lamps and

pot holders off desks as he goes.

EXT. MANHATTAN STREET. DAY.

TRUMAN steps out of the office, suddenly able to breathe

again, pleased to be outdoors despite the gloomy sky overhead.

INT. CONTROL ROOM SOMEWHERE. DAY.

CHRISTOF is once again standing at the picture window in the

dimly-lit control room where we first encountered him. Behind

him, the fronds of the palm tree sway in a gentle breeze. The

sky, a cloudless, cobalt blue in sharp contrast to the overcast

day in New York City.

SIMEON, co-ordinating camera angles, sits in front of the

largest of the monitors that shows a live picture of TRUMAN

stuck in his car in gridlock.

SIMEON:

(talking quietly into a

slim headset)

...and back to the close-up...

CHLOE's attention is focused on a subsidiary monitor displaying

a freeze frame of TRUMAN reading the dictionary a few minutes

earlier.

CHLOE:

(to a hard-bitten Operator, staring

at the dictionary)

Do you think he sees the entry?

OPERATOR:

Hard to tell.

CHRISTOF:

(sarcastic)

Why don't we ask him?

CHLOE:

(snapping back, referring to the book)

I don't know how it got there!

(to Operator)

Enhance.

Christof turns his back on the screen and stares out the window.

We focus on an enhanced picture of the dictionary's text.

genuinely, etc. 2. in fact; really.

TrumanËsque (Ësk)a. characteristic

of the experiences of Truman Burbank

(a Trumanesque town, conversation,

etc.) [circa. 1972)

trump,n. [

Rate this script:2.0 / 1 vote