Total Recall

FADE IN:

1EXT. DESERT - DAY

All we can see, filling the entire frame is a flame-orange sky...almost

like the sky from the burning of Atlanta in "Gone with the Wind".

SUPERIMPOSE:
Presenter credit.

PAN DOWN lower and lower until we see the terrain below... the desert.

There is no vegetation whatever, just sand and odd-shaped rock

formations. The air is filled with red dust, which alternately

obscures and then reveals the image. CAMERA MOVES FORWARD optically -

enlarging the film grain in the process.

SLOW DISOLVE:

OPENING CREDITS BEGIN.

ANOTHER SHOT of a barren landscape, once more with bizarre rocks. Dust.

Sound of wind. CAMERA MOVES FORWARD again. DISSOLVE.

ANOTHER LANDSCAPE, but this time, in the distance are some enormous

plastic domes. Sunlight striking them and reflect- ing causes brilliant

rainbows. CAMERA optically tracks toward the dome, seen in

tantalizingly indistinct fashion through the red dust. DISSOLVE...

ANOTHER ANGLE, and, in the distance, on the horizon of the arid

landscape is a huge SPHINX-LIKE STRUCTURE. (It is reminiscent of the

Egyptian sphinx, but both body and face, though gargoyle-like, are

different in design.) There are some large pyramids not far from the

sphinx. CAMERA MOVES optically FORWARD. DISSOLVE.

CAMERA is much closer to the sphinx and is directly in front. It moves

(combination of zoom and optical printer move) towards the eyes, which

appear to be red gems.

As CAMERA APPROACHES one of the eyes, it appears to be stained red

glass, as in a temple. Suddenly there is a terrific explosion and the

glass shatters into millions of fragments which hurtle toward the

camera...

2INT. CATACOMB BELOW "SPHINX" - DAY

A MAN wearing a LIGHTWEIGHT THERMAL SUIT is RUNNING THROUGH THIS

LABYRINTH of TUNNELS. The GROUND TREMBLES under him, as if in an

earthquake. We cannot clearly make out his face, especially since he

wears some kind of BREATHING APPARATUS over a portion of it.

The surface of the tunnel's "walls" is curious; the walls are, again,

bright reddish orange, and a composite of two different substances:

rough-textured, clay-like material and red quartz, which glistens like

crystal.

The man throws a backward glance over his shoulder, fear- fully, as he

runs. His HANDS are SPLATTERED with BLOOD. Because of this, the RED

GLOW, the air of FEAR to the man, and the GROUND HEAVING and BUCKLING,

there is almost a SATANIC suggestion to the scene.

Suddenly, up AHEAD of the man, there appears a BRILLIANT WHITE LIGHT.

He SEES IT, and runs even faster towards it.

We are ALMOST UP TO THE LIGHT, and we SEE HANDS REACHING OUT OF THE

LIGHT TOWARDS US... that seem to beckon him to SAFETY.

ABRUPTLY, the ENTIRE SCREEN GOES RED, BUT IN REVERSE NEGATIVE; with

YELLOW LAYOVERS. (So that all the images we see -- ENTIRE FRAME -- are

small YELLOW AREAS diffused on a RED BACKGROUND.) It is much like

looking at a tableau made out of molten lava.

SUPERIMPOSE MAIN TITLE:

TOTAL RECALL:

HOLD.

DISSOLVE TO:

3INT. BEDROOM IN SMALL APARTMENT - MORNING

DOUGLAS QUAIL and his wife KRISTEN, are asleep in bed.

Gradually the room lights BRIGHTEN. The CLOCK CHIMES and begins

SPEAKING in a soft, feminine voice.

CLOCK (sweetly) Tick, tock, seven o'clock. Time to rise and open your

eyes.

They don't budge. Shortly, the clock CHIMES again.

CLOCK (continuing) Tick, tock, seven-oh-one. Time to get up, the day

had begun.

Quail's wife stirs. Maddeningly, the clock CHIMES a third time.

CLOCK (continuing) Tick, tock --

Quail reaches out and shuts the clock off. Then he sits up in bed.

He swings his legs out from under the covers and sits on the edge of

the bed. He puts on his glasses and sits, lost in thought.

He is a good-looking but conventional man in his early thirties. He

seems rather in awe of his wife, who is attractive and rather off-hand

towards him. Kirsten pulls on her robe, lights a cigarette, sits

fishing for her slippers.

QUAIL I dreamed about Mars again... it was bizarre, yet is was so

real...

KIRSTEN (casual) It's your time of the month again.

Quail looks at her quizzically.

KIRSTEN (continuing; world-weary air) At least once a month. Douglas

Quail's obsession. For twelve years you've been talking about Mars.

QUAIL People do go to Mars, you know.

KIRSTEN That's right, Douglas. But not you. Not us.

Quail looks crestfallen.

KIRSTEN (continuing; disdainful) As it is, we can barely scrape by on

your lousy ten thousand a week.

She leaves the room. He meditates on what she said, depressed.

4INT. KITCHENETTE - MORNING

Quail and Kirsten sit at a small table, eating breakfast. On the WALL

is projected the front page of a NEWSPAPER.

Drinking his coffee, Quail studies the wall with the air of a man who

had his "node stuck in a newspaper," ignoring his wife.

The newspaper headline reads: "RIOTING ON MARS OVER WATER TAX."

His wife is reading a different article: "Four Women Rape Man in Park."

KIRSTEN (mumbling) What do they expect ... the way men dress these days

... then they scream rape.

Quail is absorbed in his own paper and doesn't hear her.

QUAIL You know -- let's really do it.

KIRSTEN Rape men in the park?

QUAIL No. Go to Mars.

KIRSTEN (withering) Go to hell.

QUAIL We can pool our savings and I've got some sick leave coming,

besides my regular vacation...

KIRSTEN (interrupting; corrects herself) ...more of a half-wit. For a

start a war could break out there any day ...

She gestures toward the TV screen where Martian police are keeping

protesters behind a barrier. Some have signs reading "A FREE MARS",

"DOWN WITH COHAAGEN", "EARTH - OUT" etc.

QUAIL That's just media talk. They're... (indicating the protesters)

...just a minority. They're powerless.

KIRSTEN Well, there's a lot of things we need around here before we

waste our money on a trip to Mars. We're broke. I'm just a slave

around this dump. Now if you were capable of finding a better job....

The kitchen clock chimes and talks.

CLOCK It's now eight. You'll be late!

QUAIL I'll be late!

He jumps up quickly from the table, picks up his coat and briefcase,

kisses KIRSTEN's perfunctorily offered cheek and leaves.

4AEXT. CITY - EARLY MORNING

CAMERA TRACKS with Quail as he walks along the busy modern street

towards a subway station. Modern cars (out of focus) pass noiselessly

between the camera and Quail. There is a plaintive tune being played

on violin. Quail pauses and gives a wad of notes to the aged

violinist, then walks on briskly.

5INT. SUBWAY STATION - EARLY MORNING

Quail enters the station. Everybody must pass through a weapons check

before proceeding to the platforms.

TWO ARMED GUARDS stand at either side, as commuters pass through an

electronic beam. On a screen, the entire body of each person is seen in

X-ray. All of them are clearly carrying a gun in their inside coat

pocket.

GUARD No weapon again, Mr. Quail?

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