_ACT ONE_ FADE IN EXTERIOR BORAGORA - DAY - HIGH ANGLE We start on the sun and pan down to the island, which is in one of its more ravishing heat spells. Everything seems to be moving a little bit more slowly -- especially the people. We can see passengers from the Clipper as they make their way from the dock to the beach, being besieged by the locals selling their leis, shells, etc. With their jackets off, and wet shirts, we can see that the passengers are more interested in the bar. Corky and Sarah are talking to one of the passengers, Mr. Lumire. He is French, rather distinguished considering his trade, and full of enthusiasm. Over this: JAKE'S VOICE OVER Trying to describe the heat in Boragora is like trying to describe colors to a blind man. It doesn't soak through your body like a warm bath, but rather wraps it in a suffocating blanket, placing you in a humid, drunken haze. It's times like this that make most of us do things out of the ordinary. It's sort of a reward for having to endure the weather. CLOSER ANGLE - DOCK as Sarah and Corky talk to Lumire. Behind them we can see Jake, Jack and Louie walking towards the dock. LUMIRE I guess you would call me an art dealer. If I may. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a deck of playing cards. We can see on the back of them photos, but not exactly the detail. Corky takes them. He sees the detail. CORKY Boy, I've never heard of this artist! SARAH Can I see? CORKY I don't know if you should, Sarah. LUMIRE (to Sarah) If the lady would like, I have a second set. He hands them to Sarah, who begins to open the pack. ANGLE - LOUIE AND JAKE as they walk toward the dock. We can see more heat exhausted passengers walking past them. LOUIE The heat may be hell on the spirit, but on the pocketbook... marveilleux! JAKE (looking towards Clipper) I can see you ordered enough beer. LOUIE Bought out half the warehouse in Tagataya. (looking at a passenger) But I'm sure these ladies and gentlemen will not mind paying a little extra for...relief. By now they have reached Corky and Sarah. As they talk we can see coming towards them Maurice LaBatier, mid-forties, a handsome French gentleman whose eyes are a little too cold for his smile, and Genevieve LaBatier, maybe nineteen or a bit older, slender and full of a Gigi sensuality. Over this: JAKE What are you looking at? SARAH That's disgusting. LOUIE Ah, French Polenaires. (as he takes one) When I was a school boy I collected them. SARAH You collected these? Louie looks up and remembers. LOUIE Ah yes. In fact, there was one particular photo that.... Louie suddenly sees something. His face turns tense. He just stands there for a moment, then turns and leaves in a hurry. JAKE Louie? He doesn't answer. LUMIRE Did I say something wrong? CORKY Maybe he's going to get his collection. Jack barks once for no. Jake continues to watch Louie as he goes into the Monkey Bar. Sarah looks down at the cards again. SARAH Disgusting. (looking closer at picture) What is that anyway? CORKY (looking; innocently) It's a unicycle. LUMIRE (taking the cards back) I apologize to the lady, if it offends her sensibilities. SARAH (grabbing them back) It most certainly does! (then to photo) Who's _he_? LUMIRE (looking at photo) He is known as the Flying Dutchman. SARAH Disgusting. LUMIRE If you are so fortunate to have a projector, I could sell you a rather artistic film I have with me. A most interesting interpretation of _Alice in Wonderland_. By now Louie has returned. His face is white as marble. Corky looks up at him. CORKY Hey, Louie, this man's going to sell us a movie. Louie doesn't listen. Maurice, who is coming towards us with Genevieve, sees him and stops. He turns cold. Suddenly, totally in control, Louie raises his arm and with deliberate aim fires a single shot at Maurice from his pistol. The other passengers scream and fall to the ground. MAURICE as the bullet grazes his left ear. He reels around, grabbing his ear. He looks over to Louie -- shocked. Genevieve grabs him. GENEVIEVE Poppa! Maurice takes his hand from his ear, and looks at it. There is only a little blood. The two men stare at each other. Louie looks as if he is going to fire again, when he finally notices Genevieve and his face softens for a moment. He just cannot stop looking at her. Jake grabs the pistol from Louie. JAKE What the hell are you doing? Louie continues to stare at the girl. JAKE Louie.... LOUIE (breaking the stare) As Magistrate de Justice I consider this incident closed. (beat) Nothing more is to be said. He turns and walks towards the Monkey Bar, leaving the group shocked and confused. Maurice is fending off the attention of others. He, too, is acting as if the incident is nothing. EXTERIOR MONKEY BAR - NIGHT Looking through the window we can see the dimly lit, smoke-filled room. A group of locals, including Corky, are watching the screen with intense interest. The music is jumpy, the dialogue in French, but it doesn't seem to matter to the group who laugh and clap at all the right moments. The feeling is one of release from the tensions of the day -- and the fact that the heat is just as bad at night. Camera picks up Jake who walks through the door and out to the porch, followed by Jack. His shirt is opened, and he is wiping sweat off his face with a handkerchief. He is holding a mug of beer. As we follow him down to the water, we pick up Louie who stands at water's edge, just looking out. CLOSER ANGLE - LOUIE AND JAKE As Jake goes over to the faucet, turns it on, and soaks his handkerchief in it, then pouring out the rest of the beer, fills the mug with water and gives it to Jack who immediately begins drinking it up. Louie finally turns and looks down to Jack. He does not look at Jake. His voice is calm. Maybe a bit too calm. LOUIE Why aren't you watching the film? JAKE I know how it ends. I read the book. LOUIE I've seen this one, you know. In a small back room of the Jordane. A rather interesting interpretation. Amazing what we French do to Lewis Carroll. A moment, as Jake rubs his face in the wet handkerchief, then: JAKE Louie, everyone is trying to ignore what you did this morning. Well I'm sorry, but I can't ignore it. It's just too damn hot to work that hard. LOUIE (evenly) Why did I do it? Because I wanted to kill him. We hear a sudden burst of laughter from inside the Monkey Bar. Louie turns. LOUIE Ah, they must have reached the Tweedle Dum scene. Jake grabs Louie and turns him around so that they are face to face. JAKE Louie...you walked up to a perfect stranger and shot him? LOUIE (with more energy) He was not a perfect stranger. Louie looks out at the water as if he's making up his mind. Then: LOUIE Jake, I'm going to tell you something, but I must have your word of honor that it will stay with you, and never, ever be repeated. JAKE (concerned at the urgency) If that's the way you want it...of course. Louie looks at Jake for the first time. It's a look we've never seen before. Full of pain...and rage. LOUIE His name is Marcel Debore. It must have been afterward that he changed it to Maurice LaBatier...the one he's using now. JAKE Louie, what are you talking about? LOUIE The Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Strange to think of it now after twenty years. The opposites...it was cold, Jake, the kind of cold that digs into your soul then shatters it into a million glass needles. Our only supplies were what was in our bellies. The great war was like that. Marcel volunteered to bring aid. It was a suicide mission, but we were dying as it was. He never returned. Louie turns from Jake and begins to walk by the water's edge, Jake and Jack follow. As Louie talks, his voice becomes more tense, more out of control. LOUIE A day later the Germans found us, and wiped out the entire unit. I...well, they left me for dead. (beat) At the hospital in France...when I came to, a mother of one of our wounded was being told that her son was dying...that Marcel had bought his life by revealing the location of our unit to the Germans. JAKE Louie, I had no idea.... LOUIE (totally into the memory) This dead boy's mother wore a white dress, and when she learned the news, she fell to her knees, knocking a glass of wine off the bed stand. Funny...at that moment, all I wanted to do was clean that red stain out of her dress before it set. She didn't notice it. JAKE What happened to Marcel? How in God's name did you let him get away. LOUIE He contacted a mutual friend...a girl with whom I was comfortable. They were never heard from again. The Government of France sentenced him to death in absentia. (then suddenly) I vowed to kill him on sight if I ever set eyes on him. JAKE (after a beat) Louie. I've seen you use a gun. If you wanted to kill him, you would have. LOUIE I don't know. A man who studies revenge keeps his wounds green. And they are still that fresh to me, Jake. Maybe I only want the moment to last. Possibly my revenge is to be sipped...like a fine burgundy. Louie gives Jake a small smile, then turns and begins towards the Monkey Bar. JAKE as he watches him go. INTERIOR MONKEY BAR - NIGHT as the film ends and the small group applauds. Gushie, behind the projector, begins to rewind the film as the lights come on. The group talks to each other about the merits of the film as Louie enters. Corky sees him as Louie goes to the bar. CORKY Hey, Louie, you missed a great movie. There is this one place in the.... LOUIE CORKY Tweedle Dum scene. Tweedle Dum scene. CORKY You've seen it already? LOUIE Many times. (to bartender) A brandy, Sammy. As the bartender pours the drink, Corky eyes it hungrily, then.... CORKY Well...I've got to work on the Goose...radios are going weak again. Last night I caught a bounce and caught _Fibber McGee and Molly_. Just as Fibber is gonna open the closet door... (makes a noise) ...it shorted out. LOUIE (sympathetic) Disastrous. Louie turns towards the door with his brandy and watches Corky, who stops and keeps one side of the door open for a guest. As he leaves, the guest enters. It is Maurice. Louie's face goes dark. Gushie sees Louie's reaction and wheels over to him. GUSHIE (seeing Maurice) Louie, I can close up. Why don't you call it a night? LOUIE (watching Maurice come towards him) I am quite awake, Gushie. Gushie looks at the two men with concern as Maurice reaches the bar. Maurice looks over to the other end where Louie is, then: MAURICE (to the bartender) Two brandies please. As the bartender pours the drinks, Louie turns to Gushie. LOUIE I will be in the billiard room. He takes his brandy and walks over. Maurice, holding the two brandies, sees Louie leave. Maurice begins towards the billiard room as Gushie watches him with concern. INTERIOR BILLIARD ROOM as Louie is playing a game alone. The door opens and Maurice comes in with the two brandies. He sets one down on the side of the table, then shuts the door. They are alone. MAURICE I bring you a drink, Louie. You must understand I know how you feel. There will be no charge pressed. LOUIE Marcel...oh yes, it is Maurice now, you are the one talking of pressing charges? MAURICE Louie, listen to me. I've paid for my sins...you must know what kind of life I've led.... LOUIE Life? Your life is nothing compared to the twelve men you sentenced to death. MAURICE We were all so close to death, they very well would have died as it was. LOUIE And that is the rationalization you have used to sleep at night? (harder; to Maurice) You sir, are a deserter and a traitor to the flag of France...a condemned man. I could have you arrested on the spot...and guillotined before the week's end. Maurice takes a long drink from his brandy, then: MAURICE You will listen to me, Louie. (taking a breath) I have been living in Saigon, like a common dog, since the war. You think Monique and I shared a life of teas and dances. Monique was never happy. Not for a moment. Even the birth of our child, Genevieve, didn't help her feeling of betrayal...to you. And she would _never_ let me forget. That hatred, I am sure it is what finally made her physically ill...she languished for years, until I finally buried her.... LOUIE (suddenly) Buried? MAURICE (softer) Last year. It was all for the good. Louie explodes at that. He throws his drink in Maurice's face. We can feel it stinging. LOUIE You take the life of my friends, then destroy that of Monique. (taking a breath) My only regret is that the age of dueling has long since vanished. Maurice looks at him with newfound hate in his eyes. We suddenly see the other side of him. The side that could do all those past deeds. MAURICE It does not need to be so. INTERIOR MONKEY BAR - ON OUTSIDE OF BILLIARD ROOM DOORS as Louie swings them open. LOUIE Gushie! My pistols from under the bar! Gushie looks up at him shocked. CUT TO EXTERIOR MONKEY BAR - NIGHT as Louie and Maurice are standing twelve paces from each other, both in side stances, their pistols pointed at each other. We see Genevieve come out of her room on the second floor and look down. LOUIE We shall follow Hapsburg rules, facing each other. I would not feel safe turning my back on you. GENEVIEVE (helpless) Poppa, please, this is madness! MAURICE I have my honor! ANGLE - GROUP as we see Sarah break through. SARAH (to Gushie) You've got to stop this! GUSHIE Would everyone just stop yelling at me! SARAH I've got to find Jake! We see her run towards the dock. MAURICE AND LOUIE as they continue to stare at each other -- guns pointed. Genevieve leans further over the railing. GENEVIEVE Poppa, please for me...put the gun away! Louie looks up at her. For a moment he is distracted...we see the soft look in his face once again. But then, catching himself, he puts his attention back on Maurice. LOUIE This time, I will not miss. We can hear the pistol cocking, as Jake and Corky come running into the group, followed by Sarah and Jack. JAKE Louie...no! Jake jumps towards Louie, grabbing his gun. Genevieve screams as the pistol fires, the bullet hitting one of the outdoor lamps, shattering it and showering bits of glass on the group. At the same moment, Corky grabs Maurice's gun. JAKE (out of breath; firm) That's the end of it! For both of you! It's over! LOUIE as he looks over to Maurice. It is far from over. EXTERIOR MONKEY BAR HOTEL - SECOND STORY BALCONY - NIGHT as we see Jake sitting outside, drinking a beer. Over this: JAKE'S VOICE OVER Once when I was a kid, I got lost at the county fair. It was the first time I felt that sudden hollow feeling in your stomach when you realize you're all alone. I felt it again when I ran in to stop Louie. It was as if he suddenly disappeared, right in front of me. We hear a voice. GENEVIEVE Excuse me.... Jake looks up. We see Genevieve. She looks somewhat disheveled, as if she has been trying unsuccessfully to sleep. She paces around nervously as she talks. Jake gets up. JAKE (uncomfortable) Hello.... GENEVIEVE (right away) It is not my place to talk of one's home, but you have a very terrible island here. JAKE Look, you've got to understand that this isn't the usual.... GENEVIEVE Please. Being angry for me is like running down a hill, and I am only halfway down. (taking a breath) We are shot at as soon as our feet touch your soil...my father is challenged with guns.... JAKE Did you ask him why? GENEVIEVE (continuing) He thinks I am still a child. He will tell me nothing...everyone in your cafe looks the other way...I thought, perhaps, you could tell me what is going on. Jake is torn. He can't really tell her. He looks at her, then: JAKE I don't know...the trade winds have stopped. The heat makes people crazy...do crazy things. GENEVIEVE You too are treating me like a child. JAKE No. I'm just as confused as you are. She looks out at the ocean. GENEVIEVE I guess at times I _am_ a very little girl. Perhaps my father is right. I just hope _you_ are right...that it is over. She looks over to Jake and gives him a sad smile. Then we hear a gunshot. Genevieve looks around...shocked. JAKE (fearing the worst) Oh no.... He immediately runs to the stairs, followed by Jack, and then Genevieve. INTERIOR LOUIE'S OFFICE - NIGHT We see a horrible sight. Maurice is lying face down on the floor. Gushie is right next to him, looking down in shock, and Louie has his back to us, looking out the window. Jake runs into the room, followed by Genevieve. She sees her father, rushes to him. GENEVIEVE Poppa...mon Dieu! Jake checks the body. He looks up to Louie. During this, Sarah and Corky run into the room. They just stand there shocked. Jake looks over to Louie. JAKE (to Louie) What in God's name happened? LOUIE (calm; his back still to us) It is very simple, mon ami. Louie turns around. We can see the smoking pistol in his hand. LOUIE I shot him. Jake stands up. He looks directly at Louie. Louie looks over to Genevieve, then closes his eyes. FADE OUT _END OF ACT ONE_ _ACT TWO_ FADE IN EXTERIOR TAGATAYA STREETS - DAY - VARIOUS SHOTS - STOCK as camera pans through the streets of Tagataya, ending up at the government building. Our last shot is the erecting of a guillotine outside the window of the Magistrate's office. Over this: JAKE'S VOICE OVER It's strange that when the awful happens everything seems to occur like quick bursts of lightning. First the confusion, then the arrival of the Magistrate from Tagataya...and before I knew it, we were flying back there in the Goose with Louie as a prisoner. It was a painful flight...Genevieve sitting up front, staring at Louie with such hate in her eyes, and Louie, handcuffed to a guard, never saying a word. If Corky and Jack weren't with me, I don't know how I could have taken it. CUT TO INTERIOR GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY - LOUIE'S QUARTERS The room is furnished, though sparsely, in French rococo, and there are a few rather large oils on the walls. Any feeling of elegance is wiped out by the sight of the guillotine which can be seen just outside the window - - and the appearance of two guards who walk back and forth on either side. Louie is looking out at the guards. Jake is pacing, and Jack sits under the coffee table. LOUIE I was somehow expecting bars. I imagine though, that any place where you can't leave for a breath of air is a jail. JAKE Louie, you've been arrested for murder! LOUIE It is simply that I am a man of my word, and I followed through on a lifelong vow. JAKE That vow was to look Maurice in the face, to a...what do you call it.... LOUIE J'accuse? JAKE Right, j'accuse...to look straight at a man, tell him of his crime, and then punish him. That doesn't mean shooting him in the back! LOUIE I did it, mon ami. In frustration, Jake hits his fist on the window. The guards look into the room, suspicious. JAKE (to Louie) Look out the window, Louie...look what they've got for you! LOUIE And what would you have me do? JAKE Tell them the truth! Tell them the kind of man Marcel was. For God sakes, he was sentenced to death by your government. LOUIE No! JAKE If you won't, I will. LOUIE (sudden rage) Jake, you gave your word of honor that you would not reveal to a soul what I told you! JAKE We are talking about your life, Louie! LOUIE (as an answer) Do you mean to go back on your word of honor? JAKE (right away) No...yes...it's not going back on my word. LOUIE (with anger) Then what do you call it? Jake thinks a moment, then: JAKE (straight) Fudging? Louie looks at him. He has to smile. The moment lightens. LOUIE Fudging? They look at each other and laugh...mostly from the tension of the last few days. The Magistrate enters, stern face to the two men laughing with each other. MAGISTRATE (without humor) I hope you find our quarters comfortable, Louie. I would not want a fellow magistrate to be housed with the...criminals. Although I am sure you are used to such...environments. The two sober up. Jack growls at the Magistrate. LOUIE The accommodations are quite sufficient, Monsieur Renard. (looking up at painting) It is your taste I find offensive. MAGISTRATE I am surprised that a man of your...class ordinaire would even be aware of such objects d'art. JAKE Stop playing the high and mighty. Louie is in the same class as you are. LOUIE (to Jake) Please, mon ami.... MAGISTRATE (in anger) Mr. Cutter, there are four magistrates de justice in the Marivellas chain. We are a proud group, with an unblemished reputation...that is except for one. Louie glares at him. Jack barks once for no. MAGISTRATE I knew if I waited long enough it was only a matter of time before he would fall back on his...habits and I would be standing here, in judgment. JAKE (sarcastic) It must be great to have such high aspirations in life. MAGISTRATE I did not fire the gun that brought your friend here. (beat) I assure you, Mr. Cutter, that my personal feelings for my 'colleague' will have no bearing on my judgment. It is said that in French law, judges only sit on the strength of truth. JAKE Right. And my mother used to say that the pants judges wear are so thin they can sit on a dime and tell you if it's heads or tails. MAGISTRATE I came here to inform you that the trial will be in two days. (nodding to them) Messieurs. He leaves. JAKE Louie, with an enemy like that sitting on the bench, your only chance is to tell them who Maurice really was. LOUIE No! (sternly) I have your word, Jake, and I am holding you to it. Outside we hear the sound of the guillotine being tested. Louie looks out. CUT TO LOW ANGLE - GUILLOTINE - DAY as it towers over us. Camera pans over to Jack who growls at it, and then to Jake who looks up at the death machine. Corky comes up to them. CORKY (points to it) Is that for Louie? JAKE (jumping on him) No, it's not for Louie! CORKY I'm sorry, Jake, I didn't mean it that way. JAKE (softer) It's not your fault. I just don't know what to do, Corky. How do you help someone who doesn't want it? CORKY (thinking hard) Hey, Jake, do you remember when I had that temperature in...in...? JAKE Natal? CORKY You almost had to sit on me to get me to drink all that water? It saved my life. Maybe Louie's like that...you know, real sick and doesn't know what's good for him. Jake thinks for a moment, then begins down the street. CORKY Hey, where're you going? JAKE To break a fever. INTERIOR TAGATAYA CATHEDRAL - DAY Large and opulent. We can see Genevieve at the front, praying. The wall in front of her is glowing brilliantly with the glow of innumerable candles. They cast a ghostly glow on her face. Jake and Jack walk over to her. Jake kneels down next to her. We can see that she has been crying. JAKE How are you doing? GENEVIEVE I would be fine if it wasn't for the handwriting. JAKE Handwriting? GENEVIEVE I was real proud of myself, really holding up. Poppa's belongings...I was packing them away. It didn't bother me. Even my favorite picture of him, sitting backwards on a horse making a face...it only made me laugh. But then I came across the letters he sent to me...his handwriting, somehow it was just too alive. I couldn't take it, so I burned them all. Into black ash. Genevieve stares up at the altar for a moment, then: GENEVIEVE I have a confession to make. JAKE This place does that to people. GENEVIEVE I've been here in church now for two hours...and you know what? I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing...what prayers to say, how to cross myself. We only went to church once. I'm sitting here trying to pray for my father's soul without any instructions. JAKE I think praying is very much like crying. It just starts deep inside and then kind of happens. No one needs to teach you. GENEVIEVE (colder) No one needs to teach me anything. There is no one anymore. JAKE (soft) What about your mother? GENEVIEVE She died a year ago. (beat) You know I was born prematurely. I was so small...no one expected me to live. They say that premies are extra close to their mothers. It must be true. Mama had a way of turning skinned knees into special occasions. We had very long talks. She was extraordinary. JAKE And your father? Genevieve looks up at the candles. It is obvious she doesn't want to talk about her father. GENEVIEVE (changing the subject) It's amazing how much heat these candles give off, isn't it? JAKE as he looks over to Genevieve. She is through talking. Something isn't right. CUT TO EXTERIOR MONKEY BAR - DAY as we see, from the heat, the spillover crowd from the bar. They are doing a land office business. INTERIOR MONKEY BAR as we see Sarah behind the bar "tending" the constant flow of drinks. Gushie is racing around serving the drinks on his special tray. Camera follows him as he wheels back to Sarah. Gushie puts another round of empties on the bar. GUSHIE (to Sarah) One Singapore sling, with a twist. SARAH Doesn't anybody just order beers anymore? Sarah stares at a group of hard liquor bottles in front of her. She takes out a glass for the "sling," puts ice in it, then stares at the bottles again. SARAH I get it confused. Is the Singapore sling two shots of bourbon to a shot of...that green stuff? GUSHIE No, that's a 'naked lady.' SARAH (in frustration) Well, all I've got to say is that Sammy has some nerve getting sick while Louie is...away. As Sarah starts pouring shots of whatever it is in front of her, we can see Gushie reacting to her statement. GUSHIE I tried the radio about an hour ago. Still nothing. SARAH (as she pours) You know they still use the guillotine in Tagataya. It's real big there, like the circus coming to town. A burly man call out from one of the tables. BURLY MAN Hey, where's my Singapore sling? SARAH (yelling back) Oh, sling it yourself! GUSHIE I'm sure Jake is doing everything he can. They look at each other. That doesn't help. The burly man gets up from his table and begins over to Sarah. Over this: SARAH (to Gushie) The Clipper leaves for Tagataya this afternoon. GUSHIE A lot of good that does us. By now the burly man is right over Sarah. He is very thirsty. Sarah looks over her shoulder at him. SARAH (annoyed) Can I help you? GUSHIE (an introduction) Singapore sling. Sarah takes the glass, which is now filled with her "mixture" and hands it to the man. He takes it and stares at her with angry eyes, then, still looking at Sarah, takes a long drink of his "sling." His eyes suddenly widen and he spits it out, coughing hysterically. Over this: SARAH (straight) It's a shame business is so bad. GUSHIE Bad? Gushie looks at the bar teeming with customers drinking. SARAH (continuing) Hardly worth keeping the place open. With overhead so expensive, we'd be doing Louie a favor. And with nothing to do...well the Clipper _does_ leave this afternoon. GUSHIE (seeing her point) You might have something there. SARAH (calling out) Bar closed! The customers quiet down and look at Sarah like she's out of her mind. GUSHIE (more forceful) You heard the lady! CUT TO EXTERIOR TAGATAYA STREETS - VARIOUS SHOTS - LATE NIGHT They are deserted, calm. Camera pans to a small dilapidated tropical hotel. Jake's hotel. Over this: JAKE'S VOICE OVER It was easy not to sleep in Tagataya. The heat was worse than back home, the sounds were strange, and inside something very deep was nagging at me. INTERIOR JAKE'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Small and cramped. A fan blows the hot air around. Camera stops on Jake who stares out the window. Over this: JAKE'S VOICE OVER All I had to go on was the faith that I was right. That Louie was somehow innocent. Maybe faith is just the substance of things you hope for, but if it meant keeping Louie alive, it was worth the fight. The door to Jake's room slowly opens, and back-lit from the light behind, we see Genevieve. She has a sweet sensuality about her. She is wearing a hint of makeup and a white cotton dress with a red sash around her waist. She has obviously dressed up for the occasion. GENEVIEVE I see I am not the only one who cannot sleep in this weather. JAKE No, you're...not alone. Genevieve comes in. She sits on the edge of the bed. She looks around the room, then at Jake. Jake just kind of tries to be comfortable. There is still an innocence about her...even through her youthful sensuality. This, mixed with obvious nervousness. GENEVIEVE I am so new at these things. JAKE At what things? GENEVIEVE It is hard to know where to start. I do not smoke, so asking for a 'light' would be foolish. And wine, well, it only makes me dizzy. (then) You think I am silly. JAKE No, not at all. GENEVIEVE (with a giggle) On the way over here, I was talking to myself. Out loud. And the clerk, he saw me, and thought I was a crazy woman. JAKE What were you saying? GENEVIEVE Oh you know. Sayings. (reciting) 'Pretty moon isn't it?' and 'Do you enjoy your room?' and... (sheepishly) 'I see I am not the only one who cannot sleep in this weather.' She looks down, embarrassed. Jake smiles. He sees what's going on. GENEVIEVE This is not the way it works in the cinema. JAKE It never is. GENEVIEVE Jake, do you think of me only as a little girl? I am growing up, no? JAKE I am happy to inform you that you are no longer a little girl. Genevieve smiles, relieved at that. Then: GENEVIEVE I know you have been with many women. Older, experienced...who don't practice their speeches in hotel hallways, but would I ever have a chance...with you? Jake smiles at her. He looks at her softly, then walks over. He cups her face in his hands. JAKE You have a very false impression of me.... GENEVIEVE Oh no, I am not putting you on a pedestal. I know what I am saying...you are not, for example, as pretty as your Douglas Fairbanks. JAKE (suddenly) I'm not? Jack barks once for no. GENEVIEVE No. But I do not like 'pretty'...I like you. (then; almost pleading) Jake, if you do not hold me, I am afraid I will crumble into little pieces. She puts her arms around him and they embrace. We hold the moment long enough to realize that Jake is not going to pull away. Then, the door opens. Standing right in the center is Sarah. She looks at Jake, and then at Genevieve. SARAH (sincere) Oh, excuse me, I didn't mean to.... Jake and Genevieve turn to her. The moment is very awkward. JAKE Sarah? GENEVIEVE (formally; to Jake) Thank you for the talk, Monsieur Cutter. We will speak more in the morning. She smiles at Sarah and walks out the door. Sarah walks in. JAKE Now wait a minute, it's not what you think.... SARAH I know.... JAKE It's just that she was unable to sleep in the weather and... (right away) ...and what the hell are _you_ doing here? SARAH (firm) Jake Cutter, sometimes you really make me want to pop you one! You think all I do with my life is sneak around you like some kid sister peeking through the curtains. I really don't care what went on. JAKE You don't? SARAH No! For God sakes, I'm your friend. I care what's happening to Louie...to you. I came all the way out here because I thought he might just need more help. Jake looks at her for a moment, then: JAKE He does. We suddenly hear the sounds of police whistles and shouts in French. Jack gets up and runs out the door barking. Sarah and Jake look at each other. They don't like what they hear. Sarah and Jake run out after Jack. EXTERIOR GOVERNMENT BUILDING - NIGHT A small crowd is standing in front of the steps of the building. We can see the two guards who were in Louie's window earlier. They are now on either side of the door, their hands up, and their guns on the ground. Jake, Sarah and Jack run into the crowd. Jack's barks separate the crowd and we can see who is holding the gun on the guards. It is Gushie. GUSHIE (ordering guard) Now take your key and open the door. Jake runs toward him. JAKE Gushie, it's not going to work. Put the gun down! Suddenly the door between the two guards bursts open, sending a blinding searchlight right on Gushie and Jake. The scene takes on a euphoric tone as they are bathed in the brilliant, washed-out light. GUSHIE I'm getting Louie out of here! SARAH Put the gun down, Gushie, please! This isn't the way to help. Jake hears the sound of rifle clicks. He looks around, then up, behind him. JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW - ROOF OF BUILDING ACROSS STREET as we see two more guards posed on the roof, aiming their rifles down. JAKE as he yells up to the roof. JAKE He's not going to hurt anyone. Don't shoot...just hold on! Suddenly we hear gunshots from the roof. The ground, steps and posts splatter with bullets. Jake dives for Gushie, knocking his chair over, and shielding him from the bullets. Sarah screams as we see a few more bullets ricochet off of Gushie's chair. CLOSER ANGLE - JAKE AND GUSHIE as Jake continues to shield Gushie. The firing stops. Gushie looks at Jake. He is angry and frightened. JAKE Gushie, I won't let them kill Louie. I promise you. Jake looks up. The Magistrate is looking down at both of them. MAGISTRATE (even; to Jake) For a man so innocent, Louie's friends seem to be going to a lot of trouble to keep him out of trial. JAKE as he looks up at the Magistrate. FADE OUT _END OF ACT TWO_ _ACT THREE_ FADE IN EXTERIOR TAGATAYA GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY - TO ESTABLISH the guillotine prominent. From inside we hear the subdued murmurs of a restless gallery. One voice rises above the others, striking an official note. VOICE (off screen) (in French) Silence, please. The justices are entering court. INTERIOR TAGATAYA COURTROOM - DAY A small, cramped room crowded with chairs and tables. While not opulent, the chamber has that somber and functional feel which suggests the administration of power. Its spare furnishings appear to be a century old, and while baroque, uncomfortable as well. Clothes rustle as people fan themselves. ON JAKE sweltering in a suit, crowded beside Corky, Sarah and Gushie in a section for trial spectators. He is rising along with the others. JAKE'S VOICE OVER Of course, you gotta have hope. I don't know why, but you gotta have it. Some people think hope is an especially noble emotion. As for me, I'd rather have anything else, because hope is what you have when you don't. And we didn't. Even though I couldn't follow much of the trial, I could still hear the wheels of French justice grinding Louie to pieces. During this we see: THE MAGISTRATE AND TWO JUDGES entering from a side door. They are stone faced, wearing lamb's wool collars over the shoulders of their dark robes, no wigs. They take their central seats on a raised platform. The Magistrate is to one side of the judge acting as the president of the court. Three other men enter, these wearing simpler robes with white bibs...the defense attorneys. ON LOUIE He enters behind the defense attorneys, eyes locked forward, expressionless. Even though Louie is immaculately attired in his white suit and ascot, he lacks all traces of his sparkling personality. They sit across from the Magistrate. JAKE'S VOICE OVER (continuing) But, that had to be how he wanted it to go. He didn't do a thing to help himself. I guess you don't even have to have hope if you don't want it. ANGLE - PAST JAKE TO GENEVIEVE As the court sits, Jake fixes his gaze on the girl, slight and almost lost beside a larger man wearing the furred collar of a prosecutor. Genevieve has on a simple black mourning dress and veil, making her seem almost one of the court officials. WIDE The Magistrate stands, turning to the president. MAGISTRATE (in French) Monsieur President...have you reached a verdict? The court president hands a sheaf of papers to the Magistrate. The Magistrate flips through the pages, not giving anything away. The attorneys prompt Louie to stand. Perhaps with some well-concealed satisfaction, the Magistrate keeps us waiting for the verdict. After a tense beat of shifting and coughing: MAGISTRATE This court renders you guilty of killing Maurice LaBatier. Louie and the judges are the only ones in the room who do not react. A swell of sound prevents the Magistrate from continuing. The president bangs a gavel for order. ON JAKE AND CORKY Corky has been doing his best to follow the French. He hates to relate what he's heard. CORKY (whispering) He's guilty, Jake. They say he did it. JAKE I know. Now, some of the spectators begin to chant for mercy, while others for death...a common outbreak at a French capitol trial. The counterpoint of, "Pitie...Mort" is reminiscent of scenes from the French Revolution. The president restores order with some difficulty and, angry, shouts to the throng for silence. Throughout, Louie and the Magistrate face each other with rigid poise. Finally: ACROSS LOUIE TO THE MAGISTRATE MAGISTRATE (in French) You are therefore duly condemned to die on the guillotine. Louie does not flinch, but nods once his understanding. The room goes wild. ON JAKE, CORKY AND SARAH involuntarily standing with the excited gallery. Corky can't get out the bad news. His gestures tell the story. CORKY You gotta do somethin', Jake. They're gonna kill him. JAKE (bitter) I got that. SARAH We can't let them. NEW ANGLE While the courthouse continues to ring with commotion, the principals begin to file out, their business over. Louie follows docilely, a guard on either flank. It would appear to be over. With every step, Louie is getting further away. ON GENEVIEVE She has pushed back her veil and is dabbing at her eyes. She looks over to see Jake stepping forward from the gallery, a hand reaching out as if to bridge the many feet between him and Louie and bring Louie back. JAKE (quietly at first) Wait...wait, Louie.... (louder) Please.... (everything he has) Louie! ON LOUIE He turns as the spectators fall silent. Jake's bellow has captured everyone's attention. Louie shakes his head slightly, telling Jake it's no use. LOUIE (sternly) You gave me your word, mon ami. Not waiting for a reply, Louie leads the way out of the courtroom. Jake starts after him, but the guards prevent him. Camera pushes in on Jake's face, a study in frustration and worry. WIPE TO INTERIOR GOVERNOR'S STUDY - NIGHT - CLOSE - THE GOVERNOR A suave man in a white dinner jacket, the Governor of the French Marivellas is a master at the grace of public conduct. But, at the moment, he is equally frustrated as Jake had been in the preceding scene. He stands from the ornate chair of his gilded desk and gestures into camera. GOVERNOR In one breath you say you know something to acquit him...in the next you say you can't tell me. How am I to make sense of this? NEW ANGLE Now we can see more of the room which is an opulently furnished library studded with Louis XIV treasures. Jake is pacing in front of the Governor's desk, the Magistrate is pouring himself some of the Governor's wine from a bottle on a sideboard. MAGISTRATE (unguarded) Perhaps you cannot...as it makes no sense... (reconsidering) If you will permit me this observation, governor. I would go further to say that an American vagabond has little if anything of value to contribute to the lawful administration of justice in the Marivellas. Jake stops his pacing to give the Magistrate a look. The two men have little use for each other. JAKE Don't forget, I was at the trial. I saw the way your justice works. MAGISTRATE I hope you are not suggesting an impropriety. JAKE Just a fast shuffle. I'm sure it's by the book, but from the minute Maurice LaBatier stepped off the Clipper, Louie's been on a fast track to your guillotine, and nobody's doing a damn thing to slow it down. You ought to take a breather and cool off. There just might be a mistake you'd like to correct before the blade falls. ANGLE TO THE GOVERNOR He lifts a thick document and thumbs its contents. GOVERNOR I have read this dossier...more than once, looking for this mistake. When I reach the final page which bears his death warrant, I see no reason not to do as Monsieur Magistrate wishes me to do and sign. (beat) I would like a reason. Knowing the ball has been tossed back to him, Jake again begins pacing. JAKE Louie swore me to secrecy...He told me a story, something about his past with the dead man I think would change the verdict completely, but --- MAGISTRATE (finishing) You have a convenient attack of honor...so you don't need to invent any details. Jake is getting pretty close to tangling with the Magistrate. JAKE If you'd done your job, you'd already know what I'm talking about. (beat) Or maybe you do already. MAGISTRATE My job was to convict. If the defendant had some reason to justify his crime, he should have said so at the trial. ON JAKE AND THE GOVERNOR GOVERNOR French law does not share the Anglo-Saxon view that a man is presumed innocent. Ours is the Napoleonic code of justice. A man must disprove the guilt himself. JAKE But, Louie won't even try, and he won't let me do it for him. Where's the justice in that? GOVERNOR I agreed to this meeting because I assumed you would be making a plea for clemency. I find a debate over legal systems less urgent. The Governor reaches for a pen from his desk set to put his signature on the dossier death warrant. JAKE Once you sign, how long does he have? MAGISTRATE The customary time to permit appeals, pardons, the like...two days. Jake sighs and sits, his decision made. JAKE Louie told me he knew the dead man twenty years ago as Marcel Debore. He was an Army deserter, a traitor. He had a death sentence waiting for him if he was ever found. That's got to make a difference. The Governor nods, closing the dossier unsigned. The Magistrate comes over to Jake's chair, not willing to bend. MAGISTRATE Only if it is true...and why should such a thing be so terrible a secret? JAKE I don't know. LaBatier was from French Indo-China...around Saigon. Just get them to check the records. I'll bet he suddenly appeared there in 1918...and Debore disappeared. The Governor sighs. GOVERNOR Mr. Cutter...since last spring more than half a dozen government offices in Saigon have been bombed and burned by Japanese sympathizers. The families of our people there have been recalled to France. The inquiry you suggest...it would simply be ignored. It's useless to try. CLOSE ON JAKE It's suddenly clear what he must do. JAKE (electric) Let me! The Clipper goes in the morning. Stay the execution. Give me time. MAGISTRATE How much time does it take to prove a lie? JAKE (on the edge) This is no lie! I'll be back on the next Clipper. Two weeks. Please...give me that much. MAGISTRATE Ridiculous. The Governor gives Jake a slight nod. GOVERNOR Two weeks...but, it must be good proof, Monsieur. It will not be Louie's friends you will have to convince. INTERIOR JAKE'S HOTEL ROOM - DAY - CLOSE ON GENEVIEVE She is curled in a chair, knees drawn to her chest, pouting like a petulant little girl. Camera adjusts to find Jake hurriedly jamming clothes and toiletries into a suitcase. He bends to a drawer digging socks out and tossing them blindly toward the bed. From this angle he can't ignore Genevieve's glare. JAKE I'm sorry. If I don't believe Louie, then he's going to die. GENEVIEVE Jae m'en fiche. JAKE What? GENEVIEVE You're terrible! Isn't it enough my father is already dead!? Now you want to blacken his reputation. Jake puts his packing down and goes to Genevieve. She needs to be coaxed, but not much, before she allows herself to be stood from the chair for what Jake intends to be a paternal comforting hug. JAKE I know it seems terrible to you. But, I believe what Louie told me. Why invent such a story? GENEVIEVE Because he is mad. JAKE I've seen him bet a thousand francs on the color of a lady's slip...or the number of bubbles in a glass of champagne. That makes him French, not mad. Whatever he's doing, I know he's got his reasons and if I'm going to find out what they are, I've got to go to Saigon. Now, either help me pack, or stay out of my way. Jake stands Genevieve back from him, the hug over. Her features cloud with hurt. GENEVIEVE I hate you. ANGLE TO DOOR Corky bangs through without a knock. Jack behind him. CORKY Hey, Jake, I got the last two... (sees her anger) ...tickets. Genevieve takes the ticket Corky offers her. GENEVIEVE It's mine. I have no desire to stay here and watch your friend die on the guillotine...bedsides, Saigon is my home. JAKE But, it's dangerous there. This is no time to be going. Genevieve looks back at the bed. GENEVIEVE I'm not the only one who wants to go. ANGLE TO INCLUDE BED Jack is happily settling down into Jake's suitcase as Genevieve exits. JAKE Jack, get out of there before I dump you out. Jack barks once and puts his head down to sleep. WIPE OUT EXTERIOR CLIPPER - DAY - STOCK taking off. JAKE'S VOICE OVER It's three days on the Clipper from Tagataya to Shanghai via Papua and Manila. Another day by French airline to Saigon. EXTERIOR CLIPPER - DAY - STOCK Various views in flight, over cities, landscapes and seascapes. JAKE'S VOICE OVER (continuing) You might think I'd enjoy being flown for once. It just gave me too much time to think. INTERIOR CLIPPER - DAY Jake and Genevieve are traveling like two strangers, reading magazines, not sharing the concerns they both obviously have. Jack is sleeping on her lap and she pats him idly. JAKE'S VOICE OVER (continuing) Genevieve was hurt and I didn't have the strength to change the way she felt. I'd been running on faith and hope for so long, somewhere over Sumatra, I felt my heart dragging against the bottom of my spirit. And then I started to wonder...I mean, I started to get a sense of wonder.... EXTERIOR CLIPPER - DAY - STOCK coming in for a landing. JAKE'S VOICE OVER (continuing) Good sense should have made me give up a long time ago. But, none of us ever do. We spend our lives chasing dreams and looking for needles in haystacks. We believe. By the time I got to Saigon, I didn't feel any crazier than the next guy. EXTERIOR SAIGON - DAY - TO ESTABLISH a teeming, gleaming French colonial city with equal parts of Asian and European influence. EXTERIOR SAIGON STREET - DAY Upon closer inspection, we can see that Saigon is in what appears to be a state of martial law. Jake, Genevieve and Jack appear walking a nearly deserted sidewalk, strewn with rubble and the signs of past mayhem. Ahead, an overturned truck burns, and French police are herding a number of locals into custody. Smoke hangs in the air and scorches the side of the building they are approaching. Everywhere are signs of the promised terrorist violence in the city. JAKE'S VOICE OVER (continuing) ...Until I saw just how crazy they were getting these days. An explosion rips the sky above a building ahead, signs of terrorism on the next street. Sirens and police whistles respond, and the police on this street react. Some run toward the commotion. Jake and Genevieve continue their progress toward a doorway. AT THE DOORWAY A French policeman is standing just inside, watching off toward the explosion. Beside the door is a plaque reading "Ministere de Documents." Jake starts inside, and for the first time the policeman notices them. He waves them back. POLICEMAN (in French) No...get off the streets...off the streets. GENEVIEVE He wants us off the street. JAKE He's right about you. Tell him I only need --- GENEVIEVE I told you...I'm going with you. It was _my_ father! This is as much of an argument as they are permitted. A squealing of tires and the warble of a siren are the first warnings. Jack barks once and scoots between the policeman's legs and into the building. ON THE STREET A local in a large wheeled tricycle (or bicycle) rounds the corner and throws something out of the basket. We get a glimpse of several sticks of dynamite taped together before they explode, scattering the policemen across the street. The policeman guarding the Ministere de Documents forgets Jake and Genevieve and runs to aid the others. Jake pulls Genevieve inside. WIPE TO INTERIOR RECORD ROOM - DAY - ON FILE JACKET A young Maurice/Marcel stares back at us from a yellowed passport picture clipped to a visa and other papers. Camera pulls back to include Jake bent over a file drawer. In the distance, off screen, we hear sirens and shouting. JAKE (reading) '...May 14, 1918...Port of demarcation, Cadiz, Spain...Time of stay, indefinite...Status, open...' My French isn't that good, maybe you should make sure that's what it says. ANGLE TO INCLUDE GENEVIEVE She is staring out a window, lost in thought. Jake holds the file out to her, and she swings on him. GENEVIEVE You will read it to mean what you want it to mean...what you need it to mean to save your murdering friend. She returns her gaze out the window. JAKE I'm not making this up! Look at the picture. That's your father. Here's your mother. Genevieve ignores him. Jake studies a few other papers, folding one and putting it inside his jacket. He's perplexed. JAKE You have brothers or sisters? Genevieve will not look back at him, but shakes her head. JAKE (continuing) What's your birthday? Now she looks, not so puzzled as she should be. GENEVIEVE January 3, 1919. JAKE You weren't premature. According to this your mother was already two months' pregnant when she got here in May. Jake pulls one paper out of the files, leaving the others at the cabinet, and crosses to Genevieve. Outside the clamor grows, shots fired, more sirens. Genevieve is not surprised by what she reads on the paper. GENEVIEVE Is it such a terrible secret? LaBatier was my stepfather. My real father died in the war. I've always known. Jake is looking at her in a new light, literally, studying her face in the light coming through the window. He turns her cheek, creating a new angle. JAKE It could be... (weighs it) I'm not so sure your real father is dead. GENEVIEVE Why would you say that? How much of my past do you want to change? JAKE I'm just starting to see how it all fits. Louie said Maurice was a deserter and he was right. The records prove that much. But there's something else Louie told me.... GENEVIEVE About my real father...? JAKE Louie knew your mother...in the spring of 1918... (a reaction) Yes...they were lovers. The timing is exactly right. Jake is astonished. He stops, working up to his announcement. JAKE Genevieve...You're Louie's daughter. You are! GENEVIEVE (half yes, half no) But, my father's dead. JAKE (insistent) Louie was reported missing for months...That's why your mother left with Marcel. Louie's your father. I know it. She contemplates this realization, a dawning wonder, then a sudden urgency. GENEVIEVE That's the reason.... JAKE What...? GENEVIEVE He knows I'm his daughter and that's why he said he did it. He's not guilty. (her eyes say more) He did not kill LaBatier. Jake, we can't let him die for it! JAKE (understanding her admissions) He won't. What we've found in these files will get him off. She silences him. Jack suddenly jumps up, paws on the window, growling. A bang and squeal of tires outside draws Jake's attention. GENEVIEVE No one should die for killing a man like LaBatier. (cold blooded) He's the killer. He killed my mother with his hate. Jake suddenly recoils with horror at what he sees, and yanks Genevieve away from the window. An object smashes through the glass, banging away from them onto the floor. ANGLE TO INCLUDE FILES A dynamite bomb like the one we saw before is on the floor in front of the open file cabinet. The fuse is nearly burned. Before Jake can stop her, Genevieve has pulled away and runs for the files. GENEVIEVE The files! The instant she utters these words, the bomb explodes, driving her against the facing bank of file cabinets and sending Jake, not so close, back against the window. Smoke fills the room, and an emergency cry is raised outside, but neither Jake or Genevieve move. FADE OUT _END OF ACT THREE_ _ACT FOUR_ FADE IN BLACK SCREEN Swirls of light seem to surround us like milk dripping into an inkwell. We hear Louie's voice out of the churning fog. LOUIE'S VOICE (repeating; echoing) The dead boy's mother wore a white dress.... A woman in a white dress resolves into focus in the blur. LOUIE'S VOICE (continuing) ...she learned the news...fell to her knees, knocking a glass of wine off the bed stand...it stained her dress.... As described, from an unseen source, a blot of brilliant scarlet spreads across the dress. We hear an old man singing "Chevaliers de la Table Ronde." INTERIOR HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY - SUBJECTIVE CAMERA from, we will later discover, Jake's point of view. A man and his son are giving flowers to a woman in a nearby bed. Walking toward the bed is an old man, nicely dressed, using a gold-headed walking stick he spins like a baton as he sings. Suddenly, a familiar sound, Jack's bark, followed by a disembodied woman's voice we will later learn is Dr. Clouet. DR. CLOUET (off screen) Get rid of that dog. Jack's barks fade, and so does the vision of the family around the bed. FADE TO BLACK ANOTHER ANGLE Now, more hazy fog and a new sound, distant moaning. The woman appears again, dress stained, but the vision dissolves and reassembles as Genevieve, wearing the same stained dress. The vision clears, and she is wearing a white dress with a red sash, like the one she wore to Jake's room in Tagataya. The moaning is louder, and we may recognize it as Jake's voice. Genevieve bends forward, close, and as the final misty wisps clear, she changes a final time into Dr. Clouet, mid-fifties and strong features. REVERSE ON JAKE Bright, for the first time a normal image. Jake is in the hospital bed. His face has the remnants of scratches, well-healed, a bandage around his neck. Dr. Clouet is bending over him, restraining him as he starts into consciousness. JAKE Genevieve! The effort to speak exhausts Jake, he goes back onto the pillow, rolling his head about. DR. CLOUET Good morning again. Do you remember where you are? Jake shakes his head, and willingly accepts a drink of water from Dr. Clouet, who has to help him sit forward to take it. DR. CLOUET (continuing) We've been through this once or twice...you don't remember? Again, Jake shakes his head, then remembers, and looks beside his bed to the next. ANGLE TO INCLUDE BED The bed which contained the woman with visitors is empty, the gold-headed cane lying on the bare mattress. On the table beside the bed, the fresh flowers we saw are now wilted. JAKE A woman was there. DR. CLOUET Yes...I'm afraid she passed on. But, your memory is coming back, I think. Try...I'm Dr. Clouet, all right...and you're in a Saigon hospital. What is your name? JAKE Cutter. There was a bomb. Dr. Clouet smiles, sighs with some relief. DR. CLOUET That's right. That's a good sign. Memories of events immediately before the trauma sometimes never return. I think you'll fully recover. Now, the memories flood back, and Jake rears again. JAKE Genevieve. Where's Genevieve? DR. CLOUET (evasive) Don't thrash, Mr. Cutter. Concussions are deceiving little devils. Lying down you think you can conquer the world, but when you sit up...it conquers you. JAKE Where _is_ she? DR. CLOUET She died in the blast. I'm sorry. My main concern now is to make you well. Do not dwell on her. Jake sags from the news, still fighting the unsteady condition of his mind. JAKE Dead. DR. CLOUET But you are alive. Do not dwell. JAKE How long have I been out? How many hours? DR. CLOUET Mr. Cutter, you have been in a semi-coma for five days. Now, Jake sits all the way up. JAKE Not a week! I've got to get on the Clipper. I've got to get to Tagataya! As Dr. Clouet predicted, the world conquers Jake, and he reels with dizziness, fights it, slumps back...instantly soaked with perspiration. Dr. Clouet arranges his head on the pillow. JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW - DR. CLOUET The scene is fading into a fog again as she speaks. DR. CLOUET You are lucky to be alive, Mr. Cutter. You will stay in the hospital at least another month...after that, perhaps you may travel. Perhaps. FADE TO BLACK JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW - CEILING - NIGHT as we fade in, we see the face of Jack, licking Jake's face. JAKE as he opens his eyes and looks at Jack. He has more strength. JAKE (groggy) Jack! I thought they threw you out! He looks around the darkened room. He tries sitting up, reels, then succeeds. He fights and wins the battle of swinging his leg. JAKE Jack, listen, there's something we have to do...It was about... dammit! Now I know how Corky feels...when he can't remember something. (then) Anyway, find my clothes...I don't know where they put them. Jack jumps off the bed. JAKE The Clipper! She said five days and we were here one... (remembers) Genevieve. ANGLE - JACK as he comes out of a closet, Jake's pants in his mouth. He drags them over to Jake, who takes them. JAKE Thanks, Jack. (then) I see you pulled through okay. Jack barks once for no. Jake grabs his head from the noise. That bark was painful. JAKE Better'n I did. He puts on his pants, then staggers out of bed. Immediately he must grab for support. He looks around for something to help himself, and sees the old man's cane. He picks it up and, struggling, almost makes his way out of the room. The cane slips from under him and crashes to the floor, making a hell of a racket. Dr. Clouet runs through the door. She looks at Jake in anger. DR. CLOUET Mr. Cutter, I am going to have to call the orderly to strap you down. JAKE (struggling) Wait, just a minute...a man's life.... DR. CLOUET I am beginning to fear you have a death wish, Mr. Cutter.... JAKE There's been enough death! I've got to be on the Clipper in the morning to save a man's life. Please. Help me to do it. Jake is again on his feet, rocky, hardly a chance. On Dr. Clouet's look, we: CUT TO EXTERIOR TAGATAYA GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY The guillotine is now being guarded by a detachment of soldiers. INTERIOR LOUIE'S QUARTERS Louie is in his shirtsleeves, leaning out the window, looking at the guillotine and smoking a cigarette. His white coat is laid out on the bed, waiting for him. A clergyman is standing by himself, reading the Bible. There is a rattle of a key in the lock. Louie takes a last drag and reaches for his jacket, speaking partly to the clergyman and partly to himself. LOUIE No one's watch is more accurate than an executioner's. I've never known why it mattered. Louie looks up. LOUIE'S POINT OF VIEW - THE DOOR Somberly, painfully...Corky, Sarah and Gushie come into the room, trailed by the Magistrate. As soon as Sarah sees Louie, her control goes and she starts weeping silently, thumb on one closed eye, forefinger on the other. Louie welcomes them as if to a party, but not quite. LOUIE Mes amis... (re: clergyman) This is Father Savignon. He has been praying for my soul with much enthusiasm, but...I'm afraid with little encouragement from me. (to clergyman; in French) I would like to be alone with my friends. MAGISTRATE One minute. Father Savignon follows the Magistrate out. The closed door leaves a heavy silence. GUSHIE Louie...I.... That's all it takes. Louie covers his emotions by grabbing Gushie in a fierce Frenchman's hug, kissing him on both cheeks. Then to Corky. Then to Sarah. LOUIE I know, I know. It is so much easier for me than for you. Tell Jake for me, too...I love him as I love you. CORKY Jake's gotta be comin', Louie. Maybe.... LOUIE No...no...He has given me two lovely weeks, but I think that this shall be all for me. (thinks) In fact, I could not tolerate one more morning of having to stand there and watch a very small and precise man patiently hone that blade for hours. I suppose I should be grateful. The last time... (rubs neck) But what do you expect from French steel. CORKY (trying hard) 'Bout the same as French beer. Louie forces a laugh, Sarah clinging to him desperately. SARAH Louie, please don't.... Louie stands her up, dabbing her eyes with his handkerchief. LOUIE It is fated, cherie. I was a lucky man once in Marseilles. In my wilder days. I cheated death, they say, when the blade... (rubs neck) In any case, I knew then that you do not cheat death. You only run from it. The key rattles in the lock, and they all startle. ANGLE TO DOOR The Magistrate returns, two soldiers with him, the clergyman behind in the hall. MAGISTRATE (in French) It is time. Sarah clutches for Louie again, but he frees her hands. Another quick handshake with Corky and Gushie, both wordless. LOUIE Long life.... With this, Louie follows the Magistrate out of the room. EXTERIOR TAGATAYA GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY - CLOSE - GUILLOTINE BLADE The blade is hoisted by its rope out of frame revealing the entrance to the building behind. Camera goes in on Louie being led from the building by the Magistrate. A single snare drum rattles off screen. The clergyman follows out, mumbling. NEW ANGLE The street around the guillotine is empty except for a few posted guards. Louie mounts to the guillotine with a steady, certain step, nodding to the executioner. The Magistrate does not mount, but moves to the side. All eyes are on Louie. The executioner offers Louie a black hood, but Louie shakes it off, kneeling in front of the lunette, the wooden brace designed to hold his head in position. He bends forward, placing his head where the executioner can clamp it in place. But, before this can occur, we are aware of an unsteady, slow tapping sound. Louie looks off. ANGLE TO JAKE approaching the guillotine, using the cane heavily. He is trying to say something, but is voice is too weak to be heard. A soldier steps forward and has little trouble stopping him from coming closer. MAGISTRATE Proceed. Louie sits up, now not so willing. The executioner braces for trouble, taking a firm grasp on Louie's shoulder. LOUIE Monsieur Magistrate..this execution...my execution is not public! I demand the dignity due me. A soldier steps forward and helps the executioner force Louie into the lunette. Now, Jake forces out some volume. JAKE Stop it! With adrenalin-inspired strength, Jake throws off the soldiers holding him back, cracks one with the cane. QUICK CUTS The elements of a long, terrible moment. Jake surges toward the guillotine...soldiers bring their rifles up in surprised reaction...the Magistrate gives the signal to the executioner..the executioner pulls the release lever...Louie closes his eyes as he anticipates the blade...Jake rams the head of the cane into the release mechanism which freezes the blade at the top of the guillotine the bare second it starts to fall. The frozen blade is all anyone can see. A half dozen rifles have a point blank shot at Jake. He is breathing raggedly with the effort, half expecting the shots to come. As the seconds drag by, he relaxes. Louie lets out a long, shuddering breath. MAGISTRATE (forced calm) Now...take this man away, as I have instructed and reset the guillotine. We have a duty to perform with honor and dispatch! The rifles go down, but Jake resists the hands that take him, pulling back. On the platform, the executioner is releasing Louie from the guillotine. Seconds after he stands, the executioner yanks the cane and the blade slams home into the empty lunette. Everyone winces. LOUIE Jake...do not give your life to save mine. It is over. Jake shakes the hands off and limps the step toward the Magistrate. He is fierce. JAKE Yes! The dying is over. (to Magistrate) I sent you a wire from Saigon that I had your proof...why is this still going on? MAGISTRATE I got your wire...one more lie changes nothing. JAKE No lie. In my jacket. Tell them to let me take a paper out of my jacket and this will be over. MAGISTRATE (in French) Let him go. The soldiers release Jake, and he gives the Magistrate a paper. The man is disdainful at the flimsy sheet. MAGISTRATE When I inquired, they told me our Ministere de Documents in Saigon had been bombed. I doubt many records survived. JAKE This one did because I got it before the bomb went off...about a minute before. LOUIE Jake, I am prepared to die today. Why can't you let me have my wish? The Magistrate is changing his expression as he reads. JAKE Because you don't have to. You were right about Marcel. That's a report to his file from the military police. They officially list him missing in Saigon. That's how he became Maurice LaBatier. JAKE AND LOUIE as they whisper to each other. LOUIE Please let it be, Jake! I have strong reasons for the past to remain unknown. There is one thing you do not yet know and it is rightfully my secret. No one else has the right to it. JAKE What about your daughter? Didn't Genevieve have a right? LOUIE You know? JAKE Genevieve and I found out together. ACROSS LOUIE TO THE MAGISTRATE He folds the paper, waving a hand at the executioner. MAGISTRATE Not today. (to Louie) You are a man with the angels watching over him. The Magistrate turns on his heel and strides away. The executioner moves to Louie and allows him to step down from the guillotine. But Louie stays there, tears in his eyes. JAKE I know you're trying to protect your daughter. But, you don't have to anymore. LOUIE (scared) Why? Has something happened to Genevieve? Jake puts his arm around Louie, preparing to tell him the bad news, as camera pulls back. FADE OUT _END OF ACT FOUR_ _TAG_ FADE IN EXTERIOR BORAGORA - DAY - TO ESTABLISH From the Monkey Bar we hear a drunken chorus of "Chevaliers de la Table Ronde." INTERIOR MONKEY BAR - DAY packed. Corky is playing piano and everybody in the place is swinging a champagne bottle back and forth as the song ends. Louie sits on the bar, lost in thought. Jack is next to him. Gushie empties his champagne bottle into a bowl for Jack. GUSHIE More champagne. SARAH (trying to be cheerful) You're not going to get out of the hole for a year, Louie. First, we closed down your bar, and then you keep giving away your Dom Perignon. LOUIE It doesn't really matter. Jake enters down the stairs to hear this last. He's carrying a pillow. Louie sees it and moves guiltily toward Jake. A pair of little ladies buttonhole Louie on the way. LADY I am sorry, sir, to interrupt, but we would like to play Whist...quietly. LOUIE (almost ignoring them) The cards are on the table. ON JAKE Louie joins him in a quieter corner of the bar. Jake has a finger through a hole in the pillow. Louie snatches the pillow. LOUIE Where did you get that? JAKE In your room. I don't suppose that's a bullet hole?..The kind you make when you muffle a gunshot...or someone else does? LOUIE Large moths. I must remind Gushie to exterminate. JAKE Maybe, but I've got another theory...A young French girl got to Boragora with a stepfather she hated...saw the perfect opportunity...killed him with your gun and came down to talk to me. Her real father saw her do it, fired another shot out the window, and took the blame. LOUIE A fanciful invention, but my daughter could never have murdered a man. I must remind you not to darken her memory. JAKE Nothing could do that, Louie...She was perfect...beautiful and brilliant and a solid gold charmer...just like her dad. LOUIE I have no doubt...about the truth. Marcel should have been killed...That's why _I_ did it. JAKE Whatever you say...I give you my word. (off Louie's look) I swear. ON CORKY He points off toward where the ladies are sitting at the card table. CORKY Louie! I just remembered where I forgot those cards...the French ones. ANGLE TO INCLUDE LADIES One of them picks up a deck of cards, at first oblivious to them as she arranges to shuffle, then looking closer. She freezes in a horrified tableau and then screams, the cards going up into the air as she throws them away from her. Corky covers his face, but then can't help laughing with the others as the cards rain around them. FREEZE FRAME FADE OUT _THE END_
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