Act Three Rewrites



From Act Three:


     EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

     A helicopter prepares to land.


     INT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

     Carlo is looking into the night with binoculars, trying to see what 
     is going on.  He looks troubled by this new helicopter.


     EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

     The helicopter lands and the President gets off.  He is met by 
     the Colonel.


                               COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                   This way, Mr. President.

     The Colonel leads the President off.


     INT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT (1)

     With his binoculars, Carlo sees that the President himself has arrived.

     He looks at the First Lady, who is sleeping on the sofa. [ADD]

     He moves past her to the rear of the house, where Andres is taking 
     watch. (2)

     Andres turns to meet him. (3)

                               ANDRES
                   What is it?

                               CARLO
                   The President just landed.


     INT. TRAILER - NIGHT

     The President is meeting with the Colonel and some aides in a trailer
     serving as the operation's command post.     

     They are huddled over a small table, speaking in low tones.


     INT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT (4)

     Carlo comes into the living room and gently wakes the First Lady. (5)

                                CARLO
                   Your husband is here.

     The First Lady is not quite awake.

                                FIRST LADY
                   He's here?  What's he want?

     She sits up and looks around, as if expecting to find him in the 
     room.

                                CARLO
                   He landed and went into the trailer.  We have
                   a plan.  It depends on you. (6)


     INT. TRAILER - NIGHT

     The meeting continues.

                                COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                   There's a larger context here.  We don't want
                   to encourage this sort of thing.  If we're too 
                   soft, we do.

                                PRESIDENT
                   My feeling exactly.

                                AIDE
                   But the issue is the First Lady, isn't it?  Her 
                   presence limits our options. [ADD] (7)

     The door opens and a SOLDIER pokes his head in.

                                SOLDIER
                   Colonel, she's come outside. (8)


     EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

     The President, Colonel and aides come out of the trailer.

     The First Lady slowly walks away from the farmhouse, a white 
     handkerchief waving at the end of a fireplace poker. (9)

                                 PRESIDENT
                   Gwen, are you all right?

                                 FIRST LADY
                   I need to talk to you!

                                 COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                   We have her covered, Mr. President.

     The First Lady continues walking toward them. [ADD] (10)


     INT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

     Carlo and Andres watch carefully from the window, guns at the ready.

                                  ANDRES
                   She was our only hope.  Now nothing is here to 
                   stop them.

                                  CARLO
                   She won't abandon us.


     EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

     The First Lady reaches the others.  She and her husband face one 
     another silently.  Finally:

                                  FIRST LADY
                    Can we talk alone?

     The President gestures for her to follow him.


     INT. TRAILER - NIGHT

     They come into the trailer.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    I hope you're here to tell me what the hell 
                    is going on.  

                                  FIRST LADY
                    I want to help them.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Why?

                                  FIRST LADY
                    Because I believe in their cause to make the 
                    Basques a free people.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Are you that gullible to their rhetoric?  I 
                    thought you were more tough-minded than that.
                    Or is something more personal at stake here?

                                  FIRST LADY
                    You are in no position to bring up our personal 
                    lives.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Look, we gave them what they wanted, and they
                    refused to let you go.  Doesn't that tell you 
                    something?

                                  FIRST LADY
                    They let me go.  I refused to.  

                                  PRESIDENT
                    You stayed voluntarily?

                                  FIRST LADY
                    I told them they were asking for too little.
                    That there's much more the President can do to
                    help them.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    So when the hell did you get the idea that you're
                    making foreign policy?  Jesus Christ, what is going 
                    on with you?  You're sleeping with one of them, 
                    aren't you?

      The First Lady suddenly slaps him.  Hard. (11)

                                  FIRST LADY
                    God, that felt good.

      The President stares at her.  Then he turns to go.

                                  FIRST LADY
                    What are you doing?

                                  PRESIDENT
                    I'm giving the order to get those assholes out 
                    of there.

      He exits and the First Lady quickly follows.


      EXT. TRAILER/FARM HOUSE - NIGHT

      The President comes out, with the First Lady right behind him.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Colonel McLaughlin!

                                  FIRST LADY
                    You can't do this!

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Watch me. [ADD] (12)

      The Colonel arrives.

                                  COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                    Mr. President?

                                  PRESIDENT
                    I want them out of there.  Do whatever it takes.

      Hearing this, the First Lady suddenly starts running back to the
      farmhouse. (13)

      The Colonel looks at the President, as if waiting for instructions.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Gwen!  Goddamn her.  Stop her, Colonel. (14)

                                  COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                    Sir?

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Stop her!  Shoot her!

      The Colonel looks at the President in shock.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    In the leg or something.


      INT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

      Carlo and Andres see the First Lady running toward them and don't
      know what is happening.

      Carlo moves (15) quickly to the door.

                                  ANDRES
                    Carlo, it's a trap!


      EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

      As the First Lady runs toward the farmhouse, several warning shots
      fire in the ground around her.  She is terrified.

      Carlo hears the shots and panics.  He starts sprinting toward the 
      First Lady.

      The President is red in the face.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Kill the sonofabitch!

      The First Lady and Carlo rush into an embrace.

                                  CARLO
                    Go back to them.  They won't hurt you.

                                  FIRST LADY
                    I'm staying with you.

      Carlo nods, aware that she won't change her mind.  More warning 
      shots land around them. (16)

      He takes her hand and starts back to the farmhouse.  Just as they 
      reach the door, Carlo is shot in the back.

      He falls to the ground.  

      The First Lady screams.  She hurries to his side.

      Carlo tries to speak but can't.  The First Lady is fighting back
      tears.

      Carlo dies. [ADD] (17)

      The First Lady stands up in a rage, facing her husband, facing
      the Army.

      She starts walking quickly toward them.

                                  COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                    Hold fire!

      The First Lady is blinded by tears and she moves with 
      determination toward her husband.

      Behind her, in the doorway, Andres appears with his hands raised 
      high above his head.

                                  PRESIDENT
                    Shoot him.

                                  COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                    He's surrendering, sir.

      The President hurries to a nearby soldier and grabs his rifle. (18)
      He takes aim.

      The First Lady sees what is happening, turns and sees Andres behind 
      her, approaching in surrender. (19)

      She quickly positions herself between her husband and Andres, shielding
      him.

      The President has the First Lady in his sights.

      The Colonel arrives beside him.

                                  COL. MCLAUGHLIN
                    Give me the weapon, Mr. President.

      The President looks at the Colonel. [ADD]  Then he lowers the 
      rifle and hands it over.

      The President turns and walks quickly toward a helicopter.

      The First Lady sees this and starts running toward him.

      The President now breaks into a trot.  He climbs aboard the 
      helicopter.

      The helicopter zooms up into the air just as the First Lady arrives.
      She stares up at her husband.

      The President stares down at his wife.

      [ADD] (20)
     
      INT. WASHINGTON D.C. - OFFICE - DAY

      Media people and their equipment crowd a large office prior to 
      a news conference.


MODULE 9: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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