Time to compare scripts and movies again, this time great speeches–what’s changed, what’s improved, what’s not…
- APOCALYPSE NOW– KURTZ APPEARS
When you read this script you’ll be hard pressed to find anything with the Brando scenes that actually made the movie. Brando’s improvisations are infamous and guess what? They’re almost all better than what was penned here by Coppola in a draft dated December 3, 1975. Interesting to see how little survives of the script in this first meeting between Willard and Kurtz.
Kurtz has stepped out from his headquarters: He is a powerful man, though obviously very ill. He slowly attempts to pull the remnants of his uniform together, though it is ripped and bloodied, and now combined with primitive ornaments designating him a tribal chief, as well as his U.S.A. Colonel's insignia. He is feverish, with long blonde hair and beautiful features. His eyes almost hypnotize. His midsection is bandaged from what seems to be a serious wound. 232 VIEW ON WILLARD This is not what he expected. He is quiet, and then, automatically, he comes to an attention. WILLARD Colonel Kurtz, I guess. KURTZ I'm Kurtz. WILLARD (he salutes) Captain B.L. Willard reporting his presence, sir. 233 VIEW ON KURTZ looking at him a long time. Then he returns the salute, and simply: KURTZ At ease... (pause, as he regards him) Sit down. 234 MED. VIEW There is, of course, no chair or anything like a chair. But behind and around him, Kurtz's men begin to sit on the ground, cross-legged. Finally, Willard sits as well. Then Kurtz does. Moonby lights a joint, and passes it respectfully to Kurtz -- throughout the scene, the joint is passed from man to man, ritualistically. KURTZ (slowly) Why did you come to ... my province. WILLARD We were attacked -- down river. We need supplies and medical help. KURTZ You were not coming here, to see me? WILLARD (finding it more and more difficult to go on with this lie) No -- no, sir. KURTZ You came up my river -- in that small boat. So simple. I always thought the final justice would come from the sky, like we did. (pause) You are the final justice, aren't you? WILLARD What do you mean, Colonel? KURTZ (gently) What other reason could you have come? A Captain. Ranger. Paratrooper. Graduate of the Recondo School. Am I right about these things? WILLARD You know you're right.
- ADAPTATION: THE ROBERT MCKEE SCENE
Damn you, Charlie Kaufman! This scene is like staring at a Picasso and recognizing what an artist actually is, turning tail and crawling out of the museum in full recognition of your own failure. Pretender, worm, loser, never-has-been and never-will-be! Poor Nick Cage gets a taste of the subhuman when he is flamed by the Robert McKee character in this killer monologue, virtually unchanged from page to movie:
INT. AUDITORIUM - MORNING
Kaufman, bleary-eyed, sits in the back. McKee paces.
MCKEE
Anyone else?
Kaufman timidly raises his hand.
MCKEE (cont'd)
Yes?
KAUFMAN
You talked about Crisis as the ultimate
decision a character makes, but what if a
writer is attempting to create a story
where nothing much happens, where people
don't change, they don't have any
epiphanies. They struggle and are
frustrated and nothing is resolved. More
a reflection of the real world --
MCKEE
The real world? The real fucking world?
First of all, if you write a screenplay
without conflict or crisis, you'll bore
your audience to tears. Secondly:
Nothing happens in the real world? Are
you out of your fucking mind? People are
murdered every day! There's genocide and
war and corruption! Every fucking day
somewhere in the world somebody
sacrifices his life to save someone else!
Every fucking day someone somewhere makes
a conscious decision to destroy someone
else! People find love! People lose it,
for Christ's sake! A child watches her
mother beaten to death on the steps of a
church! Someone goes hungry! Somebody
else betrays his best friend for a woman!
If you can't find that stuff in life,
then you, my friend, don't know much
about life! And why the fuck are you
taking up my precious two hours with your
movie? I don't have any use for it! I
don't have any bloody use for it!
KAUFMAN
Okay, thanks.
- MALICE- I AM GOD
No script for this one but Alec Baldwin kills this monologue from the movie Malice as a doctor on the witness stand talking about the realities of the operating room. Same tone as the famous Glengarry Glen Ross monologue, but less known:
- GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS- THE PEP TALK
Screw it, can’t find the script pages online but I’m guessing half of you can recite it from memory. I can. Greatest sales speech of all-time.
