China Doll Antonella Marrone and Ray Uzwyshyn Based on David
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China Doll Antonella Marrone and Ray Uzwyshyn Based on David Milch’s Deadwood Series 2017 Contact: Ray Uzwyshyn 1900 Aquarena Springs 22202 San Marcos, Texas 78666 [email protected] 850-725-0266 INT. PIONEER NEWSPAPER OFFICE - DAY Merrick and Blazanov examine proofs of a newspaper article in the office window’s harsh sunlight. CLOSE-UP HEADLINE "CALIFORNIA TO BADLANDS, PAGE LAW ENFORCED". MERRICK Hopefully, this law cleans-up a big mess. BLAZANOV I predict trouble. BLAZANOV opens the door and walks out. CUT TO: EXT. PIONEER NEWSPAPER OFFICE - DAY The street is full with the bustle of Deadwood residents, immigrants, Chinese. Visible among them are couple miners with two more lavishly dressed Chinese courtesans, one noticeably carrying child. Merrick follows Blazanov to the office patio. MERRICK The law now punishes those bringing Chinese girls for prostitution. Blazanov turns from the crowd. BLAZANOV You mean white business men in search of the exotic. MERRICK I was actually thinking of a few people in the Chinese community. CUT TO: 2. INT.DEE’S ROOM - DAY Cy and DEE are in the bed of an exotically decorated room - opium haze, soft-lit. Discarded clothes and delicate Chinese accessories are scattered about. There is a desk and objects: bamboo reed pipe, China doll, rice paper painting of a cat and sparrows with ideogram inscription. By her objects and dress, we know Dee is not one of the many Chinese migrants but of a higher class. Cy is completely captured by the beautiful girl. DEE (laughs smartly) I cannot stay, unless you marry me. CY (smoking opium) Deadwood has never respected laws and I can’t marry you Dee. .not yet at least. Cy leans over and hugs the young woman. She pulls away. CY(CONT’D) You know Wu is linked to all of this. There has been many hidden deaths. Dee stands, distraught. DEE This crazy new law will be a problem. CY I have connections with the Sheriff, Swearengen and Wu. No one is going to send you back to China. Among the ornaments of the room stands some handkerchiefs embroidered in gold and blue next to a candle. A few have been folded into animal figures: cat, mouse, sparrow. DEE (unfolds handkerchief) A gift. Dee places the handkerchief in Cy’s lapel. CUT TO: 3. EXT. MAIN ROAD FRONT GRAND CENTRAL - DAY Two figures are escorted from the departing train. ALICE, and LEE. Alice is an older well-dressed woman and Lee is a young boy, Tom Sawyerish and cheerful. They watch the train depart. ALICE Ok Lee, here we are. Official in Deadwood. Let’s go! LEE Is this the place where you used to live, grandma? ALICE In my younger days, yes. Step to! CUT TO: INT. GRAND CENTRAL GEM HOTEL LOBBY - DAY The pair walk down the street and enter the Hotel lobby. FARNUM Welcome to Deadwood, madame. ALICE Thanks you, sir. We will be needing a room. FARNUM How many days may I ask? ALICE Please leave it open, nothing too fancy. FARNUM We definitely have plenty of those. What may I ask brings you to our town on this fine Spring day? ALICE We’re here to see Mr. Albert Swearengen. Alice places a copy of Robert Browning’s Dramatic Lyrics: Bells and Pomegranates (1842) with a bookmark on the hotel desk. 4. ALICE (CONT’D) Do you know him? CUT TO: INT.SWEARENGEN’S OFFICE- DAY Al and Wu discuss the Page Law. A newspaper is open between them. WU (furious) Cock Heads! Wu tears the newspaper in half. SWEARENGEN Calm down, Wu. I’m trying to run a hotel here and I wasn’t finished reading that. Wu is angry and walks towards the balcony gesturing and banging at the newspaper. SWEARENGEN(CONT’D) Look, Mr. Wu. I said I will talk to our sherriff. CUT TO: INT.BELLA UNION - DAY Miners play cards and drink. The Bella Union girls ply their trade. A mouse scurries across the hallway hiding under a poker table. A half-drunk miner FIRES his GUN at the place where the mouse hides, almost shooting off another man’s foot. MINER #1 What the Fuck? You almost shot off my foot. MINER #1 angrily puts down his drink and gets ready to draw out his gun. Confusion. 5. Cy descends the stairs and takes the gun out of Miner #2’s hands. One of his helpers slams the shooters out of the Bella Union. CY There’s no shooting in this establishment. One of the girls runs up to CY. GIRL#1 He was shooting at a mouse, Cy. CY I don’t care what he was shooting at. A mouse? GIRL #1 Yes, a mouse. How can we can we work with all of these goddamn mice around? There is a hole which Cy sees behind the girl’s couch at the side of the saloon. GIRL #1 (cont’d) Jasmine’s sick. GIRL #2 (getting up from the couch) Bitten. CUT TO: EXT. MAIN ROAD- DAY Farnum runs down the road from the Grand Central to the Gem. Calamity Jane is drunk next to the side of a building with a couple soldiers. The first plays Yankee Doodle on a whistle while the second drums along. There is a half full bag of grain with what looks like a nibbled hole near the bottom. CUT TO: 6. INT.GEM SALOON - DAY Farnum enters the Saloon. Girls lounge about. Dan and Charlie sing a song around the piano. Silas smokes. Dan picks up an Irish pipe that he tries to play. FARNUM Has anyone seen Mr. Swearengen! I need to find Swearengen. Dan puts down the pipe and looks at him. DAN Wu came to see him about the Page law, ET! He’s upstairs. He beat you to that punch. He’s up there now. FARNUM Ahh, it’s not that! GEM KITCHEN POV Richardson cleans off a block of cheese which he examines before he passes this to Jewel. FARNUM (CONT’D) You can’t imagine. A woman... a lady, his... SWEARENGEN (yelling down from stairs) Speak up Farnum or forever hold your peace. Farnum looks up. Al is sticking his head out of the banister overhead. FARNUM ... yes, sir. There is an older distinguished looking lady and a young boy... they said they were looking for you, Mr. Swearengen!! SWEARENGEN An older lady and a young boy? FARNUM Yes! Al begins to walks downstairs in slow measured steps. Alice and Lee enter the Gem. 7. SWEARENGEN (astonished) Alice?? ALICE Hello, Al. Alice gestures to Lee who stands hesitantly behind her. ALICE(CONT’D) Lee, this is your grandfather, Albert Swearengen. Lee looks up from the book he holds, Grimm’s Fairy Tales. ALICE (CONT’D) This young man wants to get to know you, Al. Alice gives Lee a little push. Lee steps forward and extends his hand. CUT TO: INT. DEE’S ROOM - NIGHT Dee opens her door to Mr Brown, a young man dressed in Black, Pinkerton style. BROWN How do you do, Miss Dee? DEE Mr. Brown? BROWN Someone told me you’re getting married! DEE Not quite yet. Brown barges in making himself comfortable on an armchair. BROWN I see. DEE (smiling) In time. 8. BROWN Of course! Fortunate that you are in Deadwood, Miss Dee ... He stands up and approaches Dee’ getting into her personal space. DEE (Deliberately) Why are you here, Mr. Brown? She takes a step back. BROWN Business. DEE (Suspiciously) Mr. Brown, a cat wishes fish, he gets his paws wet. Wet your paws. Brown takes a letter out of his vest pocket and hands it to Dee. BROWN From an old friend. Dee takes the letter and leads Brown to the door unfolding a handkerchief and handing it to Brown. DEE A souvenir. CUT TO: EXT. DEE’S ROOM - NIGHT Brown makes his way down the stairs. CON POV Con is hidden and watches as Brown leaves. CUT TO 9. INT. BELLA UNION SALOON - EVENING Cy talks with PHATTY THOMPSON in front of a bottle of whiskey. Phatty Thompson is a rough good-looking man with a smart smile, twinkle in his eyes and a Gypsy or Circus master’s dusty long-coat. THOMPSON Mr. Tolliver, I’m ready to solve your problems. CY Who said I had problems? THOMPSON Every man has with the ladies but sadly I can’t repair that. I have an idea that will liberate Deadwood from your mouse problems. CY (sarcastic and annoyed) I’m waiting. THOMPSON I have broad experience in these matters. CY Go On. THOMPSON I will go to Cheyenne and come back with cart full of cats. CY Right! We don’t have any f** cats of our own in this town? THOMPSON Not enough to solve this kind of problem. A house cat here, a stray there. Thompson stands up and plops himself down comfortably on one of the couches. THOMPSON (CONT’D) Providence. Larger forces. A surefire solution. 10. CY That’s the stupidest idea I’ve heard in a long time. Thompson is not flustered but becomes calmer with a slight smile coming to his lips. THOMPSON Do you have others Mr. Tolliver or have you ever been involved in such an enterprise? CY Only in fool conversations such as this one. One of Thompson’s young whores, GIRL#1 who had been complaining earlier comes in and sits comfortably down on Phatty’s knee. THOMPSON (unflustered) The project will have its price of course...Rest assured, worthwhile. I am an expert in matters like these.