Romantic Screenplays 101 (19 page)

99-102
Helos & Quaritch’s ship appear above where Jake & Grace tied up, Na’vi shoot ineffective arrows, gas canisters lobbed into Home Tree scattering the people & hexapedes, Quaritch sees Jake “Diplomacy failed. Fire the incendiaries.” Explosions, people running “Scatter the roaches.” Mo’at frees Jake & Grace “Help us.”

103
Quaritch “Bring it down.” Trudy backs off and flies away.

104
PPII:
Switch to missiles (to bring down columns & fell Home Tree) Warriors to ikrans, blast staggers E’tukan

Act III
= Resolution: Jake leading the Na’vi in battle with humans and winning

105 People running, staring in disbelief

106
Quartich “Good work, drinks on me” Ships fly away, Neytiri finds dying father pierced by wood

107
E’tukan gives her his bow “Protect the people” dies as Jake arrives “Sorry” Neytiri screams “Get Away.”

108 Parker has links cut. Grace falls among escaping people then lone Jake falls, pulled from links fighting.

109-110 Jake, Grace & Norm in lock-up, Trudy brings food cart then knocks out guard & Max releases, racing along corridors to get to helo bay.

111
Controller alerts Quaritch who recognizes wheelchair, grabs rifle, burst out door firing as copter takes off

112 Grace wounded “Ruin my whole day”, fly to labs, Norm avatar help attach ropes to fly one with links to near “Tree of Souls.”

113-114 Jake Injects into pale Grace “Why would they help us?” Lab set down. Jake to link without plan.

115-116 Jake awakens in gray burned world “Take it to new level” His ikran lands, flying above Toruk & dives then leaps onto back.

117 At Tree of Souls, linked people singing. Shadow stops as Toruk descends & lands, people in awe.

118
Tsu’tey recognizes as Toruk Macto, Neytiri “I see you” & they touch with love (
Both acknowledge NEED for one another
), asks Tsu’tey to address the people.

119 Tsu’tey “I will fly with you.” “Grace is dying”, Carry to tree “I need to take some samples.”

120-122 Mo’at instruct power from human to avatar “but very weak.” People chant as fibers invade, then light darkens, Grace briefly sees Eywah then gone. “Wounds too great.”

123-124 Jake addresses with Tsu’tey translating. “Stop the sky people who killed their own mother Earth, Cannot take our land. Call all the other clans. Tell Toruk Macto calls them.”

125-126 All mount ikrans, Neytiri with Jake on Toruk, to plains people then to ikran people of Eastern Seas.

127-128
Quaritch lecturing to packed hall at colony about gathering Na’vi soon 20,000 & over-run, “think they are protected by their deity but we will destroy.”

129 Max reporting on mobilization Trudy hoping not martyrdom, “keep them from Tree of Souls”, “bring the fight to us, our advantage”

130
Jake to Tree of Souls to link & pray asking for help. Neytiri overhears. & says “She protect balance of life” “I had to ask.”

131-134
Position for attack, Jake leading ikran (with Tsu’tey & Neytiri), Norm with hexapede warriors against foot soldiers & mechanical robots

135-144 Climax:
Battle of ikran attacking copters, Trudy shooting at Quaritch & shot down, Norm on ground with hexapede turned back, Tsu’tey jumps on bomb ship but is shot & falls into jungle below, Neytiri chased by copter with her ikran hit & killed, Jake telling “fall back”, ground troops stop then are attacked by line of rhino-like creatures as Jake sees waves of solo ikran descending, Neytiri screaming “Eywah has heard you!” Neytiri finds thanataur bowing to her.

145-151
Jake cripples bomb ship which crashes, then goes after Quartitch’s, ends up falling into forest using trip through leaves as Neytiri taught. Quaritch into mechanical robot jumps from plane and, as crashes, sees link lab through foliage. As Quaritch approaches, Neytiri coming through forest on thanataur that leaps on him. Quartich finally viciously knifes thanataur trapping Neytiri. Jake arrives & they fight. “You think you are one of them? Time to wake up.” One of links smashed, Jake attacks. As Quaritch holds to kill, Neytiri shoots two arrows into him, Quaritch dies.

152 Neytiri can’t arouse Jake avatar. Jake out of link, falls to floor & gasps final breath. Neytiri into lab & places mask over his face calling “My Jake.” He awakens “I see you.” (
Love’s Commitment
)

153 Na’vi, some avatar people & some humans have colonists (including Parker) lined up loading onto transports to send back to earth.

154
Commitment:
Jake V.O. “Time of great sorrow ended so Toruk Macto not needed” See Toruk flying free. Jake last recording “don’t want to be late for my own birthday party.”

After-story:
Na’vi chanting with Mo’at & Neytiri over Jake’s human & avatar bodies at Tree of Souls.
Jake
abandons his human body for permanent life as a Na’vi.

Note:
Note that though this movie is 155 pages/minutes, the overall paradigm and balance of 1/4 Act I, ½ Act II, and 1/4 Act II still works. The pacing of the romance also paces appropriately and the POV is consistently Jake Sully’s even though the cast is large.

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

By
Michael Mann, John Balderston, Paul Perez, Chris Crowe, Hunt Lowry

1992, Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Wes Studi

Length:
104 minutes

Log Line:
A legendary frontiersman wins the love of a courageous young woman and defends her from a vengeful Indian.

Statement of Purpose:
To prove strength of character will triumph to win love and maintain integrity even in a brutal frontier circumstance.

Intro Image:
Aerial view of huge range of forested, misty mountains.

First 10 minutes

Who
:

Nathaniel Poe, ideal confident frontiersman

Uncas, athletic, respectful young Indian

Chingachgook wise, tolerant Indian father

Duncan, assured, arrogant British Major

Cora, genteel, confident, courageous Colonial lady

When:
Colonial Frontier during French & Indian Wars (1757)

Where
: Frontier of New York province

What:
Colonists along the frontier called to join the British forces at Ft. William Henry

Why:
French have recruited several New England tribes to join their assault on British occupation.

Four related subplots:

Cora & Duncan

Magua’s manipulations

British-French tactics

Alice’s dependence

Time Line:
Approximately two weeks the summer of 1757

Image repeats:

Juxtaposition of silence to sudden sound

Drums

Flags

Military protocol

Nathaniel’s Mohican history belt

Flintlock rifle

Indian war ax

Threatening water

Act I = Set-up of Ordinary World Frontier life dissolving into violence
.

8 min Inciting Incident
(Note: not “standard” Intro of 10-min): Magua to be guide (for ambush)

10 min Intro: Colonial life of frontiersmen, civilized townspeople & military

15 min
PP I:
Munro girls & British escort ambushed by Indians

Act II = Life 180 degrees: Survival trek to then away from doomed Ft. William Henry

35 min
Pinch I:
Enter hopelessly embattled fort

51 min Mid-Point: Nathaniel & Cora admit and act on love

73 min Pinch II: Nathaniel rescue Cora from column’s slaughter

80 min PPII: Nathaniel must leave Cora to Magua for any chance at eventually saving her

Act III = Resolution: Rescue from Magua and his retribution

96 min Climax:
Uncas, then Nathaniel and Chingchagook attack the war party

101 min Commitment: Nathaniel returns to Cora to turn her away from the carnage

After-story: After prayers for Uncas’ afterlife, three survivors look out over mountains.

Dialogue Notes:

Clipped British accents (but not consistent) vs. American “twang”

Native American stilted cadence

Munro’s Scottish inflection

Authentic French accents (French-Canadian actors hired)

Alpha Character posturing differences:

Nathaniel vs. Duncan vs. Colonial friends

Nathaniel vs. Uncas vs. Chingchagook vs. Huron Sachem

Duncan vs. Webb vs. Munro

Montcalm vs. Magua vs. Munro

Magua vs. Duncan vs. Nathaniel

Cora vs. Alice.

Supporting cast Unique Character Gems:

Alice

Uncas

Chingchagook

Munro

Montcalm

Huron Sachem

Background effects, the nuances of aura:

Lush forest, rugged mountainous terrain, isolated cabin homestead

INT & EXT of Fort William Henry, the lake-river-falls scenes

Elements from Other Genres:
Romance, Western, Action-Adventure

Questions:
Was there any point you did not
believe
the story authentic and true to the time period?

Appearance or reference to recurrence of Evil Theme in Minutes:
Savage vengeance in time of war with Indian/Magua appearance in
BOLD.
This is another film that has a definable romance embedded in its events, thus those events as discussed in Chapter 9 have been
italicized
. The use of abrupt sound effects has been noted with
underlining
.

Act I = Set-up of Ordinary World: Frontier life dissolving into violence.

1 Men running in forest, deer is hot but death respected by Native Americans.

2 Cameron cabin at night, talk of French & Indian war, call for militia

3 Nathaniel talks of Kentucky, gathering of neighbors & Indians

4 Arrogant British soldier asking settlers to volunteer as British subjects, Nathaniel: “Not subject to much at all.”

5 Some will go to Albany & fill county levee, unimpressed Nathaniel & Uncas play field hockey

6 Coach & escort of Major Duncan Heywood, arrives to hear militia demands & General Webb promises

7 Reports for duty & sarcastic, Webb: “To Fort William Henry while I take 60
_^th
to Fort Edward.”

8 Inciting Incident:
Webb denigrating French, calls
Magua forward as guide
, Munro daughters waiting.

9 Duncan tells Magua 6 a.m. sharp, Duncan rides to house, finds Cora, “Good to see you”

10 Picnic table in field: Cora awkward, friendship & respect, rely on father’s judgment

11 Duncan asks Cora to consider proposal, silly Alice calls out, “What an adventure!”

12
Soldiers marching, drums & flags, sisters mounted, into forest, “Women tired.”
Magua sarcastic

13 Chingachgook, Uncas & Nathaniel tracking separately thru forest, check fire pit

14
Three look more concerned, tracking,
Magua backtracking along column, tomahawk out & hacks soldier

15-18 PP I: Firing from brush, Indians anticipate at “Fire!” Indians attack
, girls off horses (Cora covering Alice’s head),
vicious fighting, Duncan valiantly defends position, Indians dropping & look to brush,
(
MEETING
)
Nathaniel sees Magua aim at Cora & brings rifle up but Magua’s gone
, stops Duncan from shooting Chingchagook who kills escaping Indian, Uncas drives off horses to Alice’s “No!” “Why?” “Ask him.” “Leaves tracks.” Take to forest, “walk fast unless wait for next raiding party”, Cora picks up pistol.