Scripts: The Man Who Knew Too Much (final draft, 07/May/1955) - part 4
EXT. MARKET PLACE - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT Mrs. Drayton comes up to the group, still holding on to Hank's hand. MRS. DRAYTON You don't want your little boy to go, do you? HANK I wanna go. I never saw a French police station before. MRS. DRAYTON Perhaps it would be best if I took him back to the hotel. JO You're very thoughtful. POLICE ONE Ameneles aux Bureaux de Police. (He moves out) DRAYTON (To Ben) I think we'd better set off. (To wife wryly) Heaven knows how long we shall be. POLICE TWOO Alons-y. Sil vous plait. Police Two moves across the square with Drayton. Ben and Jo precede them. Drayton begins conversing in French with them about the crime, but we cannot distinguish their words clearly. Jo looks back and gives a little wave to Hank. EXT. MARKET PLACE - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT The McKenna's are walking across the square with the Police and Drayton a few yards behind them. The CAMERA MOVES with them. Jo moves close to Ben and speaks to him in a surreptitious manner. JO Why should he suddenly turn up in Arab- outfit, wearing makeup? BEN What's more important -- why was he killed? JO I'll bet he was a spy, or something like that. Ben looks at her with some surprise. JO Ben, what did he whisper to you? What did you write down? BEN I'll tell you later. Ben looks at his hands. JO What is it? BEN I don't feel very good after what I said about Louis Bernard last night. JO looks away, equally embarrassed. Ben wipes his fingers with his handkerchief. LAP DISSOLVE TO: INT. POLICE STATION - (DAY) - MED. SHOT The main hallway and waiting room of the Police Station in Marrakesh. French and Arab personnel move up and down the wide hallway from one doorway to another. There is a babble of voices and the sound of phones heard off. The McKennas and Drayton are seated on a long bench, waiting to be called into the inner office of the Police Inspector. Drayton sits next to Ben. It is hot. Jo has eyes for everything, but Ben seems to be somewhat impatient. He looks at his watch for the third or fourth time in a minute. INT. POLICE STATION - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT Drayton notices him studying his watch. He leans to him, and at the same time wipes off the side of his on face with a handkerchief. DRAYTON Once we talk to the police inspector, I'll do my best to out some of the red tape. JO I have to stretch. She gets up and saunters away, looking around the police station for whatever there is to see. Drayton speaks to Ben with reassuring geniality. DRAYTON I'm afraid the questions will go on till doomsday, if you admit knew this chap Bernard before. BEN I didn't know him at all. We only met yesterday on a bus. DRAYTON They're a cynical lot, these French -- they might refuse to believe that. BEN They'll have to believe me. It's true. DRAYTON It might sound a bit odd, from their point of view. They saw the poor chap whispering to you ... and then they saw you writing something down... Ben looks at Drayton, waiting for his to go on. DRAYTON The question is, are you going to show them what you wrote down? Before Ben can say any more, a policeman opens the door leading to the Police Inspector's office. He calls out. INT. POLICE STATION - (DAY) - MED. SHOT Jo turns around at the sound of the door opening, and Ben and Drayton start to rise from the bench. The policeman steps aside, holding the door, as a Police Inspector comes out of the office from behind him. He is a short, heavy-built-dark man. He does not smile. INT. POLICE STATION - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT The Inspector walks a few steps into the corridor, stops. Ben, Jo and Drayton approach him. Drayton speaks first. DRAYTON Ces personnes sont mes bons amis, les McKenna. Mon nom est Drayton. Ils ne parlent pas francais et ils m'ont demandé de traduire. The Inspector answers in English. INSPECTOR Thank you, Monsieur Drayton, but a translator will not be necessary. (To McKenna) Won't you come inside, Monsieur, Madame? He stops aside, and wait. INSPECTOR (To Drayton) Do to the kindness to wait. I might have questions for you later. He motions to the McKennas. Jo goes past him first, into the office, followed by Ben, Drayton returns to the bench, and watches the trio as the office door closes on them. INT. POLICE STATION - (DAY) - MED. SHOT A medium-sized office, saved from plainness of civil service decor by a few personal decorations of the Inspector. He waves the McKenna to chairs, as he goes around behind his desk and remains standing. Ben and Jo sit down. The Inspector looks at some papers on his desk, then holds out his hand. INSPECTOR (Precisely) Your passports, please. Ben looks at Jo, who fishes for them in her purse. She takes them out, hands them to Ben, who hands them to the Inspector. He scrutinizes them. Uncomfortable, Ben retreats to a chair and sits down, waiting. The inspector checks the pictures against the people he sees sitting in his office, then puts the passports down on his desk. INSPECTOR You entered French Morocco four days ago. BEN That's right. INSPECTOR You are a doctor, monsieur? BEN A surgeon. A tourist, and an American citizen. INSPECTOR Three good reasons why you should have nothing in common with Louis Bernard. BEN I didn't have. INSPECTOR You were recently in Paris? BEN A medical convention. INSPECTOR You come to Marrakesh with him in the same bus. You drank an apéritif with him in your hotel room. And you ate at the same restaurant last night. JO But at different tables. The Inspector's eyes study her briefly, as if her comment was an unnecessary interruption. Then his eyes return to Ben. INSPECTOR So, Louis Bernard is a stranger to you? BEN I met him yesterday -- on the bus -- for the first time in my life. The Inspector begins to let his skepticism be seen. INSPECTOR (ironically) And yet -- out of five thousand people -- In a great market place -- he comes to you when he is about to die! Is that the action of a casual acquaintance, monsieur? BEN (Obstinate) I know nothing about Louis Bernard. INSPECTOR No? Not even, I suppose, that he was an agent of the Déuxieme Bureau? BEN What's that? INSPECTOR Perhaps you have also never head of the American F.B.I.? (Sadly) It would be so much more easy for both of us, monsieur, if you would cease to pretend. BEN Now, look here... INSPECTOR (Patiently) The dead man found out what he had been sent here to discover. That is why he was kill-ed. He told you what he had discovered. Why? Because he placed complete confidence in you. Voila. BEN Boy, you not only ask the questions you also answer them -- Wait a minute let me ask you a question. INSPECTOR Indeed, Monsieur? BEN Assuming Bernard trusted me as implicitly as you say, I would never reveal anything he said to me, would I? INSPECTOR Even Americans, I suppose, sometimes find it desirable to betray a confidence? BEN Let's get something straight. I'm a tourist traveling for pleasure. I somehow got involved in an unfortunate incident. I came down here to make a simple statement of fact, and not to be subjected to a police grilling. INSPECTOR Monsieur, I would like.... BEN (Interrupting) Now hold your horses! Just hold them. The door opens suddenly. The two men look up. INT. INSPECTOR'S OFFICE - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT A policeman opens the door and leans in. POLICE TWO Inspecteur. On demande Monsieur McKenna au téléphone. As he speaks, the policeman nods in the direction of Ben. INT. INSPECTOR'S OFFICE - (DAY) - MED. SHOT The Inspector impatiently tries to dismiss the officer with a gesture. INSPECTOR Laissez nous, nous sommes occuppes. Ben motions to the policeman to stay where he is BEN Wait a minute. A telephone call for me? The policeman at the door looks at the Inspector briefly. The Inspector is disconcerted, but doesn't tell the man what to say, so he turns back to Ben and nods. BEN Where? The policeman points over his shoulder to in outside office. INSPECTOR (To the world in general) Mais enfin, voyons! BEN I'll take the call now. You just take it easy. He goes out the door, closing it behind him. The Inspector sits down heavily. Then he looks up at Jo. INSPECTOR Madame McKenna. JO I don't know a thing, INT. POLICE STATION - (DAY) - MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT The CAMERA PANS Ban as he follows the policeman down the outside corridor, past Drayton who is still sitting on a bench and watching Ben somewhat anxiously, and into a small plain office. INT. SMALL OFFICE - (DAY) - MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT The policeman enters the small office first. There is a desk, more like a table, and a phone is lying on it off the hook. The policeman picks it up, and hands it to Ben. Ben holds it without speaking a second, and waves the policeman out. The policeman is indifferent. He leaves. Ben puts the phone to his ear. BEN Hello. INT. ROOM - (DAY) - CLOSE SHOT A robed Arab is sitting in a chair holding a telephone. The room is part of a rather elaborate Moorish house. The Arab speaks in accented English. ARAB Doctor McKenna? INT. SMALL OFFICE - (DAY) - MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT As Ben answers, he idly looks through the open doorway toward Drayton sitting on the bench outside. BEN This is McKenna. Who's calling me? INT. ROOM - (DAY) - CLOSE SHOT The Arab doesn't bother to identify himself. ARAB You tell even one word of that Louis Bernard whispered to you in the market- place -- your little boy will be in serious danger. The Arab starts to hang up. INT. SMALL OFFICE - (DAY) - MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT There is an audible click in the receiver held in Ben's hand. BEN Hello. There is no answer. Ben lowers the phone slightly, looks at it a minute, then continues on downward with it, returning the receiver to the phone cradle. He stands a brief moment in thought, then half turns toward Drayton sitting in the corridor outside. He motions to Drayton to join him in the office BEN Drayton! The Englishman gets up and comes into the small office. BEN Didn't your wife say she was taking Hank straight back to the hotel? DRAYTON As I recall. Why? Ben picks up the phone, hands it to Drayton. BEN Call her. Somebody just threatened me about Hank. See if he's all right. Drayton reacts with surprise, speaks into the Phone. He speaks French. DRAYTON Passez moi l'hôtel Mamounia, s'il vous plait. Voulez vous appeler la chambre deux cents dix sept s'il vous plait.... je vois, Puis-je parler au, concierge?...Ah! ici Mr. Drayton de la chambre deux cents dix sept. Est ce que ma femme est revenue a l'hôtel depuis une heure? Sa chambre ne répond pas.... je vois... bien... bien... merci... Oh! Un instant s'il vous plait. BEN Four fourteen. DRAYTON (To phone) Voulez vous essayer la chambre quatre cents quatorze?...Merci. Ben slowly hangs up. Looks at Ben. DRAYTON I can't believe it. BEN She didn't come back? DRAYTON At least nobody's seen her. What on earth... BEN Look -- you get back to the hotel right away -- and see if you can find out what's going on. DRAYTON It's so unlike my wife... BEN I'll finish up with the police and join you as soon as I can. DRAYTON Right. But don't worry. Probably some stupid misunderstanding. (He starts out, stops) If I find out anything before you get back, I'll ring you here. BEN Just don't waste any time! Drayton hurries out of the office. He goes one way, Ben the other. INT. INSPECTOR'S OFFICE - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT As Ben enters the office, both Jo and the Inspector look up him inquiringly. JO Who was it, Ben? Ben adopts as casual an air as he can under the circumstances. He doesn't sit down. He speaks more to the Inspector than to his wife, avoiding her eyes. BEN It was the Concierge at the Hotel. He heard we were being held by the Police and thought there was some way he could help us. JO That was nice of him. BEN (Looking at Inspector) I told him if we weren't back there in fifteen minutes to call the American Consulate in Casablanca. The Inspector has realised that he won't get any more out of Ben. INSPECTOR (charmingly) But, Monsieur, if you had only told me in the first place, that you wished to consult with your consul! Ben gives him a look. BEN Let's go, Jo. INSPECTOR There is just one small formality. I must request you to sign a statement of the facts. BEN If it doesn't take too long. INSPECTOR But a moment. I will send for a typist. Reluctantly the Inspector reaches for a phone on his desk. Jo looks at her husband somewhat puzzled. JO Ben... He gives her a warning glance to be quiet. She does. He reaches out, takes her hand. LAP DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MARRAKESH STREETS - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT Ben and Jo are riding along in an open Victoria, headed back for the Hotel Mamounia. Ben seems preoccupied with his thoughts. JO (Holds out her hand) Let me see the message. BEN I don't -- I don't think you should. She holds out her hand more firmly. JO I'm your wife, Ben -- not the police inspector. Let's see it. Reluctantly, Ben takes out the notebook, hands it to her. Ben watches her as she reads the note he has written. The notebook page held by Jo on which Ben has scribbled Louis Bernard's message. It reads: "A MAN...A STATESMAN...IS TO BE KILLED...ASSASSINATED...IN LONDON...SOON...VERY SOON...TELL THEM...IN LONDON...TO TRY AMBROSE CHAPPEL... EXT. MARRAKESH STREETS - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SHOT Jo looks up, soberly. J0 Why didn't you give this to the police? BEN Because I didn't want to. JO But Ben, a man's life -- BEN (Interrupts) ...is at stake, I know, But I'm not sure of what's the right thing to do. She closes the notebook. Ben reaches over, takes it from her and replaces it in his pocket. She stares ahead, with her own thoughts. Then she speaks. J0 I thought we ought to go back to the hotel, pack our clothes, take Hank, and get out of this country as quickly as we can. BEN (Thinking) Maybe. JO Hank, seeing a man killed in front of him. What a shook it must be to his mind. BEN (Quietly) I know. JO Why don't you just give that note to the American Consulate -- Why get any more involved? Ben is uncomfortable, and unhappy, but he tries to hide it. He leans toward Jo as if he's about to tell her something important. He reaches out, places his hand over hers. BEN Jo...about Hank... (He trails off) JO What about him? BEN Well...he...he's the kind of a kid who can take of himself. EXT. HOTEL MAMOUNIA - (DAY) - MED. LONG SH The Victoria turns into the Hotel Mamounia, and pulls up in front of the entrance. The McKennas dismount. EXT. HOTEL MAMOUNIA - (DAY) - MED. CLOSE SH Jo straightens out her dress, waits for Ben to accompany her into the hotel. The head porter is outside supervising some baggage with the lesser porters. He touches his cap to the McKennas. BEN (To Jo) You get the key. I'll take care of the driver. JO Okay. She turns and enters the hotel. Ben takes a bill out of his pocket, examines it, and hands it to the driver. The Victoria moves off. Ben turns to the Head Porter. BEN Uh...pardon me. The head Porter turns to Ben respectfully. HEAD PORTER Yes, m'sieu? BEN Do you know Mrs. Drayton? HEAD PORTER The English lady? BEN (Nods) Did you see her come back from the market place anytime in the past hour or so? HEAD PORTER (Thinks) No, m'sieu. BEN Wait a minute. You don't understand... she had a small boy with her. Mine. HEAD PORTER No, m'sieu. BEN How about Mister Drayton? HEAD PORTER Oui, m'sieu. M'sieu Drayton check out. BEN He what? HEAD PORTER Checked out. Ben stares at him. BEN He couldn't have. HEAD PORTER Oui, m'sieu. He did. BEN (Still can't believe it) No, Mr. Drayton, the Englishman with horn-rimmed glasses. The Head Porter nods in agreement. HEAD PORTER Oui, m'sieu. Checked out. EXT. HOTEL MAMOUNIA - (DAY) - CLOSE SH Ben turns slowly away from the porter, his face filled with disturbance. He looks up toward the entrance as he hears Jo's voice off. JO Ben, What's holding you up? He quickly composes his face as best he can. The CAMERA PANS HIM over to the entrance where Jo is waiting with the key. He takes her arm and they enter the hotel.
...continue to part 5