Ken Russell's Dracula (19 page)

not been cut down in God’s

name by your friends.

MINA

It’s incredible!

DRACULA

When one is immortal, one

cannot live by blood, alone.

Have you never pondered on

the resemblance between

Beethoven and Sibelius?

And does not Rembrandt look

like Picasso, just a little

bit?

Mina is not sure whether he is
being serious or just kidding her along.

MINA

And you, I suppose,

are the reincarnation

of Casanova ...

DRACULA

(
roguishly
)

You understand, I am

Casanova.

MINA

(
laughing
)

And I am Cleopatra and

Juliet, and Helen of Troy,

and ...

DRACULA

(
interrupting,

good-naturedly
)

No you are not! You are

greater than all of those

and our love will be

greater. Tomorrow, at Castle

Dracula, it will be

consummated.

MINA

(
half-seriously
)

At the cost of my soul.

DRACULA

(
lightly
)

What use to me is your soul.

God is welcome to it.

Can your soul savour the

fragrance of a rose, taste

the liquid sunshine of

honey, feel the warm caress

of a summer breeze?

Slough off your soul like a

snake its winter skin and

bask in the sun with me,

forever.

She is totally seduced and clasps
Dracula in an eager embrace.

MINA

Forever! Forever!

As Dracula kisses, bites, then
draws blood from her neck, Mina imagines she is bedecked in a silver wedding
dress rising in her lover’s arms to the stars.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. COUNTRY CHAPEL. DAY.

Pan down from a simple crucifix to
reveal a PRIEST saying mass for a small CONGREGATION of PEASANTS. Suddenly
JONATHAN staggers in, unkempt, unshaven and bedraggled as befits a man who has
endured a night’s forced march across rough country. Without ceremony he walks
up the aisle and addresses the startled priest.

JONATHAN

Father, I’m sorry - forgive

Me but I must ask you to

bless this.

From his coat he takes the
Winchester and holds it out towards the Priest who thinks his life is being
threatened.

PRIEST

(
in Romanian
)

We are a poor community.

Put your gun away my son;

there is nothing worth

taking here.

Aware that he is not getting
through, Jonathan turns to the congregation in desperation.

JONATHAN

Can someone help me please?

I need your priest to bless

this gun.

The silence is uncomprehending and
total.

JONATHAN

Does no one understand?

Finally, when Jonathan is about to
turn away, a distinguished looking man, probably a LANDOWNER, suddenly speaks
to the priest.

LANDOWNER

(
in Romanian
)

This man is deranged. He

asks your blessing on his

rifle.

The Priest regains some of his
composure.

PRIEST

(
in Romanian
)

It would be the violation

of a sacrament. Tell him No!

It is blasphemy!

The landowner translates with
discretion.

LANDOWNER

Why do you commit this

blasphemy?

JONATHAN

I ask his blessing for good,

not evil.

The play for words is over. The
next instant Jonathan has taken aim, fired, and blown the top off one of the
altar candles.

JONATHAN

There’s no time for

explanation.

Walking towards the Priest, he
points the gun at him.

JONATHAN

Bless it! For Christ’s sake,

bless it!

An old man cries, and some women in
the congregation start to whimper, the Priest crosses himself and trembling,
blesses the outstretched rifle.

PRIEST

In nomine patris, et filii,

et Spiritu Sanctu, Amen.

JONATHAN

God bless you.

Jonathan goes out of the back door
leaving a great commotion behind him.

EXT. RIVERSIDE ROAD. DAY.

QUINCEY drives a mud-spattered
sports car faster than safety permits down a narrow bumpy road while DR. SEWARD
suffering at his side does his best to scan the lake through a pair of
binoculars.

DR. SEWARD

Nearly there and not a sign.

I’m sure they must have got

him on the train.

QUINCEY

Fine! That still leaves the

vampires at the Castle to

take care of.

DR. SEWARD

Only if we find them before

sunset. Stop! I’ve seen

something ... it’s too

bumpy, stop! Take a look

yourself.

Quincey stops the car and takes the
binoculars.

QUINCEY’s POINT OF VIEW:

A large raft of logs in the centre
of which, clearly visible, is Dracula’s casket. Around it HALF A DOZEN GYPSY
BANDITS keep watch and tend the horses while TWO MORE steer the craft round the
rocks as it drifts downstream at about five knots.

RESUME:

EXT. RIVERSIDE ROAD. DAY.

Quincey lowers the binoculars and
turns urgently to DR. SEWARD.

QUINCEY

Goddamit, they failed!

DR. SEWARD

Then it’s up to us, old man.

I’m not much of a shot I’m

afraid.

QUINCEY Time we picked a couple
off, the rest’d be hoppin’ in back of that basket like a bunch o’ crickets.

DR. SEWARD

Too chancy, we’ve got to

finish him off for good.

What’s that?

The rumble of an explosion is
heard.

QUINCEY

Sounds mighty like blastin’.

DR. SEWARD

Wasn’t there a quarry back

there a mile or so?

QUINCEY

Yahoo! We’ll blow the

varmin’ to Kingdom come.

Hold onto yer hat!

Dr. Seward smiles and nods in
agreement as Quincey spins the car round and sets off back the way they came,
so the raft continues on its journey.

EXT. RAFT. DAY.

One of the cloaked figures on board
seems particularly interested in the casket. It is MINA attired as a bandit.

EXT. QUARRY. DAY:

QUINCEY helps the FOREMAN load
explosives into the trunk, and then joins DR. SEWARD who is studying a map on
the bonnet.

QUINCEY

First object accomplished.

Now to clip his wings.

DR. SEWARD

By my reckoning, the raft

is only five miles from

the Castle.

QUINCEY

And the road follows

the river all the way –

they’re going to see us,

gosh darn’d it!

DR. SEWARD

Unless ... Look, the river

forms an ox-bow here –

doubles back on itself.

If we could cut across

country we’d stand a good

chance of arriving ahead

of them. That’s if the

terrain is suitable.

QUINCEY

There’s only one way

to find out, Doc.

Quincey slaps him excitedly on the
back, jumps in the car and revs up. Map in hand Dr. Seward joins him looking
rather worried.

DR. SEWARD

Those explosives, Quincey.

They are safe, I presume?

Quincey laughs and throws the car
into gear.

QUINCEY

You do the navigatin’, Doc,

and I’ll do the prayin’.

Dr. Seward tightens his lips as the
car backfires, and then drives out of the quarry. The rapport between them is
growing. The car quickly turns off the road up a bumpy cart track which winds
up a wild hillside. With a great splash it fords a mountain stream after which
the primitive track soon ends. They careen wildly with many bumps and jolts
through a forest of fir trees. When finally Dr. Seward calls a halt both men
are feeling mentally and physically shaken as they thankfully get out of the
car to unload.

EXT. CLIFF SUMMIT. DAY

From a vantage point is a wild
jutting crag of rock over- hanging a river several hundred feet below. On the
opposite side of the ravine, Castle Dracula towers above them. As they peer
over the edge and see the raft passing almost beneath them, they realise the
urgency of the situation.

QUINCEY

What did you do in the war,

Doc?

DR. SEWARD

Medical officer with the

Surrey’s.

QUINCEY

Didn’t get to lob many

grenades, I guess?

DR. SEWARD

No, but I bowled for Surrey

Cricket Club for a couple

of seasons.

QUINCEY

(
laughing
)

Silly mid on, short leg and

all that stuff, huh? Boy!

This takes me right back

to Vlimey Ridge.

Without further delay they take a
charge each and, having inserted and lit the fuse wire, lob their improvised
bombs into space totally unaware that Mina’s life is at risk. POW! POW! Two
wasted shots exploding harmlessly in the air and alerting the BANDITS to
danger.