The prince - part 1

THE PRINCE


Screenplay


1.

INT. A president’s office, that could be anywhere in the not so civilized world. The office is not big and on the desk we see the American flag, the British flag and the flag of the country we’re in. Lots of pictures and weapons on the walls. The president, a man in his 50’s, Caucasian, with a little grey hair, is talking on the phone.

The president:
Yes, sir! Sure, you have my entire support.
[he is shaking his head as for a doubt]
Of course our country will be happy to pay for that…

A guard enters the room and walks to the desk. The president doesn’t seem to notice his presence.

The president:
Sure… Call me when you have news. Have a good day, sir.

He hangs off the phone and he turns to the guard.

The president:
What’s the matter?

The guard:
[with a little fear in his voice]
There’s a man in front of the house… I don’t know how he got here with all the security and all that… he said he must speak to you…

The president:
Send him away! And file a report on how he got here!

The guard:
Yes, sir, I will. But he asked me to give you this…

He gives a yellow rose to the president. The president makes a surprised face, takes the rose, stands up, goes to the window and looks outside. The garden in front of the house is beautiful, but not so large. One can see the place is private and well guarded. A young man, very well dressed, is standing in front of the house and he is staring right to the window. The man has deep blue eyes, a childish face, pale complexion and wet lips. His figure is pure and evil at the same time and he is staring at the president both with guts and lust.

The president:
[without turning to the guard]
That’s all right. Show him in.






2.

EXT/INT. Somewhere in a capital city in Europe, 18th century. We are not in a super state like England or France, therefore the city is obviously poorer, smaller and uglier than London or Paris. The architecture is a mixture of western and eastern elements, most of the buildings have only one floor, the streets look dirty. The camera travels through the city and stops in front of a church. It’s a wood church, pretty big and solid, but one can see signs of fire on the walls. A man in his 40’s, poorly dressed and stumbling, walks through the doors of the church and enters it. After he enters the church, he walks through the crowd and falls down in front of the priest saying…

The man:
Help me… please help me!

Then he dies.
The people gather around him and take a close look. The man looks strange and has big purulent spots on his skin. A woman suddenly yells.

The woman:
It’s the plague! The plague is here!

Everybody starts yelling and they rush to the doors of the church.


3.

EXT/INT. Night. Big butterflies fly in the light of the moon. The camera travels though the city, but there’s no light to the windows and no rumor in the streets. We see people in poor and dirty interiors, peeping at windows in the dark, washing things, burning candles and praying.

VOICE OVER:
[narrator’s voice, the voice of a wise old man]
That night the butterflies came. They flew over the city like a curse. Yet, for three long days, nobody died.

4.

EXT/INT. Poor neighborhood in the city. The beggars prepare for the big plague. They laugh and sing and whisper in the night, while preparing wagons, sheets and lime stone. Their chief rushes in, yelling:

Beggars chief:
Another one died! We’re on, people!

The rest of them cheer, grabbing all the stuff and rushing to the city.
The camera travels through the city and we see different shots describing the plague epidemics.
People painting red crosses on gates, doors and windows.
Children crying and lighting candles next to their dead parents.
The butterflies covering the moon.
The rich packing their jewels and escaping the city.
A well dressed girl getting rapped on a street by gypsies.
Wagons carrying corpses to huge holes full with lime stone.

VOICE OVER:

The plague that year killed one man out of three. People said we were doomed and the prince was to blame for it, for he gave shelter to the foreigner.

5.

INT. A dark hall in the palace. The prince is walking down the hall, troubled, as if looking for someone. We don’t see his face, but we see a yellow rose in his hand.

The prince:
[shouting]
Octavian! Where are you?

A soldier comes to him out of the darkness and speaks with fear:

The soldier:
My lord… we found him!


6.

INT. A dark room in the palace. A dead pale body lies on a stone table. The prince cries, with the head on the table, holding the hand of the dead man. We hear him mumbling:

The prince:
My sweet angel… they’ve killed you! [yelling at the soldiers] Light the candles in the city! Let everyone know that his soul was pure and they must mourn for him!

FADE TO BLACK

7.

INT. The prince is staring at a window. He is a handsome man, in his late 40’s, Caucasian, still dark haired, with deep dark eyes full of melancholy. He sits in a chair, watching the yellow trees outside. It’s late autumn. The room is luxurious, but not decorated in a specific manner. Just like the rest of the city, it is a mixture of elements from different cultures and styles.


Text on screen:
Three years ago.


Suddenly the prince hears a noise. He turns and sees Evangeline, his mother, entering the room. Evangeline is in her late 60’, but still a beautiful woman, dressed according to the époque.


The prince:
[pretty bored]
Hello, mother! What do you want?

Evangeline:
[approaching him]
I thought I could lighten you up a little bit. You are too melancholic these days…

The prince:
What a boring way to live…

Evangeline:
Now don’t complain. You know you must accept you faith. But I brought someone I want you to meet… [turning to the door] Octavian, you may come in.

Octavian comes into the room. He is a beautiful man, very young. His skin is like porcelain and his deep blue eyes strike you from the beginning. His hair is dark, curly, almost reaching his shoulders and his face is pure and evil at the same time. The fine features of his face could just as well belong to a woman: small nose, full lips, fine chin. Actually, he is the same young man as in scene 1, but dressed in 18th century clothes. He approaches the prince and Evangeline with grace and he bounces in front of them. The prince takes a good look at him and their gazes cross with great intensity. Staring at the prince with his baby blue eyes full of promises and sins, Octavian speaks:

Octavian:
[bouncing]
You Greatness, I’m your servant!

Evangeline:
[pretty delighted]
Octavian is going to help John, the astrologist, with his calendars.

Octavian:
[still gazing at the prince]
I am a master of evil and of kabala… I come from the world, I search, I know much and I want to learn more…

He takes a yellow rose out of his clothes and gives it to the prince, with a mysterious smile on his face. His hand is bleeding because of the thorns. Evangeline, troubled from the strange chemistry between the two men, vanishes from the room. The prince grabs the rose and then grabs another three yellow roses from a vase, and makes a cross out of them on the table.

Octavian:
[still smiling]
Rosy-cross! So you know…

The prince puts a finger to his lips, as in for “silence”. Octavian gets closer to him, whispering:

Octavian:
In Egypt, the rose was the symbol of sealed lips….

The prince:
Will you serve me?

Octavian:
[kissing his right hand]
Yes, your greatness!

The prince:
Don’t call me that. How old are you?

Octavian:
23.

The prince:
And do you really know so much?

Octavian:
Perhaps…

The prince:
Why do you say perhaps?

Octavian:
It’s the right thing to say. Nobody knows too much…

The prince:
How many languages do you speak?

Octavian:
Greek, French, Latin, Arabic, Turkish… I’ve also lived in Spain…

The prince:
Why don’t you stay in one place?

Octavian:
They don’t want me for long.

The prince:
Who doesn’t?

Octavian:
The princes… They want to be loved, but I’m a fraud.

The prince takes Octavian’s hand and looks at his ring. Carved in the stone of the ring, very small, yet visible, he notices a snake, the sign of the Kadosch knights.

The prince:
Will you stay?

Octavian:
I can’t do otherwise.

The prince smiles.

The prince:
What are you after?

Octavian:
I want to find the temple of Hiram, the one that’s located in the middle of the Universe…

The prince:
[with irony]
The middle of the Universe is not here.

Octavian:
[sarcastic]
I know. But here’s the money that would take me to it.


8.

EXT/INT.
The prince and Octavian are climbing a tower’s stairs. They enter the tower and look down from its windows at the people in the streets. A heavy, grey rain makes the world look sad.

The prince:
[holding shyly Octavian’s hand]
Have you lived before?

Octavian keeps silent, staring at the people in the street.

The prince:
Do you read dreams?

Octavian:
[still looking at the street]
Yes… I can talk to you inner self and tell about your other lives…

The prince:
Will you make aqua toffana for me?

Octavian:
Yes, and I shall also heal your body and your soul, for my ring is a magic one… [suddenly turning to the prince]… but you shouldn’t trust me. Sometimes I lie.

The prince:
How much for you to stay?

Octavian:
10000 talants a year.

The prince:
That’s a fortune!

Octavian:
I know, but I can’t do it otherwise. I must help building the great temple, the greatest of all things!

The prince:
You can lose your head here!

Octavian:
[as if he didn’t care]
I’ve died before.