Act One Scene Five
SHOT LIST 1 - Wide shot , H & D enter the Dining Room from the door stage right of the Fireplace. Harker has his valise, Dracula his lamp. A long covered table stands before the giant fireplace, Harker's seat at the end closest the two doors, Dracula's at the center, with its back to the fireplace. There is a suit of armour against the wall between them and a wooden keg on the table next to Dracula's setting. (Hopefully this can be used to obscure the white door fame in some shots.) There is a sumptuous steaming meal at Harker's setting. 2 - Close-up on food- beautiful hot meal: roast bird, sausage, fruit, bread, cheese and wine. 3 - Medium of Harker reacting, sitting down. Harker: Is this really all for me? 4 - Wider as D passes, taking the valise from Harker and setting down the lamp on the table. Dracula: Yes, you need a little fattening up. 5 - Medium on D removing documents from valise at his chair before the fireplace. Dracula: Which of these are the deeds to my estate at Carfax ? 6- Medium close on Harker, eating greedily; points with fork, continues eating. Harker: ( Eating greedily ) The one with the red ribbon... ( Continues gorging ). 7 - medium close on D seated before fireplace, unrolling scroll. Dracula: ( Unrolling scroll ) Ah, here we are. 8 - Close on Drac. As well, it may amuse me to play at being high priest of my own order for a time. 9 - Medium close on drac. I have memorized already the maps and layout of your fabulous modern cosmopolitan London, and I look forward to making my presence felt there. 10 - Medium close on Harker. Harker: ( eating ) I must say you speak without a trace of accent. One would never know you were not English. 11 - Close on Drac. Dracula: Thank you. I have learned that it's human nature to hate and fear what is foreign, so it's important to blend in when you go somewhere new. 12 - Close on Harker. Harker: ( carefully )... If you'll please forgive my asking, Count Dracula, why are you leaving your home to come live in London? 13 - Medium Long on D. Dracula: I have been here a long time, and feel I have exhausted all the possibilities. I need some new blood. ) 14 - Long on D. Some fresh meat. 15 - Long on H. Some fresh meat. 16 - Wide on Table. Dracula: ( soothing ) Eat up , Mr. Harker. There's pie for dessert. 17 - Close up of remains of meal, empty dishes, bottles, etc. 18 - Medium close, H looking bloated and sleepy. 19 - Close on two brandy glasses on table. Liquid begins to pour into one. 20 - Medium close on D, pouring Brandy, offering glass to Harker. 21 - medium close on Harker leaning forward to reach for glass. 22 - Close on Harker's hand taking the glass from Dracula's. 23 - Medium close on H leaning back, sipping Brandy. 24 - Medium close on Drac, proffering cigarette case. Dracula: ( Proffering cigarette case ) Do smoke. 25 - Medium close on Harker, accepting cigarette. Harker: Oh! Thank you! 26 - Wide on both as they smoke. 27 - Medium on Harker. Harker: ( slurring) What interesting tobacco. Is it Turkish? 28 - Medium on Drac - Dracula: ( Blowing smoke out his nostrils like a dragon ) Mm - Hmmn. 29 - Medium on Harker - Harker: ( stoned and drunk ) Um... he was ... he came down with a sort of brain fever... they had to ... hospitalise him ... 30 - Close on Drac, regarding the end of his cigarette - Dracula: Poor Mr. Renfield. How terrible to lose one's hold on reality. At the end of the day, what else does one really have? 31 - Close on Harker as the Drac -in-the-box pops open. 32 - Close -up of Drac-in-the-box from Harker's P.O.V. (hold for animation). 33 - Medium Close on Harker as he drops the box on the table, backs up out of his chair away from it. Harker: ( queasy, disoriented ) My God. What is it. 34 - Close on Drac-in-the-Box lying on table. Dracula's hand comes in to pick it up. Dracula: A family heirloom! 35 - Medium close on D as he shuts the box again . That was the terrible Impaler's favourite toy. He had it made from bits of his enemies. 36 - Medium close on Harker sitting back down. Harker: Quite a sense of humour , your ancestor had. 37 - Medium close on D as he sets the box back down. Dracula: He had a certain flair. Have you ever had your hat nailed to your head, Mr. Harker? 38 - Close-up of Harker with hat nailed to head. 39 - Same shot of H, but with out hat or nail. Harker: ( sudden vivid hallucination of just that, a couple of seconds worth. ) 40 - Medium close on D as he picks up a metal skewer from the table - Dracula: He was prone to do that sort of thing if he didn't like our attitude. 41 - Medium close on Harker - Harker: If he didn't just stick a big spike through your belly. 42 - Medium then closer on Drac as he approaches; he picks an uneaten sausage from the table, skewers it lengthwise, and twirls the sausage ahead of him. Dracula: Actually, the pikes were inserted lengthwise, through one of the lower orifices, until they protruded from the mouth or popped out just above the sternum. 43 - Close on Harker - Harker: Wiggle? 44 - Close on Dracula - Dracula: Yes, like a grasshopper on a fish hook. 45 - Close on Harker - Harker: It is ? Dracula: Breathtaking. ( He exhales another lungful of smoke through his nostrils. ) 47 - Wide on Both - Do you know what they ... do to you in a Turkish prison, Mr. Harker ? 48 - Medium on Drac, stubbing out cigarette. (pause) 49 - Close up on Drac's teeth, w/fangs. I enjoyed it. 50 - Medium on Harker - Harker: Why - why do you speak of these events in the first person ? Surely they took place in the distant past? 51 - Medium on Dracula (silhouette) - Dracula: There is no future, Mr. Harker, there is no past. There is only a moment which we carry with us forever. 52 - Medium on Harker - Harker: I can't believe any army composed of men would carry out such orders. How could they do these things for him? 53 - Long on Drac, his back to the camera as he faces the fire. Dracula: When I was exactly 33 years old, I died in battle. 54 - Slightly tighter shot as he turns toward the camera - But on the third day, I rose again from the dead. 55 - Drac from below, framed against mantelpiece - This is the greatest of gifts. 56 - Drac from below, standing on chair framed against wall above mantelpiece - In the first phase, one is unable to refrain from sin. 57 - D from below, standing on table, framed against vaulted ceiling - In the eternal realm, with glorified bodies, we are unable to sin, and so keep fellowship with God forever. 58 - Wide on both as Drac turns toward Harker - This is why I am coming to London. 59 - Medium close on Drac from Harker's P.O.V. as he approaches; as he does so, he extends his hand a la God in the Sistine Chapel Creation tableau. It is my Holy Mission. 60 - Close-up on Drac's hand extended toward Harker. 61 - Medium long on Harker, drawn up into a ball - Harker: I - I don't understand. 62 - Long slow zoom from full figure long shot to facial close-up in whiteface goth make-up with key light on face - Dracula: I am the blood of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. 63 - Close on Harker - Harker: ( terrified, blurting ) B- But surely Jesus Christ - 64 - Close-up on Drac as his face assumes werewolf feature, contorts, and snarls. 65 - Medium on both as Drac lunges for Harker - Dracula: Shut up ! 66 - Close on both as Drac throttles Harker, shaking him - SHUT UP !!! 67 - Medium on Both - Stupid little monkey! ( DRACULA belts HARKER viciously in the side of the head, knocking him to the floor. ) 68 - Over Drac's shoulder as he looms over Harker - I take you into my home and you piss upon my table! 69 - From Harker's P.O.V. as Drac towers over him - ( calm again ) ... You are beneath my notice. 70 - Close on Drac from same P.O.V. - You have one more task to perform, however, before you have outlived your usefulness. 71 - From Harker's P.O.V. as Drac towers over him, drawing his sword - GET UP! ( drawing sword ) Or shall I cut the nose right off of your face? 72 - Close on Both - - DRACULA grabs HARKER by the collar and hoists him instantly to his feet, then tosses him back onto the chair he was just knocked from. 73 - Medium on Dracula as he sweeps the dinner dishes onto the floor in a horrible crashing mess. 74 - Close on Harker as Dracula thrusts a quill pen into his hand. Dracula: You will now write three letters in your own hand. 75 - Over Drac's shoulder at Harker as he slaps writing paper down on the desk as well. Dracula: In the first of these, you will advise your loved ones that you have elected to stay with me for the next month, as I have much pointless and trivial business for you to perform. 76 - Drac from Harker's P.O.V., brandishing weapon - The second and third of these will say, " having a wonderful time, wish you were here, ox ox, et cetera, et cetera. " If there should seem to me to be a single word that is false or suspicious in any way about how these sentiments are expressed, I will cut your eyes out and feed them to you . 78 - Over Drac's shoulder at Harker as he levels knife at Harker's eyes. Now, write. 79 - Close-up on Harker, terrified. - HARKER sits, immobile. He is having difficulty processing it all. 80 - Even closer to Drac from Harker's P.O.V. - Dracula: Are you going to cry? 81 - Close on Harker - - HARKER has a brief hallucination of himself gagged and tied to the chair. DRACULA is slicing his left ear off. 82 - Same P.O.V. without bonds, etc. Dracula leans in with knife. Dracula: ( nodding encouragement ) Going to cry ? 83 - Close on Harker - - Further hallucination of HARKER's right ear being sliced off. 84 - Same P.O.V. without bonds, etc. Dracula holds knife at Harker's throat. Dracula: Why don't you cry. 85 - Close on Harker - - HARKER's nose is removed. 86 - Same P.O.V. without bonds, etc. Dracula drops knife toward writing paper. Dracula: Or ... you could do as you've been told. ( indicates writing paper ) 87 - Close on Harker - - HARKER falls to writing as though his life depended on it. 88 - Wide on Room, Harker writing as Dracula stands nearby.
89 - Close on Harker - - HARKER finishes his writing and put his pen down. He stares glumly ahead, not moving. 90 - Wide on Room as Harker jerks to his feet and follows Dracula spastically, as though not in control of his own body. 91 - Medium of both at corner with doors as Dracula opens the door for Harker. Dracula: I'm sure you're anxious to see your room. Harker glides after Drac and through doorway as though on a skateboard. END OF THE SCENE !
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