Sunday 9 January 2011

Mongol Gallery pages 11 to 20

FADE UP FROM BLACK

INT. THE MONGOL GALLERY - NIGHT

Peter is lying on the floor, his head resting on Alaric's coat. Alaric is leaning over him. The table is covered with sketches in charcoal and pastille. Daniel is still sketching.

ALARIC

Peter? Welcome back to the land of the living. I've been worried
about you. It's as if you weren't even there for the last few hours.
Where've you been?

PETER (whispering)

Nowhere.

ALARIC (with a smile)

Now you know that's illogical captain.

PETER

I mean it literally. No place. Just me and the devil.


Alaric doesn't say anything for a moment but offers Peter a hand to help him up.

ALARIC

Everything okay?

PETER

No. It's all fucked. Life is shit. The name is Elsingham. You accept that don't you Alaric? My father changed it. It's the only name I've
ever known.

ALARIC

Perspicacious bugger was he?

PETER

In spades. Full on Grandad van Helsing speech.

ALARIC

I imagined he might have been more imaginative.

CUT TO:

EXT. HACKNEY 1912 - NIGHT

The world is darker, barely lit by gaslight. We see Evering Road in Hackney as it was in 1912, with several music halls as if Hackney were the West End.

The legend appears in the foreground saying "Hackney 1912".

ABRAHAM van HELSING walks past the camera. He is an old man, far to old for the role he might get in a Dracula story. There is a clear family resemblance to Peter. (He may even be played by the same actor). He is dressed in a black coat, top hat and trousers. His style is clearly Victorian as if he is still tied to fashions of twenty years before. He carries a cane.

He comes to the entrance to the Bartram's Music Hall. We see posters on the wall advertising "Theatre des Vampires" and "Tonight One NIght Only - Magda Szabo - The Viennese Nightingale".

Abraham walks past the entrance.


DOORMAN

Evening Squire. Interest you in the show?

ABRAHAM

Thank you my good man, but not tonight.


Abraham pauses to light a cigar from a gas light. He continues walking only to move against a wall and duck down a back alley. He takes out his pocketwatch. There is a door at the back labelled "STAGE DOOR". It is much shabbier than the main entrance but there is a doorman here as well. This one has a heavy Balkan accent.


BACKDOOR MAN

She's not taking visitors, my friend.

ABRAHAM
(letting the watch swing on its fob before the man's eyes)

She'll see me. Watch the shiny my friend. Watch it closely. See how
it moves.


Abraham continues to speak softly and we see the Backdoor man's eyes begin to close. He slumps sideways and Abraham opens the door behind him.
ABRAHAM

You haven't seen me.


Abraham walks through the door and we follow him into...


INT. BACKSTAGE IN BARTRAM'S MUSIC HALL - NIGHT


Abraham makes his way through the darkness. He moves unsteadily clearly less mobile than he was. He freezes as he knocks over some boxes. The theatre is silent in the aftermath of the noise but nobody comes and Abraham continues his movement.

Abraham comes to a door marked with a star. There is light coming from underneath. He pushes the door open. Nobody moves to stop him.


INT. STAR'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT


The room is well lit and spacious. MAGDA SZABO sits in front of a mirror, making up her face. She sees Abraham in reflection.

MAGDA

You should not be here.


Abraham reaches inside his coat.

ABRAHAM

I beg to differ.

MAGDA

Flowers? How sweet, but you still should not be here.


It is not a bunch of flowers. Abraham brings out a sharpened wooden stake.


ABRAHAM

You have no reflection.


The mirror shows that this is patently untrue. Magda tries to get to her feet but for all his age and decrepitude, Abraham is too quick and plunges the stake into Magda's back. This is no vampire staking as many may have expected. Instead, red arterial blood spurts from the wound and Magda screams, though her scream fades quickly.

Abraham runs from the room as Policemen appear as if by magic among a great deal of commotion. Whistles blow and bells ring and in the confusion, Abraham manages to get out, pausing only to turn his coat inside out, showing a different lining.

We follow Abraham through the confusing darkness of the backstage area until he bursts out of the door and we.

CUT TO


EXT. DARK ALLEY - NIGHT


Abraham bursts out of the door at the rear of the theatre. The Backdoor Man is still unconscious. Abraham tries to run deeper into the alleyway but comes to a dead end. He turns around but it is too late. INSPECTOR STRANGE is in the mouth of the alley.

INSPECTOR STRANGE

Abraham van Helsing. I am arresting you for the murders of
Catherine duBois, Anne McLeod and Theresa Beck and the
attempted murder of Magda Szabo. Yes, attempted. I took the liberty of arranging a theatrical device for you.

ABRAHAM

You fool. You know what I do is right.

STRANGE

Come on van Helsing. You're not going to resist are you?

ABRAHAM

I'm an old man. Too old maybe. I hope others will take the candle.


FADE TO BLACK


FADE UP TO


INT. THE MONGOL GALLERY - NIGHT

Nothing much has changed here. Daniel is still sketching. Peter is sitting at the table now, drinking a cup of tea and Alaric is still solicitous.


ALARIC

It was a hundred years ago dear boy. Your grandfather was hanged in
1916. You're allowed to have your own life. It's not something you
have to sell your soul to gain.


Peter is looking at Daniel's stretches.


PETER

You know these are damned good?

ALARIC

Yeah, they look okay.


Alaric glances at the sketches but Peter's reaction is much stronger.


PETER

Seriously. These could be worth a fortune. I could pay off the
mortgage. And you're right. I don't need to sell my soul or anything.


Peter turns to Daniel and asks.


PETER

Daniel, I know you can't speak but can you write.


Daniel shrugs and attempts to write his name. The scribble looks as if it should be writing but is completely illegible. Daniel looks distressed. He shakes his head.


PETER

Bugger. Daniel. I'd like to represent you. Your sketches are brilliant but if you can't speak, I don't see how we could have a contract.


ALARIC

I think I know somebody as it goes dear boy. A lawyer who deals
with the Deaf community.

PETER

I don't think Daniel even knows how to sign.

ALARIC

Doesn't matter. My friend can work with that.


FADE TO BLACK


FADE UP TO


INT. THE MONGOL GALLERY - NIGHT

The gallery has been transformed. Gone is the cramped, almost domestic setting we have seen earlier. Instead, we have a proper viewing space with countless sketches and paintings on the wall. We recognise some of them as Daniel's work. A number of well known art critics are milling around along with some pretty boys and girls from the lower rungs of the art industry.

In the foreground we see the legend "TWO WEEKS LATER" but it quickly fades away.


A BIG NAME ART CRITIC (BNAC) is sipping champagne and his arm is resting on the shoulder of a PRETTY GIRL. He is looking at a rather macabre painting of the attempted murder of Maga Szabo as seen in an earlier scene.


PRETTY GIRL

It looks beautiful and sordid at the same time. Like a high-end
brothel.

BNAC

Not the first thoughts that came to my mind my dear. I find it all
rather tawdry I'm afraid. And this conceit of the mute artist. I have
no idea why they think that will work in this day and age. They're all
charlatans. Besides. When have you ever been in a high-end brothel?

PRETTY GIRL

What? Don't you think I'm high-end enough?


The pretty girl grins but she does seem to be mildly insulted. The camera moves around the room to another picture, this time of Daniel and Anna standing on a balcony of a tall tower, looking out over a futuristic landscape strangely empty of people. Here the MAYOR is chatting with an MP and a minor POP STAR. The MP has his arm around the Pop Star's shoulders. The pop star is looking intently at the painting and paying little attention to the man whose arm is around her.


MP

Well, yes, it's a splendid vision isn't it?

POP STAR

Bit Future Legend for me. Them two should have red mutant eyes.

MAYOR

I'm not sure I understand.

POP STAR

Hunger City. The Halloween Cat lives on top of the tower. Bowie?
Diamond Dogs? Geez, don't they teach anything at public school?

MP

I think it's Rotterdam.


The Camera moves on. We see Nick de Musca in the flesh, sipping champagne and chatting amiably to a CHAT SHOW HOST.


CHAT SHOW HOST

But why on earth do you think my life lacks anything?

de MUSCA

Everybody's life lacks something. The trick is to find it.


The Camera moves on to show Daniel sitting in a quiet corner near the entrance. He is watching people come and go. He looks hopefully at every face and with each one, we see a little hope die in his eyes. He stands up and walks over to Alaric, who is talking to a high priced LAWYER.
ALARIC

Daniel, what's the matter. Oh no, sorry, you can't.


Daniel tries to speak but nothing comes out. In frustration he points to a painting of Anna Kern.

ALARIC

You were hoping Anna would come?

LAWYER

So she's a real person?


Daniel nods. Then he nods again.

ALARIC

Maybe she doesn't know about the exhibition.


Daniel glares at Alaric. He is clearly frustrated. He points at the picture again. He takes a sketch pad from the pocket of his jacket and draws a picture of a laptop, which he shows to Alaric.

ALARIC

I don't get it.


Daniel stomps off and looks for Peter. On the way, he passes several groups of people chatting about his paintings. One or two smile at him or offer to shake his hand. They all try to speak to him but all he can do is nod or shake his head.

Eventually, he finds Peter talking to LIAM a journalist.


PETER

That's Elsingham. E-L-S-I-N-G-H-A-M. And no, I don't expect to
make a lot of money out of this. I just want to make Daniel available
to the world. Oh, Hello Daniel. Have you met Liam? Daniel, Liam,
Liam, Daniel.




LIAM

Oh bugger, we have met. Danny. Danny Jekyll? We were on the
Evening Standard together when you first came over?


Daniel nodded but again tries and fails to speak.

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