Moonspender (1) 1 EST.EXT/DAWN (title over) CU a white cross fills the frame, imposing glowing reddish in the first light. POV pulls back. A bird lands on the cross briefly, revealing its actual dimensions, then causing it to shake as the bird resumes flight. POV pulls back further and higher: aerial shot: the summit, the cross jutting out of it like a forgotten flagpole, panorama of the surrounding peaks. CUT TO: EST. EXT/DAWN (director's name over) Andritsena: the village wakes up and begins it's usual morning routine. The older men gather at Grandpa Grigoris' general store. It's now run by his son and daughter in law, but he still holds court there every morning until noon. The bus for Megaloplis arrives, bringing the morning papers and carrying away those younger men who work at the power plant in the valley below. CUT TO: EST> EXT. DAWN (in memory of Eugenia Derehani) end credits BETTY GARANIS drives alone, accompanied by a light Greek ballad on the radio. As she rounds a curve on the narrow mountain road, a baby goat bounds out in front of her car to join its mother who is grazing on the other side. Betty brakes hard, narrowly missing the young animal, her car nearly going out of control. She pulls off to the side of the road to catch her breath and stretch her legs. In the first light the mountains have the crazily distorted perspective of a Balthus painting. This will be her home for the next three months. She takes a last look at the goat then looks at her notebook to check the names of the people she is to contact in Andrisena. FADE TO:EXT> ANDRITSENA/ AM Betty pulls up in front of Grigoris' General Store. 2 Her car is quickly surrounded by local children whose mothers and grannies quickly shoo them along. As the petite girl scientist emerges from her car, they eyes of all are upon her, they are not cold, but certainly not encouraging either. As she watches them watching her, her keen observation shows her that all are taking fleeting glances at Grigoris, as if waiting for him to give a signal. Betty plays this hunch and approaches him. They talk in Greek. BETTY Good morning, could you tell me where I can find Mr. Canellopoulos? GRIGORIS (regarding her with some suspicion) Who's asking? BETTY Sorry. She extracts her papers from the ministries of Culture, Education and Tourism etc. My name is Betty Garanis, I have sent a letter and talked to him on the phone twice... She is cut off as he pulls one of the papers from her hand, from the Ministry of Culture, squints at it briefly and passes it on to the spectacled man to his right who is mumbling to himself then says something in Grigoris' ear. GRIGORIS You're the scientist... It is neither a question nor a statement, his tone is very ambiguous. A few of the locals chuckle but are quickly silenced by a stern look from Grigoris. He appraises her with his cool gaze, she stands a little straighter and hold her ground. He gestures for her to sit and calls to his daughter in law to bring the visitor a coffee... GRIGORIS (indifferent) Half the men in this village are "Mr. Canellopoulos". 3 Betty knows he's being difficult, then she notices the sign over the shop BETTY Mr. Grigoris Canellopoulos? His mask wavers for a moment, it's him alright, he realizes that she has caught him but she is clever enough not to gloat. They are silently regarding each other a moment before he gives a satisfied grunt and calls out to his daughter in law to fetch MARTHA, Betty's land lady. CUT TO: EXT> THE VILLAGE (DAY) TRAVELING, Betty is loaded down with all her gear as she follows MARTHA through the narrow streets. The widow talks non-stop (Greek) MARTHA I think you'll be very comfortable, it's one of the biggest houses in the whole village. That's why I take in the occasional border, to help with the upkeep. before I lost my husband things were different. I never imagines that things would be so much harder, but I get by OK these days...Ever since Spyros went to the army the place is so empty...Spyros is my boy... She looks at Betty appraisingly How old did you say you were? Oh, it doesn't matter...Here we are She opens the side door to Betty's room MARTHA (continuing) If you need anything, supper is at 7:30 each night, if you want anything special just let me know in advance, hot water switch is here by the door, I'm sure you'll be wanting to freshen up, oh, and if I'm not here for some reason, I'm next door at Mary's, just call over the fence... 4 MARTHA (continuing) I'll be letting you rest now, if you need anything washed, just gather it up... She starts to leave. BETTY Thank you very much... MARTHA Oh, I almost forgot! there is coffee and sugar in the cupboard and I put a few things in the icebox in case you want a snack, but dont forget dinner's at 7:30...It'll be nice having you around. BETTY It's nice to be here and thank you again. Betty closes the door and leans against it, exhausted. Holy Mary, Mother of God. FADE TO: INT> BETTY'S ROOM (PREDAWN) Betty fills her canteen with water, finishes off her coffee, pulls on her small knapsack and hangs her camera around her neck. she breathes heavily, but is too excited to slow down or stop to rest. She races out and up the mountain, reaching the summit just as the first rays spill over the eastern crests. The panorama is breathtaking, she drinks it in with a heavy sigh before becoming aware of her surroundings. ON BETTY, her face clouds as she begins to take inventory of what she is there for. An archeological dig: A small church has been uncovered on the site and beyond it, atop the very summit where the ancient altar once commanded the spectacular view, a cross on top of a long pole juts out from piled up debris. 5 She sets down her pack and her camera and walks toward it with deliberation. The surrounding meadow has come to life with thousands of bees and butterflies and as she ascends the summit, a large scarab beetle lands on her shoulder. She pauses to look at it and then continues to the top. The beetle flies away. Next to the pole with the cross is a small red bush protruding from the crags between the rubble which has been piled around to support it. On closer inspection, she sees the red color comes from thousands of ladybugs which have amassed on every available surface of the bush, but on nothing else. Their movement gives the impression of a single living organism, like seeing the blood vessels of a human body as they surge and pulsate to circulate the life giving fluid. She returns her attention to the pole. She tries to pull it up ward, but it wont budge, nor will the chunks of granite which have been placed around it and packed with earth. BETTY This will be the first to go... She makes her way back down to the meadow, picks up here camera and slowly begins to explore and photograph the site. The overgrowth has basically obliterated any trace of the great temple that once stood on the site, with the exception of the hollows where it is evident that someone had dragged way large pieces of marble and other areas which had been filled with earth---to conceal what? She pause by the small church, walking around it as she takes a swallow of water from her canteen, then peers in the window. The oil lanterns are burning. BETTY (V.O.) Well, someone goes to the trouble of changing wicks and adding oil, but nobody cares about antiquities... almost 2000 years and the ancient world still scares the shit out of them...Amazing. 6 She returns to her pack and heads down the mountain, gathering a few wild flowers on the way. A small distance off, a shepherd who has been sitting completely motionless on a rock and watching her, gets up and heads off in the opposite direction. FADE TO: EXT> VILLAGE (AFTERNOON) Betty is on the phone outside the small market, still sweaty and flushed from her hike. BETTY (in Greek) Yes, I know I must be patient, it's just that the days pass so quickly and I dont have much time...Yes, if you would be so kind as to look at my file, if something else can be done at my end... yes, I'll hold... She waves at some children who are staring at her, they run off giggling and she begins tapping her fingers impatiently Yes!...Oh...where?...Den eimaste kala, how long have they had it. That's just great...Since we know it's coming couldn't I just go ahead...I see, yes, liability of course... She rolls her eyes BETTY (continuing) Well, thank you very much. She lets the receiver drop, groans, remembers something then picks up the phone again and dials quickly. It's answered by a Philippine man. They speak English. MAN (filtered) Yes, please? BETTY I would like to speak to the professor. 7 PROFESSOR (filtered) Hello? BETTY Help, they're making me crazy! PROFESSOR (filtered) (laughs) Son soon?, dont tell me I didn't warn you. BETTY Please, if this is going to be the "I told you so, please be patient." speech, can we make it face to face? PROFESSOR (filtered) Well, I was planning to visit good king Nestor tomorrow morning, care to join me and cry about it by the sea? BETTY You are a prince... She spots Grigoris coming down the street. Oh, I've got to run, 10:00 AM alright? PROFESSOR 11:00? BETTY 11:00 it is, kisses! She hangs up abruptly, quickly pays for her phone calls and runs after Grigoris, speaking Greek. BETTY Mr. Canellopoulis! GRIGORIS (disgruntled at the interruption) What the Devil is wrong now? BETTY Nothing is wrong, sir, I was just wondering if you had a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you. 8 Grigoris scrutinizes her a moment. GRIGORIS You play backgammon? BETTY You bet I do! GRIGORIS (smirks) Then I have a few minutes. CUT TO: EXT> KAFENON (AFTERNOON) Betty and Grigoris sit across from each other in intense concentration. It is a close game and it is clear that both players take their backgammon seriously. Betty rolls doubles at a critical moment and the game turns decisively in her favor. She offers him the doubling cube. GRIGORIS What do you say I give it to you single, kid, I feel a thirst coming on. BETTY Fair enough. GRIGORIS You know your stuff, you must have had a good teacher. BETTY Yes...My grandfather...every summer we used to play for hours, he'd tell me stories about the family, the wars... I loved it, in school I read about things he had lived. GRIGORIS Hmm...Never see my grandchildren, always off messing with something...So, what do you want to talk about? BETTY Andritsena, the mountain, the stories your grandfather told you as a boy. He looks at her in surprise. 9 BETTY (continuing) Sure, I want to know what the books say, that's only part of the story though, I want history to be alive, for that it has to be personal, know what I mean? My grandfather always told me that the only way to know a place is to talk to the people, the way I figure you know more about this place than anyone! Grigoris regards her a moment. GRIGORIS Tell you what, for every game you win, I tell you a story and for every game I win you tell me one. Betty puts her hand out with a bright smile. BETTY Deal! Oh, and if it's a double game is that worth two stories? GRIGORIS Why not? BETTY Well? I'm waiting, you owe me one! GRIGORIS (chuckling) Sure dont waste any time collecting... BETTY Good accounts make good friends as the saying goes. GRIGORIS The moonspenders want to know how much you want. BETTY To do what? GRIGORIS To do nothing. FADE TO: EXT> PALACE OF NESTOR (DAY) 10 The professor is sitting on a low wall enjoying the palace's commanding view of the sea. He gets to his feet as Betty pulls up. She emerges from her car and runs toward him. they speak in English. PROF Well, Dr. Garanis, how does it feel to run your own dig? BETTY It's not even a dig yet. The bloody permit still hasn't been sent through by the Registrar. I guess you could say I feel like I've been skinned and rolled in sand. He ruffles her hair and puts a protective arm around her shoulders. PROF Courage, little one, at least you are Greek, imagine how difficult the make things for us foreigners. BETTY I dont know, it seems like a lot of times they are more cooperative with foreigners, maybe it's the foreign capital thing. They give me this red light/green light thing. If they think you can be useful, they're immediately your best friend. Otherwise, they dont want to know you or they're your worst enemy. You never know where you stand. PROF You wonder why Americans are hated in every country on earth? Because, of all the world's conquerors, we're the only ones who ever asked to be liked. Dont ask to be liked. Your PhD, that gets you fear and envy. Work on the fear. It's the best way to get cooperation. 11 BETTY I understand about fear. Everyone is smuggling guns and relics and rugs and oil. PROF Welcome to the Middle East. BETTY And they wont even let me look the other way. They all thing I'm trying to take their business away from them. They're all trying to pay me off. What am I supposed to do? The Professor is suddenly alarmed. PROF You let them pay you off, otherwise they worry about you, each side thinks you're on the other side and they're all out to get you. You have to pretend to be corrupt. BETTY What's the difference between pretending to be corrupt and the real thing? PROF That's not spoken like a true Greek. BETTY is about to explode. Alright, I'm sorry I said it, but leave crime to the police. BETTY The police!,that's a joke, they're the ones orchestrating the whole thing. PROF You know that?, huh. The only thing you'll accomplish by moral indignation is delaying your own work. Think of how much time they've cost you already. You have to do business with them or they can really make your life a toil, even shut you down. BETTY I will not do business with this invertebrate subhuman scum. 12 PROF You better start. You're so young and fresh and full of ambition you think you're an unstoppable force. I hat to be the one to tell you this, but better me than life showing you the hard way. Power is an immovable object, bureaucracy is just a petty annoyance compared to what they can do to you. You must know when and how to compromise if you want to survive. BETTY (outraged) I dont want to "survive", if that's what I wanted I'd be teaching summer school in my home town right now. I want to LIVE! I want history to live through my work. I want them to stop getting rich with MY inheritance. The population at large may not give a damn, but I do. PROF As Socrates said to Alciabiades, even a blind man would know you were beautiful from your tone of voice. You're used to getting what you want just by asking for it. BETTY Do you really want to get into that right now? PROF I'm playing Creon to your Antigone. I cant help but suspect that your hissy fit is a way of avoiding the dull work of being a scholar. BETTY So my integrity is really laziness? PROF I'm not handling this at all well. At your age I made all the same speeches, I really believed that if it were put the right way, even the bad guys would realize that what they were doing was 13 PROF (continuing) wrong and that all the money in the world could never compensate for the joy of sharing our common legacy. With experience I became practical. No one says you have to like it, but at least if you leave bad enough alone you may be able to bring to light a portion of what might be otherwise lost forever. BETTY You forgot the part about you were only following the fuhrer's orders. PROF Now, that's uncalled for. BETTY I could never have imagined that I'd being hearing this from you. All these years you were my hero, the uncompromising scientist, out there fighting against all odds. I suppose integrity only works in the lecture hall. PROF There is no integrity in the lecture hall. How could you survive faculty politics and still be so naive? BETTY Out in the real world the principles of our profession are open to compromise. How could you stand there at the podium fill us all with the belief that we could do something, that we were a power too. PROF Power took care to castrate the academic world at a very early stage. We do have some power, so long as we provide the alibi for the real power, the front. We are like the bank managers who smile and listen patiently to all your sorrows before telling you "Terribly sorry, old chap, done all I can really, unfortunately the decision from above: Sorry to repossess your heart transplant, but you're three payments behind. 14 BETTY Is that your only peace offering, one more smart ass remark? PROF. I'm a scholar, I talk like a scholar. BETTY Maybe, you're old and lost your nerve, that's a shame and a pity. I never thought it would be easy, but I dont believe it's impossible either. She turns her back to him and storms off toward her car. He looks after with concern. PROF I've been listening to you for half an hour and I still dont know what you're complaining about. She gets in her car and pulls away in a shower of gravel. PROF (continuing) You're not that beautiful...or talented. CUT TO: INT> CAR ON THE ROAD (DAY) Betty drives fast, tears streaming down her face. She pulls off to the side of the road and breaks down into sobs, pounding on the wheel, she is overcome by disappointment and rage, even if she isn't quite sure about what. FADE TO: EXT> THE MOUNTAIN (NIGHT) The full moon is rising over the mountains to the east. The air is clear and in the distance clusters of lights shine out of the surrounding villages. In the valley below. Megalpolis sprawls and not far off the huge hydroelectric plant looks like a set from BLADE RUNNER. POV pans to show Betty sitting atop the summit, leaning against the cross/pole. She has venture to this remote spot to cool out and put it back together. 15 BETTY'S POV A LONE MONK rides up to the little church on a donkey and proceeds to unlock the wrought iron door. Betty stands and looks at her watch. It's 9:30 PM. She makes her way down toward the church, her curiosity pricked by the fact that he would pick this odd hour to visit the shrine. POV FOLLOWS TO: INT> CHURCH (NIGHT) The lamps cast horror movie shadows on the walls and ceiling. The MONK (late 30's, early 40's) goes about the process of adding oil and changing wicks, careful never to snuff the flame. The lamps cast eerie shadows on his gaunt features, which strain as he murmurs some indecernible chant. when Betty coughs from the doorway, he wheels around with a fierce expression which frightens her as much as her sudden appearance frightens him. He glares at her suspiciously. They speak in Greek. MONK (hissing) What business do you have in this place? BETTY Please forgive me father for interrupting you, I was just walking in the hills and found my way here. MONK (scrutinizing her)
Copyright © 1999 Victoria King |