Sambalanga
Page 6
PARTMENT - MANHATTAN - THE NEXT NIGHT
Jaime sits at the kitchen table with his cousin NICK and GRANDMOTHER They sip red wine and eat little cakes.
Nick is fifteen years old, a typical teenager.
Grandmother is sixty-four years old short, plump in good physical condition.
GRANDMOTHER
Are you packed for your trip?
JAIME
Yeah, Grandma, I'm all packed.
GRANDMOTHER
I was the first one in my family to be born in the United States. I have never been to Italy.
JAIME
Don't worry, Grandma, I'll tell you all about it when I get back.
NICK
Hey, I want to go to Italy.
JAIME
I'll take you there sometime.
GRANDMOTHER
Good night boys.
She gets up and leaves the room.
JAIME
Nick, I bought you a tape. It's the Allman Brothers.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Jaime walks across the room and puts the tape into the eight track. The MUSIC plays softly; "Well, my momma died and left me, My poppa died and left me, I ain't good looking baby, Want someone sweet and kind. I'm goin to the country, baby do you wanna go? But if you can't make it baby, your sister Lucille said she wanna go."
Nick smiles. He enjoys the music.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAVINCI AIRPORT, ROME, ITALY - DAY
TITLE CARD: DAVINCI AIRPORT ROME, ITALY - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1971
Jaime gets into a taxi.
JAIME (V.O)
(In Italian)
Hotel Quattro Fontani, per piacere.
EXT. ROME HIGHWAY - DAY
MOVING
The taxi travels down the road to Rome.
INT. TAXI - DAY
POV - TAXI WINDOW
Jaime looks at the crowded streets of Rome. The cab passes around piazzas, turns down a side street and arrives at the hotel.
EXT. HOTEL QUATTRO FONTANI - ROME - DAY
Jaime stands in front of the hotel. It is a small second class, unassuming place. There is a SIGN, HOTEL QUATTRO FONTANI.
INT. JAIME'S ROOM - THAT EVENING
KNOCKING at the door.
JAIME
Come in the door is open.
DOORWAY
Luke walks through the door and closes it. He carries documents.
VARIOUS ANGLES
LUKE
Give me your passport.
Jaime hands him his passport.
LUKE (CONT'D)
OK. Your passport will stay here in Rome for safekeeping. Here is the James Andrews passport and plane tickets.
Luke hands Jaime the James Andrews passport and plane tickets.
LUKE (CONT'D)
James Andrews flew from Toronto, Canada to London, England then to Rome. You got that.
JAIME
Yeah.
Jaime inspects the passport and turns to Luke.
JAIME (CONT'D)
There are no exit or entry stamps for Mexico or Guatemala. The passport is clean.
(Pause)
What is this? A visa for Angola?
LUKE
Yes, Angola, Africa. We leave tomorrow.
JAIME
So we travel together?
LUKE
Yes. We travel Air Afrique. The flight leaves from Rome through Dakar, Abidjan and finally Luanda, Angola. We will change planes a couple of times. We leave tomorrow morning.
(Pause) Johnny and The Bear will join us there in a few days.
Jaime rubs his head. He is nervous.
JAIME
Wow, Africa.
LUKE
Let's get dinner.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TRAIN - HILLS, ANGOLA, AFRICA - TWO DAYS LATER
TITLE CARD: ANGOLA, AFRICA TWO DAYS LATER
A train slowly chugs up a hill.
INT. TRAIN - DAY
Jaime and Luke sit together in a crowded train. Windows are open and a hot breeze blows through. Jaime twists his nose a little. The odor is pungent.
There are PORTUGUESE SOLDIERS in nearby seats. There are AFRICANS speaking different languages. There are some young, brown skinned MEN speaking Spanish.
JAIME
What language do those guys speak?
Jaime nods towards a group of Africans on the train.
LUKE
They speak Bantu.
Luke nods toward another group.
LUKE (CONT'D)
That group speaks Kimbundu.
The train rumbles along.
JAIME
Geez.
CUT TO:
EXT. SKY - LATER THAT DAY
THUNDER and LIGHTNING roll in from the distant clouds.
INT. TRAIN - DAY
The PATTER of rain hits the train. Passengers close the windows half way. The heat is sweltering and stinky.
JAIME
Is this what Africa smells like?
LUKE
No, the smell is from the people on the train.
Luke laughs. Jaime sighs.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE PLANTATION OF ANTONIO CUNHA - DAY
TITLE CARD: THE PLANTATION OF ANTONIO CUNHA, ANGOLA, AFRICA - THURSDAY DECEMBER 2, 1971 - TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER
AERIAL POV
The plantation is immense. There is a large main house in the center of the complex.
The plantation runs many kilometers in each direction. The far North is dense wooded jungle. To the South is the district capital city of Ndaltando. There is a distant view of the Cuanza River.
There are four watchtowers on the perimeter of the plantation.
There are many motel type buildings.
A big generating plant is located five hundred meters from the main home.
There are barns, silos, heavy tractors and jeeps.
CLOSER
The fields of rolling hills grow coffee, corn and beans. The animals include: many chickens, sheep, goats, pigs. There are a few milking cows, cattle and horses.
There are African WORKERS and Portuguese SOLDIERS in the fields and on the grounds.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SMALL CLASSROOM INSIDE THE MAIN PLANTATION HOUSE -
MORNING
Jaime stands in front of a desk. An eleven-year old boy, TONY, and a ten-year old girl, BEATRICE, sit in front of him. They are clearly brother and sister. Both children have light brown hair and light eyes. They are average height and weight for their ages. They are neatly dressed and well groomed.
Jaime is dressed in a white short sleeved shirt, tan chino pants, plain black shoes and white socks.
JAIME
Tony, what time are you and your sister Beatrice leaving for Portugal?
TONY
We leave at noon. A soldier and Sergio will drive my mother, Beatrice and me to Ndaltando. (Pause)
Sergio will fly with us to Luanda and then to Portugal.
JAIME
Well, I enjoyed teaching you and your sister. I shall miss you.
BEATRICE
We shall miss you too.
Beatrice gives Jaime a hug and kiss and scoots from the classroom.
TONY
When do you leave?
JAIME
Tomorrow with The Bear, I mean Senor Foster.
SENORA CUNHA, a tall, thin, attractive, middle-aged woman walks into the room. Sergio is with her.
Sergio stands at the door and nods to Jaime. Jaime nods back.
Tony walks quickly to his mother. He turns and waves to Jaime.
TONY
Bye.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN - MAIN HOUSE - LATER IN THE DAY
The Bear and Jaime sit at a table drinking coffee. There is a large COOK, wearing an apron and making pancakes. The Cook has close cropped hair and a military demeanor. He is dressed the same way as Jaime and The Bear, white shirt and tan pants. Everyone is tense.
THE BEAR
We are going to be attacked by those revolutionary groups.
JAIME
Which group? The FNLA, the MPLA or the UNITA?
THE BEAR
All of them.
CUT TO:
EXT. PLANTATION OF ANTONIO CUNHA - SAME DAY
The plantation is bustling. The Portuguese soldiers continually drive back and forth across the farm. They are excited and ready for action.
The African Workers are leaving the compound in an orderly manner.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BARN LOFT - DUSK
Luke and Johnny are in the loft armed with machine guns. They look out the large window.
FAST CUT TO:
EXT. BARN LOFT - DUSK
There is no activity below. The soldiers are stationed at the perimeter in the fields. Everything is quiet. The landscape is picturesque and the sun sets in the West. It is the calm before the storm.
FAST CUT TO:
INT. BARN LOFT - EVENING
Jaime and The Bear enter the loft armed. The Bear speaks to Luke and Johnny.
THE BEAR
Go see The Cook and get some dinner. Jaime and I will relieve you.
Luke and Johnny exit.
Jaime is worried but controls his fear in front of The Bear.
JAIME
How long before the attack?
THE BEAR
A couple of days, maybe sooner. The soldiers will take over for Luke and Johnny later on tonight.
The Bear thinks for a second.
THE BEAR (CONT'D)
Luke and Johnny, SENOR CUNHA and The Cook will leave with us early in the morning.
JAIME
Good.
DISSOLVE TOO:
INT. JAIME'S ROOM - VERY EARLY THE NEXT MORNING - BEFORE DAWN
Jaime is tossing in bed unable to sleep. Three SOUNDS, gigantic BOOMS, rock the entire plantation. He immediately gets up and looks at the windup alarm CLOCK next to his bed.
INSERT
The CLOCK shows FOUR FORTY-FIVE.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Jaime ducks down, crawls to the window and peers out.
EXT. PLANTATION - MOMENTS LATER
VARIOUS ANGLES
The generating plant has blown up and is on fire. Two watchtowers are down in the distance. The sky is ablaze. Artillery shells hit the compound and the ground shakes. The barn and silos are burning.
Suddenly the artillery barrage stops.
The REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS attack. The plantation is a battlefield. The PORTUGUESE SOLDIERS continually shoot at swarms of Revolutionary Soldiers. Fires light up the sky and the Revolutionaries advance down the hilly fields.
CUT TO:
INT. JAIME'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Jaime is dressed. He places the revolver inside the backpack. He puts his backpack on and grabs the AK47.
There is a KNOCK at the door. Luke, Johnny and The Bear enter the room.
THE BEAR
Do you have your passport?
JAIME
I put it in my backpack with some clothes.
JOHNNY
Is there a