Will the Real Alfred Hitchcock Please Stand Up?

It's Alfred Hitchcock's birthday today—he would have been 125. And there was a day last year, when I suddenly became besieged with a lot of Hitchcock documentaries, all purporting to use his words to get at the mystery behind the director of so many mysteries and thrillers. Even the names of the documentaries were creepily similar, confusingly so, which would have made the old guy sniff at the lack of originality, rather than chuckle.

But, the name is the thing. The name "Alfred Hitchcock" was a brand and more people knew his name and the type of entertainment he made than any other director. Like an irony in one of his movies, it was both a blessing...and a curse.

I Am Alfred Hitchcock (John Ashton McCarthy, 2021) A career overview, the type you're likely to see if someone has no real access to the subject and merely a large collection of clips to cull from. Think of it as an "Entertainment Tonight" career overview...with a little bit of speculation about what made Hitch "tick." But, not much.

 

And it's extensive: from home movies to his interviews—both filmed and merely audio as well as with some confederates, old and new—starting from Hitchcock's childhood, including (invaluably) his time in early British silents and German studios. And a lot of unseen talking heads. A couple of snatches of past Spielberg interviews are included, but most of the comments are from Eli Roth (for some reason), William Friedkin, Edgar Wright, and John Landis. Ben Mankiewicz weighs in. Much mention is made of Joan Harrison (as it probably should be, given the work she did for him in his American transition and on his television shows) and there is a lot of nice footage from the AFI salute to the man, including his extensive tribute to his secret weapon, wife Alma Reville. There are nice touches throughout, and it's quite entertainingly put together. But, as an exploration of the man, his movies, and how they all relate, it's pretty basic stuff.

 

 

My Name is Alfred Hitchcock (Mark Cousins, 2023) The iconoclastic Irish documentarian (he made The Story of Film: An Odyssey and The Eyes of Orson Welles) makes his look at Hitchcock (for his first film's 100th anniversary) with a conceit that he's used in some of his lesser-known films, as a conversation between the filmmaker and the director-subject (voiced by Alistair McGowan and quite convincingly). Oh, some of the things that McGowan-Hitchcock says in the film are a matter of record, but Cousins uses this conversational version of "Alfred Hitchcock Explains It All To You" to build on themes that might have gotten lost in the chases and cameos, the Blondes and the wrong men and the usual accoutrements of a Hitchcock film—"the core of things" (as the faux-Hitchcock states). These are Cousins' personal thoughts and observances being seduced and manipulated by Hitchcock, who used the mechanics of cinema, the psychology of photography, and his own neuroses to dredge up our fears, raise our blood-pressures, and ponder our natures (while pandering to them, as well).

And so, though they're Cousins' observations through the voice of Hitchcock, one could hardly help thinking that Hitchcock is being misinterpreted ("You do know that movies are lies, don't you?" says the faux-Hitchcock at one point) as he was one of the most obvious of directors—what he intended he put on the screen. It's just that nobody had done things quite like that before, made movies like that before, thought thoughts like that and confessed them so nakedly like that before.

Cousins is generous with clips as he focuses on six themes that thematically run through the director's films: Escape, Desire, Loneliness, Time, Fulfillment, and Height. Just reading that list, one can tick off random instances from Hitchcock films that will prove the point, but that they run consistently through his work, even fleetingly more than proves Cousins' point.

 

At the same time, Cousins' Hitchcock has a marketer's point of view on making films. This version emphasizes "stars and glamour" as the motivator for attracting audiences, as they already have a sympathetic, empathetic view of the actors, doing a lot of the leg-work to get them on "their side." To the point where Cousins' Hitchcock avatar never mentions character's names in his movies, only the thespians. "When Cary Grant" does this or "when Grace Kelly does that."

 

Double Take (Johan Grimonprez, 2009) 

"You think all the way through that cinema is going to be killed by television or television is going to kill cinema or America is going to kill Russia or Russia is going to kill America. But at the end, it’s the third one, the new one, the younger one, the YouTube version, that comes along and kills them all."

Jose Luis Borges' initial short story August 25, 1983 

 

"They say that if you meet your double, you should kill him. Or, that he will kill you. I can't remember which, but...the gist of it is...that two of you is one too many. By the end of the script, one of you must die."

 

The wildest of the Hitchcock documentaries, Double Take is a "found-footage" documentary using even the very grain of the image to tell the story. Based on a Jose Luis Borges short story, "August 25, 1983" and expanded from Grimonperez's* earlier short Looking for Alfred, it is a long story, narrated by another Hitchcock sound-alike, Mark Perry, of an encounter a fictitious Hitchcock has in 1963 with himself from 1980. It's a shaggy-dog story, recreated with a Hitchcock lookalike, and a lot of editing between Hitchcock footage...from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and other sources, interspersed with news coverage of geo-political events and Instant Folgers commercials (which turn bad coffee into domestic drama). It's a bit of a satire about the new replacing the old, but not changing much for the transition. It doesn't precisely nail its thesis, events being difficult to bend to one's advantage. But, there are moments of wit and some lost opportunities.

 

Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail (Laurent Bouzereau, 2024) Writer-director Bouzereau has made a career out of directing films in support of other films; watch any DVD of any "important" film of the last 30 years and Bouzereau has directed or produced it, even producing anniversary-soundtrack expansions of some film scores. His work has given him a rolodex of contacts and access to some of the great directors and the archives of many a film. His style is breezy, entertaining and imaginative—when he wants to get to the bottom of a story, he'll get there and make it as memorable as its subject. And when doing a documentary of, say, Mark Harris' Five Came Back, he'll shed the customary upbeat promotional stance required to gloss up the subject to a glittering press-release, and risk being too revelatory, even to the subject's disadvantage, in order to drive home his point and make it the definitive word on the subject. He's good. Very good. It's no wonder so many high-profile directors and producers trust him telling the story of their work.

And in his film for StudioCanal and TCM, Becoming Hitchcock, he also tries to get to the depths of what made Hitchcock not only unique but "a brand."  His thesis being that Hitchcock's 1929 film Blackmail was the first of what one could call "a Hitchcock film" with the tropes of wronged people, distinctive weapons, arresting blondes, landmark chases, eroticism, food fetishes and such being firmly in place as they would be for the rest of Hitchcock's career (what, no mothers or enclosed places?)

It's true to a certain extent, even considering there is some cherry-picking going on. But, if one is looking for "the" first "Hitchcock" film, Blackmail is the most likely suspect (the only reason it doesn't loom larger in peoples' memories is it was in his British period, on the cusp of the sound era, and—being in the public domain—it seems less valued as a marketable property than his other films (which is a bit ironic).

 

But, some elements that are discussed—the tropes—are in his earlier films, because what made Hitchcock Hitchcock were his obsessions and his neuroses, which were there in little sparks at the beginning with even his first film, his vulnerabilities only growing full-flower when he had more confidence in the control of his films (how's that for irony?).

But, sure, say it was Blackmail because of the chase through the British Museum (all done in studio, by the way). But, the film is also notable for being the director's first sound film—he did another version for silent cinemas that were not speaker-wired-up while making this one, sometimes shooting alternate footage for scenes where title cards needed to do the talking. There are, frankly, radical transitions using only sound, showing how freakishly ingenious Hitchcock could be playing with new toys. 

 

And how's this for radical? Hitchcock's "blonde" for this one was a Czech actress named Anny Ondra whose English was so heavily-accented that she was directed to just mouth the words while actress Joan Barry performed the vocal part out of sight of the camera. The illusion is almost flawless, noticeable only if you're looking (and listening for it). You come away from Bouzereau's film maybe not so assured that Blackmail set the template for what was "Hitchcockian" in the future, but certainly convinces that the man was a genius for figuring out ways for telling stories pictorially, psychologically...but also sonically.

But, then...we already knew that.

* Grimonperez was nominated for the "Best Documentary Feature" Oscar last year for his documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

 

The Beatles: Get Back

It was 56 years ago today...

There's a new Beatles documentary out—Beatles '64—produced by Martin Scorsese—that re-edits the footage recorded by the Maysles Brothers during the first leg of the first U.S. concert tour of The Beatles. The project may be remarkably similar to what Peter Jackson did in 2021 with all the footage and audio made of the "Let It Be" sessions of 1969. I've managed to get a look at that earlier one (without subscribing to the whims of Disney+), so let's take a look at that earlier re-composition.

The Beatles: Get Back (Peter Jackson, Michael Lindsey-Hogg, 2021) It seemed like such a simple thing. The Beatles would record an album of songs and then do a concert of those songs. Michael Lindsey-Hogg would direct a documentary about making the album and presenting the concert. They'd done it hundreds of times. What could possibly go wrong?

Lots. The Beatles had not toured together in years, which, as insane and chaotic as it was, was a bonding experience. Then, their manager Brian Epstein died, leaving The Beatles to fend for themselves. And, outside of their touring bubble, they were spending more and more time apart. They kept writing. They kept socializing, but their interests began to diversify. They were becoming less The Beatles and more the individuals of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (in the order of joining the band). They focused on studio-work, the last result being the hodge-podge double "White Album", which saw less collaboration and more individual work. 

The next Beatles Project was just as chaotic—no one could decide on the concert venue, they started working at Twickenham Studios which acoustically sounded like a vault, the close-knit group began to fray and lead guitarist George quit. Then, John boycotted. Then, it was decided to move the recording sessions to their old haunts at Abbey Road. Everything seemed disorganized and in flux. The results became the album "Let It Be" (which was successful) and, released much later, the documentary of the same name. Which was a little horrifying.

What Let It Be (the film) revealed was presentations of the songs, punctuated by the dramatic highlights of the studio sessions...which usually entailed arguments and flashes of bickering, which led to desertions and the general impression that The Beatles were something of a mess as a band, only to have that disproven during the legendary roof-top concert where the raw "live" performances ended up being as good and catchy as a finely-honed studio recording—and ended up being used on the "Let It Be" album.

Lesson learned: The Beatles, as a group, could still produce great music together despite differences, approaches, and personalities. Well, sure, it all sounds alright in the end, but the process of getting there was unnerving to audiences, if not fans. No one likes to see the sausage being made. And the impression Let It Be, the film, left was that, although great music was produced, the bickering, disorganization, defections, gave an air of dysfunction.

But what the film presented was a tiny percentage of what happened in the studio—the opening card for each episode of Get Back lays out the stats: 60 hours of film and 150 hours of audio. Peter Jackson, who had used new digital technology to clean up and colorize archival footage from World War I for his stunning documentary They Shall Not Grow Old was approached to look at the footage and listen to the audio to make a new, more comprehensive documentary about the "Get Back" project and the result is fascinating—if you're a die-hard Beatles fan and understand the process of in-studio writing (and re-writing) and making "take" after "take" before achieving the best possible outcome. Folks are used to listening to "the last take" and hearing the same song over and over again with minute changes can become a bit tedious if you don't understand the concept of "work-in-progress."

And the whole project was "work-in-progress"—working on songs old (that they hadn't previously "cracked") and new to come up with a new album and then trying to decide where they would be performed live, whether with an audience or not, with constant discussions of where to hold such an event...if, in fact, it was going to be done. Add to that the film-crew constantly jockeying around for good angles and catching bits and pieces of performance. Even with those 60 hours of film, Jackson had to perform miracles of editorial fudging to fill out those parts of the 150 hours of audio that had no accompanying sync-picture.

Add to that various issues. Paul is feeling some pressure to "move-along" to get some finished songs "in the can". John has brought Yoko Ono into the studio (for support and because she and John are awaiting word of her impending divorce) and her constant presence starts as a distraction but eventually all the Beatles-wives/girlfriends (and kids) make appearances and the atmosphere gets a little looser and more familial. Individual songs are tried and attempted (some that will appear on the subsequent "Abbey Road" album and solo releases by individual Beatles are passed over). There's a lot of "noodling" of old classics sporadically as the four jam together.

And there are technical issues. They start filming at Twickenham, a film-studio that has some "empty" time before the filming of The Magic Christian there—Ringo's commitment to it is what is driving the one-month time-limit on The Beatles project. It's convenient for the film-makers (it's a film-studio, after all!) but the cavernous space they're practicing in is a disaster acoustically—the band-members don't get any sense of what things "truly" sound like. Then, George receives a vicious shock from a microphone that needs to be fixed—a studio tech only believes it when he reproduces the same shock on himself.

No one's comfortable. Then, Paul's impatience frustrates George over suggestions for lead-guitar parts that ends up with him gently—but pointedly—saying "Yeah, okay, well, I don't mind. I'll play, you know, whatever you want me to play. Or I won't play at all if you don't want me to play, you know. Whatever it is that'll please you, I'll do it." George would subsequently walk out of the sessions (reportedly after some frustration with John but they didn't have film of that), but that scene became the most controversial scene of the Let It Be film. Jackson's Get Back gives it a lot more context: George was having a bad time of it—bad sound, dodgy equipment, rejected songs until "the quiet Beatle" had just had enough. He walked. There would begin a process of negotiation between the four to try and coax him back. The first try did not go well and John subsequently stayed away for part of the day, leaving Paul and Ringo to wonder what the future was, to speculate, and to worry. The footage of the completely-thrown McCartney is a bit heart-breaking.

"And then there were two..." 

Paul McCartney contemplates a future without his band-mates.

John calls Paul, knowing full-well that no music will be had that day, and offers to come in to talk things out. They meet in Twickenham's cafeteria to have it out. Although it isn't filmed, one of the film-crew has hidden a microphone in a pot of flowers on the table and records the whole thing (in what feels like a breach-of-trust!) But, the conversation is revelatory. One is struck by how honest the two are with each other and clear-eyed about the issues. It's clear that they have deep affection for each other but they don't mince words. Both admit that they've been treating George and Ringo as "second-class Beatles" and that they need to do better. And McCartney says something I never would have suspected he'd say to Lennon: "Listen, you're the boss" acknowledging that The Beatles always was Lennon's band. They'll figure it out. They'll do better.

Paul has an idea that the concert should be broadcast like a news-cast

with the last headline being "The Beatles Have Broken Up"

A sleepy Ringo's reaction is priceless.

The solution worked out is to everybody's liking: They'll abandon Twickenham and set up shop at their old recording space at Abbey Road Studios, and George, who'd been talking about great keyboard players they might get for the concert brings in Billy Preston (The Beatles knew him from their early concerts in Germany). The dynamic in the group changes, even an initially-reluctant McCartney finds Preston invaluable in the recording sessions. Things loosen up. Work progresses faster and it looks like they might eke out some good songs playable for the concert.

Things are so relaxed at Abbey Road that the work starts becoming play. Guests visit and scamper about. Yoko Ono and Linda Eastman's daughter Heather start a screaming song duet together. Paul and John start doing songs in various voices and accents to crack each other up. And the control room at Abbey Road becomes packed with Beatles and guests listening to playbacks.

A news headline in the paper about anti-immigration sentiments in England fuels a rough Paul-bassline that impresses George and Paul starts putting protest lyrics to it—"Get Back to where you once belonged"—and John gets energized, throwing out lyric ideas. George brings in a tune he worked out the night before dismissing it as "12-bar blues" and John gets enamored fiddling with a slide guitar somebody's brought in, while Paul experiments with George's idea of a de-tuned piano and the song is a simple addition.

And the concert? Ringo can't travel. Permits in London are a nightmare. They decide to just do it on the roof of Abbey Road, snaking cables to the control room to record it. It's simple. It's easy. And Paul's intrigued with the idea that they might get arrested for it. On a cold day, the group climb the stairs to the roof with Billy Preston, while Yoko and Ringo's wife Maureen huddle off to the side for the spectacle. Six cameras are used to record it, with a few stringers down on the street to record crowd-reactions.

It's at this point that Jackson "goes to town." With six cameras covering the main action, he shows the full concert—including second takes of "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down"—from beginning to end, sometimes splitting the screen with different angles—from the moment the group (with Billy Preston) gets up to the roof to the point where they're made to stop at police "request" for noise complaints and traffic disruption. Despite the cold (or perhaps because of it), it's an energetic performance—the last one The Beatles would perform as a group.

From a documentary stand-point, it's the third act "topper" with a good performance, some backstage drama and a few surprises along the way.

But, it's a journey, one that's completed by the skin of the participants' teeth taxing the patience of all involved (and maybe the audience's, too). For Jackson, it was a mammoth undertaking, logging and watching all that footage, listening to all that audio, "cheating" moments that might match what was being said and taking advantage of focusing moments and transitional camera movements when all else fails. That's a monumental task to present approximately 455 minutes of usable material. Herculean. Homeric, even. 

 

And it takes a True Fan. Say what you want about Peter Jackson: like him or not, he puts in the work and goes an extra ten miles to finish the task.

Don't Make a Scene: No Time To Die

The Story: It's a philosophical argument with very real distractions for the "villain confrontation" in No Time to Die, the last (hoo-boy, is it ever!) of the Daniel Craig James Bond films.

It begins...as every-other discussion in the Bond films seems to do...with an observance that the two antagonists are equals of a sorts—both have dying for a living. Blah, blah, blah. A show of equal footing, perhaps. But, also a show that the villain thinks he's not to be trifled with.

In these things there's usually a "guest" observing the verbal fencing, but this one plays a more important part—she's the advantage the villain has over Bond. She is Mathilde, daughter of Madeleine Swann—and thus, grand-daughter of the man who killed the family of this villain Safin. She also...at this point, we're not sure...might be the daughter of the other half of the conversation, James Bond, retired agent of MI6's "00" branch (and not that it matters, but recently re-designated "007" to make sure he still has a "license to kill"—because "legalities".)

 

Mathilde is the thing to fight over. Safin lets Bond know—right away—that she can be killed at any time. And Bond doesn't want that to happen; he is constantly glancing her way to make sure she's alright—until Safin holds her right in front of him, the better to keep Bond focused, the better to dispatch Mathilde. 

No matter how distracting, this conversation is interesting, reminding one of the that first "here-are-the-stakes-and-I'm-going-to-needle-you-at-the-same-time" tête-à-tête with Dr. No. We hadn't seen something like it multiple times then, so there's quite an exposition dump served with the main course.

Here there's no formal dinner, just two actors chewing the insides of their cheeks with tension. There's no exposition, because they (and we) know what's up. Safin has the upper hand and Bond is trying not to lose his cool—as he had previously in No Time to Die, killing their main source of information. He doesn't want to make that same mistake now. 

So, rather than, like in the past, riling him up by making a crack about his deformity and that he's a lunatic, and criticizing his tailoring, he tries to ping off the "we're alike" gambit by emphasizing that both of them were orphaned at young ages and "I know what that's like" to try to gain some traction.

No soap. Instead, Safin goes off on a bit of a tangent. Bond sees things a certain way; Safin has another.

In reviews at the time of the film's release, there was a lot of criticism of the Safin character being weak and of this conversation, in particular. But, the more I dug into it, the better I liked it. Safin thinks the vast majority of people are sheep, desiring to be led, if only to the slaughtered. "We want to be told how to live," he opines "and then die when we are not looking." "People want oblivion," he says. At least, the ability to live their lives, go to their jobs, and not worry about the BIG PICTURE. Too much work. They have enough on their plate. Let somebody else worry about that stuff.  And he's enough of a megalomaniac to volunteer for the job.

I hate to say it...but, he's not altogether wrong. We're all pretty dumb. We'd rather keep up with the Kardashians than our local representatives. Gripe if there's a public affairs program interrupting our football (Tch! Like that would ever happen). And even give up our privacy to corporations and foreign governments to show off our dance-moves. Our news is now entertainment—even if they're trying to convince us they stand for Truth. 

 

Nope. Safin may have it right. We want oblivion. We seem to prefer it. I don't mean total destruction, but obliviousness. Same root-word: from the Latin "oblivisci": "to forget." Don't worry. Be happy.

Oh. And how does Bond get the drop on Safin? Appeal to his ego, act submissive...and carry a concealed weapon.

That might have worked, but Safin has a concealed trap-door.

Guess it's a bit of a draw.

 

The Set-Up: Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) is the only survivor of a family who supplied toxins for the crime organization SPECTRE. In turn, the head of SPECTRE, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) instructed his agent Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) to kill the family using their own dioxin chemicals and take over their island manufacturing facility. Now, Safin, in revenge, has wiped out Blofeld and the entire SPECTRE organization using a DNA-targeted poison (dubbed "Heracles" by the British government who were financing it as a deterrent), and, presumably, also Mr. White (who died in the previous film in the series), who happens to be the father of Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), lover of James Bond (Daniel Craig) and mother of Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet)—both of whom he has taken to his family's island in the South China Sea. Bond, five years in retirement, and the current 007, Nomi (Lashana Lynch) are sent to rescue Swann and Mathilde and destroy the Heracles toxin. 

 

Inevitably, in these things, there comes a time for negotiation.

 

Action.

 

Bond enters the games room from an underground staircase. 

His rifle at the ready, 

sees Safin holding Mathilde. 

SAFIN Welcome. 

Safin’s GUARD stands behind him, TWO more GUARDS have their weapons trained on Bond from behind the staircase. 

SAFIN (CONT'D) (refers to weapon) On the floor. 

Bond puts his rifle on the floor. 

As he comes up he shows his empty hands. 

SAFIN (CONT'D) And your sidearm. 

Bond hesitates. Safin references Mathilde -- 

SAFIN (CONT'D) Careful. 

SAFIN (CONT'D) She’s as light... 

SAFIN (CONT'D) ...as a...

SAFIN (CONT'D) ...feather. 

Safin tosses a cushion. 

It flies in the air and then explodes in a barrage of SILENCED GUNFIRE from the GUARD behind SAFIN. 

BOND Alright! 

Mathilde covers her ears. 

Point taken. Bond takes out his sidearm

and lays it on the floor. 

SAFIN Please, sit. 

Bond sits opposite Safin. 

BOND (to Mathilde) It’s going to be alright. 

BOND I promise you it’s going to be alright. 

Safin leans back. Appreciating his cards. 

SAFIN James Bond. 

SAFIN History of violence. 

SAFIN Licence to kill. 

SAFIN Vendetta with Ernst Blofeld. 

SAFIN In love with Madeleine Swann. (beat) 

SAFIN I could be speaking to my own reflection. 

BOND We’ve made slightly different choices. 

SAFIN No, 

SAFIN ...we’ve just developed different methods for the same goal. Only your skills die with your body, mine will survive long after I’m gone. 

SAFIN And life is all about leaving something behind, 

SAFIN ...isn’t it? 

SAFIN He smiles at Mathilde. 

SAFIN (CONT'D) (smiling, simple) This doesn’t have to get ugly. 

SAFIN You leave my baby alone, I’ll leave yours. What do you think? 

Beat. 

BOND I think you’re right. 

SAFIN (surprised) Thank you. 

BOND I think we are the same. 

Beat. 

Safin says nothing. 

BOND (CONT'D) We both know what it feels like to have everything taken from us, before we’re even in the fight. 

(beat) 

BOND It would have been nice to have a... chance, don’t you think? 

BOND We all should get a chance. 

BOND But this thing that you’re building, it puts everyone -- 

BOND --the whole world on a battle field. Nobody gets a chance. 

Beat. 

SAFIN The thing that no one wants to admit...

SAFIN ...is that most people want things to happen to them. 

SAFIN We tell each other lies about the fight for free will and independence. 

SAFIN But we don’t really want that. 

SAFIN We want to be told how to live, and then die when we are not looking. 

SAFIN People want... 

SAFIN ...oblivion, 

SAFIN and a few of us are born to build it for them. So here I am:

SAFIN their invisible god, 

SAFIN sneaking under their skin. 

BOND You know that history isn’t kind to those who play God. 

SAFIN And you don’t? 

SAFIN We both eradicate people to make the world a better place. 

SAFIN I just want to be a little... 

SAFIN ...tidier. 

SAFIN Without collateral. I want the...

SAFIN ...world to evolve. 

SAFIN Yet you want it to stay the same. 

SAFIN Let’s face it, 

SAFIN I’ve made you redundant. 

BOND No. 

BOND Not as long as there are people like you in the world. 

BOND And with all due respect to the enormity of your...‘tidy’ achievements all you’re really doing is standing in a very long line of angry little men. 

SAFIN I’m not...

SAFIN ...angry, just passionate. 

SAFIN (losing patience) Disable your explosives, get off my island

SAFIN and you can take this precious little...

SAFIN ...angel... 

SAFIN ...with you. 

Pause. 

BOND And Madeleine? 

SAFIN She stays. 

BOND You know I can’t do that. 

SAFIN That’s a shame. 

SAFIN She really hoped you would. (then) 

SAFIN She knows...

SAFIN ...it’s her only path to survival. 

BOND (Well) You have her tell me that. 

SAFIN What mother wouldn’t sacrifice herself for her own child? 

BOND Is that what happened to yours? 

SAFIN My mother lay at my feet as I watched her die. 

Safin grips Mathilde, 

as if we were going to throw her like the cushion -- 

BOND Wait, 

BOND wait, wait!

Safin hesitates --

BOND (CONT'D) I’ll do whatever you want. 

SAFIN Yes you will. 

Bond bows, thinking quickly -- 

BOND I apologise. 

BOND I’m sorry. 

SAFIN Simple choices Mr. Bond. 

SAFIN Like do you want to die in front of your daughter... 

SAFIN (beat) Or do you want your daughter to die in front of you? 

BOND No, no, 

BOND ...no. 

BOND I’m sorry.

BOND I’m sorry. 

Bond bows lower. All the way down to his face. 

Safin is enjoying this. 

SAFIN Look at your father, Mathilde. 

Safin’s hands drift off of Mathilde’s shoulders. 

SAFIN (CONT'D) This is power. 

BOND I’m sorry. 

BOND Truly. 

BOND Truly sorry. 

Bond’s hidden PPK is out in a flash. 

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG -- 

First the GUARD behind SAFIN, 

then the TWO GUARDS behind him. 

As they fall Bond spins his gun to Safin. 

But Safin’s disappeared through a trapdoor in the floor, and Mathilde with him. 

Bond runs, 

his gun pointed down at the place they disappeared 

just as the sliding doors close.

 

No Time to Die

 

Words by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge

 

Pictures by Linus Sandgren and Cary Joji Fukunaga.

 

No Time to Die is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from M-G-M Home Video.