Brazil

In the background the Vicar begins speaking, and we hear his voice throughout the following action. CUT TO SAM'S POV...

VICAR

(in background)

At these times of giving and receiving let's remember the greatest gift of all: not a gift to be spurned, not a gift to be opened and carelessly set on one side, not a gift to be taken back and changed, but the gift of eternal life. Mrs. Terrain has just received that most wonderful of all gifts. She came to us physically new, she goes hence from us not so physically new. But the spirit never grows old. And in the domain of the Eternal Giver, Mrs. Terrain shall dwell in bountiful joy forever.

CUT TO:

SAM'S POV

... past Spiro to a section in the bleachers directly across from the coffin and the Vicar where a WOMAN (her back to Sam) is surrounded by a buzzing flock of very handsome and well-dressed YOUNG MEN.

SAM

(trying to take in scene)

What?... Oh...

(starts to follow Spiro)

SPIRO

(coming up to back of woman)

Madam...

CUT TO WOMAN turning, half in flirtatious conversation. It is Sam's Mother, but miraculously another twenty years younger and... a parody of Sam's Dream Girl.

MOTHER

Sam!!!

(uncertainty in her expression)

SAM

(staring dumbly, not knowing what to say)

Mother?... What... what's... you've got to help me...

MOTHER

(embarrassed, unsure)

Not now... please

YOUNG GALLANT

(belligerently)

Ida, is this fellow bothering you?

(getting up)

I'll –

But before we can find out what he'll:

SFX: TERRIFIC CRASH.

CUT TO entrance to Chapel as a squad of TROOPS come crashing in. PEOPLE begin to scatter, screaming. The Troops spot Sam who dashes away from his Mother and heads for a door behind the altar. In his panic he crashes against the coffin which topples over spilling its contents... a hundredweight of offal. Sam covers his mouth and dashes through the door.

EXT. MAZE-LIKE DARK PASSAGES – NIGHT

CUT TO Sam, really dashing madly, tripping over things, hurting himself, getting up running. He is in a maze of machinery. Every way he turns his path seems blocked by either Troops or Figures from his dreams. The walls of the maze become more simplified as he goes deeper into it. More rectangular, higher. We see a top shot of the maze with Sam separate from the pursuing Forces but they are closing in on him from all sides. The maze extends as far as we can see. Sam turns left and right through it, always there is a chance of turnings. Until... he rounds a corner and for the first time there is nowhere to go. The maze leads straight ahead to a dead end. At the end of the maze is a great pile of detritus from the consumer society. Televisions, washing machines, hair dryers, junk. Sam can do nothing but try to dig through this pile.

Maybe he can defend himself with something here. He scrabbles away. Looking back he sees the massed Agents, Troops, Forces of Darkness heading toward him. No escape. He digs, harder, faster. Junk flies everywhere. He actually reaches the end wall. Back to it, he turns to face the foe. But as he moves against the wall his hand touches something. A door knob. He turns. It's a door. The knob turns easily. The door swings open. Sam dives through it.

INT. HABITATION UNIT – NIGHT

Sam finds himself in a strange little house empty of furniture except a few fitted cupboards and a fitted bed frame. He tries to lock the door behind him but there is no key. He puts his weight against the door to keep it shut. From outside there is the general noise of pursuit but this fades and resolves itself into a fairly quiet uniform engine-sound. Sam lets go of the door carefully. He looks around but there is only one window and it is shuttered. He carefully opens the door a crack and he sees-

SAM'S POV

A rapidly receding street.

EXT. CITY – NIGHT

Jill's truck, with the house on its back, is driving dangerously through he streets. It lurches round the corner.

INT. HABITATION UNIT – NIGHT

The lurch throws Sam to one side. He picks himself up, and, fighting the centrifugal force, works his way to the shuttered window which is at the front end of the house, in the wall opposite the door. Sam undoes the shutters and finds himself looking at the rear window of Jill's cab. He sees the back of the DRIVER's head. The Driver is wearing Jill's cap. He sees the back of the Driver's cab. He bangs on the glass of the cab. The Driver raises her head so that the face is visible to Sam in the driving mirror. He sees that it is Jill, in a flat cap. She smiles at him. Sam sobs with relief and love.

EXT. THE ROAD– NIGHT

The lorry, travelling slowly now, approaches then breasts the rise beyond which lies... looking more than ever... JILL'S VALLEY. We ZOOM towards it through a MIX...

INT. TRAVELLING LORRY – NIGHT

Through the windscreen we see the dawn coming up ahead. The reverse shot shows us Jill driving and Sam next to her. They glance at each other.

EXT. SMALL ROAD – EARLY MORNING

The lorry, travelling slowly now, approaches and then breasts the rise beyond which lies... A STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL UNTOUCHED VALLEY. We ZOOM towards it through a MIX...

EXT. BEAUTIFUL VALLEY – DAY

Half hidden in the heart of the valley is the truck with the house on its back. Creepers and wild roses have grown up over the truck and some of the house. A curl of smoke rises from a makeshift chimney which has been attached to one of the walls. A small piece of ground around the truck has been cleared and made into a pretty garden with a vegetable plat. There is also a pretty cow, and some chickens. Jill appears locking like Crusoe carrying a basket of eggs.

INT. HOUSE – MORNING

Sam is in the bed, just waking up. He opens his eyes, locking calm. Off screen we hear the door opening.

JILL

(off screen)

Morning. Sleep well?

Sam nods his head slightly, on the pillow.

SAM

(quietly)

I don't dream anymore.

(he embraces her)

EXT. HOUSE AND GARDEN – MORNING

A high shot. Everything in the garden is definitely lovely. The music tells us. The music swells and the camera slowly pulls back, and back. It's a happy ending. And then, in the foreground, TWO HUGE HEADS appear looking straight at the camera. It is Mr. Helpmann and Jack. They both shake their heads.

MR. HELPMANN

He's got away from us, Jack.

CUT TO:

INT. INFORMATION RETRIEVAL ROOM – DAY

Sam is sitting in the I.R. chair. He is strapped in. His eyes are open but miles away. His face is wreathed in a benign and very happy smile.

JACK

I'm afraid you're right, Mr. Helpmann. He's gone.

A wide shot of the room shows us Helpmann and Lint turn away and leave. Sam is left alone. He is humming... The camera pulls back and back. The Information Retrieval room with Sam in it floats away into the most beautiful glorious sky ever.

Sam's humming into a full orchestra, and we hear...

"Brazil, where hearts were entertained in June, We stood beneath an amber moon, And softly murmured 'Some day soon' We kissed and clung together, Then, tomorrow was another day. The morning found me miles away, With still a million things to say, Now, when twilight beams the sky above, Recalling thrills of our love, There's one thing I'm certain of, Return, I will, To old Brazil."

THE END