Moonraker script

1st Draft 10/2/03 Part Three (I)

Sc11
Pan of Dining Room, track into Bond and M, Bond gets handed a menu by a Steward.

M
Don’t bother reading through all that. One of the first rules of the club, is that any member may order for any dish, but he must pay for it, nowadays you don’t even have to do that. Order whatever you want.
M looks towards the Steward.
M
Any of that Beluga Caviar left?
Steward
Yes, sir. There was a new delivery last week.
M
Well, caviar for me. Devilled Kidney and a slice of your excellent bacon. Peas and new potatoes. Strawberry Kirsch. What about you James?
Bond
I’ve got a mania for a real good smoked salmon. Lamb cutlets. The same vegetables as you as it May. Asparagus with Béarnaise sauce sounds wonderful! And perhaps a slice of pineapple.
Bond puts the menu down.
M
Thank heavens for a man that can make up his mind.
M looks at the steward.
M
Have you got all that?
Steward
Yes, sir, you wouldn’t care for a marrow bone after the strawberries, sir?
M
Of course, you know I can’t resist them. Ask Grimley to come over would you.
Steward
He’s here now sir.
The Steward moves out of the way for the wine-waiter.
Ah, Grimley, some Vodka please.
M turns to Bond.
M
Not the stuff you had in your cocktail. This is real pre-war Wolfschmidt form Riga, like some with you smoked salmon?
Bond
Very much

M
Then what? Champagne. Personally, I am going to have a half-bottle of Claret. The Mouton Rothschild ‘34 please Grimley.
Bond
A Dom Perignon ’46
Steward
Of course, sir.
M
Bring it right away would you.
Steward
Yes, sir.
The Steward leaves.
M
Why were you so picky with your wine?
Bond
Well if you don’t mind, sir, I’ve got to get a bit tight tonight. I’ll have to seem very drunk when the time comes, it is not an easy thing to act unless you do it with a good deal of conviction. I hope you won’t get worried if I seem to get a bit frayed later on.
M
You’ve got a head like a bloody rock James. Drink as much as you like if it’s going to help. Ah, here’s the Vodka.
The Steward places the Vodka and first course on the table, bows and leaves. M looks over his shoulder, then back at Bond.
M
What do you think of this man Drax?
Bond
One can’t like his manner much. At first I was rather surprised that you tolerate him. But that’s none of my business and anyway, clubs would be very dull without the odd eccentric.
Bond looks over at Drax.
Bond
But I can see he’s the sort of man I always imagined. Full-blooded, ruthless, shrewd. Plenty of guts.
M
I know what you mean, but you may be being a bit hard on the man. After all, it’s a big step from the Liverpool docks, or wherever he came from, to where he is now.
The next course comes, with it arrives the champagne. A page boy comes up to the table.
Page Boy
Commander Bond?
Bond takes the envelope, Bond takes a knife and dips it into a little package inside and tips the powdery substance into his champagne.
M
Now what?
Bond
Benzedrine. I rang up Miss Ponsonby, before dinner and asked her to wrangle some out of surgery headquarters. It’s what I shall need, if I am going to keep my wits about me tonight.

© 2003