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Monday, October 01, 2007

Deleted Scene: Magnolia, Create A Crisis

 FLASH ON:

      INT. GIRL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
     CAMERA DOLLIES AROUND a young GIRL (20s) on the phone.

                                 GIRL
                      That sounds like fun, Frank.
                      I love seafood.

                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

     Frank on the phone.

                                 FRANK
                      So I'll see you about 7:30?
                      Great, then.  Bye-bye, Cindy.

      He hangs up.

                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. GIRL'S HOUSE - ANOTHER NIGHT

     CAMERA (HAND HELD) follows behind the GIRL as she walks from the kitchen
     to the front door, shaking her head, huffing and puffing....

                                 FRANK (VO)
                      You wait until about nine o'clock
                      and you ring the doorbell.

     She opens the door and sees FRANK, crying and hysterical.

                                 FRANK (VO)
                      She opens it up, pissed as hell, but
                      finds you sobbing your eyes out --

      Frank looks up at her and says:

                                 FRANK
                      ...I can't believe what happened...

      Frank and the Girl sit down on the couch together.

                                 FRANK (VO)
                      You explain between sobs that you hit
                      a dog on the way over to pick her up
                      and you had to rush it to the animal
                      hospital but by the time you got there --

                                 FRANK
                      ...and it's paw was sticking out...
                      and it was too late.  It was too late.

      She moves in and hugs him.

                                 GIRL
                      Ohhh, shhhh...shhh...Frank...

                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. HOLIDAY INN/BANQUET ROOM - THAT MOMENT

      Frank is cracking himself up.  He continues.

                                 FRANK
                      I can't believe I'm telling you guys this,
                      but the truly terrifying part is that: THIS WORKS.
                      Any girl that calls herself your friend is not
                      gonna let you be alone in a situation like that.
                      Technique #2: Staging a fight.
                      This is not knock down, drag out, crying
                      screaming, yelling -- this is a simple,
                      direct and subtle way of planting confusion
                      into a girl's mind.  Remember we are using
                      reinforcement technique "G" with these women.
                      Here's how:
                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. GIRL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

      The Girl picks up her phone and presses some numbers...

                                 FRANK (VO)
                      One day, she calls you up on the phone...

                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. FRANK'S HOUSE - NIGHT

      Frank picks up the phone.

                                 FRANK
                      Hello?
                                 GIRL
                      Hey, Frank.  It's Cindy.  I'm wondering
                      if you wanna grab a bite and see a movie?
                                 FRANK (VO)
                      You very directly say:

                                 FRANK
                      "I don't think I have anything to say
                      to you, Cindy."

      Frank hangs up the phone.

                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. GIRL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT

      The Girl gets the dial tone.  She looks completely confused and hurt.

                                                                 CUT TO:

      INT. HOLIDAY INN/BANQUET ROOM - BACK TO SCENE

      Frank speaking to the group:

                                 FRANK
                      Let her wonder what she did wrong.

     CAMERA DOES A SLOW DOLLY IN.  Frank's tone changes a bit, gets darker:
                                 FRANK
                      This is the way...because they will
                      always wonder, "What did I do?"
                      "What could I have done different?"
                      "How should I behave to get this back?"
                      And if they think that way -- then they
                      are asking for you to hurt them and
                      That Is What You Must Do.  That is what
                      you must do which is punish them many,
                      many times over.

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