Quills Page #3

Synopsis: The infamous writer, the Marquis de Sade of 18th Century France, is imprisoned at Charenton Insane Asylum for unmentionable activities. He manages to befriend the young Abbé de Coulmier, who runs the asylum, along with a beautiful laundress named Madeline. Things go terribly wrong when the Abbe finds out that the Marquis' books are being secretly published. The emperor Napoleon contemplates sending Dr. Royer-Collard to oversee the asylum, a man famed for his torturous punishments. It could mean the end of Charenton and possibly the Marquis himself.
Genre: Biography, Drama
Director(s): Philip Kaufman
Production: 20th Century Fox
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 41 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.3
Metacritic:
70
Rotten Tomatoes:
75%
R
Year:
2000
124 min
$4,284,664
Website
708 Views


and come back to me renewed|so I can deflower you a second time.

Some things belong on paper...

others in life.

Blessed fool who can't tell|the difference-

Mademoiselle LeClerc.

You're in the nick of time.

This old letch forgot himself.

He thought I was a character|in one of his nasty stories.

- Madeleine.|- Yes, Abbe ?

The next time you feel|the urge to visit the marquis...

I hope you'll come|to confession instead.

Care for a splash|of wine, Abbe ?

It's not even noon.

Conversation, like certain portions|of the anatomy,

always runs more smoothly|when it's lubricated.

This is a rare vintage from|an obscure village in Bordeaux.

Rather than crush the grape|underfoot, they place the fruit|on the belly of a bride,

reap its juices|when the young husband|steers his vessel into port.

Full-bodied flavor,|just a hint of wantonness.

Bottoms up.

It's from our own cellar.|I recognize the taste.

I should have told you|it was the blood of Christ.

You'd believe that,|wouldn't you ?

We treat you well enough here,|don't we, Marquis ?

Your very own feathered bed|in lieu of a straw mat.

Your antique writing desk,|all the way from La Coste.

Enough quills|to feather an ostrich-

Yes, yes, yes, dear heart, it's true.|You spoil me pink.

And in exchange, we ask only|that you follow the rules.

You know as well as I do,|you're not to entertain visitors|in your quarters.

I'm entertaining you now,|aren't I ?

Yes, but I'm not a beautiful,|young prospect ripe for corruption.

Don't be so sure.

Take your pen in hand,|Marquis.

Purge these wicked thoughts|of yours on paper.

Maybe they'll|govern you less in life.

I'll fill page after page,|my cherub.

I promise.

We're here, Doctor.|Mind your step, sir.

Good day, sir.|We've been expecting you.

Good. Very good.

Dr. Royer-Collard,|welcome to Charenton.

This may feel|a little awkward, my friend,

but it needn't be.

I've come merely|to oversee your work here.|Understood ?

- Of course.|- It's a formality. Truly.

Well, you're a man of science,|and I'm a man of God.

Charenton stands to profit|from us both, I'm certain.

I shall need an office on the grounds,|somewhere to store my things.

- This way.|- If you don't mind my asking,

why has the emperor taken|such sudden interest in my-

in our affairs ?

It seems a particular|patient of yours...|has captured his fancy.

I understand|he practices the very crimes|he preaches in his fiction.

Certainly not here.

- There were a few|indiscretions in his youth.|- "Indiscretions" ?

Abbe, please,|I have read his case history.

At 1 6, he violated|a servant girl with a crucifix.

After six months in a dungeon,|he mutilated a prostitute,

carving her flesh with a razor|and cauterizing the wounds|with hot wax.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes

Doug Wright

Doug Wright (born 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play, I Am My Own Wife. more…

All Doug Wright scripts | Doug Wright Scripts

0 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Quills" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/quills_16469>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    Quills

    Browse Scripts.com

    Quills

    Soundtrack

    »

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.