The Lady, the Devil & the Dealer

---

(soft oriental instrumental music)

(car noises)

(street and traffic noises)

(Burmese)

(low and indistinct chatter)

(suspenseful instrumental music)

(cheers)

(screams)

(music and sounds fade out)

(melancholic instrumental music)

(loud gun fire)

(grunts and gasps)

(melancholic instrumental music)

(roaring motor, screeching tires)

(sobs)

(melancholic instrumental music)

Mr. Aris.

The doctor is waiting to see you.

Hello, Michael. Hello, how are you?

Please, take a seat.

It's always very difficult to predict

the progress of something like this.

It could be as little as a five months

or as long as five years.

Enough time for you to put your

affairs in order, I hope.

Shall I ask the nurse to arrange for

your wife to come and collect you?

My wife?

Would that she could.

She lives in Burma now, you see.

(street noises)

Good morning.

(Students) Good morning.

Could we pass these around, please?

Thank you.

Today I thought we might talk about,

how the Bhutanese people have always

placed great emphasis on family loyalty,

the bonds of community,

and respect for their elders.

(soft instrumental music)

(doorbell rings)

- Bloody rain!

- Yes, come in.

So it's definitely cancer then?

Prostate cancer, as a matter of fact.

And did they give you any indication

as to how long before...

In anything from a few months

to five years.

- Good God, Michael.

- No, no.

I could achieve a lot in five years.

What about Suu? Surely she'll want

to return to Oxford when she hears this.

Anthony! You know as well as I do

if she ever leaves Burma,

they will never allow her to return.

What about you, Michael?

You haven't seen her for three years.

She's your wife,

she's the mother of your children.

The red carpet would be rolled out

if she asked to be allowed to come home.

She can't walk away now.

Too much blood has been spilled.

Countless lives have been lost.

Millions upon millions of people

are counting on her.

Anthony, promise me that you'll keep

an eye out for the boys.

Of course! You can count

on me 100 percent, you know that.

Yes.

(soft classical piano music)

- Hello darling.

- Hello angel.

How's the book going?

Slowly.

That smells good.

- We're having Burmese tonight.

- All right.

Stop it!

- Did you think of a title?

- Yes.

Well, it's original. It's...

(street noises)

(door closes, indistinct chatter)

- There's storm coming.

- Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad.

- Hello, did you have a good day?

- It's okay day. I'm starving, though!

Supper's at seven.

- Do you have much homework?

- It's all done.

- Kim.

- Well, almost.

You'd better get started then.

Hello Alex.

Mom.

(female newsreader on television)

(male newsreader) In Burma today, violence

has erupted on the streets of Rangoon...

- Suu?

- Hmm?

...an incident in which students

were mown down by the authorities.

Eye witnesses at the incident

claimed that hundreds of students

taking part in a peaceful demonstration

at Inyar lake,

were shot and killed by soldiers

at point black range,

many more protestors sustained

serious injuries.

They are demanding an end

to the military dictatorship

that has ruled the country

with an iron fist since a coup in 1962.

Burma's government is known as one

of the world's most oppressive regimes.

But despite the authorities' determined

attempts to crush this uprising,

it appears that the student's movement,

is rapidly gaining massive popular

support.

(phone rings)

Hello.

(women speaking Burmese)

My mother had a stroke.

I'll sort you out a flight.

(traffic noises)

Be good, won't you?

Help Daddy around the house.

It will be hard for me to get

to a phone,

so don't worry if it's a while before

you hear from me.

- How long are you going to be away?

- A week. Or maybe two.

Right, that's it. Come on, come on.

We're very late. Come on, rush!

Come on. On time. Okay. Bye.

Bon voyage. I love you.

Driver, please hurry. Please.

I love you. Bye.

(soft instrumental music)

(music swells)

(eerie instrumental music)

- Uncle Leo.

- You are as beautiful as ever.

(street noises)

The whole uproar started

after our General in his great wisdom,

decided to ban any denomination

that wasn't a multiple of nine.

Well nine is his lucky number.

The universities

can't provide lunch any more.

That's why the students have taken

to the streets.

All this just because of the

superstitious whims of a madman.

(street noises)

- Call me if you need me.

- I will. Thank you for everything,

(car noises)

(street noises)

Suu! Suu!

Mum.

- How are you feeling?

- Tired.

(soft instrumental music)

(woman whimpers)

(soft instrumental music)

(doctors speaking in Burmese)

- Did you hear about the massacre?

- Yes.

The riots, it made headline news

across the world.

- What's my little boys doing?

- Not so little these days.

(soft instrumental music)

(low and indistinct chatter)

Come on.

There's no need for that. Come on,

have a good day. Don't be silly.

Come on, have a good day.

Off you go.

And Kim, put your collar down.

Yes, okay.

- Goodbye. Goodbye.

- Goodbye, Dad.

(door closes)

(indistinct shouts and chatter)

(instrumental music)

- What are you doing?

- They're looking for students. We must go.

Hold on. She can't leave in this condition.

She should stay here.

Wait.

Don't do anything hasty.

Calm down first.

I suggest we take her back to bed and

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes