Synopsis: Chris Columbus's Indy III


	Synopsis: Chris Columbus's Indy III by Dietrich

Hello, fellow Indyfans, Dietrich here. What follows is the synopsis of an unused Chris Columbus screenplay for the sequel that would eventually become Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - or, as it's better known - the Monkey King script. The draft I have is marked as a first draft and is dated May 3, 1985. Columbus, whom many may recognize as the writer/director responsible for bringing us Mrs. Doubtfire and Stepmom - among numerous other films - bears sole credit on this script.
Lastly, as near as I can tell this is an actual script that was commissioned by Lucas shortly after the success of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (E-bay bidders beware!!! This script is often mistakenly sold as an Indy 4 draft which it is definitely not.) So without further ado, I'll move on to the synopsis.
Curiously, the film opens without the standard "match dissolve" from the Paramount logo. Instead, the audience is greeted by an underwater salmon - who is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to bite the brightly colored fishing lure floating before him.
The camera pans upward and breaks through the surface of the water to find a man, fishing pole in hand, napping. He is dressed in a green, tweed fishing hat and rests inside his one-man fishing boat. The boat is parked in the middle of a calm lake, surrounded by moors. It is dusk.
SCOTLAND, 1937 - The fish bites, the man wakes up and we recognize him as our intrepid archaeologist, Indiana Jones. As he reels in the salmon, a man named MacGowan calls to him from the distance, pleading for Indy's assistance. Grudgingly, Indy complies, dropping the fishing pole to row ashore. He joins Inspector MacGowan, a handful of other policemen and frightened villagers. They are searching for something.
Someone screams!
The mob stumbles upon a corpse of a man that has all of his bones crushed, giving his pale body a rubbery appearance. Apparently this man is the eighth body found, ground to a pulp. A woman in the mob points to an ancient Scottish castle, it's stone spires lined with menacing gargoyles. A single window flickers with candlelight. The rest of the castle appears deserted.
Someone in the mob claims that the light only burns after a murder's been committed. Indy decides to get a closer look at the castle, taking a handful of men with him.
The massive doors of the castle are blocked by a wooden bar - in the shape of a serpent. Indy and the men lift away the heavy bar, and the doors are pushed open. A gust of air blows out the mens' torches leaving only Indy's flashlight to lead the way.
Indy finds numerous paintings inside of a white-haired, elderly man. MacGowan identifies the man as Baron Seamus Seagrove III, who some say has been dead for years. Still moving forward into the cold darkness, Indy and company see the light of candle in a room at the top of the stairs. A thick cobweb covers the entrance to the room.
It's a bedroom - deserted except for some antique, dusty furniture and a large, canopy bed. As Indy reaches out to grab the candlestick, there is a loud WHOOOSH! The candle goes out, disappearing, taking one of MacGowan's men with it. Just then, the sound of a bell is heard, dimly ringing. Indy and the men rush down the stairs, towards a dark basement, as they follow the sound of the bell.
A narrow, crumbling wooden staircase leads down into the blackness of the basement. The banister collapses and MacGowan falls. Indy grabs him, pulling him to safety. At the bottom of the steps, several doors line the slimy, moss-covered walls. The sound of the bell is now louder. Indy picks a door and opens it, causing a large object to shoot out and roll towards the men. They open fire on it with their pistols, and crimson liquid oozes from it. Indy dips his finger into the liquid and tastes it. It's only wine.
Someone shouts and they all turn from the barrel of wine to see a stone door, built into the opposite wall, slowly opening. Inside, Indy finds a family crypt - packed with stone coffins that have glass-covered tops, death masks and religious statues. In the far corner, they spot the candlestick from upstairs, still burning. Seeing this, the men decide to split up - Indy and MacGowan each taking a team. Indy leads his into the crypt, the bell growing louder with each step, until it is deafening. They look up, realizing they are on the floor of the bell tower, and see that the body of one of MacGowan's men (the one who disappeared in the upstairs bedroom) has replaced the bell clapper. A door slams shut, trapping them inside. They pound on the door, calling for help, and of course the candle goes out again - taking another man with it. Indy flicks the flashlight on and sees that the man who was only seconds before standing beside him - now lays dead in one of the glass coffins - his body crushed, his hands wrapped around a crucifix.
Indy, now alone, hears footsteps but sees no one. An eerie laugh echoes through the crypt. Indy decides to get the hell out of there and pushes against the door - instantly pulling his hands back. They've been burnt by the ice covering the door. He then accidentally springs a trap, plunging into a black abyss and landing with a wet splash, hundreds of feet below.
Underwater now, Indy swims, looking for a way out and luckily finding a tunnel. He surfaces in a water fountain, its base carved with gargoyles and demons, that rests in an immaculate banquet room. Two medieval suits of armor adorn the walls. At the end of a long, dinner table a shriveled, white-haired old man is dining alone. It is Baron Seagrove III - the man from the paintings. Two big mastiffs are sitting beside him. The Baron appears to have not noticed Indy enter. Indy gets no reaction from him either, when he demands an answer to what's been going on.
The two mastiffs suddenly leap at him, tearing at his clothes. He fights them off and grabs a hunter's trumpet and blows hard! The dogs cease their attack and sit obediently. Indy runs but the dogs pursue until he tricks them and escapes their biting jaws once again. Indy approaches the Baron again, and as he hollers at the silent old man, the two suits of armor - one white and one black -come alive and attack Indy with swords and battle axes. Indy grabs a shield from the walls and makes a makeshift whip out of some rope and manages to defeat them.
Finally, his suits of armor and his dogs vanquished, Baron Seagrove looks at Indy. Smiling an eerie grin, he laughs. In response, Indy blows out the candlestick - that now rests on the table.
The opening sequence ends with Indy saving the day and turning the Baron over to a grateful MacGowan. The old Baron is carted away by a police wagon, stopping only to vow "No... jail... can... hold... me...." A chill runs down Indy's spine as he hears the old man speak for the first time.
Indy watches the police wagon pull away, not taking his eyes off the Baron , still visible through the wagon's back window. The Baron lights a cigarette. Indy's eyes go wide as he sees the match flame shining through the Baron's body!!! It's as if he were a ghost.
The wagon disappears into the night, the Baron's eerie laugh filling the soundtrack as we slowly dissolve to:
MARSHALL UNIVERSITY - A few days later... Indy's office, much as it appeared in the third film, is jam packed with his noisy students. Every one of them needs something! It is here that we meet Betsy Tuffet - the first of two love interests for Indy. As Columbus describes her, Betsy is a brash, 21 year-old Brooklyn kid, "with thick, luxurious black hair, bright brown eyes and a small-framed athletic body." (She's also very annoying. Think willie Scott times ten.) Apparently, Indy and she have been, shall we say... fooling around? and she's been taking the "relationship" much more serious than he has.
The loud voice of a postman breaks through the noise of the students, crying: "Special delivery! Dr. Indiana Jones!" Just as Indy takes the thick, brown envelope from him, he looks up to see the college's Dean - a man named Coventry - who's come to chastise him yet again for not concentrating more on his teaching duties.
Indy opens the package - water spilling everywhere - to find a dead trout sent to him from Inspector MacGowan. Indy pretty much ignores Coventry, as he shuffles from the package to the Dean and a ringing phone. It's Marcus Brody who demands Indy meet him at the museum as soon as possible.
THE MUSEUM - In the Prehistoric Room, Indy finds an excited Marcus, clutching a 16mm film canister.
THE MUSEUM BOARD ROOM - Marcus holds an ancient watercolor painting before Indy. The painting is of an upright monkey - SUN WU-KUNG, the Stone Monkey King. But the wrinkled monkey isn't made of stone at all. In fact, he's half-human and wears a lion-skin cloak. His face is wise, his coal-black eyes penetrating. He holds in his hand a golden hooped staff and stands in the middle of a garden of peach trees. The Monkey King is surrounded by a heavenly glow from the clouds above.
Indy is busily grading his water-soaked papers, and isn't impressed by the painting, saying, "Big deal. That was ten years ago, Marcus." As we learn, Indy spent two years in China and India looking for the Stone Monkey King's remains... his legendary staff... the Lost City... and found nothing.
Marcus tries to convince Indy to pick up the chase again, saying that he never looked for him... in Africa - where, until now, there was no evidence to indicate that Sun Wu-Kung ever visited. Marcus starts the projector, and we see a black and white image flicker to life on the Board Room's wall. We see a pygmy named Tyki - who is "...adorable. A little over four feet tall, his body taut, muscular. His long, black hair is shaggy...". Standing next to him is Dr. Clare Clarke - the second love interest - "32 years-old. A tall, strikingly beautiful woman."
Clare communicates with Tyki in sign language. Marcus says she's a famous zoologist, studying African animals in their natural habitat. She found Tyki three weeks ago and believes he is from Sun Wu-Kungs' Lost City. Indy's doubtful until he learns that Tyki speaks an unknown language that bears a strong resemblance to ancient Chinese, was found wearing an ornamental peach stone around his neck - and is over 200 years old. The film comes to an end, as Tyki tries to unscrew the camera's lens.
Marcus tells Indy that Dr. Clarke wants him to accompany her on an expedition to return Tyki to his tribe and discover the Lost City of Sun Wu-Kung. A good looking dame, the promise of adventure and wealth? Indy accepts.
In the next scene - which, if ever filmed - would be the most ridiculous in the series, Betsy professes her love for Indy as he tries to pack his bags. Betsy decides she can't live without him and attempts to kill herself - not once, but THREE TIMES! The scene is played for laughs as Betsy first tries to hang herself with his whip, then light herself on fire, then smash a huge antique urn over her head. (The whole sequence was embarrassing to read.) Thankfully, it ends with Indy breaking her heart and leaving to catch an ocean liner to Africa. The standard red line over a map traces Indy's path from New York to Africa, where it comes to stop at...
MOZAMBIQUE, BIERA - In the hot sun, Indy deboards and is met by a banged-up old car, belching black smoke. the car sports a roughly painted sign that reads: "Taxi". Behind the wheel we see an unkempt African Man named Scraggy. Scraggy is "an elderly fellow, with the energy and vitality of youth. His snow white hair and beard are wild." Seeing Indy, Scraggy jumps from the car and leaps into his arms, hugging him like a child.
Scraggy is intensely superstitious - causing him to pray to strange gods throughout the movie and perform comical blessings over everything he comes into contact with. He believes there's bad spirits everywhere.
The camera follows Indy and Scraggy as the walk down the ramp until the screen is filled by a blazing swastika. Enter the Nazis! The swastika is actually the armband on the sleeve of Sgt. Helmut Gutterburg - "...a thin, skeletal Nazi. He resembles the Angel of Death." Gutterburg's right arm is rigid, resting stiffly at his side. He follows Indy and Scraggy at a safe distance, planting a small, radio transmitter on Indy's pant leg.
Indy meets Clare - who has a slight British accent. Their flirtation begins almost instantaneously - but comes to a screeching halt as the ship's porter catches up to Indy with a barrel that reads "Deliver to: Indiana Jones." Indy begins to protest that it can't be his, when out pops good ol' Betsy, who throws her arms around Indy, proclaiming, "My precious!" (Yecccch.)
She stowed away in a banana barrel for three weeks, eating her way to the bottom. Clare immediately loses interest in Indy. The boat takes off before he can send Betsy back, so unfortunately - like Indy - we're stuck with her.
IN A NEARBY HOTEL - Gutterburg slips through an opening in the floor that leads to a secret Nazi headquarters. We see two sleek, high-powered speed boats resting in the water at the edge of this underground base of operations. A huge shadow falls over Gutterburg. a shadow belonging to his superior officer - Lt. Werner Von Mephisto - "...a Nazi nightmare... His bulging eyes are a reddish brown, giving him the appearance of a demon from hell." Mephisto has no facial hair and is completely bald. Gutterburg salutes him and we see his stiff arm is actually a mechanical, machine gun arm! (An inventive idea originally proposed for Raiders of the Lost Ark that was discarded for being too far-fetched for the time. Interesting that it is included here.) Indy, Scraggy and the Betsy and Clare's voices can be heard over a tinny speaker - transmitted from the bug on Indy.
In this brief scene, we learn that ever since the embarrassment over the Lost Ark affair, the Fuhrer has been very interested in keeping tabs on the adventures of Indiana Jones. (Again, another inventive idea that unfortunately didn't make it into Last Crusade).

ZOOLOGICAL COMPOUND, MINUTES LATER. Betsy, ever persistent - is snuggling close to Indy and annoying the hell out of him. He keeps trying to shake her off. Scraggy giggles at his misfortune. Clare introduces Indy to Tyki, who is singing in his cage while working on a huge tapestry depicting a city reflected on the clouds. (No, no, not THAT Cloud City...).
Just when I thought Betsy's comical antics were coming to an end, she manages to get herself mixed up with a chimpanzee named Bonzo - who hangs all over her the way she did Indy.
Meanwhile, Indy begins to wonder why Tyki appears so young - if he really is over 200 years old. Clare takes him to a small, sterile room in the compound and shows him the peach stone Tyki was wearing around his neck when they found him. As Indy examines it, a fruit fly buzzes around his head.
NAZI HEADQUARTERS - Gutterburg listens as Clare relates the legend of Sun Wu-Kung's Garden of Immortal Peaches. "A bite from the fruit of that peach tree would give a person eternal life... make them forever young...." Gutterburg smiles viciously.
BACK IN THE COMPOUND - Indy studies the peach pit, stopping to slap the bug against his neck - squashing it. Clare is horrified. She glares at Indy, saying, "This fruit fly had a normal life-span of 24 hours. As an experiment... the fly was put in this room... alone... with only the peach stone to sustain its existence. The fly stayed alive for three weeks! Until now." Oops.
Suddenly, Indy and Clare hear Scraggy talking to Tyki - in his native tongue!
Scraggy translates Tyki's story for them and we find out that he is from "Land of City on the Clouds." Indy asks if he can take them there and, in reply, Tyki says "Pai Cho"may help them.
Pai Cho is the sacred proverbs and writings of Sun Wu-Kung and Tyki happens to be carrying a copy on a scroll within his belt. Indy scans the document in wonder, the soundtrack music soars. (...and Betsy is rolling around in the background of the frame trying to free herself from Bonzo's clutches.)
DASHIELL'S BAR - Dimly lit and filled with smoke, a nine-piece jazz band plays a swing tune. The joint's crawlin' with Nazis - lurking in the corners and shadows - all watching Indiana Jones, who sits with Scraggy, Clare and Betsy as they eat dinner. Indy and Clare are studying the Pai Cho as Scraggy translates it; a neglected Betsy's getting drunk.
BACK IN THE COMPOUND - Gutterburg kidnaps Tyki, using his mechanical arm to blast his tapestry to shreads.
DASHIELL'S BAR - The Pai Cho reveals details about the location of Sun Wu-Kung's legendary hideout - a Water Curtain Cave, hidden behind a running waterfall. It also mentions some kind of "Twisted Snake Water" - the Zambesi River (...which has a reputation for its deadly snakes.) A drunken Betsy is rubbing Indy's leg - Clare is revolted - but, it causes Indy to find the mechanical radio bug on his leg. He drops it into a trumpet player's horn.
NAZI HEADQUARTERS - A Nazi wearing headphones screams as the trumpet player hits his note!
THE COMPOUND - Indy and the gang are returning, just as Gutterburg is making off with abound and gagged Tyki. Gutterburg points his finger at Jones and fires! Indy ducks out of the way and they make off in one of their Nazi speedboats with the helpless Tyki in tow.
Indy and Scraggy follow in his beat-up taxi, flying down the docks - Scraggy slams on the brakes at Indy's signal - sending the archaeologist flying into the air - to come crashing down on the Nazi speedboat. A waterbound chase ensues - very similar to the one in Last Crusade - but containing an underwater battle between Indy and a Nazi, the two of them getting sucked towards the spinning propellers of a huge vessel. In the end, Indy loses Tyki to the Nazis. (...and Betsy, still drunk, kisses a dead fish that washes up onto shore with Indy, believing it's him.)
THE ZAMBESI RIVER, THE FOLLOWING DAY - Indiana and company - with Scraggy's taxi along for the ride - are aboard a riverboat, the Adobo. Scraggy takes a shower, rubbing onion juice over his fully-clothed body to ward off evil spirits. Indy attempts to flirt with Clare, to no success. Indy tries to explain the Betsy situation, but Clare's not buying it. Betsy wakes up, throws herself on Indy again and Clare pulls out her journal. Indy asks what she's writing. "I plan on testifying at your child molestation trial."
That night, aboard the Adobo, Betsy unleashes on Indy and Clare - saying she's good for something, even if she doesn't know everything, she's still good at archaeology. Clare's impressed by her fiery attitude.
Later, Indy tells the story of the Stone Money King, who was blessed with heavenly powers yet yearned to know the secret of eternal life... of immortality. eventually, after years of searching, he was granted entrance to heaven and given the task of overseeing the Garden of Immortal Peaches. He later returned to earth, spawning a civilization of monkeys and humans with greatly expanded life spans.
Whatever Sun Wu-Kung was... a monkey, a stone idol, a human...is unknown. But Indy says that he is one of the most influential religious figures in history... and his remains are most likely somewhere in the Lost City - wherever that may be...
Indy's interrupted by a low, distant rumbling sound. Bizarre and unearthly. It fades away and they forget about it.
In Indy's cabin that night, Betsy sneaks into bed with him and demands that she won't leave until he kisses her. Reluctantly, Indy agrees to the deal - and, wouldn't you know it - Clare catches them in the act.
THE NEXT MORNING - Hands shoot out of the water, as unseen assailants climb onboard the Adobo. On deck, Clare continues writing in her journal, dubbing it "The Erotic Adventures of Indiana Jones, Professor of Perversity." Indy is not amused.
Elsewhere on the ship, Scraggy sees the boat's driver through a porthole as his throat is slit by one of the assailants. They are pirates - a mix of Orientals and blacks - led by the Pirate King Kezure - "His stringy hair is long,tied in a ponytail behind his head. A thick, long mustached wraps around a large mouth, filled with crooked, golden teeth."
An action-packed sword fight between Jones and the pirates erupts as the Adobo and the Pirate ship head towards a waterfall - the Pai Cho's "Water Curtain". Once through the waterfall, the ships end up in the Pirates hidden fortress behind the falls - a huge, underground cavern. Indy threatens to blow up the fortress if Kezure won't release Clare and let them go. Kezure smiles, calling Indy's bluff: "Good. We will all die."
Indy didn't expect that. Thinking quick, he proposes a truce, saying he can lead them to the Lost City of Sun Wu-Kung. Kezure sees dollar signs and agrees, temporarily.
Indy has Scraggy read the last proverb again, which says: "High tide drowns curiosity, low tide quenches thirst." Indy then asks the Pirate King if there's a place in the cave where the tide changes. Kezure leads him and Scraggy to a dark corner of the cavern, where a large, smooth wall - filled with cracks - stretches to the ceiling. In a few hours, the tide will be much lower, and the rest of the wall will be visible.
LATER - Over whiskey, Indy and Kezure talk about killing. Kezure thinks that they are very much alike. "I've never gotten used to killing, pal," Indy says, "I do it for survival." Kezure smiles sadistically, " I do it for pleasure." They down their whiskey. Indy suddenly jumps to his feet. The entire wall is now visible. What only hours before were mere cracks are now an intricate map. A group of arrows lead to an [OE]X' at the bottom of the map. Kezure says the [OE]X' is, "...near the mountains... There is a village there. The Mongooboo tribe..." He says he has traded with them in the past and that is friends with the tribe's chief.
Hidden in the shadows, watching them, we see one of the Adobo's crew members - who's been acting suspicious for the whole trip. He whispers into a transmitter. A swastika adorns the microphone.
THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON - Scraggy's taxi putters across the jungle plains, bearing a crowded Indy, Clare, Betsy and Kezure. We hear the same low, rumbling as before - still far away, but getting closer. Everyone is puzzled by it.
Scraggy drives towards the village, when they are attacked by a stream of arrows. The angry native warriors attack them, screaming, but they don't follow the group when they get out before a large opening in the jungle and are forced to proceed on foot.
The jungle has many booby traps - that effectively eliminates about half of Kezure's pirate gang. The group is eventually chased by lions - but they are stopped by Clare, speaking to them with cooing sounds. The lions retreat. Indy's impressed, but turns around into the face of the native chief. A nasty, shrunken head hangs around his neck. Indy glances hopefully to Kezure, saying, "Is this the Tribal Chief you told me about?... Your friend....?"
Kezure points to the shrunken head, saying, "No. That is him."
The native warriors lead the group to their village, where they try to cook them for dinner. Scraggy, furious, pretends that they are divine messengers of Sun Wu-Kung himself and their village will be destroyed if they interfere. Indy and company are immediately released and Threepio floats back down to the ground, saying, "I never knew I had it in m-" (Uhhhh...... sorry, wrong movie.) Anyways, they agree to help them and give Indy a mirror, saying that if they are really divine messengers, then they will know how to use it!
THAT NIGHT, IN THE MONGOOBOO VILLAGE - The entire village is being shook by vibrations - that are growing stronger by the minute. It's a wildebeest stampede! Hundreds of raging animals plow into the village, crushing everything in sight. They grab shovels, looking for the softest ground - which turns out to be a tribal graveyard.
THE STAMPEDE - Closer now, the wildebeest stampede is cutting a path through the thick jungle.
THE VILLAGE GRAVEYARD - Indy and the others have dug a very large hole in the center of the cemetery. Pieces of decayed bodies and skeletons jut out from the sides of the hole. Scraggy is in a fit of paranoia over bad spirits unleashed by the digging. Indy shoves him into the hole.
THE VILLAGE, DESERTED - The wildebeests roar through the village, disappearing into the night. A heavy cloud of dust covers the village as Indy and the others climb form the hole, unhurt. Clare is perplexed, saying that wildebeests only stampede when provoked. Her words are drowned out by the rumbling sound that has returned, considerably louder. Behind them, the jungle canvas is torn open as a giant Nazi tank breaks through the foliage. The tank is huge - a metal monstrosity!

INSIDE THE TANK - Gutterburg looks out through the periscope. Tyki, bound and gagged still, is on the floor of the tank behind him.
OUTSIDE THE TANK - Everyone runs. Indy is left alone as a huge, lumbering shadow moves towards him through the dust. It is a large, black rhinoceros. Indy leaps to his feet, running from the towering animal. It chases him.
Gutterburg opens fire on Indy's friends, forcing them to flee up the branches into a tall tree. Indy, still running from the rhino, had drawn Gutterburg's fire. His friend's are momentarily safe.
This part was a bit odd, but Indy begins running in circles and every lap he narrows the circle until he is running alongside the rhino. He grabs it's horn and hoists himself up - riding the bucking beast! He then chases after Gutterburg and leaps onto the tank. The scene then pretty much parallels the tank action scene from Last Crusade, only Indy's friends in the tree are about to fall over a cliff.
In the end, Indy captures the tank, rescuing Tyki and capturing Gutterburg - whom he forces to call Mephisto so he can gloat. They then continue on towards the Lost City, into the mountains.
Indy and Clare decide to give the mirror to Tyki - maybe he knows what to do with it. Tyki adjusts the mirror to face the distant mountains. In the mirror, one mountain is visible as it reflects a city on the clouds.
LATER - Indy and Betsy are talking as the tank moves towards the mountains. She's been talking to Clare - who told her that Indy doesn't really love her. She asks him if it's true and he's forced to admit that it is. She cries into Clare's arms - who finds yet another opportunity to insult him.
As they reach the mountains, Indy uses the tank's gun to cause a landslide that blocks the pursuing Lt. Mephisto's path. yet, minutes later, their own tank is assaulted by a literal barrage of boulders, thrown from some creatures in the cliffs above.They are gorillas!
They reach the tank, now battered beyond belief - and pluck Indy through the hatch and throw him offscreen. ("Take your stinkin' paws off me, you damn, dirty APE!") The other gorillas begin to tear at Indy's clothes. But then, a voice erupts from the tank, shouting orders at them. It is Tyki! He now speaks in a very deep, strong and commanding voice. The gorillas have dressed one of their own in Indy's jacket, hat and whip. (Ha.... ha.). Clare and everyone laugh at the sight - everyone but Indy.
The group, now led by Tyki, move around a twisting passage and their mouths drop open at the sight of the Lost City of Sun Wu-Kung!!! Even Gutterburg is amazed by the sight of the city - cast as it is in solid gold!
A pygmy guard in the tower above spots Tyki. Scraggy translates: "Our prince has returned."
INSIDE THE CITY, AN ELABORATE PALACE - The group is met by an older man named Bohbala - the city's ruler. Pygmies and gorillas drop to their knees in respect. Bohbala thanks them for returning his son and tells them they are welcome to stay for as long as they wish. But Indy's more interested in finding the remains of Sun Wu-Kung. Gutterburg removes a bullet from his mouth while the others are distracted. He fires at Bohbala, killing him.
Indiana is pissed now, He draws back to punch the Nazi but his fist is stopped before it can find its mark by the palace guards. Everyone bows to Gutterburg. Tyki, sobbing, explains that when a ruler is defeated by a greater power - he who possess that power shall be king!
Triumphantly, Gutterburg salutes with his mechanical arm, screaming, "HEIL HITLER!" Everyone mimics him obediently. he smiles at Jones with a vicious grin.
THE PALACE DUNGEON - Indy, Betsy, Tyki and Clare are tied to the mossy, damp walls in chains. Two guards enter and drag Indy away. Betsy fights her chains, but she is helpless.
THE NAZI ARMY - In pursuit of Indy and the others, Lt. Mephisto and his men have reached the landslide that blocks their path, but the merely blast it away and continue pressing forward.
THE PALACE COLISEUM - Indy is led shirtless into the arena towards a steel cage holding two enormous buffalo - angry and restless. Gutterburg orders the guards to prepare Indy to be drawn and quartered. Indy,however, outsmarts Gutterburg tricking him into saluting by screaming "Heil Hitler!" Instantly, Gutterburg stands and salutes like a robot, the barrels of his artificial fingers getting stuck in the metal grating above his head. It tears his mechanical arm from his body. Scraggy, whom Gutterburg was using as a translator, thinks fast and snatches up the arm. He is the king now.
THE MOUNTAIN PATH, NEAR THE CITY - The Nazis have arrived, and Mephisto meets a fleeing Gutterburg - now with one arm. Mephisto is disgusted by his failure and shoves him away. Gutterburg runs to a canvas truck - fitting a new mechanical arm onto his body.
INSIDE THE PALACE - Indy, Clare, Betsy, Tyki Scraggy, Kezure and his remaining pirates and the pygmies and gorillas are preparing for battle. Indy (armed with a shield and a pistol) gives a really strange speech - meant to rally the troops in that way that only Morgan Freeman truly can. He tells a story about a "scrawny runt, with thick, black glasses and about 300 different kinds of allergies..." who was always getting picked on by the other guys, "always shoving his head in the drinking fountain... putting mustard in his pants... throwing me... er...HIM... throwing HIM in the shower with all his clothes on..." You get the idea. Everybody cheers and a "heated, bloody" battle to defend the Lost City from the Nazis begins.
Eventually, the Nazis breach the city gates - and a cat and mouse chase begins between Indy and the pursuing Gutterburg (his new arm now shoots bolts of electricity - rather than mere bullets.... okay maybe that idea went a bit too far into "James Bond" territory. But it was cool at first...)
A second Nazi tank enters the city, firing away, but a horde of gorillas tear it open, pulling the Nazis from it and dressing themselves in the Nazi's uniforms. (Boy that joke wasn't funny the first time.... and I thought Jar Jar was bad!)
Gutterburg, tricked by Indy, ends up electrocuting himself, leaving Indy to square off against Mephisto. They have a fight over a tiger pit - Indy is hot in the chest! Fighting against the pain, he manages to defeat Mephisto - sending him flying into the tiger pit to be torn to shreads by the beasts. He stumbles from the pit - blood pouring from the open wound.... and, believe it or not, actually dies.
The battle outside now over, the others rush to find Indy. Clare, her eyes filled with tears - pronounces him dead. The entire village gathers around Indy. Everyone is solemn.
ON A BAMBOO STRETCHER - That night, we see Indy's motionless body, covered in colorful flower petals. His body is being led by several pygmies in a funeral procession. behind him, Bohbala's body is being carried along with all of the dead villagers and pygmies. Candles are everywhere. The procession moves through the city, finally arriving at a solid, stone wall. It appears to be a dead end, but after the pygmy priests begin to chant we hear a low rumbling, rising in volume. A crack runs down the stone wall - as i f it were a curtain being parted. Blinding white light emanates from the inside. Tyki enters and the procession follows.
BEHIND THE WALL - The procession, now led by Tyki, ascends a twisting stone staircase - the light getting brighter and brighter - until they reach a doorway leading to...
THE GARDEN OF IMMORTAL PEACHES - Brilliantly colored, magical and intense - like nothing we've ever seen before; a virtual Eden. Betsy and Clare are amazed! The trees are filled with shining fruit - the immortal peaches that give everlasting life. It is these that draws Kezure's attention. The bodies in the procession are taken and lowered into separate graves, including Indy's and BohBala's. In front of the graves, we see the garden's largest tree - wider and taller by hundreds of feet than the others. A small, glass tomb is built into the tree's trunk. Inside we see a tiny skeleton - no more than four feet tall - draped with a lion's skin cloak. in its skeletal fist it holds the Golden Hooped Rod - a glorious, elaborate staff. Scraggy translates the inscription: "Our Lord... or Master.. Sun.. Wu... Kung."
The soundtrack music rises.
"Damn you, Jones," Clare says, awestruck, "Why couldn't you be here to share this with me!"
Suddenly, there is a rumbling sound; the trees sway, the wind howls, rushing through the garden. The glass tomb of the Stone Monkey King is filled with a bright light, glowing. The glass suddenly shatters and the skeleton's head turns, moving, as it steps towards the group. It is a terrifying thing to behold.
The skeleton shouts towards the heavens, demanding that their souls be returned to their bodies. A few moments pass.. then a thick, white cloud eclipses the garden's sun... peaches fly from a tree... separating and dropping into each grave. When each body is hit by a peach, there is a small colorful explosion. The bodies finally stir.. beginning to move and Indiana Jones returns to the land of the living. "What the hell's goin on?" he asks, bewildered.
Indy speaks with the Stone Monkey King, who reveals that he has been following Indy's career from the heavens - amazed by his bravery and passion. he gives him the Golden Hooped Rod - a priceless artifact. Indy is speechless.
The Monkey King then returns to his tomb and they leave the garden...but not before the pirate king Kezure greedily stuffs his pockets with peaches.
THE NEXT MORNING - Indy and company are departing the city, setting off down the mountain path. After a short while, they are attacked by Kezure's men - their weapons taken. Indy is disgusted with Kezure's betrayal. Kezure takes a big bite from one of the peaches, but drops it half eaten - clutching his stomach in pain. The others watch in horror as his skin flakes off, peeling from his skin... his creams fading until he is nothing but a mere skeleton. Betsy is confused. Indy explains that the peaches promise immortality to only those who are pure of heart - Kezure's heart was filled with evil.
MOZAMBIQUE - A few days later, Indy is awaiting the boat that will take him back to America. He looks at his wristwatch, looking impatiently for Betsy - but she has decided to stay on in Africa as Clare's assistant. Indy's let down - he needed someone to pass the time with on such a long boat ride.
He says his goodbyes to Betsy, and tells Clare that there's something he's been meaning to do since he first met her. They lean in to kiss - but Clare moves away and Indy ends up kissing Bonzo the chimpanzee. (Not even close to riding off into the sunset, but what're you gonna do...)
THAT NIGHT, IN CLARE'S ROOM - Indy has forgot the Golden Hooped Rod! It rests in a wooden crate, motionless. But then, the nails turn and twist falling out of there holes and freeing the Rod. It transforms into a Golden Eagle and flies out an open window...
OCEAN LINER, NIGHT - A sleeping Indiana Jones is sound asleep when the eagle lands in his pen window and transforms once mor e- back into the golden Hooped Rod. the creaky voice of the Stone Monkey King fills the soundtrack: "The Golden Hooped Rod will be a faithful friend. It is capable of one hundred transformations... and will always remain by your side..."
The ship sails out across the ocean, the moonlight reflected across dark, blue waters as the closing credits roll...
THE END

Site Author: Micah Johnson
Page Author: Dietrich
Created: September 28, 1999
Last modified: September 28, 1999