To find something, anything . . .
. . . a great truth , or a lost pair of glasses. . .
. . .you must first believe there will be some advantage in finding it.
l found something a long time ago . . .
. . . and have held on to it for grim death ever since .
l owe my success in life to it.
lt put me where l am today .
This principle:
What you don't know won't hurt you .
They called it idealism in a book l read .
Get the gun . Get the gun . Get the gun .
Oh , my God .
The judge won't scare easy .
l don't count on him scaring easy .
You think it's beneath my dignity?
Well , you're governor, they tell me .
Yeah , l'm governor.
The trouble with governors is they think they gotta keep their dignity .
There's nothing worth doing a man can do to keep his dignity .
H uman frame ain't built that way .
When l'm not governor anymore because l'm president. . .
. . . l wanna meet somebody at midnight, l'll do that then too .
Hope you leave me to get a night's sleep .
No , Jack, you going with me because that's what you want.
Yeah , you and Sugar with me in the White House .
l'll give Sugar a pistol range right out there in the garden .
Brace of Republican senators can set up his tin cans for him .
And l'm gonna appoint a special member to Cabinet for you :
Secretary to the Bedchamber of Mr. Jack Burden .
Somebody to keep them telephone numbers straight. . .
. . . and return their little pink silk articles that get left behind .
But we gotta do this first.
l n the middle of the night when we could just do it in town sometime .
Sometime ain't never now.
Bastard .
Which way up there?
Jack, tell Sugar how to get to the house .
lt's your people live down here .
Suppose he don't open up?
Make him . What l pay you for?
Hey , Jack.
Mr. Duffy .
This is Willie Stark from up Mason City .
-County treasurer. -Glad to meet you .
-Jack Burden . -F rom The Chronicle .
Good to meet you , Mr. Burden .
Yeah , Willie's on business for Mason City .
Bond issue them got up there .
Gonna build a schoolhouse .
Yeah . Me and Willie was in school together.
Oh , you was in school , Alex. l didn't know.
Not the teacher's favorite , l don't expect.
No , sir, that's true .
Willie was , though . Still is, ain't you , Willie?
Yeah , Willie married a schoolteacher.
Well , you know. . .
. . .they tell me that schoolteachers are made with it. . .
. . . in the same place as the rest.
Now, is that right or not, Mr. Stark?
Yeah , that's right.
Slade !
Beers all around .
Not for me , thanks .
Oh , that little schoolteacher don't like it when you drink?
Well , she don't favor it, for a fact.
Well , beers all around .
Well , l sell beer to those who want it.
l don't make nobody drink them .
Well , maybe you got some orange pop for him .
That's what he wants.
Yeah , l think l'd like some orange pop . Two straws .
Jack, get up Mason City .
See who's this fella who thinks he's Jesus Christ. . .
. . . come down off the cross to scourge the moneychangers . . .
. . . out of that shinplaster courthouse they got them there .
l know who he is . Fella with a Christmas tie . . .
. . . pushed a school bond through .
-You know him? -Met him .
Watched him drink a bottle of orange pop once . . .
. . .through two straws on account of a wife who don't favor drinking .
She favor him staying parish treasurer?
Don't you know how things are run up there?
Run up there like they're run down here .
Yeah? Well , you leave down here and run on up there .
As a commissioner, as chairman , l guess you're in a position . . .
. . .to know the situation regarding the schoolhouse contract.
Ain't no situation .
Maybe not, but maybe so .
Ain't any situation .
Board took a bid offer.
A. J . Moore's bid , the fella's name . . .
. . . schoolhouse gets built.
This Moore fella's bid , l take it, was the lowest?
Now, you lookie here .
Ain't nobody tells a board what bid to take .
Anybody can come along put in a little pissant bid .
Board doesn't have to take it.
Board takes somebody who can do the work right.
Ain't nothing done but legal .
Who was it put in the little pissant bid?
-Name of Jeffers, if l recollect. -Jeffers Construction?
-Yeah . -Well , that's a real firm , a big firm .
The board picks who can do the work right.
That's all l got to say .
Don't you wanna tell mama. . .
. . . you wanna see yourself shining in the table? No?
All right. l wish l could have sold some to you .
Be out of your way in a second here . And no brushes , you sure?
-l'm sure . -All right.
Thank you . Thank you for your time . Bye-bye .
Mr. Stark.
Why , Mr. Jack Burden , how are you , sir?
You know , people would think parish treasurer paid well enough . . .
. . . a man wouldn't have to sell household fix-it kits door-to-door.
-People would think. -Doesn't in Mason City .
Well , l'm maybe not so good at mathematics . . .
. . . as some other parish treasurers you may've met.
Or too good at it.
How much they steal on the schoolhouse contract?
Well , let's see . . . .
Jeffers come in $ 1 42, 000 .
Moore , $ 1 75 , 000 .
That's $33 , 000 split six ways, 5500 per commissioner.
They done it so plain and pretty , well , you'd almost have to admire them .
J ust point out Jeffers uses nigra laborers . . .
. . . skilled men , you know?
Next thing , it's, "Lookie here , nigras making more money than you men .
Pushing wheelbarrows , hauling dirt. "
And that's it. "Goodbye , Mr. Jeffers and your low bid .
You go build your nigra schoolhouse somewhere else . "
Not that you didn't try and get people to see what was going on .
Oh , l yelled so long and loud about these old boys lining they pockets . . .
. . . l'm lucky to have any job in Mason City:
Government, door-to-door, or any other variety .
l stood out there on that street corner. . .
. . . pencil in one hand , paper in the other. . .
. . .trying to show people the numbers .
But you stop people out there in that hot sun . . .
. . .try to show them arithmetic. . .
. . .well , they can't see it so clear. . .
. . .through the sweat pouring in they own eyes from they own hard labor.
Especially if you put nigras in the equation .
-Why , you're likely to get beat up . -Likely?
Once or twice .
You gonna run again in November?
No , l'm done . A lame duck. Lucy too . They got her fired from teaching .
And l don't care . l don't want to teach there just so they can steal money .
That's right. You're looking at your own private two-person leper colony .
Sipping pop .
So , what are you gonna do , then?
l don't know. String my pa a fence , slop some pigs , milk some cows .
l'm gonna keep the faith , Mr. Burden , that's what l'm gonna do .
l'm gonna keep the faith in the people , because you know why?
Time . . .
. . . brings all things to light.
l trust it's so .
Joe .
Did you get a photograph of him?
Who?
The next mayor of this town .
You know what people are saying?
People are saying that God himself had a hand . . .
. . . in this schoolhouse business .
That God stepped in on Willie Stark's side .
Yes , sir. He does work in mysterious ways sometimes .
Sometimes. . .
. . . he has somebody else do it.
Sends over a fat man in a striped suit with a big car to do his will .
Well , l have had some worse employers , l admit that.
What you want?
Well , l wanna work for you , Mr. Stark.
And you wanna work for the people , unless l been misinformed .
People vote me , l'd be privileged to serve them .
-What, as the county treasurer? -Yes , sir.
Mr. Stark, you could run for mayor of Mason City . . .
. . . and you could win without climbing out of bed in the morning .
You just put the word out. . .
. . . about Willie Stark, who tried to take on the crooks single-handed . . .
. . .Willie Stark, who tried to warn us . . .
. . . Willie Stark, who could have saved our kids if we'd have just listened .
Now, l'm not talking about Willie Stark for the mayor of Mason City . No , sir.
l'm talking about Willie Stark. . .
. . . as the next governor of the great state of Louisiana.
Now, you saw a man holding out a handful of cash to you . . .
. . . and you said no .
This is what l see .
l see a man in a booth . . .
. . . looking down at a ballot, a working man .
And he sees three names there: Harrison , MacMurphy and Stark.
Now, what this man really sees . . .
. . . is that picture in the newspaper of them three little coffins . . .
. . . and the one man since the great Governor Stanton died . . .
. . .that had the guts to buck the powers that killed them .
Now, that man , that voting man , he's got a pencil . . .
. . . he checks a box, you wake up governor.
And that little lady lying beside you . . .
. . .the one that don't favor liquor. . .
. . . she wakes up the governor's wife .
That's what l see .
Now, why don't you take a minute with your orange pop . . .
. . . see if you can't see it too . . .
. . . governor.
You got your speech?
All right.
Willie Stark !
Thank you , folks.
Thank you kindly .
My name's Willie Stark from Mason City yonder. . .
. . . and l'm pleased to have a chance to talk with you all here today .
Now, friends . . .
. . .what l wanna talk about is something that's been troubling me .
-Coffee , please . -Yes , ma'am .
Can l sit with you?
Or anything else .
No , thanks .
-You don't like my looks? -l don't care about anybody's looks . . .
. . . but l can't recall ever going for anyone . . .
. . .who reminds me of a box of spilled spaghetti .
Miss Burke , l'm sitting here having a cup of coffee .
l'm almost through , then you couldn't sit with me . . .
- . . .which is what you asked for. -Sorry .
Not working for Sen-Sen Puckett anymore .
-Now, he wasn't a bad-looking fellow. -Heel .
Well , sure , politically and elsewise .
Who didn't know that?
l guess l'm slower on some things than others .
-Like you . -Am l?
-l think so . -l think not.
Not on this charade .
That's the topic of the interview.
Then tell me , if you're so smart.
All right. Harrison's a city man , MacMurphy's a cracker.
Not a cracker precisely , but enough of one to worry Harrison . . .
. . .that crackers won't know the difference .
So Harrison looks for someone to split the cracker vote .
Hears about an honest man up in Crackerville . . .
. . .where some cracker kids go down with a fire escape . . .
. . .that was supposed to be stuck with more than spit to their schooIhouse .
Sends his man Tiny Duffy up there to romance him . . .
. . . and then Sadie Burke to romance him some more .
Both telling him how good he is. . .
. . . how he has better than a chance in hell to change things in this state . . .
. . .where nothing will ever change .
Because you and Tiny and the rest of them . . .
. . . don't care how much of a fool you make a man .
And you do care , l suppose?
l didn't say that. l don't care .
lf l did , l'd do something about it, wouldn't l?
No , l'd rather watch from here .
Like passing a car crash .
l know you all can't see this from all the way back there . . .
. . . but l've got a pie chart representing it.
And you can see here where public welfare and hospitals end up .
They should be the same .
Rather, the ratio . . . .
We should go .
Not yet.
Let's go in again .
You don't wanna swim?
How you think we doing?
Fine , l guess .
You think?
That how you reporting it?
Sure .
Seems to me they listen less and less the further l get from home .
Well , that makes sense , don't you think?
Maybe . . .
. . . you trying to say too much .
l'm telling them what they need to know:
Taxes , wages , highways .
Well , maybe it's how you're telling them .
Maybe if you told them the way you tell Lucy or Tiny or me . . .
. . . or anyone face to face , they'd listen better.
l don't know how that is .
Hard to know how you sound to somebody else .
Mad , fed up , like you mean business is how you sound .
But not on the platform . You climb three steps . . .
. . . you sound like the rest of them . Like a man who wants to win an election .
Willie . . . .
Yeah?
What?
Nothing .
Well , a man don't have to be governor.
l don't deny wanting it.
l won't lie to you , l lie awake wanting it.
But sometimes a man can want something so bad . . .
. . . be so full of want. . .
. . . he plain forget what it is he want.
l could have been a good governor.
A lot better than them other fellas .
But l ain't gonna be governor.
H i .
Come on in . Why not?
Oh , Mr. Stark.
Sadie .
What's up?
Willie here was just telling me how he's not gonna be governor.
You told him?
No , l didn't, as a matter of fact, no .
Told me what?
Oh , yeah , well , that makes sense .
l see .
So that's true? l'm being used .
So they tell me .
l saw it in his eyes the first time he come to see me , Tiny .
But l just pushed it out of my head .
Pushed it clean out.
l should've known better.
Mr. Stark?
You thought you were the little white lamb of God , didn't you?
J ust waiting for the chance to stand on your hind legs and make a speech .
They would have paid you to play the part. They pay me .
But you were too stupid to see even that.
You did it for free .
You're just their dumb sacrificial sap and l'm . . . .
l'm sorry l let them .
Your stomachaches , your colics , your bloats , your diarrhea.
You're looking a little peaked .
l can't imagine .
Slept like a baby .
Got your speech?
All right, then . Let's go . lt's time .
"Hail ! Hail ! The Gang's All Here . "
What?
The song .
Yeah . That's what it is.
Hello . Hello .
How are you?
Here's that speech you was just asking about.
My name is Willie Stark from Mason City yonder.
l had a speech . . .
. . . about this state and what it needs .
There's no use in me telling you about it, you are the state .
You know what you need .
Look at the knees of your pants .
Look at your crops .
Look at your kids .
You got holes and rot. . .
. . . and ignorant offspring on account of this state .
Well , l had a speech , but l ain't got it no more .
Mr. Duffy got it now in his fat little hands .
Don't you , Tiny?
Go ahead , show the people . Hold it up .
Well , since he got it. . .
. . . l'm gonna have to say something else .
lt's all right.
Because l got something else to say .
l got a story about a redneck hick.
He's like yourselves , if you please .
Well , this fella, a while back, this hick. . .
. . . started thinking about all the other hicks . . .
. . .what he could do for them .
Well , one day . . .
. . . it came down with the powerful force . . .
. . . of God's own hand . . .
. . .when the only brick schoolhouse ever built in his parish . . .
. . . collapsed on account of it was built with politics-rotted brick.
And it killed and mangled a batch of poor, young scholars .
Oh , you know this story .
You heard it.
He fought the politics that built that schoolhouse . . .
. . .with rotten brick and bolts .
But he lost.
He lost.
And it fell .
lt fell .
Well , it wasn't long . . .
. . . before some public officials from the city . . .
. . . rode out in their big fine car. . .
. . . and told this hick how they wanted him to run for governor.
Them in them striped pants, they told me . . .
. . . MacMurphy was a limberback. . .
. . . Joe Harrison , he was just a tool of the city machine .
And they wanted this nobody , do-gooder hick. . .
. . .to step in , give them some honest government.
You know who they were?
l n that big fine car?
They was Joe Harrison's own lickspittles . . .
. . . coming in to split MacMurphy's hick vote !
That's right! Your hick vote !
There he is !
There he is right there .
There's the J udas lscariot lickspittle nose-wiper from the city , right there.
Come on , Tiny . Look at him . Joe Harrison's dummy .
Come on , take a bow. Come on . No , come on now, people wanna see you .
Take a bow, come on . There he goes .
No ! No , let him lie ! Let him lie !
Let that hog lie in his own filth !
Let him lie , but listen to me , you hicks .
That's right, l'm not the only one here . You hicks too .
They fooled you , too , just like they fooled me a thousand times .
But it's time l fooled somebody .
lt's time l fooled them .
Them big-city , striped-pants lickspittle hick-haters .
l'm running for governor on my own .
l'm coming for them and l'm coming for blood !
First thing l'm gonna do is build me a road out. . .
. . . across the swamps and alligators and anything else that gets in my way .
A thousand miles of concrete , if that's what it takes . . .
. . . so l can come out here and visit with my fellow hicks on a regular basis .
Then l'm gonna build me a bridge across that mighty Mississippi .
Name it after myself because l'm the one who built it.
Then l'm gonna build you all new schools .
Send your kids home with free tablets and pencils and books . . .
. . .to study and learn on the way to the new university l'm gonna build . . .
. . .where every one of them can go .
Same as rich folks' kids.
Now, l hope you're listening , you hicks .
Because l don't wanna drive all the way back home . . .
. . .just to drive back out here next week to tell you again .
And this is it:
lf you don't vote . . .
. . . you don't matter. You don't matter!
And then you're just as ignorant as them in the city say you are . . .
. . .while they stealing food off your table . . .
. . . and every nickel out your pocket, saying , "Thank you . "
Because then you are just a bunch of ignorant hicks who got nothing . . .
. . . because you deserve nothing .
So listen to me .
Listen here .
Lift your eyes . . .
. . . and look on the God's blessed and unflyblown truth :
You are a hick and ain't nobody never helped a hick but a hick hisself.
lt's up to you to nail these parasites up .
-U p to you and me and God . -Amen !
-Nail up Joe Harrison ! -Nail him up !
-Nail up MacMurphy ! -Nail him up !
And nail up any bastard that gets between you . . .
. . . and the roads and the bridges and schools . . .
. . . and the food you need .
You give me the hammer and l'll do it.
l'll nail their hides to the barn door.
-Nail them up ! -Nail them up !
More about Stark?
He's colorful . Makes it easy .
You know me , always looking for easy .
Jack. You know what The Chronicle line is on the election .
Sure . MacMurphy again because of his brilliant record as an administrator. . .
. . . and high integrity as a statesman .
Why can't you put that in your column , a little less of Stark's raving madness?
Listen , Jack. l know Stark's a friend of yours but--
He's not a friend of mine . Personally , l don't care who's governor.
Are you telling me what to write , or am l mistaken?
-You know The Chronicle line . -All right.
What do you mean , "All right"?
l mean it the way l said it.
l , Willie Stark, do solemnly swear. . .
. . .that l will support the constitution and laws of the state of Louisiana.
Willie didn't need me to get himself elected .
He won by a landslide .
By the biggest margin in the history of the state .
--all the duties incumbent upon me as governor so help me God .
Which isn't to say everyone voted for him .
Jack, get up Mason City .
My editor didn't vote for him .
--thinks he's Jesus Christ come down off the cross . . . .
The publisher of this paper didn't vote for him .
These men didn't vote for him .
Or these .
The governor's education bill does not pass .
Or the old boys in the Senate who were in the pockets of the oilmen .
My mother didn't vote for him .
This is my mother.
She doesn't vote .
Over there , on her dressing table . . .
. . .that's her with her first husband .
First of four, if l recollect.
And that's my godfather on the right, the best man .
He didn't vote for Willie either.
ln fact. . .
. . . l think it's safe to say nobody from where l'm from voted for Willie Stark.
And why should they?
His promises to the poor. . .
. . .to build roads and bridges and schools. . .
. . .were a declaration of war on the rich .
They wanted him out.
You Jack Burden?
l've come at the behest of the boss .
Who?
The boss? The governor?
Governor, let me put it in simple words so you understand :
There's no money for all these things you wanna do for the poor.
Oh , there's money , senator.
You're wrong there . There's plenty of money .
Every kilowatt comes out of the river, every barrel of oil from the ground .
But that doesn't belong to you , sir.
That's right. Don't belong to you either or them . Belongs to the state .
How about the state don't tax just 5% to build my roads , we take it all?
These are some powerful companies you talking about taking money from .
-They ain't gonna stand for it. -They ain't the power.
The power's in the hands of the powerless . . .
. . . and those hands have handed it to me .
Realistically , they'll approve half the money , maybe .
And that's after we beat them up .
So we build them half a highway .
Mile of concrete , mile of dirt, mile of concrete , mile of dirt. . .
. . . all the way to Shreveport.
Now, how's anybody gonna drive on that?
People ain't gonna stand for that.
They like their roads finished .
That's right.
What's right?
Hey , Jack. Sadie , take Tiny out of here , explain it to him .
-He just said it and he don't get it. -Come on , Tiny .
-You want something to eat? -No , thank you .
-Well , sit down . -H i , Sadie .
Hey .
l heard you got fired .
Oh , you heard wrong . l quit.
That's smart. When l get done with that outfit, they won't be able to pay you . . .
. . . nor the nigra who sweeps the floor.
-You want a job? -Working for whom?
-The state? -Hell , no .
Me .
You , me , Sadie , Tiny .
Tiny? l was surprised to hear Tiny was back.
Well , somebody gotta be lieutenant governor.
Yeah , sure .
l keep Tiny around . . .
. . .to remind me of something l never wanna forget.
And that is?
When they come around sweet-talking , don't listen .
Never again .
What would l be doing for you?
Sweet-talking .
All right, everybody .
What on earth is that?
-This is a ballista. -A what?
Jack will tell you all about it. Jack, come on . Tell them .
lt's a pre-gunpowder weapon fired with the tension of animal sinew.
Oh , my God .
Jack?
Right. See the eagle on top of the clock?
One . . .
. . .two . . . .
They say you're in politics, Mr. Burden?
lt must be fascinating to be in politics.
lt's not, l assure you .
Well , they say you're very influential .
lt must be fascinating to be very influential .
l honestly wouldn't know.
Don't let him kid you , Miss DuMonde . My godson Jack is very influential .
Like when he was a newspaperman .
All right, then , yes, l'm influential .
Any pals in the pen anyone wants pardoned , l'll put in the word .
Well , there is gonna be somebody in the pen .
Before it's over, what's going on there?
All these wild goings-on .
Fella giving away the state . Free this, free that, free the other.
Every wool-hat jackass thinking the world is free .
Who's gonna pay? That's what l wanna know.
Who's he think's gonna pay?
Standard Oil and the utility companies, l imagine .
And anyone else that can afford to pay their share .
You and me , George . We'll pay .
Government's committed these days . . .
. . . giving services we never heard of back when .
And he's gonna tax this state to death . Drive business right out.
You don't think it boils down to this:
lf the government, for quite a long time now. . .
. . . had done anything for the people . . .
. . .they wouldn't have got fed up and elected Mr. Stark.
Well , you ask him this next time you see him :
Ask him how much grabbing there is , all that money flowing .
Then you ask him what's he gonna do when they impeach him .
There's a constitution in this state . . .
. . . or was , before he blew it to hell .
-l'll be sure to ask him . -You do that.
Jack, Miss DuMonde plays the piano .
That's nice .
You weren't like yourself today , son , like you used to be .
Mother, if l'm ever like l used to be , do me a favor and shoot me .
Who was that at lunch anyway?
Mr. Peyton . You've known him all your life .
He builds electrical plants or some such .
The girl , Mother. Miss DuMonde .
That's Mr. Orton's sister's child and she will inherit his money .
Somebody ought to wait until she inherits it, then marry her. . .
. . . and drown her in her bathtub .
Oh , don't worry , l'd like to drown her but l won't.
Was Mr. Peyton saying those people you're with . . .
. . . are mixed up in some sort of graft?
Graft's what you call it when who's doing it. . .
- . . . doesn't know which fork to use . -Well , whatever you call it.
-Because l worry to think that-- -l don't know.
How would l , careful as l am not to know what anybody anywhere . . .
. . . is doing at any time?
Oh , Jack, make a note .
Find out where they got Senator Tucson's boy locked up .
-What's his name? -The boy? Hell , l don't remember.
Find out when's the trial , get a lawyer down there .
-Who? Evans? -Not Evans .
Find somebody with less oil in his hair. . .
. . . and don't look like he sing with a band .
Put one of your pals on it.
You any idea who it was got cut?
l don't care if it was the sainted aunt of the Apostle Paul .
Well , l just happen to know.
Fella's son of a doctor, paper said .
They're pretty important around here , you know, a doctor in the country .
They think they're somebody .
And maybe it gets out you're trying to fix it to get the boy off.
Wouldn't do you any good .
-Now, it appears to me , maybe-- -You don't know a goddamn thing .
Had you been listening . . .
. . . l told Jack to prime the lawyer through a pal .
Find somebody who don't need to see his name in lights .
That way , nobody knows who picked him wasn't me .
Might as well been the pope himself far as anybody knows .
All right.
l get you .
Yeah , just barely .
-Hey , there , Pop . -How you doing , son?
-How you making out? -Oh , l'm getting along .
-Good to see you . -You looking good .
-l brought the infantry here . -How are you?
-More prettier than ever. -Hey , Grandpa.
How you doing , buddy? How's the arm?
-He gonna be all-American . -l know he is . l know he is .
All right, governor, sir, here we go . One , two . . . .
Bastard .
Give me a slug .
Pa don't favor drinking .
Used to be Lucy didn't favor it.
l don't know what she do or don't favor no more .
Not that it matters .
Yeah , l must have poured 1 0 , 000 gallons of swill in them troughs .
Still doing it. Pouring swill .
Some things never change .
Hey .
-What's up? -J udge l rwin .
J udge l rwin what?
-Spill it. -l'll spill it when l have my breath .
You're using it up explaining you don't have it.
You think it's funny? You won't when l tell you .
-You tell me later. -Byram rang up .
He said the afternoon papers have got the judge saying . . .
. . .the allegations warrant a full-on investigation .
Two-timing bastard .
That two-timing bastard .
Clear them out.
Tiny was figuring on having supper up here .
Clear them all out.
Which way up there?
Jack, tell Sugar how to get to the house .
lt's your people live down here .
Suppose he don't open up?
Make him . What l pay you for?
-Yeah , who is it? -lt's Jack.
Jack?
Well , l'll be .
Hey , come on in .
You're not in any trouble , are you?
No , Jack's not in any trouble .
Matter of fact, he doing all right, all things considered .
l trust you don't mind if Jack pours me a slug .
l didn't know his duties ran to those of manservant. . .
- . . . but if l'm mistaken , l'm sorry . -Oh , hell .
Sometimes Jack pours me a drink, sometimes l pour him one .
Sometimes l pour myself one .
l could pour you one .
No , thank you .
This today's?
Yeah , l don't get much time to read the papers . . .
. . . rushing around the state doing the good work.
Well , perhaps , l can relieve your curiosity on one point.
Somewhere in there's my opinion on the severity . . .
. . . of the allegations against you , if that's of interest.
Somebody told me that.
But you know how rumor hath a thousand tongues .
And how them newspaper boys , they can exaggerate some .
lt's no exaggeration .
Yeah , l see .
lf you're clear on that and finished with your drink. . .
. . . l'd appreciate it if you'd just get out.
Hey , thank you , judge , l think l will have just one more spot.
So l see it there in the paper, and l hear you say it. . .
. . . but are you sure you took it to the Lord in prayer?
l settled it in my mind .
See , that's unsettling .
Because if l recollect right, l recollect that. . .
. . .when we had our conversation in town that time . . .
. . . you sort of felt like what MacMurphy and his boys were saying about me . . .
. . .was beneath contempt.
l made no commitment to you or to them , only to my conscience .
-l beg your pardon , your what? -l beg yours .
You been toiling around politics too long to use a word like conscience . . .
. . . so easily .
No , my change of conscience came when certain features of your. . .
. . . public services , shall we say , came to my attention .
Somebody dug something up for you? l n the dirt?
Yeah , not just one thing and not very deep .
Well , dirt's a funny thing .
Ain't nothing but dirt on God's green earth except what's under the water.
And that's dirt too , come to think of it.
Dirt makes the grass green . . .
. . . let it breathe .
The diamond on my wife's finger ain't nothing but dirt got awful hot.
What are we , but dirt blowed off the hands of God almighty?
You and me and George Washington .
And Jack there .
Still doesn't alter the fact.
l'm not trying to alter anything , just illuminate it.
Yeah .
You saying MacMurphy and his bunch , yelling for my impeachment. . .
. . .they're responsible , law-abiding men?
Yeah , they're responsible all right, to Alta Power and oil companies. . .
. . . and the rest of them thieves .
l wouldn't know about that.
Only way to not know is to not wanna know.
l'm retired , Mr. Stark. A reporter asked my opinion and l gave it.
lf you was retired , no reporter would wanna ask you anything .
What you say matters .
A lot more than you pretend it don't.
So l'm asking you . . .
. . . call off the dogs .
Asking is different than telling and that sounded like telling to me .
Didn't it to you , Jack?
You been a judge a long time .
Yes , l have .
How would it feel , do you think. . .
. . .to not be one no more?
No man has ever been able to intimidate me .
l said what l said and l see no reason to say or think anything different.
Despite your expositions on laws and men , sir.
Suit yourself.
You're right, Jack. He don't scare easy .
J udge , it's more in pain than wrath l go .
Let's go . lt's past Sugar Boy's bedtime .
Your employer is calling you , Jack.
l wouldn't go around advertising this visit to anyone .
l n case you change your mind .
Bastard .
Well , Jackie , you got a job cut out for you .
-MacMurphy . -No , the judge .
You bring down the lion . . .
. . .the rest of the jungle will quake in fear and they'll all fall into line .
-l won't find anything . -Oh , yes, you will .
A man is conceived in sin and born in corruption . . .
. . . and passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud .
You'll find something .
And make it stick.
Apart from pleasing the boss, l could see little advantage . . .
. . . in finding anything beyond what was already known about Judge lrwin .
What was known was that he was kind to you . . .
. . .when your father left you and your mother without saying why .
What was known was that he taught you . . .
. . .the things your father should have:
How to be a gentleman .
How to firmly shake a hand .
How to safely load a shotgun and lead a duck if you wanted to hit it.
What was known . . .
. . .was that he was more of a father to you than your real father. . .
. . .who you didn't know at all .
Hold it, please .
Governor's penthouse .
How you doing digging something up on J udge l rwin?
Nothing .
Nothing . Found nothing or done nothing?
There was nothing to find . l could dig to China, wouldn't find anything .
-And l'm not framing him . -Framing?
Ain't nobody talking about framing .
That's never necessary .
The truth is always sufficient. You just find the truth .
lt's a waste of time and money .
Jesus , doesn't anybody listen to what l say anymore?
You don't wanna do it, don't do it. Or are you just looking for a raise?
l'm gonna give you $ 1 00 raise whether you want it or not.
lf l wanted more money , l'd make it.
You gonna tell me you work for me for love?
l don't know why l work for you , but it ain't for love or money .
Well , that's right, it's not.
And you don't know why .
But l do .
Why?
Boy , you work for me because l'm the way l am . . .
. . . and you the way you are . . .
. . . and that's just an arrangement founded in the natural order of things .
She sure could skate .
Right now. . .
. . . hidden away in chambers . . .
. . . not out here in the open like you and me . . .
. . .there's a legislature full of hyena-headed . . .
. . . belly-dragging sons of bitches . . .
. . . setting around trying to figure out how to impeach me .
Now, they say it's because l got crooks on the payroll .
l say , "ls that all?"
Of course l got them . l got a can of oil in the garage too . . .
. . . because there ain't a machine made by man . . .
. . . don't need a squirt of that from time to time just to keep running !
But my crooks . . .
. . . unlike theirs . . .
. . . are all atremble . . .
. . .to be too crooked .
They're itty-bitty compared to their crooks in there .
The Standard Oil and the power companies .
Besides , l got my eye on mine .
Ain't nobody watching over these crooks .
Ain't nobody got their eye on them . . .
. . .while they rob the resources of this state !
Who made that son of a bitch what he is? Who made him governor?
And he goes and two-times me? l'll kill him .
No , he's two-timing Lucy .
You need some other kind of arithmetic for what he's doing to you .
Lucy , she's a fool . She's. . . .
-l don't know what. -H is wife .
A hick with a college degree from some Baptist hole in the ground .
What was she like?
-l didn't know Lucy any further back-- -The slut on skates .
l don't know, l was looking at her skates .
Sure you were .
-Was she pretty? -Look, just forget it.
How young was she?
-Who cares? -Look at me .
He'll be back. The world is full of sluts on skates.
Skates, grass skirts, geisha outfits.
Contortionists.
Every man a king Every man a king
For you can be a millionaire
But there's something Belonging to others
Well , there's enough For all people to share
When it's sunny June Or December too
ln the wintertime or spring
Well, there'll be peace without end
Every neighbor a friend
With every man a king
The judge married money . Savannah money .
The daughter of an industrialist out there .
He's clean , Willie . He's washed in the blood .
-You call yourself a detective . -l'm most certainly not--
The son of a bitch is washed in whitewash !
-Wanting it isn't the same as being it. -l know!
-l can feel it. -That isn't the same either.
Where did you find this itty-bitty out?
Hall of Records. lt's all there .
Marriage licences , property deeds , public record .
The public record is for the public, not us. That's why it's called that.
You ain't gonna find nothing there !
Now, l told you to dig , not scuff your shoe a little bit.
-You gotta get out and talk to them . -To whom?
The public.
The people who knew him .
This was a long time ago .
Well , look, he's still alive , isn't he? Causing trouble .
So you gotta chafe up your hands a little , for chrissake . . .
. . . like the rest of us .
Where the hell is everybody?
Whatever there was to find in the case of the upright judge . . .
. . .would be long-buried in the past. . .
. . . like a dead cat in the back yard .
But what could be buried there like that. . .
. . . in a place like Burden's Landing?
Where you and your friends grew up . . .
. . . shaded by 300-year-old live oaks. . .
. . . and the sense of your own entitlement.
To dig around that past in that back yard . . .
. . .you must first-- You tell yourself. --seek out the girl from that past:
Anne Stanton .
The daughter of the governor back then .
The little sister of your best friend, Adam . . .
. . .who , one day , you noticed . . .
. . . and it struck you kind of all of a sudden . . .
. . .wasn't little anymore .
She was the first one you loved like that.
And the last, it turns out.
So you hold on to her pictures in your mind . . .
. . .year after year. . .
. . . in the belief that someday it'll be like that again . . .
. . .even though you have no evidence .
l n church , they call this faith .
So that's what l'll call it.
Every month or so , l come out here and light a fire .
Dry the place out.
l know it doesn't really accomplish that. . .
. . . but l got a feeling if l didn't, if nobody ever came . . .
. . .the place would just one day cave in on itself.
Adam never comes out?
No . Not anymore .
He took the piano , or someone did .
Took it and put it in that place he's living . Have you seen it?
God forbid my brother ever spent any money on himself.
Or that people knew it.
How's your wife?
l'm sorry , l've forgotten her name .
That didn't quite work out as l'd hoped .
A lot of tangled bedclothes and unspoken loathing . . .
. . .then spoken loathing and no tangled bedclothes .
Didn't l read of your engagement in the society column?
Which you know l always turn to first in the paper.
l was engaged . More than once .
Adam didn't care for any of them .
-Why that should matter, l don't know. -Who needs them , anyway?
Anne , way back, was J udge l rwin ever broke?
What?
J udges don't make the kind of money your father did . . .
. . . or my father, or anyone who lives here .
Why on earth would you want to know such a thing?
-Someone asked me and l didn't know. -Asked you what?
What l just asked you .
Why?
Oh , Jack, what are you doing for that man?
-That man . -Whatever it is , don't.
That man is what those pushed away from the trough call him .
Those invited to it should find another name .
Accepting state money for scholarships . . .
. . . is different from being on his payroll .
-ls it? -Yes , it is .
-Oh , don't ruin it. -What?
Don't ruin this?
Or that fine , beautiful time we all had here once?
You sure that's what it was?
-Yes . -Then why did it turn into this time?
With me drinking myself to death . . .
. . .Adam getting more reclusive and strange . . .
. . . and you once a month coming out to a house with the electricity cut off?
This time came from that time .
We should go .
The fire can burn .
lt will anyway , you know, one day .
What will what anyway?
Cave in on itself.
Everything .
ls the Seaboard Bank in Savannah?
Not since 1 938 .
What happened in '38?
Bought out by Georgia Fidelity .
Got any idea who was president then?
F ranklin Roosevelt.
Ma'am , of the bank.
LeMoyne Carruthers was my friend .
A dear friend .
And his daughter, Mabel , well , l did what l could for her. . .
. . . even after her financial reversal .
The year of her financial reversal was roughly what?
She threw that inheritance away .
Two or three notes l paid myself.
For the memory of LeMoyne , my dear friend .
But she'd come back at me without shame and say , "l want money . "
For parties and balls and to adorn herself.
For she was plain , to be kind .
Then she was broke when she met the judge .
So was he . This is when he was still attorney general . . .
. . . under Governor Stanton pulling down 3400 a year. . .
. . .while paying off liens on his place on the Row to the tune of 42, 000 .
Well , you see there , you are a detective .
You dug and chinked the metal box. . .
. . . and are enjoying the sound of it a bit, if l'm not mistaken .
Might still be empty .
No , it's full .
Crawling with maggots by now, maybe . . .
. . . but still a little something they was chewing on . J ust have to look.
Still have to find the key . And that ain't gonna be easy .
Well , there's nothing easy that means anything .
You'll do it. l have faith .
l like this one , Slade .
Now , they all is yelling that l got no right to what's on their table .
What's on their table is theirs.
l'm not trying to take it.
"Go ahead , sit down at that table , " l tell .
"Have all you want to eat. Eat till you can't eat no more .
Now, what's left on that table . . .
. . .when you can't eat no more , even if you tried . . .
. . . leave that there because that's for the rest of us . "
And for that, they're trying to ruin me .
For taking what they left on the table . . .
. . . and using it to build something for you !
To build 3000 miles of paved highways . . .
. . . a hundred and eleven new bridges , 208 new schools . . .
. . . 60 , 000 brand-new jobs !
Now, they wanna ruin me . . .
. . . because they wanna ruin you .
But your will is my strength .
Your need is my justice .
And l won't let them !
lt come to me in a dream .
Whilst you were up in Savannah with your pail and shovel , eating oysters.
What did?
l'm gonna build me the best-staffed , best-equipped . . .
. . . biggest goddamn health center this state ever saw.
This country ever saw. The All-Father hisself.
You want me to do what to further this noble enterprise?
Deliver me my chief of staff.
Fine . You give me a list of who you're thinking to run it.
Only one name on it:
Dr. Adam Stanton .
That's my boy , Tom ! That's the way ! You see that?
That's an all-American pass. Goddamn it. Attaboy , Tom !
Well , somebody gotta run this hospital .
He's gotta be the best, don't he?
-Adam Stanton is not the best. -Well , he is for what l need .
They'll never approve the money otherwise .
Willie , Adam's an old friend of mine .
As l certainly know, else l wouldn't be asking .
l know him and l know you . He won't do it.
What's wrong with me?
To him , what isn't?
You're everything his father fought against.
He hates what you represent, if not you yourself.
l'm not asking him to love me .
-l'm asking him to run a hospital . -Your hospital .
The people's hospital , where any poor redneck and nigger can get the best. . .
. . .without paying a dime . He ought to like that.
No . What you're asking is for him to put his family's name next to yours .
So you can trot him out in front of senators and say:
"Lookie here , lookie who l got standing next to me .
The son of the most honorable man who ever served this state . "
J ust get him .
Not easy being the son of a great man .
lt don't look so hard for my boy Tom out there .
Far as you know.
We should go .
Not yet. Let's go in again .
The friend of your youth . . .
. . . is the only friend you'll ever have .
For he doesn't really see you .
He sees in his mind a face , which doesn't exist anymore .
And speaks a name--
Spike , Bud , Red , Rusty , Jack.
--that belongs to that now-nonexistent face .
He's still the young idealist you used to be .
Still sees good and bad in black and white . . .
. . . and men as sinners or saints, but never both .
-Hey , Adam . -Feels superior in the knowledge . . .
. . .that you no longer can distinguish the two .
-Jack. -That's what drives you to it. . .
- . . .try to stick the knife in . -Come on in .
For there's a kind of snobbery in failure .
Like the twist to the mouth of a drunk.
You're looking good , Jack.
Thank you . l'll take that as a compliment.
Been playing much?
Who wants to know, my sister?
lt was just a question .
-Everything good? -Yes , Jack, everything's good .
All right. l'm gonna tell you something .
l don't want you to start yelling at me until l'm finished .
Governor Stark wants you as director. . .
. . . of the medical center he's building . Whatever you want. . .
. . . all you have to do is say , it's yours .
-Money? -l didn't say that.
What do l want money for? l got everything l want. Look around .
l didn't say money .
Then what? What's next when that doesn't work?
-A threat of some kind? -Of course not.
That's how he gets things done? What he relies on?
The bribe and the threat?
l would never do that to you or let anyone else . You know that.
l don't know what you think he's thinking , Jack. . .
. . . or what you're thinking , but couldn't be flattery .
He's thinking what he thinks about anybody he wants something from . . .
- . . .who doesn't wanna give it. -Something from their past.
-You just said he wasn't. -Not their past, their weakness .
-Same thing . -No , it isn't.
l'm not gonna debate it with you , Jack. We're not in school anymore .
l don't care if you know l'm right. l don't care if l am right. But l am .
Then what is it, Jack? What is my weakness?
You can't look at anybody with a thing broke . . .
. . .without wanting to fix it.
-And that's a weakness? -Some would say .
You would say .
-lt's no disgrace . -Well , then tell me , Jack.
Tell me , please . How is that a weakness?
-l don't need to tell you . -l think you do .
lf you don't know, l'll leave you to think about it. lt'll come to you .
No , it won't, Jack. And you'll have to go to your boss . . .
. . . and tell him you failed without taking out the big guns .
So tell me , for your sake , how is that a weakness?
Because it makes you do things you don't wanna do .
lf they're good .
And this is . He may not be . . .
. . . but this is .
lt was good to see you , Adam .
Now, before l tell y'all the story about how this great university . . .
. . . changed the life of a boy from Mason City . . .
. . .who , by all rights , should still be swilling hogs. . .
. . .first, l'm gonna set your minds at ease on another point of interest.
l brung my checkbook with me .
-You own one share? -l do . l just bought it.
Now, that gives me the right as a stockholder. . .
. . .to view the company's equity records , doesn't it?
Governor, sir?
Miss Littlepaugh?
You're from the insurance company .
No , no , l'm not.
But l know about your brother's insurance policy .
Not that there was much left on it to collect.
He borrowed against it almost down to nothing . Didn't he?
Which means you lied . . .
. . .for almost nothing .
Now, don't you go jumping out a window.
lt wasn't the money . . .
. . . it was the disgrace .
l wanted him buried in the good part of the cemetery . . .
. . . not in the back, with all the sinners .
Why did he kill himself?
They drove him to it. To make room for that thief, l rwin .
My brother went to the J ustice Department. . .
. . . and told them he knew all about their man l rwin . . .
. . . and the bribes . . .
. . . but they wouldn't listen .
-Are you lying to me? -No , that's what killed him .
He wrote the letter to me and told me .
And then that night he . . . .
All right, wait. What letter?
The letter he wrote me explaining it all .
The lawsuit l rwin was paid to let up on . . .
. . . and how the power company hid the payoffs . . .
. . . by firing my brother and giving l rwin his job .
Where's the letter now? What happened to it?
Well , l have it.
Kept it all this time?
You have the letter here?
You bring down the lion . . .
. . .the rest of the jungle will quake in fear. . .
. . . and they'll all fall into line .
Your employer is calling you , Jack.
Thank you .
Hello .
Hello , Anne .
-What's that? -Orange soda.
Two straws .
-l think l might want something else . -l didn't say one of them was for you .
lt's the way it's drunk. Tradition .
-l know you went to see Adam . -l did . What of it?
What did you say to him?
l went there and l offered him a job . No use blaming me .
-l'm not blaming you . -Well , that's what it sounds like .
That's what you sound like . lf you could hear yourself.
l want him to take it. l want you to go back. . .
. . . and ask him again .
Jack, you know how it is . My brother is the son of a governor. . .
. . .the grandson of a senator, the great-grandson of a general .
She wasn't telling me anything l didn't already know about Adam .
But she was doing it walking next to me . . .
. . .which is all that mattered .
So l let her go on as long as she wanted .
l knew that Adam had already made his decision .
He had decided to take the job when l first brought it up .
He was just putting some time between my visit and now . . .
. . .out of pride .
He needs to do this to be part of something himself. . .
. . . before he disappears .
But something about what she was saying bothered me .
The way an off-stage noise bothers you .
What kind of life is that?
Something you hear--
He's a guardian of dead men .
--but not clear enough to catch the meaning of.
l want him to take it. He has to do it.
So you push it aside .
l guess that's one of your gunmen l've heard about.
Sugar Boy , hell , no .
He just carry that peashooter for decoration .
l tell you one thing , though . Ain't nobody can drive like him .
So , what do you think, doc?
l think it'll do the people of the state some good . . .
. . . and get you some votes .
There's a lot of ways to get votes. Cheaper ones.
So l understand .
Because there are some things l understand .
And some things you don't. J ust like there's some l don't.
What l do know is what makes the mare go .
And that you can always make goodness out of badness .
-That would be two things. -Them's the two things l know, then .
And both of them wrong .
No , neither one of them , sir. l beg your pardon .
You can always make good from bad , in all things .
l n politics , poetry . . .
. . . everything in between . Makes no difference .
A man writes a sonnet. . .
. . . and it's good .
ls it less good if it turns out. . .
. . .the dame he wrote it about is married to someone else?
That his passion was illicit?
Come on , l wanna show you something .
l wouldn't mind understanding something, actually .
lf, as you say , there's only bad to start with from conception on . . .
. . . and that good must be made from bad . . .
. . .then how do you ever know what the good is?
Well , that's simple . You just make it up as you go along .
Make up what?
The good . What else are we talking about?
Make it up as you go along?
Yeah . J ust like folks have been doing for a million years .
Since we fall out of trees, crawl out the swamp .
They just cook up what is right.
lf nobody likes that, well , just cook it up again . . .
. . . a little different with a lid on .
And you know what?
Things under a lid don't look no different than things. . .
. . . not under a lid when there's one on it.
You don't have to convince me of anything , Mr. Stark.
You've already done that. l'm here , aren't l?
That's right. And you're a good boy too , doc.
A lot better than you think.
So goddamn it.
Don't let none of them bastards tell you no different.
l got a question since everybody's trying to understand everything . . .
. . . all of a sudden .
Back when we met. . .
. . . at Slade's old place , when we shook hands--
Do you remember that moment?
Like it was yesterday .
Did you or did you not give me a wink?
A wink?
Well , that's just gonna have to remain a mystery .
-You don't remember. -Sure l do .
Then . . . ?
You know, l . . . .
l just do recall giving you a wink.
But then , maybe l got something in my eye . . .
. . .which would make it more of a blink.
Did you have something in your eye?
What if l didn't?
What would that mean?
That maybe you figured you and me . . .
. . . had something in common the others didn't.
Well , l'm not gonna tell you and deprive you of the mystery .
There's just too few honest-to-God mysteries left to go around .
And long after l'm dead and gone . . .
. . . and long after these sons of bitches are dead and gone . . .
. . . l'm talking eternally now. . .
. . .the Willie Stark Hospital will still be standing .
Where every man , woman and child . . .
. . .who's sick or in pain can go in . . .
. . . knowing they'll get all a man can do .
Not as charity , but as a right, as your right!
As it is that every child shall have a complete education !
That no person , aged or infirm , shall want or beg for bread !
That no poor man's land or house will be taxed !
That you shall not be deprived of hope !
And if any man . . .
. . . stands between me . . .
. . . and fulfilling your rights . . .
. . . l will strike him down . . .
. . . so help me God !
H ip , shin , thigh and neck bone , l will hit him .
l will hit him with a meat ax.
Somebody give me a meat ax. . .
. . . and bring me another one for my friend and ally !
Because it's not only God's only son with us on this one .
lt's the son of the last great leader of this state:
Governor Joe Stanton's boy , Dr. Adam Stanton !
All right. See there?
lt's not so bad . lt's not gonna kill you .
What's up?
Sadie .
Now he's done it.
He's done it again , and l swear this time . . . .
-Done? -Don't act so dumb .
Or any dumber than you are . He's two-timing me again .
Or four or one or whatever timing you wanna call it. . .
. . . because you're such a smartass .
-She skate? -Shut up .
You and your friends . Your highbrow friends .
All the money and privilege and everything else . . .
. . . you pretend means nothing . To someone with it, it means nothing .
Don't look so dumb . l said it annoys me .
l have no idea what you're talking about. . .
. . . or what it was tangled you two up in the first place , love or hate .
You know what l'm talking about.
Maybe you fixed it up . l'm sure you did .
Surely he's fixed you up , like that pathetic. . .
. . . crazy brother of hers , to say thanks .
"Thanks, Jack. She is a looker, l do declare .
l'm naming you SDP , yes , sir.
State Director of Pimps. "
What are you saying?
Are you saying . . . ?
Thank you .
Are you s--?
l love you .
We're gonna walk some more .
All right.
Hello .
Hello , Mother.
Yes, Mother. Yes.
All right.
All right, Mother.
Goodbye .
She and the Peytons and the bridge partner. . .
. . . are going to La Grange for a nightcap .
-Jackie . -What?
l came up here .
This was years ago , you understand .
Back when things weren't set in concrete .
Back when you had a way of changing the course of things.
lf you knew how .
She was perfect.
She had always been perfect.
l wanted to keep her that way . . .
. . . and like this.
To be young and older. . .
. . . somehow .
Of course that's not what it looked like to her.
When l came home from school at Christmas. . .
. . .we saw each other, of course .
We talked about things, but never that.
We talked about love in general .
Like it was the subject of an essay instead of real .
She said it was like jumping off the high dive , love was.
Or like almost getting drowned .
Which , honestly , l didn't understand .
For a long time .
You wanna know the reason l stopped that night?
lt wasn't nobility .
That's only what l told myself.
We have all the time in the world , right?
lt was that l knew something was about to be taken from us. . .
. . . leaving in its place something we didn't know .
Which didn't make her sad . . .
. . . but it did me .
You only get a couple of moments that determine your life .
Sometimes only one .
And then it's gone .
Forever.
l talked to Senator Loden this morning .
He said you find something nice to put on his plate . . .
. . . he might come around . Vote any way you like .
While you cut yourself a slice .
-l ain't saying that. -l know what you're saying , Tiny .
You know, l'd rather bust a man than buy him .
-Well , that's up to you now. -Yeah , sure is. Now go on . Get.
Do you have any information for me?
You sure there's not something you neglected to mention?
Something you forgot?
Jack.
No .
Nothing .
Nothing . Well .
How about that, Sugar? Nothing . Am l alone in this?
The bastards are pounding at the gate . . .
. . .they're gonna put a vote of impeachment on the calendar!
They take that vote today , l'm out!
l need J udge l rwin with me .
Or at least not against me .
So whatever it is. . .
. . .that you don't have on him . . .
. . . use it.
l'm sorry , what did you say?
l said l'm going over to the judge's .
Well , you mean later. He'll be napping this time of day .
There isn't any time he'll wanna hear. . .
. . .what l have to tell him .
He's not well , you know.
l can't help that.
l do wish you wouldn't get mixed up in things .
lt isn't me mixed up in them .
The judge is napping right now, Mr. Burden .
l'll wait in his study until he comes down .
Fire this marble .
Watch the chandelier.
Okay , you can fire .
Hello , Jack. l didn't know you were at your mother's .
-You just get in? -Last night.
Yeah . lt's a bit early in the day , but what do you think?
A touch of bourbon never hurt anyone .
Least not you and me .
We're indestructible , aren't we , you and me?
-No , thanks . -"No , thanks , " he says .
Begging the question , as the old man pours just one drink. . .
. . .what's on your mind?
Out with it.
You know who l work for.
How could l forget?
But let's just sit and pretend that l have .
Come sit over here with me .
The truth is l don't hold the same low opinion of him . . .
. . . as many of our friends on the Row.
l was almost for him at one time .
He was busting out windowpanes and , yeah , letting in some fresh air.
But now l am worried about him knocking down the whole house .
So you threw in with his enemies after you said you wouldn't.
Oh , Jack.
What is politics but a matter of choices?
You make a choice knowing there's a chance it's the wrong one .
You've made a choice and you know how much it's cost you .
There's always a price for everything we do .
When we came by that night and were leaving . . .
. . . you said you would think about it.
About calling off the dogs? No , l did not say that.
Your memory is faulty , sir. He said , "Think about it" . . .
. . .which l don't have to .
l don't have to think about things l already know.
You should think it over. Even now. . .
. . . because it's not too late .
Too late for what?
Hey , Jack.
Jesus .
-What is it? -J ust say you'll back Stark. . .
- . . . against these attacks . -No !
Now, that has the sound of finality , don't it?
-Yes , it does . -Yeah .
You know, l find this difficult to believe .
For me too .
And that your boss would even think he could pressure me .
Could blackmail me .
-The first word is better. -The first word is prettier, not better.
Don't you know that this stuff wouldn't stand up? Not in any court.
lt happened almost 25 years ago .
You couldn't get any testimony . . .
. . . except from that woman who is related . . .
. . . and whose testimony , if she gave it. . .
. . .would be worthless .
And everybody else , Jack. . .
. . . everybody else is dead .
You're not.
You're not dead . And you don't live in any court.
You live in the world , where people think you're a certain kind of man .
l am a certain kind of man .
You know, when l was a kid it seemed natural . . .
. . .that a grown man would stay up nights with catgut. . .
. . . and steel wire , pliers and scissors , and make little catapults .
Read books about them .
Will you change your mind?
You know, l could hurt you , Jack.
Like you're trying to hurt me .
l could say something .
l could tell you something . . .
. . .that would hurt.
But l won't.
Think it over. l'll be by tomorrow.
My mind's made up now.
l'll come back tomorrow.
Made up now.
Mother. Mother.
-Mother. Mama. -You ! You ! You did it!
-What? -You killed him !
-Who? -You killed him .
-Mother, who? -You killed him .
- Who? -You killed him !
-Who , M--? -You killed him ! You killed him !
-Who , Mother? -Your father!
You killed your father!
"l am the resurrection and the life , " saith the Lord .
"He that believeth in me , though he were dead . . .
. . . yet shall he live .
Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die . "
l know that my redeemer liveth . . .
. . . and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth .
And though this body be destroyed , yet shall l see God . . .
. . . and l shall see for myself. . .
. . . and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.
We brought nothing into this world . . .
. . . and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
--the city of God , the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most H ighest.
God is in the midst of her.
Therefore , shall she not be removed .
--in every good work to do his will . . .
. . .working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight. . .
. . .through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen .
l told you to scare him , not scare him to death .
-He wasn't scared . -Then why did he do it?
-Jack? -l don't wanna discuss it.
Well , let me just say this .
l know that he was some kind of friend of the family . . .
. . . growing up , all that, so l'm sorry the old bastard shot himself. . .
. . . but we still got MacMurphy and his boys to deal with .
And that didn't work out the way we hoped .
You need to get someone else for all of it. l'm through .
Through with it or with me?
l don't wanna discuss it.
After any great trauma or crisis. . .
. . . after the shock subsides and the nerves stop twitching . . .
. . .you settle down to the new condition of things. . .
. . . because you know that all possibility of any more change . . .
. . . has been used up .
You've seen the pattern finally . . .
. . . because you've stepped back far enough to take in the whole picture .
But it's too late now to do anything but accommodate yourself to it.
And that's it.
There's nothing left to do or say . . .
. . .except that God and nothing have a lot in common .
The end .
What you don't know is that you're wrong .
Oh , God , Jack.
You've gotta help me .
He's crazy . He came to see me , said the most terrible things . . .
- . . . and then he walked out. -Who? Willie?
No , Adam .
He said it was my fault.
-Everything was my fault. -Well . . . .
Someone called him . . .
. . . and told him . . .
. . . about me .
About you?
About you and the governor. You can say it, Anne .
lt doesn't hurt any more to hear it than to know it.
He told him what l'd done . . .
. . . and he said that l'd do anything to help the governor. . .
. . . get what he wanted . Even if that meant. . .
. . . sacrificing my brother to some kind of fraud .
Which is all the hospital was.
Nothing but a scheme to rob the state .
And that when the truth came out. . .
. . . and it would, Adam would take the blame .
He'd go to prison . For every scheme needs a fall guy and he's it.
-Whoever said that is lying . -l know .
l tried to tell him that's not the way it was . That he was wrong .
But he wouldn't listen .
He grabbed me and said that he would not be made a fool .
That everything else could be filthy and corrupt. . .
. . . but that a man didn't have to be .
And then he said that. . .
. . . he wouldn't be a paid pimp to his sister's whore .
He said that to me .
Well , neither will l .
Why did you do it?
-You knew what it would do to me . -lt had nothing to do with you .
-Then what? -l don't know!
-Well , you better think of something ! -l wasn't thinking-- !
Yes , you were ! Yes , you were .
Was it because of me or in spite of me?
l'd never hurt you like that.
You would and you have .
Oh , God , Jack. You have to help me .
l'm afraid Adam's gonna do something to himself.
Adam?
Dear God , you are the unseen Lord of this chamber. . .
. . .the silent listener. . .
. . .the judge of our deliberations .
Bless the senators you sit among .
We place our trust in your guidance .
You are our Lord and Savior.
-Amen . -Amen .
All persons are commanded to keep silent. . .
- . . .on pain of imprisonment. . . -Adam !
. . .while the Senate of the state of Louisiana . . .
. . . sits for the trial of the articles of impeachment. . .
. . . against the honorable William Stark, governor of state of Louisiana .
l'll go up and make some calls .
Anne . . .
. . . l'm sure it's gonna be fine .
-Mr. GidrÃ¨ . -Nay .
-Mr. HonorÃ¨ . -Yea .
-Mr. Hobbes. -Nay .
-Mr. Landmark. -Nay .
-Mr. LatchÃ¨ . -Yea.
-Mr. Mouton . -Nay .
-Mr. Pelerant. -Nay .
-Mr. Rivette . -Yea .
-Mr. Rousseau . -Nay .
-Mr. Savoir. -Nay .
-Mr. Tesh . -Nay .
Seventeen yeas, 22 nays.
The impeachment of Governor Willie Stark fails.
There is a line between what is acceptable and what is not.
Now, the governor has stepped over that line to guide this vote . . .
. . . using means that are inappropriate .
Now, l'll call that undue influence .
l'll go further, l'll call it coercion .
Mr. MacMurphy !
You say every word but the one you mean , sir!
Go ahead , say it out loud . We're all friends here .
But l blackmailed nobody , to be factual !
l merely gave you the opportunity to act. . .
. . . in accordance with your own nature . . .
. . . and like all good men , rise above principle .
Jack !
We did it! We did it, boy ! We stopped that clock !
Ain't gonna be no impeachment today !
Someone called him, Adam .
And said that l'd do anything to help the governor get what he wanted .
Even if that meant sacrificing my brother to some kind of fraud .
Which is all the hospital was.
Nothing but a scheme to rob the state .
Adam would take the blame .
He'd go to prison . For every scheme needs a fall guy and he's it.
That's not true .
Whoever said that is lying .
Hey , doc. Where you been? You been out there swimming?
So listen to me . Listen here . . .
. . . and lift your eyes. . .
. . . and look on the God's blessed and unflyblown truth :
You are a hick and ain't nobody never helped a hick but a hick hisself.
lt's up to you to nail these parasites up .
U p to you and me and God .
-Nail up Joe Harrison ! -Nail him up !
-Nail up MacMurphy ! -Nail him up !
And nail up any bastard that gets between you . . .
. . . and the roads and the bridges and the schools . . .
. . . and the food you need . You give me the hammer and l'll do it.