Thursday, July 30, 2009

UFO: The Motion Picture Script (Part 8)


The scene where Chop discovers from Maj. Fournet that actual motion pictures of UFOs exist matches script to movie almost word for word. However, as Fournet describes the Montana film to Chop, the scene shifts to an interview with the real Nick Mariana, who filmed two bright objects methodically traversing the skies during daylight, and this portion of "U.F.O." is worthy of comment.

"They appeared to be a bright, shiny metal, like polished silver," Mariana states during the interview, but excluded is the next sentence in the script: "There were two of them and they appeared to be about fifty yards apart."

As Mariana literally runs toward his car to unlock the glove compartment and grab his movie camera, the script informs us that his secretary runs with him.

In "U.F.O." Fournet shows Chop the Montana film right after the Mariana interview. Yet, according to the script, there would be something extra first. The film projector sits on a small table and Fournet "occupies himself nervously, chain-lighting a cigarette." Then he speaks:

"Mariana then took the investigator up to the grandstand at the ball park." The park is empty, except for Mariana and the Air Force investigator, his back to the camera. The camera swings around to gain a proper and complete orientation of important features such as smokestacks, the water tower and General Mills grain storage facilities. Fournet, continuing his narration over this segment, speaks: "He showed the investigator precisely where he stood when he photographed the saucers and pointed out the smokestacks, water tower and the General Mills grain buildings, indicating their relationship to the UFOs from the camera angle."

The scene then dissolves to the familiar segment where Fournet shows Chop Mariana's UFO film. But even this scene has notable exclusions, once production and script encounter one another.