April 29.
It felt as though he wore a permanent tan. Everything was ready to be celebrated from an uncomfortable position, and the action scenes were now nothing more than fragnted movents; what mattered was carrying the story forward, and the strong character of each of the figures lent it a certain briskness. Billy had been trying for quite so ti not to get caught up in the harsh climates of Morocco, where the dust always managed to leave him completely drained.
-—I think I’ll have a bit of alcohol.— John Hannad replied calmly, seeming to dance with his character despite being a naturally composed man. He always carried that intellectual air, which he now set aside to beco the comic relief of the tale, and everyone seed genuinely cheerful watching how the shoot was coming together, in a production unit that road freely through the streets of the African city. As vibrant as a jewel, it perated everyone’s senses.
-—Bring so too.— Rachel Wisz replied, longing to taste a drop of ice-cold beer to ease the headache caused by the sun beating down on her; being scorched by it was simply bad luck for her. She seed utterly caught up in life as it was then.
-—Make it a round for everyone.— shouted Erick Avary, who was still deep in the studio shoots. He had far more films than anyone initially believed, perhaps between ten and fifteen scenes, one of them comnting on the entire secret plot.
What mattered was that, because of his words, everyone ended up drinking a beer at midday, and that was enough for them all to relax and take a breather, a pause sufficiently satisfying to let them truly rest.
-—Looks like this will be our little tradition from now on.— John Hannah replied.
-Scene 18, take 3.-
-Jonathan: I just want four! Four! I just want four, not a whole damn herd!
He was arguing a few ters away from Rick and Evelyn while trying to buy the cals, clearly desperate over the prices, as his body language made plain. That was why, when he arrived with the cals to offer a brief greeting, his face was furious.
-Jonathan: O’Connell! Can you believe the nerve?
-Rick: Just pay the man.
Billy/Rick O’Connell shouted from afar; a bit of calm was needed for situations like this.
-Jonathan: For God’s sake. Can you believe the price of these mounts?
-Rick: Happy?
-Arab: Very good.
-Rick: You probably could’ve gotten them for free. All we had to do was give him your sister.
-Jonathan: Yeah. Very tempting, isn’t it?
-Rick: Very.
-Jonathan: I’ve never liked cals. Damn things. They stink, they bite, they spit. Disgusting.
Jonathan proclaid this as Evelyn/Rachel Weiz entered. The woman now wore a black fabric, a beautiful tunic that revealed the full shape of her body. The heat was such that she couldn’t help noticing how stunning she looked in it. She set aside other garnts to expose her figure; the gesture was a bit bold, a bit daring.
-Evelyn: I think they’re adorable.
-Alcaide: Well, darling.
-Cut.-
At last, they finished the scene. The cals were, in short, people in every sense.
Billy rose up on his cal with a leap, extending a hand to Rachel as she took her place on the other cal. She seed more cheerful now, watching the cal up close; it was gentle and surprisingly manageable.
-—You’re going to use a double for this kind of run?— Billy asked, knowing the next scene involved a fast race.
-—As much as I can.— Rachel replied calmly.— Two takes: one at a trot, and another I’ll do if I feel confident, but I’ll be tied in, just in case.
And it was true: a cal could run up to 65 kiloters per hour. In the dunes of Morocco, they were trained to run at a maximum of 30 kiloters per hour, and even then, with the help of guides and the weight restraining them, they usually stayed around 20.
-—Want to bet on a race to the mound back there?— Rachel asked.
-—What are the stakes?—
-—Dinner tonight.— Rachel said, as the take began and she launched into the race.
-—Copying straight from the movie.— Billy replied, keeping pace in the race.
-Scene 19, take 2.-
-Ardeth Bay: This one is strong.
-Evelyn: Good morning, my friend.
-Mr. Daniels: What the hell are we doing?
-Beni: Patience, my good barat’m. Patience.
-Mr. Henderson: Rember our bet, O’Connell? First one to reach the city, five hundred dollars cash.
A hundred of those dollars are yours if you help us win that bet.
-Beni: Oh, my pleasure. Hello, O’Connell. Nice cal. Rick, get ready for it.
-Evelyn: For what?
-Rick: We’re about to be shown the way. Did you see that? Can you believe it? Hamunaptra.
-Rick: Here we go again. Goodbye, Beni!
-Evelyn: You deserve it.
-Jonathan: Co on, Evy! Co on!
-Mr. Henderson: Do they know sothing we don’t?
-Allan: They’re being led by a woman. What could a woman know?
-Evelyn: That is a statue of Anubis. Its legs are driven deep into the ground. According to the scholars of Bembridge, we’ll find a secret chamber there containing the Golden Book of Amun-Ra.
-Evelyn: Jonathan, you’re supposed to be getting a tan with that.
-Cut.-
Each day the scenes grow longer, and although it seems like an imnse amount of preparation, that ti is usually spent readying things for more extensive work, and that is taken into account.
Billy tries to breathe and laugh with the crew, who, while on standby, spend their ti writing in their notebooks or sketching, every mont possible, whether with care or design.
-Scene 20, take 2.-
-Location: Morocco, facing the lost city.-
-Rick: So, what are these ancient mirrors for?
-Evelyn: Ancient mirrors. It’s an old Egyptian trick. You’ll see.
-Rick, here, this is for you. Go ahead. It’s sothing I borrowed from our Arican brothers. I thought you might like it, that you might need it when you’re…
-Rick: Yeah? What are you looking at?
-Alcaide: Hey, watch for insects. I hate bugs.
-Evelyn: Do you realize we’re inside a room no one has entered in over three thousand years?
-Jonathan: What is that horrible stench?
-Evelyn: And then there was light?
-Rick: Hey, that’s a neat trick.
-Evelyn: My God. It’s a sah-netjer.
-Rick: A what?
-Evelyn: A preparation chamber.
-Rick: Preparation for what?
-Evelyn: For entering the afterlife.
-Jonathan: Mummies, my dear boy. This is where they made the mummies.
-What…
-Alcaide: What was that? Sounds like beetles.
-Jonathan: Did he say bugs?
-Alcaide: What do you an, bugs? I hate bugs!
-Evelyn: The legs of Anubis. The secret compartnt should be hidden sowhere in here.
-Mr. Henderson: You scared us half to death, O’Connell.
-Rick: Likewise.
-Mr. Burns: Hey, that’s my tool kit.
-Rick: No, I don’t think so.
-Mr. Burns: Well? Maybe I was mistaken. Have a good day, gentlen. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
-Cut.-
-—Billy, you owe the whole crew a dinner!— Rachel shouted as she approached from afar.
-—Why do you say that?— Billy asked.
-—Because of the cal bet.— Rachel said.
They were sowhat worn out, but they all shared sothing in common: the pause. And although Rachel seed like a woman with an allegorical soul, utterly rebellious, she was simply a woman with certain insecurities she masked through her performance. She gave him a tender smile.
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