EXT. STREET WITH VIEW OF HELL’S KITCHEN, MORNING
Gail is staring over at the space that will house The WYNAND BUILDING.
Edee is walking along the street. She sees Gail and recognises him as the man from THE BANNER. She sees him looking over at Hell’s Kitchen, where Devitt Tower is. She decides to go and speak to him.
EDEE
Mr. Wynand? You’re Gail Wynand aren’t you?
GAIL WYNAND
Yes.
EDEE
Mr. Wynand I - I...
GAIL WYNAND
I’m sorry. I know I know you. I just can’t quite remember from where...
EDEE
Don’t be sorry. We’ve never met. I’m Edee Darling. I sing at Totts of Harlem.
GAIL WYNAND
Oh yes. Yes, of course.
EDEE
Mr. Wynand, I gotta know, why are you defending that fool who blew up Cortlandt Homes?
GAIL WYNAND
That man is a genius. His ideas will revolutionize how we build this new world. His creations are not merely buildings, they are an expression of his very soul and no one but the creator himself, Howard Roark, should be allowed modify their design.
EDEE
Yeah, I heard he’s a good architect... but Mr. Wynand I grew up in Devitt Tower and the residents there were[]
GAIL WYNAND
Miss Darling, you do not need to tell me about Devitt Tower. I know it well. I grew up there myself - and now I own it.
Edee stands back a bit and takes a good look at Gail.
EDEE
You own Devitt Tower? ... So that explains it. You’re just protecting your interests. - I actually believed you were sincere talking about buildings as souls. Thought that Roark fella had somehow got you under his spell. But no, it’s all just about money, like always.
Edee starts to walk away and then turns back.
EDEE
If buildings are an expression of your soul, know what your buildings say about yours? - Go take a look if your stomach’s strong enough.
Gail watches her go and then looks over at the tower. He shakes his head, dismissing what she said, and walks away.
INT. THE BANNER - BOARDROOM, DAY
Gail is standing at the back of the room while the board members have their say.
BOARD MEMBER
We can’t permit this to go on. After all, we’re your board of directors. We have something to say. We’ve lost all our advertisers we’ve lost our public, for what? Now, if it were a serious cause, but for some fool dynamiter?
BOARD MEMBER1
What is this, an intellectual issue? Are we losing our shirts for principles or something?
BOARD MEMBER
Gail, Gail, it’s no use. We must call Ellsworth Toohey and take him back. We must reverse our stand on the Cortlandt case.
BOARD MEMBER2
We must come out against Roark. Wynand, this is final. Yes or no?
BOARD MEMBER1
Give in or close the Banner.
BOARD MEMBER
You’d better give in.
GAIL WYNAND
Alright.
EXT. STREET WITH VIEW OF HELL’S KITCHEN, EVENING
Gail is looking at Devitt Tower this time. He shakes his head and starts to walk away but then looks back at it.
EXT. HELL’S KITCHEN - NEAR DEVITT TOWER, EVENING
It’s raining. Gail looks around tips his hat further down shading his face and turns up his collar. He heads over to the building.
INT. DEVITT TOWER ENTRANCE, EVENING
Inside the entrance there is a staircase. One of the steps has been patched up with a piece of boarding.
Gails walks over to the stairs to test the step. He places his hand on the banister while he goes to step on the board. The banister is a bit loose and moves a little as he puts his hand on it. It’s also greasy. He takes out his handkerchief and wipes his hand.
He looks around him properly. There is discolouration on one of the walls at the end of the hall. There is a bin overflowing with rubbish and there are cockroaches scurrying around it.
He backs out of the door and bumps into Mrs. Mitchell.
MRS MITCHELL
Careful.
GAIL WYNAND
Oh, excuse me.
MRS MITCHELL
No harm done. - Are you alright dear?
Gail nods and hurries away.
EXT. DRIVEWAY TO WYNAND’S HOUSE, NIGHT
Gail is driving up the beautiful long driveway to his house.
INT. ENTRANCE TO WYNAND’S HOUSE, NIGHT
Gail walks in to his house. It’s immaculate and looks like it could be an art gallery rather than a home. He looks around, relieved to be there but what he has seen is clearly weighing on him.
INT. WYNAND’S SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Dominique is sitting on the sofa with her back to the door. She becomes alert, waiting, when he enters the room but doesn’t turn around to greet him.
Gail fixes himself a drink.
Eventually Dominique breaks the silence.
DOMINIQUE
Well Gail? ... you gave in, didn’t you?
Gail takes a long swig of his drink.
GAIL WYNAND
Aren’t you tired of play acting at life Dominique? - I am.
He walks off with his drink.
INT. COURTROOM, MORNING
The court is packed with residents from Devitt Tower, well-to-do types and reporters.
Howard is already in his seat.
Dominique is sitting up the front where she can see Howard clearly.
The judge has not entered yet.
The Mitchells and the Dubrays are sitting together, Edee and Rosie are side by side.
Mrs. Mitchell is keeping an eye on the doors to see who is coming in, in case she knows them.
Edee is reading aloud Gail’s article reversing his support for Howard Roark in The Banner (though quietly just for their ears to hear).
EDEE
-such is the case of Howard Roark. We join the voice of public opinion in declaring that Howard Roark is a dangerous, unprincipled, anti-social type of man. If found guilty as seems inevitable Howard Roark must be made to bear the fullest penalty the law can impose on him.
ROSIE
What exactly did you say to him?
EDEE
Well, I was pretty hard on the guy...
MRS MITCHELL
Why there’s that poor man who was wandering around the building last night.
They all turn around.
EDEE
That him! That’s Gail Wynand.
MRS DUBRAY
It takes a pretty big man to admit he was wrong when he’s made such a thing of it.
MR MITCHELL
Yes indeed.
MRS MITCHELL
And he looked so shocked. I really don’t think he’s to blame for the state of the buildings.
MRS DUBRAY
I’m not sure that’s any excuse...
She takes the paper from Edee, glancing through it.
MRS DUBRAY
But it sure takes a lot of courage to do this.
Edee nods and smiles at Gail, who looks down, ashamed.
DEVITT RESIDENT
Who’s that?
EDEE
Gail Wynand.
DEVITT RESIDENT1
Why that...
EDEE
No, he’s O.K. He’s changed his mind and apologized.
ROSIE
Edee had a word with him.
DEVITT RESIDENT
Oh, you’re kidding...
ROSIE
Honest, read it yourself.
She takes the newspaper and hands it to him. He starts reading it.
The judge enters.
CLOCK FACE TURNING superimposed over people making speeches, interspersed with shots of the Devitt residents passing the paper around, looking back at Gail and give him a conspiratorial smile or nod, and this is making Gail feel more guilty and uncomfortable.
The judge rises and Gail goes out into the corridor.
INT. COURT CORRIDOR, DAY
Gail is getting a cup of coffee from a stand. Edee walks up to him.
EDEE
Mr. Wynand?
GAIL WYNAND
Oh - hello Miss Darling.
EDEE
I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. - And to thank you for what you wrote.
GAIL WYNAND
Please don’t. You were right.
EDEE
No - no I wasn’t. None of us have the right to make judgments on another person’s soul. I was raised better than that.
GAIL WYNAND
Miss Darling I’m afraid you’re mistaken - I didn’t write that piece because of what you said, I wrote it to save The Banner.
EDEE
You were seen wandering around Devitt Tower last night.
GAIL WYNAND
I’m trying to be honest with you.
EDEE
Why not try being honest with yourself?
GAIL WYNAND
Why are you so ready to believe the best of me?
EDEE
I don’t know. Why aren’t you?
Edee walks away as Gail stands there confused.
