Sacrifice of the White Goddess (1995) - full transcript

(soft folk pop music)

- [Holly Voiceover] You know
what really bothers me about

all those Saturday
afternoon adventure movies

we used to see
when we were kids?

They're always so
glamorous and romantic.

Everybody gets exactly
what they want.

The hero gets the girl, they
always find the treasure,

and they live
happily ever after.

Sure.

Now let me tell you
what really happens.

By the way, if you
haven't guessed by now,



that's me.

Yeah a white dove.

Don't be so critical.

This movie's got a message.

You know surrealism
and all that stuff.

Yeah that's me on the altar too.

Jeez, get a load
of that costume.

After that experience
I can truly say

I left my heart in the Yucatan.

Anyway, I just want to
tell you my story before

you get the wrong
idea or read about

it in some supermarket tabloid.

Listen, let's go back
to the beginning.

About six months ago to
where it all started.



I guess I should
introduce myself.

My name is Holly Carlson.

I was the typical grad
student at a small California

state university with
a head full of dreams

and a bank account
full of nothing.

An undistinguished
archaeology student

with a taste for the good life

and a less than
professional set of ethics.

Anyway, I'd run out of money

and was trying to figure
how to pay the rent

without going back
to that waitress job

when I stumbled across an
obscure Mayan manuscript

in one of my textbooks.

It set me to dreaming of
gold, glory, and adventure.

Sometimes life hands
you an easy out

as my three muses said it would.

No money, no job and sure enough

the only class I
need was cancelled.

I wanted out.

(soft folk guitar music)

We've got to talk.

Meet me at the
cafe three o'clock.

Bret knew of my
uneasiness and he wanted

to know where he stood.

(soft folk rock)

I shared my plans
and dreams with Bret.

We both knew it was over.

That day we parted forever

but not without tears.

Sometimes love gets in the
way of what you have to do.

Thanking my three muses, I
knew that adventure called me.

I caught the first
flight headed to Mexico.

As a student I certainly wasn't
used to creature comforts

so the old cargo
plane worked out fine.

I could almost hear
the propellers saying

adventure is ahead.

Adventure is ahead.

Then with the
vision of lost gold

and jungle cities,
I began the journey

that would bring
me to my destiny.

(soft folk music)

Tampico turned out
to be a procession

of aimless days
and wasted nights.

Until I met Lisa, my sidekick.

She was an artist, as
down on her luck as me.

She'd been stuck in
Mexico for three months.

No job, no money, no prospects.

She wandered the city
an aimless vagabond.

A ship off course.

When I saw her sitting on
that dusty little bench

near the tracks.

(laughs)

I knew our destinies
were intertwined.

I recognized a kindred spirit.

We became friends and
decided to search together

for whatever life had to offer.

In other words, we
were on the bum.

- Here, have a smoke.

- Thanks.

- God it's hot!

- Yeah and dusty.

- What a town, Tampico.

- You said it.

If I could find me a job

to bring in enough to
buy a plane ticket,

I'd shake the dust off my feet

and dump this
crummy little town.

You can bet on that.

- Yeah well if I was a
native, I'd get me a can

of shoe polish and
I'd be in business.

They'd never let
a gringo do that.

God you can sit on
a bench till you're

three quarters starved, you
can beg from another American,

you could even commit burglary.

But try shining
shoes on the street

or peddling lemonade
out of a can.

Your hash is settled.

You'll never get a
job as an American.

- Yeah the natives would
hound and pester you to death.

- What a town to broke in.

- What town isn't?

- Hey mister can you stake
a fellow American to a meal?

- Hey buddy want to
buy a lottery ticket?

Come on.

Come on.

Play the lottery, Senorita?

- Beat it kid.

I ain't buying any
lottery tickets.

Get out of here.

- A million pesos
is a big prize.

- Get out of here
you little beggar!

- The whole ticket
is only 400 pesos.

It's a sure winner.

- I don't have spare pesos

for a little cholito like you.

- Then buy one
quarter of a ticket

for only 100 pesos.

That nothing compared
to a gringo like you.

- If you don't get out of here.

I'm gonna splash this
water right in your face.

- Buy one tenth.

One tenth only
costs you 40 pesos.

Senorita, buy one twentieth.

One twentieth only
costs you 20 pesos.

Look Senorita.

Add the figures up, you get 13.

What better luck could you buy?

It's a sure winner.

- Alright when's the drawing?

- Tomorrow morning,
right after mass.

- Give me a
twentieth of a ticket

but only so I don't have to look

at your sorry
little face anymore.

- Es muy excellente, Senorita.

Gracias.

Come to me next time.

I always have the winner.

All the lucky
numbers, good luck.

- Lucky number 13.

(laughs)

(upbeat Mexican dance music)

- Hey hey mister.

- Get a job!

- Hey mister.

(mumbles)

- God what a dump.

- There's probably rats and
cockroaches in this place.

Well have to fit it affordable.

(speaks Spanish)

I know this place down the
street called Rick's Bar.

Dressed like this we can
probably get some gentlemen

to buy us some drinks.

- Gentlemen in this town?

Keep dreaming.

- Hey mister, stake a
fellow American to a meal?

- Such impotence
never came my way.

Earlier today I gave you money.

While I was having
my shoes polished,

I gave you more money.

Now you put the
bite on me again.

It's beginning to get tiresome.

Do me a favor will ya?

Go occasionally to someone else.

- I'm sorry mister, I
never looked at your face.

Only your hands and the
money that you gave me.

I didn't recognize you.

I'm sorry, I'll never put
the bite on you again.

I promise.

- This is the very
last you get from me.

Just to make sure you
don't break your promise,

here's some more.

But from now on, you'll have
to make your way through

life without my assistance.

- Thanks mister, thanks.

(upbeat instrumental music)

(singing in Spanish)

(humming)

- Fritz, the war is over.

I can get a veteran
like you a policy

for a dollar a week.

Those Nazi war bonds
are never gonna pay off.

- What will it be, little lady?

Shirley Temple?

- Shirley Temple, black.

- So Sal, how was
your last flight?

- Same old same old.

(mumbles)

Hey hombre, got an matches?

- Matches?

I got no matches.

I don't no need no matches.

I ain't gotta give you
no stinking matches.

- So cowboy just
how big are you?

- Well ma'am, I'm six
feet seven inches.

- Well I don't care
about the six feet,

can we talk about
the seven inches?

- [Bartender] Can I get
you another drink, bub?

- That's Beelzebub to you.

(patrons whooping)

- God I hope the bathrooms here

are better than the
ones at the hotel.

Here go get a couple drinks.

- [Bartender] It's the usual.

Mescal with a worm.

- No, I'd like an
orgasm this time.

- There's treasure out there,

out there in the jungle.

I've seen it.

I know it's there.

It's just waiting
for the first guy

who's got the guts
to take the chance.

That's all it takes, guts.

Guts.

What about you, little lady?

(laughs)

Have you got the guts
to take a chance?

- What do you think you're
talking about, old man?

- I'm talking about
taking a chance

on getting a fortune.

I'm talking about treasure.

Treasures what I'm talking about

but it's cursed.

Cursed by the devil himself.

It's nothing but bad luck

but you wouldn't be interested.

- Hey, treasure right about now

I could use a little
bit of that bad luck.

- It'll take some doing though.

We have to face the
swamps and the snakes

and the fever and the Indians.

- Indians?

This ain't the wild west.

- I'm not talking about
those kind of Indians,

I'm talking about Mayans.

The jungles full of them.

Ceremonial daggers
and virgin sacrifices.

They guard their treasure
fiercely, fiercely.

- Treasure, spill
it out old man.

I ain't got all day.

- I'm talking about gold.

Gold that the conquistadors
left behind, I found it.

I know their secret.

They almost killed
me but I got away.

I know their secret.

Mountains of gold.

- You got a job yet?

- No but I could
sure use a drink.

I appreciate the help
from a fellow American.

Thanks for the drink.

- Yeah sure, anytime.

- My name's Holly.

Whats yours?

- Dobs.

Fred C., everyone calls me Dobs.

- Nice to meet you.

It is so hard to
find work in Tampico.

What do you do for a living?

- Well I make my
living collecting

avian specimens for
wealthy conservationists

back in the states.

- Oh you're a poacher?

- No I prefer to call myself
a relocation specialist

for endangered native species.

- Isn't that illegal?

- Nothings illegal in
Tampico if you spread

the wealth to the right people.

- If you've got a map,
why ain't you out there

finding it yourself?

Why you sitting in
here like a down

and outer with the
rest of these losers.

- It's the fever.

My health ain't what
it used to be anymore

but with this map

and somebody who has the guts,

they can find this treasure.

All I want is 10%,
it's all I want.

But this map it shows
you how to get there.

It shows the secrets.

For a fair price and 10% of
the find you can have this.

(upbeat instrumental music)

- [Holly Voiceover]
So in a strange way,

Lisa became the
catalyst that brought

my golden city closer.

- Look, look.

It's a turn around, it's a map.

It cost me every penny we had

but it's gonna make us rich.

- What, where did you get this?

- I got it from the
old man at the bar.

He's a prospector.

Does he know about (mumbles).

- You've been had, sweetheart.

That old man, he's
a scam artist.

Around here we call
him Jungle Jim.

He makes his living
selling fake artifacts

to dumb tourists like yourself.

This rag ain't worth the
paper to blow your nose on.

- I can't believe you
spent the last dollar

that we have in this
world on a comic book.

We're broke.

We're penniless.

We're destitute.

Oh god I can't
believe you did this.

I'm sorry, I know
you tried to help.

- Well here, make
yourself useful

and get us another round.

- Actually, it's a very
good copy of an original.

See these glyphs right here?

They're actually described
real Mayan cities

and real Mayan gold.

Maybe in an ironic
way that old man

knew what he was talking about.

Have you heard any rumors?

- Sure, there's Mayan
cities out in the jungle.

Maybe even treasure too.

In fact, a few days from here

I came across a temple complex

while I was trapping parrots.

I mean relocating avian species.

We might even find
valuable artifacts there.

Maybe even gold

but for an expedition like that,

you need money and
we don't have it.

- Yeah I know.

- Senorita, senorita,
you won, you won

and I get 10%.

The seller always gives
10% to the winner.

- Get out of here
you little brat.

I'm not falling for
your phony bologna

lottery tickets anymore.

- If you don't you'll
have nothing but bad luck.

- I'm not giving
you any more money.

- Wait, if you
shut up and listen

he's trying to tell you
that you're a winner.

He sold you a winning ticket.

- Wait a minute, is this it?

- Si senorita, number
13 is a big winner

and I told you so.

The prize is 100,000 pesos.

- Hey the kids right.

I won, I won.

Come here you little
angel and give me a kiss.

Oh my god.

Here, just take this
with my blessings.

- Muchas gracias, senorita.

Muchas gracias.

You'll have nothing but
good luck from now on.

- Oh right, let's
go get some gold.

- [Holly Voiceover]
I played the story

over in my head.

Just one more time.

Could the muses be wrong?

- Don't worry, we'll
find the treasure.

Speaking of treasures,
I know a place

where we can get some treasures

at a very low price.

You know what I mean?

- Hey, I could use a
little help over here.

Don't mess with Fred
C. Dobbs, girly.

The sooner we blow this
dusty burger (mumbles)

- Hey senoritas, hey
come on look, look.

I have something
for sale over here.

(soft country music)

Hey senorita
senorita, look look.

There's a fish.

Hey senorita.

- You couldn't have hit
just one more rut could you?

- God damn!

We're out of gas.

- Oops.

- [Holly] Can't
believe you did that.

- Was I supposed to do that?

Oh god.

- So this is the trail
to the lost city?

- It's the end of the line.

- What?

- We're out of gas.

From here on out we hoof it.

Take what you can carry
and leave the rest.

- But what about the Jeep?

- It doesn't matter.

See this friend that I
borrowed the Jeep from,

he doesn't exactly know
that I borrowed the Jeep.

So to speak.

- [Holly Voiceover] The map
was a drumbeat in my head.

Never ceasing.

Forcing me onward.

It beat in time to my footsteps.

Gold, gold, gold.

The jungle was endless.

Endless green, endless
damp, endless heat.

- Hey, hey you guys you're
gonna want to see this.

You're gonna owe
me for this one.

- [Holly Voiceover] The
waterfall was like a vision

from heaven and we were
crying for salvation.

(laughs)

- Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Take mine off.

(laughs)

(soft romantic music)

- Get the lead out
of your ass, girly.

This ain't no stroll
across campus.

- Why don't you kiss my ass?

- You gotta be careful
in these woods.

There's a big bad wolves out.

(shouts)

Taking a short break.

You guys can do what you want.

I can sleep anywhere.

(soft instrumental music)

- You look so pale, baby girl.

- [Holly Voiceover]
Now the map was calling

to others in that jungle

but this time not for gold.

(gasps)

- Hey enough of this
day at the beach.

We got to get out of these rocks

and make some miles before
we make camp tonight.

- [Holly Voiceover] That
old drum continued to beat

but now it was in
Lisa's head too.

- I don't think you
know where the hell this

lost temple is, do you?

- Well go ahead and
find it without me.

Without me, you'd die.

- I'm tired of this
stinking jungle.

I think we're lost.

I think we should just go back.

- Go back?

Go back where?

We're broke.

By now the federales have
found that stolen jeep.

- Just get us the
hell out of here.

We're lost.

- We're this close.

I tell ya this river
leads right to the ruins.

I've traveled 100
times chasing parrots.

- Chasing parrots?

The only thing
you've ever chased

is a piece of ass and a shot
of tequila at Rick's bar.

- Wish it was your (mumbles).

- Oh if I never wear
another backpack again

it will be too soon.

- [Holly Voiceover]
Feverish dreams swept me

into cover girl fantasies

of modeling and fame
in glamorous locales.

Anywhere but here.

(energetic rock music)

We had lost hope.

We had spent ourselves on a
futile journey into nowhere

and now the jungle
would demand more.

Payment came due
the following day.

(screams)

- Get back here.

Oh my god!

- [Holly Voiceover] The
jungle, always watchful,

always unforgiving,
exacted its fatal toll.

- Help me.

- Come on, come on wake up.

- [Holly Voiceover] As we made
camp that night in silence

we both wondered would
the jungle demand more?

(speaking Spanish)

- Should know not to sneak
up on a fella like that.

It ain't healthy.

I got some cigarettes.

- What a surprise to
find a gringo like you

out in the jungle alone.

- No surprise, I'm
hunting parrots.

You know those pretty birds

that bring the nice money?

- Money?

We need money too.

What's with all this
equipment for just one man?

- One man.

I'm not alone.

I have friends, they're back
there collecting firewood.

They'll back any minute.

- That's funny we've
been on the trail all day

and we've found no
footprints except yours.

- Well if you don't believe
me go check for yourself.

There's nothing
keeping you here.

- Haven't I seen you
somewhere before?

- No, not me.

- Oh yeah?

I could of swore that
canti, that gringo cantina

in Tampico.

Got anymore cigarettes?

- Yeah back in my duffle bag.

Here.

Take it, I got another pack.

- [Holly Voiceover] I
wanted to shout a warning

but old instinct said hide.

- Pays real good.

- He's offering us a job.

(laughing)

What you got in that
bag, maybe money?

Maybe gold?

Now I remember you.

You're that gringo that was
at that bar with that puta.

You guys bought
the treasure map.

Maybe you got some gold
for us poor people.

- This what I got
for you, amigo.

(shouting)

(cheering)

(muffled screams)

- [Holly Voiceover]
When I looked up,

her presence seemed familiar.

I knew she had saved me
for something bigger.

My spirits were as
gloomy as the dark jungle

as they lead me towards
my rendezvous with fate.

Though I begged for rest,
they walked all night

never tiring.

(upbeat instrumental music)

We emerged from the jungle

into a small clearing,

an ancient ceremonial center.

(speaking Spanish)

They greeted me with a
childlike joy and curiosity.

(speaking Spanish)

They kept chanting,
over and over,

the queen, the queen.

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

I was beginning to
wonder, was I their guest

or an offering?

Now I could make the connection.

It became clear.

I was the white goddess
as foretold by the codex.

The old prospector had
truly had found a treasure

but this time he
wouldn't get his 10%.

(cheering)

(low suspenseful horn music)

(rhythmic rattling)

As the dance increased in tempo,

I felt my old life
slipping away.

While my heart beat to
the rhythm of the drums

I became the white goddess.

(energetic rhythmic beating)

(shouting)

Like a lamb lead to
slaughter, I ascended

and took my place on the altar.

(calm ethereal
instrumental music)

On the wings of the drug,
I began a fanciful flight.

(suspenseful horn music)

(calm ethereal music)

With one final toast
I celebrated the past.

(suspenseful horn music)

(calm ethereal music)

And said goodbye to
all the old dreams

and then began my new journey.

(rhythmic drum music)

(chanting)

(shouting)

(low horn music)

(chanting)

(shouting)