The Power (1968) - full transcript

Close that door!

(Heartbeat)

All right, cut it.

Wait. Don't try to move yet.

- Think you can walk?

- Y-yes, sir.

As a matter of fact I might just...

go out and keep right on going.

Don't forget to wash your forehead on the way out.

Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you.

That's all right. I shouldn't

have come barging in like that.

- You just lost a customer.

- He'll be back.

Tell me, is the pain really

that intense?

He almost hit the limit

just now.

Even just from a small spot

over the forehead?

It's not the size of the exposure, Mr. Nordlund.

Size has nothing to do with it.

In fact, two areas of pain

are no more intense that one.

- Would you care to try?

- No, thank you.

How do you ever get

them to do it?

You see it's easy.

They make more money here in an hour

than they can serving table at a

student commissary for three weeks.

Have you ever served tables at a

student commissary, Mr. Nordlund?

I see what you mean.

I don't know how well you've been briefed?

I know the function of your committee, of course.

I know you specialise in pain.

You might call us the sado-masochists

of the space program.

That kind of masochism is

rather expensive.

but worth every penny of it.

Look at him.

How can we protect him in space if we

don't know how much pain he can take...

how much torture he can endure?

No matter what the answers, Mr. Nordlund,

they will not come cheaply.

What is that?

I heard it before, coming in.

Over here.

What's the blackout point?

For most men, 5 Gs.

Let's take a look.

He's at 3 Gs right now.

I can arrange it if

you'd care to have a ride.

You seem determined to make me

one of you guinea pigs, Professor Tanner.

No. we just want the government

to know exactly what we're doing.

Excuse me a minute.

- Who is this guy?

- You tell me, Jim. I'd like to know.

He's flipped. I mean he's gone right off the

deep end. We might as well face it now.

- Who?

- Who else? Hallson!

- I know he's been under a strain...

- A strain?!

All right, now I'm not a psychiatrist,

I don't pretend to be,

but I'll tell you one thing, this guy's mind

is right on the ragged edge

and something better be done about it, right now!

- Has he said anything about that...

- Oh, quotations are in Nietzsche.

Yeah, sure. Man and super man.

You want to hear the topper?

Today, he thinks we're all being watched.

- By whom?

- By the unknown.

I swear to you, Jim...

As a matter of fact

by the 'super' unknown.

- Who's that?

- That's our new liaison officer from Washington,

Arthur Nordlund.

He's going to attend the committee meeting today.

- Jim. You know him, he can't go to that meeting.

- And how do you suggest I do that?

I'm telling you, Hallson's going to

blow the lid on those questionnaires,

and when he goes wild, this guy is going

to think we're all a bunch of crackpots.

- It's too late now to keep him out.

- Well, make up something!

I can't.

All right, then you better clamp the lid on

Hallson. That's all I'm going to say.

Mr. Nordlund.

- Professor Carl Melniker, physics.

- My pleasure.

- Professor Scott, biology.

- How do you do?

Please sit down, sir.

- And Professor Lansing, genetic and celular theory.

- How do you do?

Professor.

- And Professor Hallson, anthropology.

- Yes?

Oh, how do you do?

And of course you know the Chairman of this

Committee of Human Endurance, Professor Tanner.

Thank you, Professor, and now,

for the past year, my department has

been largely engaged in

research in outer space.

Why one one lives and another man dies under

exactly the same stressors, the same environments.

We've been trying to figure out

how the ones who are successful,

the ones who do survive,

how they get that way.

- What factors come into play.

Well, I'll now call on the Chairman of our

Human Endurance Committee

to take over the floor.

Jim.

To get right to the business at hand,

I'd like to call upon Professor Malniker

- to give us his detailed study on

those conditions in which man will have to exist.

No!

We'll take my questionnaires first!

Oh, Professor Hallson, I've decided to postpone

your work with the questionnaires

until the next meeting.

- You can't postpone it!

You don't have the right to postpone it!

- Professor Hallson, please.

- You must hear this. All of you.

Just what are these

questionnaires, if I may ask?

Well, it's a program Professor Hallson

initiated himself to find those people

with a great capacity

for survival. We um...

We took the test ourselves

as sort of a dry run before

they're given to the students.

- What sort of a test?

- Medical history...

hereditary, and a most

advanced IQ examination.

- You have the results?

- Yes.

Well, I would very much like to

hear them. If I may?

There's only one questionnaire

that counts...

and I have the results right

here in my report-

results that show an intelligence quotion

beyond the known limits

of measureability.

This person here on this committee who

made these responses to this questionnaire

- has a force of intellect

- far superior to anyone else

known on this earth today!

Well, I suppose one of here should

fell very flattered, huh?

I don't believe a word of it.

May I see that report, please?

You know maybe...maybe somebody

filled it out as a sort of a gag.

Well, this is most extraordinary.

May I ask then if anyone cares admit

to this documented superiority?

- Then I suggest we get on to something else.

- Why?

Are you afraid to believe it?

Believe what? Just what are you

talking about, professor Hallson?

I think Henry's a little...overtired.

You see, Mr. Nordlund, we've all been

working very hard on the committee lately.

You're all afraid.

All of you!

This person, whoever he is, he could

do what he wants with this committee.

With the whole project.

He could take control of all

the minds in this room!

That's wild speculation, Henry.

We've got to go by proven

and documented facts.

Yes, that's enough, Henry.

Gentlemen, please, I don't want to interfere

with the procedure here, but I

do find the supposition quite intriguing.

Tell me Professor Hallson, are you talking

about a power that is actually capable of

preternormal and

transcendental phenomenon?

- Yes.

- Ah! Then prove it. Give us proof.

Frankly I think we've wasted

enough time as it is.

But now surely we can think

of some simple test.

Professor, what do you suggest?

Wait a minute.

All right.

It won't take very much to move it.

- You begin.

- Go right ahead, Professor Lansing.

I'm sorry. All I'm succeeding in doing

is getting a headache.

- Professor Scott.

- I'll do my best.

I'm sorry I...I tried.

Professor Melniker.

It's no use.

If no one will admit to the questionnaire,

he won't expose himself in a test like this.

Well, then I think we've been about as indulgent

with your theories as anybody could expect.

Together. We'll do it all together.

- No!

- You've got to!

- Why not, Tanner?

- Might as well have an end to it.

All right, go ahead.

I've forgotten, do we put our

hands on the table or...

- You left.

- I always come back.

- I never should have told you.

- What?

- What wine does to me.

- To what it does, huh?

- Jim?

- We can always talk.

- I can't get it out of my head.

- Try.

I've been thinking.

- You can always think.

- No, really.

Really!

As a geneticist I know that there is no

limit to the variables of gene frequency.

What?

Genetically speaking, it's entirely possible

to produce a man of tomorrow right now.

Right now?

One extraordinary combination

of genmes like

four Royal Flushes in a row.

Do you understand?

- Yeah, we're dealing with the Four Flushes.

- Jim, I'm serious!

Drink your wine.

Drink.

- You know, I've got a hunch.

- Darling.

- Mmm?

- We're not going to talk about genes.

(Heartbeat)

(Phone rings)

You better answer it. Go on.

Go on.

Damn it! Who would be calling now

if there just isn't time...

- Hello.

- Jim? It's Sally Hallson.

- I hate to bother you but

I'm getting worried about Henry.

- He's not there by any chance, is he?

- No, not that I know of.

He said he was going to pick up

the questionnaires in his office

- in his office and then come

straight back.

Well, he probably stopped off for a drink

on the way home or maybe he, maybe

he met somebody at the office.

I really wouldn't worry.

he'll be home there any minute, I'm sure.

- now, where were we?

- It's about Henry, isn't it?

- Ah, yes.

- What happened to him?

Nothing. He's late getting home

from the office.

- Where'd he go?

- To the office.

- Why?

- To um... Those damn fool questionnaires!

Well, he wouldn't stay there

this late at night.

- I'll open up another bottle of champagne.

- Jim?

- Something light and bubbly.

- No more bubbly.

- What?

- Let's go to the office, huh?

- Now?

- Now.

- Now!

- All right.

The geneticist with nerve

and the scientist that thinks about...

- Has Professor Hallson been here tonight?

- Yes, sir.

He checked in at 08:22.

He hasn't left yet.

Thanks.

- What's that?

- I don't know. Just a name. Adam Hart.

- He must be here somewhere. The man at the gate...

- I know what he said.

- Well!

- Look, I'm sorry.

- Adam Hart?

- Never heard of him.

(Heartbeat)

Nothing's working.

I'll pull the emergency switch.

It's all right, Sally.

It's all right.

My name is Mark Corlane.

I'm in charge of

this investigation.

Sure. Fine.

Go ahead, Harris.

Take him out.

Mrs. Hallson...there's something

I've got to ask you.

Mrs. Hallson...have you ever heard of

Adam Hart?

Adam Hart?

Yes. Henry did speak of hin once.

- But...

- Yes?

That was years ago.

They were children.

Professor Tanner?

Doesn't the Centrifuge have a safety switch?

There's two at the controls

and one inside the cab itself.

In fact, the man inside the cab presses

it when a run starts.

If he should release it,

the cab stops automatically.

But it didn't.

- No. None of the controls would work.

- Why not?

I don't know, I tried them all.

The control booth's not working.

Which one of these is supposed

to start it?

The blue one starts it,

the red one stops it.

No, no. No thank you.

No sir, I leave my supermen

to the comic strips.

- But you can't deny the possibility.

- I can and I do.

Supposing, just supposing there was a guy who

jumped a gereation or two, or ten!

- Yeah, well, so what?

- Well, don't you see how far advanced he's be over us?

Not at all, Jim.

Look, take guys like Galileo

Pascal, DaVinci...

Those boys were born hundreds of years ago.

Right!

Now supposing this guy jumped a hundred

generations, or a thousand generations.

Is that so impossible?

Yes. It would be impossible.

- Still deny it, huh?

- I still deny it.

As a human being or as a scientist?

I deny it because...because I choose to.

- Because...

- Go on.

Jim, look...

I mean, look at me...

You know what I am.

I am a manufactured personality.

- A what?

- I mean used to study

what people looked for,

what they liked in other people,

and then I tried to develop

those traits in myself.

- We all do that to some extent.

- Yes, but I did it with a vengeance.

Until finally I met someone

who really was a personality.

I mean, the most 'alive' guy I ever met, Jim.

Now look, don't get me wrong,

I was chasing girls when I was nine,

but I wanted to be this guy.

An extension of his personality.

Can you imagine what this

world would be like with your...

With your superman running around and

everyone wanting to be a copy of just one man?

Now I mean sometimes I don't hold

much hope for the human race, but...

I think I'd be willing to kill a

man to avoid that.

My beloved colleague,

you're just in time.

We were speaking of life and power

and supermen.

And here stands a true believer...am I

right, Professor Tanner?

There's one clear fact you can't deny.

Something killed Henry Hallson.

That's true, something killed him.

The Centrifuge.

I am not going to make it.

Two hours sleep last night

and I kept seeing Henry's face.

Why would anyone want to kill

Henry Hallson? For what reason?

I don't know.

A hundred reasons. No reason.

- You think it was sombody on the Committee, don't you?

- Yes I do.

- Surely not Scotty.

- Why not?

- He's a mad combination. Brains, brawn...

- And always on the make.

No, I don't believe that.

What about Professor Melniker?

He's certainly a superior human being,

but whether he could...

kill anybody or not, I don;t know.

well, if I had the gift

I'd say Professor Van Zandt.

- Mind like a steel trap.

- Yes, it could be Van Zandt.

- Or Nordlund.

- Nordlund?

But he's not on the Committee.

But he was in that room when

we made the experiment.

So was I.

That's right.

It doesn't have to be a man, it could be you.

Oh, thank you!

It's all right.

I've been under your power for weeks now, ma'am.

Oh...and what about you?

I'm sorry to interrupt.

I'd like a few minutes with Professor Tanner, alone.

A very attractive young lady.

She seems rather fond of you.

Why did you uh...come here

with her so late at night?

Well, uh, we were worried about

Professor Hallson.

His wife called and we

came looking for him.

You were with Miss...

Professor lansing at the time?

- Yes.

- In you apartment, alone?

- yes.

- Miss Lansing remembers Mrs. Hallson calling?

- Of course.

- That's odd.

- What's so odd about it?

- Because Mrs. Hallson doesn't remember calling you at all.

What?

How long were you and Miss Lansing

here before you found the body?

- It was just a few minutes.

- Are you sure?

- You can check with the guard at the gate.

- I did.

He made a record of the time

in his log book.

- Well then?

- Somehow there...

doesn't seem to be any trace

of that record at all now.

- Can't he remember?

- I asked him.

- He wasn't certain.

- Well I am!

You got your degree in biochemistry in

Wanesburg Pennsylvania?

That's right.

Then four more years' work

at Princeton and Virginia tech?

- Yes.

What happened to the records of

your work at those institutions?

What do you mean?

They're on file there.

What the hell are you talking about?

I hoped you'd tell me.

Look, I have duplicates of my

records on file right here!

Duplicates are easily forged.

What's all this about my records?

Mr. Corlane was curious about

your background.

So we took the liberty this morning

of wiring the various parties involved

for documentation of these records

that you submitted to us.

No documentation was forthcoming,

Mr. Tanner.

Your records are fraudulent.

No one ever heard of you.

That's impossible.

I must admit I was inclined to an

astonishment myself,

and I want you to know that you're very fortunate

that the board is not going to prosecute.

It would only make us look foolish

for having hired you in the first place.

Here you are.

A severance cheque.

I want you to leave immediately.

That's all, Mr. Tanner.

That's all, Mr. Tanner.

- Scotty.

- I don't want to hear it.

- Scotty, I need your help.

- It's none of my business what happened to Hallson.

- Scotty please, they're trying to frame me.

- I'm not interested!

- You just told me a few minutes ago.

- Forget what I told you, will you?

Just forget it.

Tanner, I hope you're not planning

to go somewhere.

Where'd you have in mind?

Stay in town, Tanner.

I'll be talking to you again.

Ain't it cute?

Yeah...real cute.

Hey you, get off there!

Jim, if you leave now Corlane's

going to think you're running away.

- Let him think what he wants.

- What can you do?

I can fight back.

Fight whom?

You don't even know who it is.

I don't know who and I don't know what,

but I know he's real, and I know he's here.

I know he tried to kill me but

for some reason he didn't succeed.

So I know there's a limit to his power.

It's not a very consoling limit,

but I've got to find it.

How can you fight him by

running away?

I'm going to Joshua Flats,

Henry Hallson's home town,

where he first met Adam Hart.

There must be somebody there who

still remembers him.

If I can just get some kind

of identification.

- I'll go with you.

- No.

You stay here and go on working with the

Committee. I'll be back by the end of the week.

- Jim?

- Yes?

Why you?

First Henry Hallson, now you?

RADIO: Hey there! Are you seein' double, friend?

Fill her up, please.

RADIO: Just get yourself down to...

- Huh?

- I said, fill her up.

Sure thing, mister.

Fill her up, right.

Cafe open?

Yeah, Flora, she's in there about

half-an-hour ago.

RADIO: So hurry on down soon today,

and I'll be seeing you.

Morning.

- Driving through?

- Not exactly.

Most people do.

I mean you don't get many people stopping

in this crumby hole, unless they have to.

- Cold beer?

- No thanks, just some coffee.

- Hot Coffee?

- Umm.

- Well, I got to heat it up.

- Take your time.

Wegot plenty of cold beer.

keep it on hand for the fly boys.

- Who?

- Air force.

They have a base at Flat Rock,

about forty miles down the line.

I'm sorry, but I'd like some hot coffee.

Sure, sure.

- Biggest mistake I ever made.

- Beg your pardon?

Leaving New York. Can you imagine

leaving New York for this?!

- I guess you had to?

- What?

- Stop here.

- Well, the fact is I was...

a good friend of Henry Hallson's.

I understand his parents still live here.

Yeah, that old house over there.

Couldn't blast them out of it.

Not even for the funeral.

Hey, what a way to die, huh?

In that thing.

Wow!

- Did you know Henry?

- Well, you sorta had to.

He was always around. Like a shadow.

One step behind Adam.

Adam Hart?

You know him?

Yeah. Henry spoke of him.

Ooo! Goose pimples just

talking about him.

All over my arms. All over my body.

I mean, I always get goose pimples

all over.

- Did he frighten you?

- Oh, doll face!

I wasn't talking about fear.

- I'm talking about...

- Yeah, I think I understand.

Oh, blond hair, blue eyes, and a look

in those eyes that made you burn inside.

I don't suppose you've seen

him for a while?

Oh, when they leave this crumby joint

they never come back.

Ah, how long you staying?

I'm not sure.

Um...tonight's my night off...

As a matter of fact, I get off early.

Swell. Maybe...maybe I'll see you later?

RADIO: Just waiting for you right now...

here he is, standing on the corner...

Your compressor belt's busted.

Well, fix it.

RADIO: You're gonna search far and wide

before you ever come across

the wonderful bargains just waiting

for you down at Honset John's.

Well now then, here's a little ditty

that's been catchin' on here of late...

Good old Honest John Weatherby...

You can see for yourself, Mr. Tanner,

mother can't do no travelling.

Sure, we wanted to go to the funeral,

we wanted to see our son

buried nice and proper,

but you can't ride two hundred miles

in a wheelchair.

Sit down, Mr. Tanner.

Sit right there.

Thank you.

Was Henry born here, Mr. Hallson?

Right inside there. Lived right here

until he was off to college.

Smart boy. Good boy.

- You probably know all of his friends here?

- Sure, sure. Mother did too.

Henry used to talk a lot

about one of them.

Perhaps you might remember him,

a fellow by the name of Hart.

Adam Hart.

Mother!

You've got to leave, Mr. Tanner. All this

and Henry dying, ot's got us all torn apart.

I'm sorry to upset you, but it's

very important that I talk to you.

She always hated Adam Hart.

Because Henry took to him so.

- His being a gypsy, you know.

- A gypsy?

Ten of them in one shack.

A whole family.

Wouldn't you know that shack burned to the

ground not two days before Adam left town.

- Horrible thing.

Wiped them out.

For Adam of course, him and his coal-black,

shifty eyes.

- I thought his eyes were blue?

- Black gypsy eyes! Hair to match!

- But the girl at the coffee shop said his...

- You take it from me, mister. I'm telling you.

Smart as they come. I mean, there was

nothing he didn't know, nothing he couldn't do.

I suppose you don't have a picture of him

anywhere, do you?

Used to have one.

Taken with Henry.

Can't figure out what happened to it.

- Well, thanks anyway for talking to me, Mr. Hallson.

- Sure.

We meant no offence.

I hope mother didn't upset you.

No, not at all.

- Why didn't you tell me?

- Tell you what?

That you wanted to know about Adam Hart.

- Why, were you a friend of his?

- You bet I was.

Hey, would you like to ride out to

see his place?

The shack?

I was told it burned down.

Listen, those two nuts have been cracked

ever since Henry left this town.

Hop in.

Well, come on. It's not far.

Aren't we getting pretty far out?

Turn around.

Turn around!

Break off! Break off!

man in the target area.

- Adam Hart, where is he?

- I don't know.

He told you to kill me.

Where is he?

I swear to you I don't know.

He didn't tell me to kill you,

he told me to kill anybody.

Anybody asking questions about him.

Why?

- I don't know why.

- When did he tell you?

- When?!

- Ten years ago.

You were right about those goose pimples.

Who are you?

What do you want?

Jim Tanner, Mrs. Hallson, I...

I'd like to talk to you for a moment.

Please, come in.

where did I put those cigarettes?

- Have you seen my cigarettes?

- No.

Nowhere...

Where? Where?

There seems to be one burning

over there.

Of course.

Well, there must be something I can get you?

A drink?

Why don't you make us a drink?

No thanks. I don't really care for one.

It seems you already had a drink.

That's very mean of you to let me

drink alone.

- Mrs. Hallson, I wanted to uh...

- I know.

I know.

You want to talk about Henry.

All right.

If you must, you must.

Well, sit down.

That's better.

- I don't want to upset you...

- But you do want to talk about Henry.

If you remember the night that Henry died

I spoke to you about a man named Adam Hart.

I never heard of him.

I never heard of anyone named Hart.

But yu said that Henry knew

him years ago.

How could I possibly say a thing like that?

I don't know.

I got it! Let's you and I both

drink to this mysterious Mr. Hart.

I can promise you one thing.

If he was a good friend of Henry's then

he was the world's biggest bore that ever lived!

- Or died!

- Who's this?

- Who's what?

The man in the picture with Henry.

- His face seems to be blurred.

- I don't know.

Why don't we call him Adam Hart?

- Do you have some other pictures?

- No. Threw them out.

Threw everything out.

Exceot all that scientific jazz.

I gave that to the Committee.

Why don't you relax?

Have a drink...

- I've got to be going.

- Going, going, gone!

I threw it away, Jim...

but you can ask me...

Ask me anything you want.

It's just that sometimes it slips away.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, I know.

I mean, the way I felt about Henry...

And just today...just today...

I could hardly remember what

he looked like.

Don't remember what he looked like.

(Heartbeat)

Marg?

Marg?

Why...why don't you kill me?

- Do it now. Go on.

Be done with it.

You think you can use me?

No! I will not be used!

- Kill me the way you killed Hallson!

No, no, Carl, I swear I didn't kill him.

And then when the paper was spinning

that day in the Committee room,

it was my mind that was spinning

from that moment on.

I knew it.

I felt that someone would be killed.

You sure did a good job

tying me up!

- Please forgive me.

- It's all right.

You know Carl, I can well understand

why you suspected me

but how did you know

I'd come here?

I've watched you both when you're

at work together.

Are we that obvious?

Oh, my dear girl. All the basic emotions,

fear, hate, love, they're all obvious.

- But you believe us now, don't you.

- Yes.

I will do anything I can to help.

- Anything?

- You see I know what a man's power can do.

The raw power of one man, one man

alone to kill...

millions of innocent people.

It was our whole country. My country...

and this time who knows?

I look at the newspapers.

I say to myself:

- 'This world is going to hell in a handcart!'

But what if by cahnce it's not going

there on its own power?

- Yeah.

What if it's being pushed?

Think of it.

I know one thing, if we threaten

his survival,

he'll try to destroy us.

- I take that risk.

- Then first of all we've got to survive ourselves.

- We've got to stay together,

and not here.

- Sorry, there isn't anything left.

- Isn't there even a small room?

No there isn't.

Charlie! Hey, Charlie Hoving?!

How are ya, fella?

There's some mistake, I think.

Oh, now wait a minute.

Don't hand me that.

I don't have a name card and

my name's not Charlie Hoover.

Hoving, Hoving.

Now wait a minute.

It might have been a few years ago

but I know Charlie Hoving when I see him.

Well good. Say hello to him

for me when you do.

- It's no use.

- Then what do we do tonight?

And tomorrow and tomorrow night,

and the night after?

- Tomorrow morning we'll begin.

- What?

Going after him.

Taking each member of the Committee in turn.

You ahve to stay away from the police.

- You could be arrested at any time.

Corlane speak to you?

No. At the newstand,

on it's headlines!

Charlie! Charlie, what's the matter?

You look like you just met my wife!

Here, here. Go ahead, fella.

Take a big bilk.

- Thanks.

- Keep it.

- Look, I'm sorry about putting you off just now.

- Oh, forget it. Forget it.

The thing is, uh...

The thing is friend, I've got a girl here with me.

Now I get you sweetie.

You're coming through loud and clear.

So who's Charlie Hoving?

Never heard of him, much less his wife.

- That's it Fred.

- Say no more, Grover understands.

Look, Fred, are there any kind of

parties going on here tonight?

Oh-oh, you better believe it!

Are you suggesting we spend

the night here?

- I am.

- Why?

Because I'm certain we're

being watched.

- How do you know that?

- I just know it, that's all.

- well why stay here?

- To keep together.

Keep with a crowd.

Stay awake!

Lovely crowd!

Ummm...you know something?

Sure I do, and where can we go?

As a matter of fact it's

Carl I'm thinking about.

Carl, my boss.

He's sitting right over there.

He's been asking about you.

- Me?

- Yeah, he's crazy about you.

He owns a company.

Owns three companies.

He's a very shy guy.

Bored, lonely, shy old guy.

- But he's half asleep!

- Wouldn't take much for you to wake him up.

Hey Carl? Carl!

Sylvia would like to talk to you.

Oh, it's all righ honey.

You don't have to be shy with me.

Listen, I had an uncle once and this guy was

so shy with women even you wouldn't believe it.

Well, I just told him that...

This is private.

Power, power. Who's got the power?

You've got the power, my love.

- Purge.

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- Go to sleep.

- I'm not asleep.

Now I may be a little drunk,

but I am not asleep.

- You know what?

- What?

If I saw him...

You know, him...

- You know what I'd say?

- No.

I'd say, all right, I give up.

You win.

I am ready to build a little shrine in my living

room if you would just tell me what to put in it.

That is what would say.

Hey, come on.

What is this?

What's everyone dying or something?

Let's get a ilttle life going here.

Oh brother! If she is going to strip,

I am going to sleep.

Come on honey, let's dance.

You aren't too shy to dance, are you?

Here you go.

Come on sweetie.

Dance with Sylvia.

Come on sweetie,

dance with Sylvia.

Hey, you haven't gone to sleep on me,

have you?

- What's the matter?

What's going on here?

Charlie, wait a minute...

Your friend!

- Where are you going?

- Let's call the police.

- Hi.

Hi.

Oh!

- Do I know you?

- Well you're...

in love with me, you're in my car

and it's 1:30 in the afternoon.

Oh, that's nice.

Where's Carl?

Oh, dear God!

It's true. It did happen.

Do you know what he

said to me last night?

He said we're too much like dogs

plotting to catch the dog catcher.

We're still plotting

and we've got to.

Where are we?

That's where Nordlund lives.

- Nordlund! You think that he...

- I don't know but we've got to start somewhere.

- What can you do?

- Question him, threaten him, bluff him. Anything.

Just one word.

One word that will give him away.

Oh, he's not going to give you that.

(Heatbeat)

- Still stuck.

- I'll catch it upstairs. Stay here.

Would you help me please,

there's somebody stuck in the elevator.

Nordlund. Nordlund.

Look at me Nordlund!

Nordlund, my name.

Look at me. Who am I?

- Say my name.

- Tanner.

- Go on, say it again.

- Tanner.

- Louder!

- Tanner! Tanner...Tanner.

You's better try some of this.

Even now I can still feel it.

Like a weight.

Like something crushing my heart.

I know. Carl must have

felt the same thing last night.

- Except it killed him.

- You were with him?

Both of us, and that leaves Scott

and Van Zandt.

So what do we do now?

Wait until one of them tries it again?

We can't afford to.

- I say we strike.

- What do you mean, strike?

I mean we get rid of them.

Both of them?

The longer we wait

the less chance we have.

- Yes, but only one of them is...

- I know, I know.

And you don't care?

I want to go on living, Miss Lansing.

Don't you?

No. No, not like that.

- We can risk a few hours.

- For what?

For the chance of getting the

right one the first time.

Are you due back at the office?

I have a meeting at the Space Research

Commission at 2 o'clock.

Keep the meeting in session as long as

possible and keep everybody around you.

What about me?

You better go with him.

- Why?

- It'll be safer.

You'll be his guest speaker

on survival.

Oh, I'm an authority on that!

- Yes? Who is it please?

- It's Jim Tanner.

Mrs. Van Zandt?

- I'd like to talk to your husband.

- Just one moment, Mr. Tanner.

- Please, won't you come in?

I'm sorry to disappoint you,

but you see, my husband's not home.

- Is there anything I could do?

- I doubt it.

- When do you expect him back?

- Not until late. Very late.

- You're not at all frightened of me, are you?

- Frightened?

Surely you've read the newspapers.

I never read the newspapers,

Professor Tanner.

But why should I be frightened of you?

You shouldn't, but

didn't your husband mention anything?

I'm not interested in my husband's affairs.

Is there anything else, Prfessor Tanner?

Not if you don't expect him back

until late.

I told you I do not.

Sorry to disturb you.

- Good night.

- Good night.

(Laughter)

(Dog bark)

- How many must there be, Professor Zandt?

- Only sufficient to our purposes.

- Unlike the military,

we don't need vast numbers.

- Still, generally, it won't be the military

establishment that governs this...

- Nor the political either.

- Just we few men of science.

Oh, my dear.

Thank you.

- Thank you, my dear.

- Professor Tanner was just here.

- All right.

- He wanted to see you.

- You sent him away?

- Of course.

- When do you expect Adam Hart?

- Any minute now.

- I must tell you frankly,

if it were not for him

I would not have been involved in this.

Of course we understand.

- I think you speak for all of us.

(Heart beat)

- Well, did you find anything?

- Nothing.

That's impossible.

There must be some records in the house.

Van Zandt couldn't keep the whole thing in his head.

The Van Zandt house was burned

to the ground last night.

We think he and his wife

were caught in the blaze.

Look, I've told you the truth.

Everything!

Then why was Van Zandt killed?

No one's seen Nordlund

since yesterday afternoon.

He was supposed to attend some kind of a

meeting at the Space Research Commission.

He never showed up.

What does 'Babble Pit' mean?

Tanner?

What does 'Babble Pit' mean?

It's the amphitheatre where

the lectures are given.

In the science building?

Yeah.

We uh... We found this note in your

apartment yesterdsy.

It's in Scott's handwriting.

It says:

'The Babble Pit, Friday Night'.

- I assume he wants to meet you there.

He's going to, but not alone.

You believe me then?

I believe what I can pesonally

see and hold as evidence.

- There won't be any doubts, I promise you,

when you're tried for murder.

What good will it do? Scott's not going to

talk to me with half the police force here.

You're not going in with the police.

- You mean you'll let me go alone?

- Not quite.

The amphitheatre's through here.

Through that doorway.

Tanner!

Tanner!

- Hey! Hey!

Jim, listen to me.

Please, I know you're here.

- Jim, listen. I'll do anything you say.

Believe me, Jim.

- Jim, believe me,

I am not like the others.

- I'm willing to help you.

Just tell me what to do.

- Just...

You know, you see, that's why I'm here.

Jim?

- There's no need to kill me, Jim.

- I promise I won't tell anyone.

Jim?

- Don't you see I...

I mean that's why I'm here.

- Do you think I'd have

come here alone?

- I won't tell anyone.

I swear, Jim.

Jim?

I should have known.

There was something about you,

something...different from us.

Listen Jim, listen to me please.

I'll do whatever you say.

Just tell me what to do, I'll do it.

Only...Jim please.

Don't kill me, Jim...

Jim, listen to me.

- Open up! Open up!

This is the police!

You thought it was me!

Scotty!

- Scotty!

- Don't shoot!

Briggs.

We can't find him anywhere, sir.

We checked through every room in the building.

All right. let's get out of here.

- Why did you stay?

- Why not?

Would it help to go on running?

- No.

- No.

No more running.

I knew that when I looked

at Scotty just now.

Poor Scotty.

Just like all the rest.

All except you.

Why?

To be certain that he'd

finally get to you.

And then...

And then there were none.

- Isn't that the way it goes?

Congratulations, Adam Hart.

For what?

For deceiving you?

A childish prank.

- I have something much more

interesting in mind.

(Heart beat)

Would it surprise you if I told

you I was ready for you?

Are you indeed?

Then you must be aware that your

heart is already beating faster.

- Surely it requires no great

perception on your part to realise that

- you can't move your arms.

Why don't you try, Tanner?

Can you?

No, I don't believe so.

It really is very hard to breathe,

isn't it?

The arms, the legs.

Why don't you try to move, Tanner?

- Just a step.

Any?

- And yet you can still see

quite clearly, can't you?

Look here.

What do you see?

- You see yourself...getting colder.

Can you feel it yet, Tanner?

- 34°, 33, 32...

- Shimmering white crystals that cover you,

that reach for your face,

- your eyes, your throat...your heart.

- Heat. The thermal unit.

Burning, scorching, boiling.

Yes. There is a limit

to the intensity of pain.

But then what, Tanner?

Then what?

- You're falling, Tanner.

You can't hold on.

- You're falling, you're falling,

you're falling, you're falling...

- Give it up.

Give it up, Tanner. Give it up!

- Give it up, give it up, give it up...

You're falling, Tanner.

You can't hold on.

Give it up, give it up!

(Heart beat)

I wondered why he hadn't

killed you before.

- How you managed to survive

every attempt.

He tried more than once

and he came close.

He always failed.

He was desperate to kill you.

Almost exposed himself to the Committee.

Willing to eliminate all of them

to get to you, Jim.

You were the only real threat he had and you

never knew it, never even dared to guess.

Until tonight.

Do you remember, the first time we saw him

and we saw the paper spin?

He would never have given

himself away, not Adam Hart!

- It was you, Jim,

and you never even suspected.

They say that power corrupts...

and that absolute power...

I wonder.

Subtitles 2019 Elphinstone Dalrymple