Human Follies
FADE IN:
INT. STUDY - DAY
Working on a computer, PETER watches TV at times. We see video clips of the Notre-Dame Cathedral up in flames. We hear an on-screen US COMMENTATOR slowly remarking:"Stunning, unbelievable..."
PETER (V.O.)
What?
"a disaster..." The commentator continues.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Instead of "stunning", can
he say "astonishing"?
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
"Unbelievable"? It happened
as a matter of fact. Yes,
it's "a disaster" to communicate
in such a way, in my view.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
When I was a kid, I heard
about Victor Hugo's story -
"Hunchback of Notre Dame".
How many times have I
visited the Notre Dame?
MONTAGE OF PETER'S VISIT TO NOTRE DAME
A/ Summer, 1984, Peter (30) arrives as a member of a tour group. He looks stunned.
B/ Summer, 1995, Peter (41) arrives with his WIFE. He shows his wife the way.
C/ Summer, 2005, Peter (51) arrives with his wife and 4 CHILDREN as members of a tour group. They don't look particularly interested with the monument.
D/ Summer, 2014, Peter (60) arrives with his younger SON as members of a tour group. Peter takes a few photos casually.
END MONTAGE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
The external architecture and the internal decors
were there for hundreds
of years until this blaze...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
But I did visit the Notre
Dame for the few times
I was in Paris. I'm not a
religious person, but it's
a landmark of Paris.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) It was only yesterday I was
reading a love letter from
Emmanuel Macron to his
wife Brigitte, who was his
former teacher.
Peter checks the web news.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Macron cancelled a
scheduled televised
address and went to
the Cathedral to inspect
the efforts of firefighters
in controlling the blaze.
Peter nods.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
His words and actions have
been effective. Effective
persuasion is the key to
achieve success, whether
it is simply love or solemn
cultural matters.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Unlike the Old Summer
Palace, or the Atomic
Bomb Dome...
MONTAGE OF PETER'S EXPERIENCE IN SEEING DESTROYED MONUMENTS
A/EXT. OLD SUMMER PALACE - DAY (1987)
Peter (33) and his WIFE (32) arrive as members of a tour group.
PETER
(To Wife)
It's agonizing to see the
remnants of it. I'm not in
the mood to take any
photos here.
B/ EXT. ATOMIC BOMB DOME - SUNSET (2018)
Peter and his WIFE are the lone souls in the vicinity.
PETER
(V.O.)
The pain suffered by the
people here must be
immense. Peace is the
answer.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd)
...not fixing the Notre
Dame isn't a believable
option now. It has to be
rebuilt, as vowed by Macron.
And there's the European
value alignment, lots of
capacity and support.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Like the rebuilt Chapel
Bridge in Lucerne, which
was burnt down in 1993,
the only difference is new.
A What'sApp message gets Peter's attention. We see on his phone screen a newspaper article with the tagline: "...we share France's terrible loss." Peter sighs, and mines another article to read.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) In his "Chinese expedition",
Victor Hugo wrote in 1861:
"Artists, poets and philosophers
knew the Summer Palace...
People spoke of ...Notre-
Dame in Paris, the Summer
Palace in the Orient...This
wonder has disappeared..."
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) The blaze of Notre Dame
evidences once again
avoidable human follies.
Whether the cause is
intentional or reckless,
it is also part of the global
human culture!
FADE OUT. The End