The Final Programme (1973) Movie Script
True liberation.
You mean death?
Not necessarily, Mr. Cornelius.
The soul may awaken to liberation
yet continue to animate
the body it inhabits.
The eternal cycle.
In Brahma, you call these
recurring ages yugas, don't you?
That is so.
There are four.
The divisions are uneven but between them,
they encompass the whole
span of time from creation.
Smooth stuff, professor.
Yes, our present age
began on February the 18th
in the year 3102 B.C.
Really?
Yes, in the afternoon.
It is called Kali Yuga.
Sounds reasonable.
What's it mean?
What does it mean?
The dark age, Mr. Cornelius.
The long, dark age, and it's about to end.
The end of the world?
How long have we got?
A year or two, maybe less,
depending upon the speed of the collapse.
I'm glad you could make it.
A word before you leave.
An unfortunate moment to
choose, but may I ask,
what are your immediate plans?
Now that your father's dead,
was there a will perhaps?
We worked very closely
together, and ironically,
his death has coincided
with a monumental
breakthrough in our research.
There's still some specific information
which he kept at the house in England.
If you could arrange?
I'm quite sure it would be his wish.
At the house, huh?
Yes, in particular,
there was some microfilm.
It's absolutely vital
that I get hold of it,
if our work here is to continue!
You know what?
I'm thinking of getting rid of the house.
- Getting rid?
- Yep.
Blow it all up, I fancy.
When?
Well, the day after tomorrow
if I can get back in time.
But what about your brother, Frank?
I understand he never leaves the place.
Yeah, that's why the
idea appeals to me so much.
And your sister, Catherine?
What about her?
Well, now that Father's dead...
After an emergency
meeting of the senate,
the President agreed that
the sum of $600 million
be paid as compensation to
the five remaining survivors.
There will be no further
statement from the Pentagon,
although it is understood
here in Washington,
that a full scale inquiry
will be set up in the next 18 months.
In the meantime,
all training flights over
Europe have been canceled.
From Hanifa, North Lapland,
reports have been received of the death
of eminent biophysicist
Dr. Alexander Cornelius,
who for the past nine years
has lived in comparative isolation,
working in the field of advanced genetics.
It is not yet known whether his elder son,
Nobel Prize winner Jerry Cornelius,
will continue with his father's research.
Hello, sir.
It goes without saying, sir,
how very sorry I was to hear.
Always very good to me
he was, your father,
in his own sort of way.
Yeah.
Sorry I couldn't get
to the funeral, sir,
but you know how it is.
Oh, you didn't miss much.
Very flat, Lapland.
So I believe, sir.
Where's Catherine?
Is she in the cabin?
No, sir.
Is she here?
She's, uh...
What's the matter with her?
Dead?
No sir, she's not dead.
I think, well, you see,
Mr. Frank, he, uh...
Frank!
What's that sod been doing to her?
Get in the cabin.
Right, sir.
All right then, let's have it.
What's been going on?
I don't know, sir.
He won't let me set
eyes on Miss Catherine.
Seven weeks now, every time I ask he says,
"Well, she's sleeping.
She's been sleeping for seven weeks?
That's what he says, but
what kind of sleep is that?
There's stuff like this
all over the house.
Yes, that's Frank's writing.
The rat bastard!
Yes, he's been experimenting.
He's in a terrible state himself, sir.
Living off this stuff he is.
All he eats now is bars of
chocolate and strawberry jam.
That's no good for anyone, is it?
Now listen, she's still in her old room?
Oh yes, sir.
Right.
Then I'll be home tomorrow.
Oh, that's good news, sir.
But you'll kick him out
this time, won't you, sir?
I'm afraid the old place is going up.
For sale, sir?
For keeps.
Napalm probably.
Napalm, sir?
Yeah, I haven't made up my mind yet,
but you know what a traditionalist I am.
Yes indeed, sir.
Get Catherine out of the house
when you're around, can you manage?
I think so, sir, but
I'm still a bit confused.
Get her out tomorrow night.
Very well, sir, but where to?
The lodge on the far
side of the grounds.
Do it about 10 o'clock.
There'll be some small confusion.
You should be able to make
it easily enough in the dark.
I'll do it somehow, sir.
But what about Mr. Frank?
Frank, don't worry, I'll sort him out.
There's another thing, sir.
It's the house itself.
You remember what that old house is like.
I hadn't forgotten.
Major Lindbergh?
Certainly, certainly, and
if you see General Spratt,
well, just say that, just say
Wrongway Lindbergh called.
Now that's right, Wrongway.
The wrong way is the right way.
Not at all, not at all.
Pleasure doing business with you, sir.
Miserable son of bitch.
Morning sweetheart,
did you get the message?
- Well now, Jerry.
- Have any luck?
I want you to brace yourself,
because I think that I
can get you a Phantom.
Oh really?
What mark?
What mark?
An F-4D.
That means that you're gonna have
a J67-GE-15 turbo jets,
APQ-109 radar control.
Also an ASQ weapon release computer.
And on top of that,
you're gonna have an
ASG lead control gyro,
and if you can believe
it or not, beyond that,
there's an ASN-63 inertial
navigation system, amen.
And I doubt that you'll do better.
And what about the bloody drop tanks?
Well, what about the bloody drop tanks?
Well, I need them, don't I?
I want to push the range to over 3000.
Over 3000?
Where in the fuck are you going?
I don't care where you're going
because they're standard equipment.
Well, they weren't on the last one.
Well, you didn't get the
last one from me, did ya?
No, I didn't get the last one from you.
And you won't make that
mistake again, will you?
And now, if you don't mind my asking why,
where are you going?
Somewhere with a bit of sun.
Cambodia, I fancy.
Yeah, Cambodia, eh?
She'll need the rest.
Brotherly love, eh Jerry?
She's all I've got, really.
- Major?
- Yes?
Zurich has gone off the air again.
Holy Christ.
All I'm getting
are local frequencies.
Mostly intercom from Russian tanks.
Are they talking about me?
- No.
- No?
Well that's good, thank you, Hari.
Good god, that place must be a shambles.
You've heard about Amsterdam?
Yeah, some mistake.
Phew, 28 square miles of white ash.
For once, the Americans did a good job.
Oh well, you know things
are a little more stable
here now, thank Christ.
Stock exchange had another
good day, up three points.
The pound's even holding
its own against the yen.
That can't be bad.
Call coming through for you, Major.
Are you in?
Am I in?
Well, I don't know.
Who is it?
General Long.
General Long, General Long.
Who's General Long?
Who's he with?
Everybody's gotta be with
somebody, some of the time.
Blackthorn.
Blackthorn, thank you.
Yeah, General Long.
Jeez, it's General Wong!
Did we do anything about those MIGs?
You were calling him back.
Well, you should've reminded me.
See you, sweetheart.
Yeah Jerry, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, hello, General?
Yeah, excuse me.
What time is it where you are?
Oh hell, I was calling you?
Fixed, fixed, fixed.
Fixed.
All these machines are bent!
Are you riding me, man?
Not tonight, baby.
Hiya, Shades.
Mr. Jerry Cornelius, a
legend in his own lifetime.
Ta-da!
How's the assassination business?
Still up there at number one.
Two presidents and one queen,
how's that for top class?
Get away.
What about napalm?
- Napalm?
- Right.
Are you buying or selling?
Asking.
Who wants it, you?
Give me a couple of days.
Too long.
Shit, Jerry, come on.
No, tomorrow.
Tomorrow is Sunday.
So?
All the shops are shut.
Shit.
Okay, are you doing anything tomorrow?
I'll think about it.
Come on.
Get off.
Where is the fucking ball?
- Mr. Cornelius!
- Hello, darling.
We haven't seen much of you lately.
No, how's the stargazing business?
Can't complain, how about you dear?
Would you like your
chart read, your fortune?
Oh, come on, forget it.
I've been doing them now for 60 years.
Five, you didn't even start
'til they aged you out of the government.
Who have you been talking to?
You, dolly bucks.
They should've listened
to me, shouldn't they?
I mean, when I tell them
the apocalypse is coming,
they bloody well ought to listen.
Tomorrow, what's it for?
Commies?
No, malice domestic.
I may be having a little trouble.
I thought you'd like to come along.
If you stay, we'll forget it.
I'm still thinking.
Where'd you win that, here?
I didn't win it, I bought it.
Where?
Italy.
Do you know Rome at all?
We've met.
I love it.
It doesn't seem the
same without the Vatican.
Hmm, I like the new place better.
Jerry, Jerry?
About tomorrow.
Um, I've been having these pains in my,
Jerry?
In particular,
there was some microfilm.
It's absolutely vital
that I get hold of it
if our work here is to continue!
Stay here, Dimitri.
My watch has stopped.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
12:41 and 40 seconds.
Dr. Smiles is late.
Of course.
This should be interesting.
I've never heard him back out
of anything he said he'd do.
Why are you all so sad?
Dr. Smiles?
He's reliable, Miss Brunner.
It's unusual to find
such confidence these days.
I'm not sure, gentlemen,
whether we should include this
Mr. Cornelius at all, hmm?
Surely we have no alternative.
No?
What's to stop us going now?
He's not expecting anything.
He could be useful,
but he's not essential.
As far as we know,
he could be planning some
kind of double-cross already.
I stand to lose too much.
Miss Brunner, we all
stand to lose too much.
Quite right, Dr. Powys.
Well, I'm sure when you meet him,
he'll pass even the Brunner test.
If I meet him.
He's the random factor.
Involving someone else at this late stage
could jeopardize our work badly.
With respect, Miss Brunner,
I would like to point out that...
And if he doesn't come,
do you propose to abandon the whole idea?
Of course not.
Abort the Final Programme?
- Unthinkable.
- Quite.
You know better, Miss Brunner.
I think we all feel.
Feel away, Dr. Smiles.
Having come this far,
shouldn't we surely start
with a little due caution?
Of course!
We wouldn't have gotten this
far if we'd been cautious.
I think you're all growing soft.
Overripe, Dr. Smiles.
But last time was different.
Here the risks are enormous.
The risks are a part of it, gentlemen.
We know where the house stands.
But without Cornelius,
we would never get in.
That's the truth!
Right on time, Mr. Cornelius.
Dr. Smiles.
My colleagues, Dr. Powys, Dr. Lucas,
and this is Miss Brunner.
How soon do you want us there?
There's a map.
The reference is marked.
There's a village school.
We'll meet you there about eight o'clock.
The house itself is
three miles further up.
We'll do the last lap together.
Oh, Mr. Cornelius,
your motives in helping
us seem a trifle obscure.
How 'bout revenge?
Will that do?
Revenge?
Ah yes, grudges, that sort of thing.
Very sound motive.
Let's call it revenge then.
Well, until tonight.
- That was all a bit bizarre.
- Hmm, yes.
I don't trust him either, Miss Brunner.
Yes, possibilities, Dimitri.
Germination creates the tree,
destroys a seed, and
preserves the species.
The joiner creates the table,
destroys a tree, but preserves the wood.
Such parallels do well to
illustrate the narrowing down
of all religions to one conclusion.
Take hold of that.
The more I read in scientific papers,
the more confused I become
between what I was taught as a Hindu
and what I have since
learned as a physicist.
But if spiritual and
scientific values combine,
then there is new hope.
The dark age is over.
I foresee the world plunged
into chaos and torment
far beyond anything previously
experienced by mankind.
I'm afraid it will be science returned.
I read your books today.
Oh really?
Heady stuff.
Time searched through
the declining West,
towards the ultimate
paradox and the ethical...
- Simulation?
- Ethical simulation.
Yes, I'm impressed.
I'm embarrassed.
Oh really?
Yeah, I thought I destroyed every copy.
You don't believe in
that stuff anymore then?
Well, I wrote them when I
thought I knew all the answers.
All of them?
Yeah.
Well, well.
Now I realize I'm just
beginning to know the questions.
What are the questions?
You're pushy, Miss Brunner.
What are these questions?
It would be nice to know
the amount of useful knowledge
a man can learn, would it not?
What the limit is?
The limit, Mr. Cornelius?
What are you, Miss Brunner?
What?
All right then, who, if you prefer it.
I like what better.
Yeah, I thought you would.
I'm a programmer of some...
- Experience?
- Yes, that's right.
So, it's computers?
It's computers.
Well, what do you compute?
And for whom?
I'm freelance.
- Freelance?
- This and that.
This and that?
Well, there's a lot of it about.
Continental divides, wars, famines.
Juicy stuff, Miss Brunner.
And what's your little game at the moment?
Program the sum total
of all human knowledge.
Get away!
Program immortality.
What's that worth?
The program for immortality,
Mr. Cornelius, what's that worth?
I never buy programs.
- Dead on time.
- It stopped again.
Hello.
Frank's probably got the house right now,
so from now on it's a foot job.
Sorry about that.
I must come with you.
No Dimitri,
not you, especially not you.
Miss Brunner, please.
She is right, Dimitri.
You're much too valuable to us.
You wait here.
We won't be long.
My place is with her, by her side.
No, not yet, my friend.
Dimitri should be all right now.
He's reasonably adequate.
Slightly emotional,
but when you picked him out,
he was a perfect subject.
Yes he was, Dr. Smiles.
Let's just hope he still is.
- What about him?
- Who, Dimitri?
Yeah, is he a scientist too?
- No, he's a Greek.
- Oh, the house.
It must be miscommunication, surely...
Get down over there!
Don't look at the light!
Come on, move!
Now, the lights are coming from the house.
It's just across the water.
They're designed to cause pseudo-epilepsy.
You wouldn't have
believed it, so quickly.
I have to say, incredible.
It also causes complete
destruction of the inner ear.
Yeah, it used to take 30 seconds.
Frank's probably been
pissing around with it.
Now just stay here, keep
your heads down, wait for me.
Right, fixed it.
So follow me, keep your
eyes on the ground.
Ah, synthetized.
Reacting only to a Cornelius fingerprint.
Well, it ain't much but it's home.
Oh, just a thought,
by the time we get there,
he'll probably have
activated the whole house.
What does that mean?
Hmm, you'll see.
This lift, where actually are we going?
We're going up to the main hall.
Up?
I could swear we're going down.
Those lights really got
to you, didn't they, Lucas?
Well, this is getting more
dangerous than we expected.
It could be a lift to armed
men, mercenaries, you know?
Who actually is here in this place?
Well, John would've
got Catherine out by now.
It just leaves Frank to deal with.
- Oh, well that doesn't...
- Shut up!
Now stay there, stand still,
don't move until I get back.
Well, where are you going?
Why are you leaving us here?
I'm going up to the main
control room, children.
There's just a chance
that Frank's so stoned
he's forgotten to do the
business with the lever.
How long?
A couple of minutes.
Then I'll come too.
Ah well, so far, so good.
Nice to hear the art of
conversation isn't dead.
What's all the fuss about,
all this bloody ritual?
After all, it's only a house.
Knowing his father,
I have a feeling it's
rather more than that.
What's that smoke?
I don't like the look of that.
Smoke?
It's not smoke.
Gas, back to the lift quickly!
Cornelius!
There's a door over here.
- Thank God, that's over.
- But is it?
Anyway, how will the
other two get through?
Well, they can't come through there.
When the gas is clear they...
We can't,
oh fuck, we can't warn them.
I knew it would be a disaster.
I knew it would!
It's hard to think.
My throat's burning, I need a drink.
Two minutes he said.
Mine's stopped.
So has mine.
So has mine.
Well, at least they're synchronized.
Well, what's that ticking?
Here it is.
Don't touch it!
Someone's been in here.
How'd he get out?
That's the point of it.
- The door.
- What door?
Another door.
There must be another door somewhere.
Here, this looks like a door.
No, it's only a bloody black queen.
I've got it!
- What?
- Look at this.
The clue is in this music
written by Cornelius himself.
It's called, "Checkmate in Three Parts."
First part, black and white, moderato.
Second part, the castle, allegro.
Third part, the king is dead, finale.
Well, if that's the
door, how does it open?
Don't you see, you fool?
When it's in check, mate.
Are you all right?
Yes, of course.
It's a graze.
It only touched me.
- Nothing else for it.
- No.
Are you all right, Powys?
Yes, of course.
Some sort of inflationary device.
It triggered up when
we entered the house.
Oh, the stupid bastards.
Come on!
Are you sure you're all right, Powys?
Yes, I'm all right.
It must be this direction, come on!
This direction.
Come on, Powys!
Powys!
Rhesus negative.
Wait here, wake them up.
Come on.
This time bloody do what I tell you
and don't touch anything!
Where's Frank?
Don't worry, I'll find him.
Is that the safe?
No, it's the main door,
but he'll have changed the combination.
Without him, the game's up.
Then get him.
All right!
How do we know he'll open it?
Threaten to keep him off his junk.
He'll just fall apart.
He'll open the safe,
all right, but remember,
whatever you do, leave him to me.
He can be very tricky.
John?
What the hell are you doing here?
I'm all right, sir.
Did you get Catherine out?
I got her as far as this, but...
Well, where is she?
It was about 10:00, sir, as you said.
Everything was going smoothly.
She was awake, sir.
Oh, she was awake, sir.
I think I'm dying, sir.
I think so.
Well, what happened?
Alarm went off, sir.
Mr. Frank, he run in
and saw us standing there on the stairs.
He put Miss Catherine down and then...
Then he shot me, sir.
I'm terribly sorry.
So you bloody well should be.
Well, where did he put her?
Did he say anything?
He said, he said he was
putting her back into bed, sir.
Catherine?
Catherine?
Catherine?
What's the trouble?
Would someone have the impertinence
to come into Miss Catherine's
room without permission?
Whoever you are,
I'll give you hell for
invading my sister's privacy!
If she's harmed or disturbed of any worth!
Frank?
- What?
- You know it's me.
And you're shitting yourself.
Now all I want is Catherine.
Why don't you come in and we'll talk?
Well, you can
forget about that door, Jerry!
You'll never know what I fixed her, Jerry.
I'm the only one who can wake her up.
She is well turned on.
Pull out your needle
and come out with your veins clear, Frank.
What you need is some temporal
cure, that's what I'm on.
Time fix is my remedy for everyone.
Don't you feel those millions
of years waiting in your spine, huh?
Waiting to find out what
happened to your back brain,
your midbrain, your forebrain?
You never know you had
so many brains, Jerry.
Until temporex starts
opening 'em up for you.
You're still writing those
bleeding awful commercials?
Well, why don't you
ask Sleeping Beauty here?
Look, she's waking up!
Jerry!
Catherine, keep still.
Jerry, Frank, stop it!
Jerry!
That needle could work itself
up into your heart, Jerry.
So, I'll get a magnet!
You've got something in those needles.
Here's your universal killer.
I'll see you in the next time phase.
Oh, I'm sorry the family reunion
hasn't been a great success.
Just the man I wanted to see.
Ugh, please fix now.
You get the fix when
we get the microfilm.
I'll tell you where it
is as soon as I get my fix!
Oh, I say.
Come, come, Mr. Cornelius.
Pull yourself together!
You know that the microfilm
is in the strongroom.
Yes, we do.
And if I open it?
That's the idea.
All right!
I've forgotten it.
Well, remember, darling.
Well, remember, darling.
Is that it then?
That's it.
Come Frank, we can't
go meeting like this.
You can make it.
Darling, that's a good boy.
Come, give it to me.
Come on, come on darling, give it to me.
Oh, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Oh, one thing before you open it.
Catherine!
Catherine!
Catherine!
All right, all right.
Calm down, all right.
You're all right.
You're all right.
There, all right.
Where the hell is this place?
You're in Sunnydale's Nursing Home,
Mr. Cornelius, and you're much better.
Am I?
Am I better?
Much!
They brought you here after
that accident at the fun fair.
The trick gun went off the
wrong way and shocked you,
something like that anyway.
Oh dear, something like that.
Are all nursing homes called Sunnydale's?
Most of them.
You know the last
person who was nursing me
was wearing an ivory
ring through her nose.
In this country we're
not allowed to advertise.
Oh shit!
You had three specialists.
Your friend insisted on the best.
Miss Brunner, a tall job?
I don't know her name.
Mr. Cornelius.
What do you want now, Flo?
Try and get some sleep.
But I don't need any sleep.
I know you don't, but it's
much easier to run a hospital
with all the patients sleeping.
It's the easiest way to run
the world for that matter.
So, Mr. Cornelius,
what are you going to do now?
I think I'll go home, Professor.
Seeing as my world is coming to an end,
I might as well be there to
watch it when it happens.
I can only pray that
out this world of anarchy
and hysteria some supreme
being will emerge,
a new Messiah, born of the age of science.
Has that Messiah been
born yet, I wonder?
It is more important,
who will recognize him if he has?
How nice of you to show up.
I thought I'd rung for a taxi.
I know, I intercepted your call.
Where's the Greek then?
He's resting.
Yeah, I'll bet.
I'm taking you out to dinner.
How nice, I hope I don't let you down.
Let's have some wine.
Would you like
something to wash it down?
What can you recommend?
We have red, white,
and some sparkling rose,
guaranteed all chateau dehydrated.
What's that one?
That's a very good Sauternes specialty.
It's double sweet, it goes with anything.
Yeah, I'll bet.
It's fortified with natural saccharine.
And what's that one?
Industrial waste from the
Beaujolais district of France.
Perfect, give me some.
Hey, are you sure it's
from the right bank?
Jesus sir, I don't know
what side the factory's on!
Well, it'll do.
You won't regret it.
Ah, I think I can see Jenny.
Jenny's a new girl.
I've got her on trial.
Doubtless you'll find her guilty.
But insane.
Hello Jenny, my sweet.
This is Mr. Cornelius.
Hello, Mr. Cornelius.
Hello, darling.
Are you fixed destiny-wise?
Ah, sit down, dear, and don't fidget.
You're a friend of hers?
I don't know, it's hard to tell.
Yes, I know exactly what you mean.
Are you interested, in Frank?
Oh, sod Frank!
I'm talking about Frank.
Are you interested?
In finding him?
- And the microfilm.
- Of course.
What nationality?
Van Doren, uh, Dutch?
- Dutch?
- No, Swedish.
A Swedish passport?
Well, I don't know, do I?
He prints his own.
He's a Swedish national.
- He knows Frank?
- Yeah, I guess so.
- He knows Frank!
- Yes, sure he does.
And Frank knows where to find him?
- Yes.
- Good.
Well, that narrows it down to three.
Schmidt, Van Doren,
and Baxter.
Are we finished yet?
- We've just started.
- Hmm.
Data process?
The problem is geographical, three hits.
Oh goody, you've cleared up.
Yes, it was in a bit of a mess.
All those, all those questions.
Yeah, I didn't expect
the Spanish Inquisition.
God, you'd enough like
biscuits, don't you?
Yeah.
Yeah, what's she doing now?
She's dialing the computer.
Well, at this time?
Is it cheaper after six?
Now then.
How much is she going to find out on me,
from a computer?
How blue your eyes are, Jenny.
Yeah.
Utmost urgency, Brunner.
I'll get confirmation in the morning,
but at the moment,
everything points to Turkey.
- All right.
- How are we gonna get there?
Well, I've got a plane and a chopper.
Tell me about your plane.
It's a Phantom jet.
- Well, you look ahead.
- I look around.
The head's here already.
Hey, sunshine.
This plane is only a two-seater, you know?
We'll cross that bridge
when we come to it.
Right, you pedal, I'll steer.
What should we play?
She'll be all right here with me.
I don't know that one.
Oh yes, I do.
Well, should you feel like the
real thing during the night,
you know where to come.
You all right?
I always carry my own toothbrush.
You'll find a socket for
your razor above the sink.
Blown it.
That's enough, dear.
Beautiful, Jenny.
I've always wanted to play like that.
Morning campers!
I didn't know you played, Miss Brunner.
I'm quite enjoying it.
- Morning.
- What's the time?
Where's, uh, where's Jenny?
Oh, she's consulting somebody else.
Don't worry about it.
Well, I fear I should.
Ignore the feeling.
Yeah, I'm fearing I
should do that as well.
You know, I keep thinking about
that bit with Jenny last night.
- How apparent.
- Yeah, a strange chick.
How did you find her?
Delicious.
You know, it's a bit
of a long shot, isn't it?
Coming out to a dump like this
on the strength of one phone call.
I hope your computer's right.
Hello.
Right, there's the train.
Where's Frank?
Okay smart ass, where's Baxter?
Get in.
Yeah, that's him.
Greedy old bastard.
He flogged half my father's secrets
before the old man sussed him out.
So, he
could know the secret
of the microfilm too?
Yeah, I guess so.
Everybody does except me.
Of course it was your father
who drove me to this exile here.
Delighted to hear he's dead.
That doesn't surprise you?
No.
It doesn't surprise you?
No!
Look, what about his microfilm?
Look!
Why don't you have a drink?
Libation?
Local stuff, not so bad when you get used.
Well, what about it?
About what?
The microfilm!
What about it?
Well, can you sell it?
It depends who wants it.
Well, do you want it?
It depends what's on it, Frank.
I suppose, me too.
Somebody tried to knock the
shit out of me to get it,
so it must be important, right?
Well, you know what the old man was into.
Engineering, computers, Lapland.
Lapland?
Oh, the flight.
Let's have a look at it.
Cool trick.
Yeah, not bad.
You know, it's almost 10 year
since I set eyes on a Cornelius.
Yeah?
Well, you better have a good
look 'cause I'm the last one.
What about Jerry?
I shot him, day before yesterday.
Dead?
That's a relief anyways.
I thought he might've been
on the jet last night.
Jet, what jet?
Some jet, got American markings.
Passed the village,
local people say it came down
other side of the mountain.
Crashed or what?
No, no, immaculate landing.
How many people?
Two aboard, a man and a woman.
Shit.
I thought the other might've been Jerry.
Yeah, that sounds like him, man.
I thought you said you'd killed him?
No, I said I shot him!
Jerry!
I should let them get
on with it, Dr. Baxter.
Boys will be boys, after all.
That's a long time, Doctor.
Well, we never finished it.
You do realize the potential, Miss?
Brunner.
Old man Cornelius,
he kept things to himself more and more.
He didn't see the commercial possibility.
Of course the inevitable will happen.
It frequently does.
I see you understand.
I mean, why should they blame me for?
The Chinese?
Whatever the first.
It's not that I'm poor, quite the reverse.
I'm just waiting for the golden
opportunity to come along.
Aren't we all?
Glad you could make it, Jerry!
Bloody sod!
I've been thinking what to do.
I'm gonna set your balls to your thighs.
Who told you I had any?
Everyone's got thighs!
So I could tempt myself
right in the yard with you.
Miss Silvers, for possession actually.
Women.
Women.
Well, they come up to the village to wash.
Stuff like that.
Yes, but it's not quite the same.
It can't be.
You're so unlike yourself.
Well exactly, you see some men...
But not you.
Where's Baxter then?
Well, he's somewhere inside.
Inside who?
I suppose he went the same way as Jenny.
Something like that.
Poor sod.
It's the way I have of
getting the best out of people.
Tell me, what do you do with the bones?
So Mr. Cornelius, what
are you going to do now?
Look, Miss Brunner, you've
got the bloody microfilm.
I thought by now you'd be losing interest.
Now, I hate long goodbyes, so piss off!
What
are you going to do now?
Well, for a start,
I'm gonna sit here and get
smashed out of my mind!
And I also have it on very good authority
that the world is coming to an end.
So, I thought I'd go home
and watch it on television.
- Typical.
- Yes, typical!
Come to Lapland with me.
Lapland!
What's in Lapland, for God's sake?
DUEL, Decimal Units Electronic Linkage.
Oh, another one of your
potsy machines, I suppose?
The most complex computer in the world.
In what world?
Come, Mr. Cornelius.
You can't manipulate the inevitable.
Well, I'll
have a bloody good try.
You've cut it very fine.
Do you realize how much time
you've got, Miss Brunner?
Just over 45 minutes.
Mr. Cornelius.
Hello, sweeties.
We weren't expecting you.
Well, just carry on
as though I wasn't here.
How much does he know?
Mr. Cornelius is here as an...
Observer?
Right.
You could say I'm seeking sanctuary.
Why now?
No, don't let's go into all that.
Nevertheless, it is a curious coincidence
that you should suddenly
appear now, isn't it?
Isn't it?
Do you know anything at
all of your father's work?
Well, we didn't talk much.
We just sort of passed messages.
It you had stayed a little
longer after his funeral,
I could've shown you around.
Ah, that's what you say now, honey.
You could have, but whether you would.
Mr. Cornelius, we've
got nothing to hide.
Then Miss Brunner,
you could've fooled me.
Miss Brunner, just
why have you brought him
at such a critical moment?
Why not?
He could prove useful and
has every right to be here.
Every right?
He's the last of the Cornelius line.
Is your appetite insatiable?
Who the hell does she think she is?
You should know that by now, Lucas.
Hey, you know I could live here.
It's one of the old K-class.
21 knots submerged.
I had one a few years ago.
What happened?
I sank.
I always
thought it was supposed to.
So, this was Daddy's summer place.
Well, is this it?
It's a bit primitive, isn't it?
It's not quite the
sophisticated sort of thing
you led me to believe, Miss Brunner.
This
isn't our final project.
It's the remains of one
founded by the Nazis.
Oh yeah, it would fit in very well
with our whole earth theory, wouldn't it?
Another world somewhere beneath our own,
with an entrance deep in the Arctic.
The
classic security fixation.
Yeah, well scientific mysticism,
there's always a big German hangar.
A sort of dress rehearsal
for the real, Doctor.
The twilight of the gods.
Or humanity.
Or both.
You mentioned the
word sanctuary earlier.
Have you come here for refuge?
Well, call it what you like,
but the dark age is ending.
Oh, when?
According to a few
friends of mine, very soon.
You think civilization's
about to blow itself apart?
No, that's one luxury it can't afford.
Why, the Third World War's
been going on for years,
but everybody's been so busy
watching the bleeding
commercials, they haven't noticed.
I thought he was obsolete.
No, Mr. Cornelius, not yet.
Hello?
He's very clean.
Well, cleanliness is next to godliness,
but the two should never be confused.
This way.
Well, there she is.
The most complex computer in the world.
Do not touch.
She's called DUEL.
Does she spin dry as well?
It's all a bit do it
yourself, isn't it, lovely?
We are not interested
in refined aesthetics,
but in creative science
and technological knowhow.
Do you know what that is?
Well, it's got to be
a brainwashing machine.
I've told you, we've got
the best brains in Europe
working for us, Mr. Cornelius.
You're looking at one now.
This is Hans Lieberman, a great brain.
A very old friend of mine.
Yes, salt of the earth.
Radio astronomy.
He died?
About four months ago.
But fortunately...
His brain is as good as ever.
Well, how did you get it?
The behavior patterns of the next of kin
make him a fascinating study,
don't you think, Mr. Cornelius?
I can think of nobody better suited
to capitalize on bereavement
than yourself, Miss Brunner.
Oh, Professor Harrison
is resting at the moment.
Okay.
So, you've got all the
best brains in Europe.
What are they all doing?
They are feeding DUEL.
We, and Miss Brunner, of course,
have systemized and related
their combined intelligence
into one comprehensive equation.
That equation has been fed
back into the computer and...
And now, it knows it all.
The sum total of human knowledge.
Everything.
Okay, so it's all in there.
So, what's it doing?
Our problem has been to feed
back that combined knowledge
into a human brain and still
keep it functioning normally.
But it will never work.
Tell me why.
No brain could possibly
accept such an enormous charge.
It would blow all its circuits.
Not one brain, Mr. Cornelius,
but two.
What's it made of, radiation?
Radiation, no, much more than that.
High energy radiation
as you probably know,
may give rise to profound changes
in the properties of substances,
and in particular, alpha
particles and neutrons may cause,
because of their electrical charge,
severe atomic displacement.
Now I'm not speaking only of ionization.
These rapidly moving particles
charged to produce atomic recoils
cause secondary recoils,
and it is this that produces
the most damage at the end of the scale.
I'm speaking of the field of
rapid heating and quenching.
I expect you're talking
about the thermal spike.
It must be obvious
to you, Mr. Cornelius,
that these processes
alter profoundly the structure of solids.
But the damaged alloy will then exist
in a state of metastable equilibrium.
The whole theory of binary alloy or...
But we've improved this!
We've taken the irradiation
out of the role of alloys
into the field on biological kinetics.
Yeah, but why here?
Why in bloody Lapland?
Professor Lucas?
At this time of the year,
the sun's rays remain in view
for six consecutive weeks.
Okay lovely, so the sun doesn't set.
But we're up north.
The rays here are at their weakest.
Ah, but your father's
work was based on time,
not on natural intensity.
To solve this problem, he built this.
Up there, it's open to the sky.
The center here is a giant prism.
For the last few weeks,
the sun's rays have been filtering in,
and we have been storing its energy.
And in a few minutes,
the sun's rays will have
saturated every inch.
So, that's why Lapland.
Your father has already used its energy,
with impressive results.
Last year, he induced conditions
accelerating the birth process.
A giant incubator?
What can it all mean?
I ask myself.
There's no time left
for further explanations.
You'll see the evidence for
yourself in a few minutes.
So Miss Brunner, the microfilm.
I've already broken it down.
It's a simple flowchart, as you can see.
Thank you.
Ready to be fed into the computer.
Excellent.
There are exactly 14 minutes left.
You better go and prepare yourself.
Of course.
Mr. Cornelius, perhaps
you'd like to stay?
I'm sure you'll find it very interesting.
I'm sure I shall.
Oh, tell you what,
I'll just nip downstairs
and get a few biccies.
That's odd.
My father's incubator I can understand.
DUEL I can understand, just.
But how do they relate?
I mean, what's the end product?
The microfilm is the link
between the two processes.
DUEL has been ready for some days.
The sunroom you've seen for yourself.
So, what's about to happen?
We're about to produce
an all-purpose human being.
An hermaphrodite in every respect.
It's self-fertilizing,
self-regenerating, immortal.
Repeating itself over and over again.
Retaining knowledge with the help of DUEL.
And do you,
do you think that two brains
are enough to accomplish all this?
Yes, and two bodies.
Oh, two bodies.
That means, you and Dimitri.
Yes, something like that.
Shit, the Greek!
You crazy bitch!
You tried to kill me.
It seemed like a good idea.
It wasn't really your destiny, Dimitri.
Hey, Miss Brunner!
Where the hell are you
going, for God's sake?
So it's him, is it?
Now Dimitri, what about piss off?
Take that!
Now let that be a lesson to you!
Fuck off, you Greek maniac!
Geronimo!
Oh shit!
Oh no, you're still here?
That's my bleeding, stop it!
Help, Miss Brunner!
I'm losing!
It's my destiny, Cornelius!
Well, you took your fucking time!
Miss Brunner, what is going on?
Why did you shoot Cornelius?
I didn't, I shot Dimitri.
Dimitri?
But Miss Brunner, he is vital to the plan!
You're wrong, Dr. Smiles.
In fact, we all were.
He's the ideal subject.
His father's microfilm
names him explicitly.
Why do you think I brought him here?
For the Final Programme?
Exactly.
Quickly, or it will be too late.
She's right, Lucas!
Hey, I'm losing an awful lot of blood.
I think I'm going to die.
Nonsense, quite the opposite.
Oh, careful lads.
What the
hell's going on here?
Where's Dimitri?
- She shot him!
- Who, Dimitri?
Yes!
We're going ahead with Jerry Cornelius.
Oh, you old man!
Don't worry.
You'll be all right here with me.
How the hell do we know
it's going to work with him?
That my friends, is in the lap of God.
But all our researches
were based on the
Dimitri-Brunner equations.
Thermal vibration, zero resistance.
I know that.
This new relationship demands
massive new adjustments.
We must make them.
What?
Five minutes is all we've got.
Yes.
Oh, you're crazy!
Well, all right, what's
his metabolic rate then?
- 40.
- 45.
See, hopeless.
All right, set it for 10.
- It's too low.
- Make it 20.
All right, I'll set it
somewhere between 10...
We could compensate.
I'm a scientist, I can't go
guessing and messing around!
Don't argue, Powys.
Think of it,
self-fertilizing,
self-regenerating human beings.
Immortal, down through the ages.
Oh Christ.
I chose you, Jerry.
I chose you for the Final Programme.
Now listen, Smiles, I'm
going ahead with this,
but I warn you, it's your responsibility.
Use the booster.
We must go through with this.
What's the alternative?
Another year with Miss Brunner.
Come to me, Jerry.
Come to me.
Do you know everything?
I'm anxious to be God.
You and me, immortal.
No!
Is there no more than God himself?
Can't you feel our bodies merging?
We shall be the new Messiah!
No Miss Brunner, you were wrong.
We shall be the new Messiah!
How are the brains standing up?
Not ideal.
Some sort of cross link
we hadn't accounted for.
Oh, I hope to God she
hasn't underestimated him!
No!
No!
So you are,
are you Messiah?
I'm not sure, Dimitri.
Let's just say it's the end of an age.
Time to start building anew.
See you around, sweetheart.
It's a very tasty world.
You mean death?
Not necessarily, Mr. Cornelius.
The soul may awaken to liberation
yet continue to animate
the body it inhabits.
The eternal cycle.
In Brahma, you call these
recurring ages yugas, don't you?
That is so.
There are four.
The divisions are uneven but between them,
they encompass the whole
span of time from creation.
Smooth stuff, professor.
Yes, our present age
began on February the 18th
in the year 3102 B.C.
Really?
Yes, in the afternoon.
It is called Kali Yuga.
Sounds reasonable.
What's it mean?
What does it mean?
The dark age, Mr. Cornelius.
The long, dark age, and it's about to end.
The end of the world?
How long have we got?
A year or two, maybe less,
depending upon the speed of the collapse.
I'm glad you could make it.
A word before you leave.
An unfortunate moment to
choose, but may I ask,
what are your immediate plans?
Now that your father's dead,
was there a will perhaps?
We worked very closely
together, and ironically,
his death has coincided
with a monumental
breakthrough in our research.
There's still some specific information
which he kept at the house in England.
If you could arrange?
I'm quite sure it would be his wish.
At the house, huh?
Yes, in particular,
there was some microfilm.
It's absolutely vital
that I get hold of it,
if our work here is to continue!
You know what?
I'm thinking of getting rid of the house.
- Getting rid?
- Yep.
Blow it all up, I fancy.
When?
Well, the day after tomorrow
if I can get back in time.
But what about your brother, Frank?
I understand he never leaves the place.
Yeah, that's why the
idea appeals to me so much.
And your sister, Catherine?
What about her?
Well, now that Father's dead...
After an emergency
meeting of the senate,
the President agreed that
the sum of $600 million
be paid as compensation to
the five remaining survivors.
There will be no further
statement from the Pentagon,
although it is understood
here in Washington,
that a full scale inquiry
will be set up in the next 18 months.
In the meantime,
all training flights over
Europe have been canceled.
From Hanifa, North Lapland,
reports have been received of the death
of eminent biophysicist
Dr. Alexander Cornelius,
who for the past nine years
has lived in comparative isolation,
working in the field of advanced genetics.
It is not yet known whether his elder son,
Nobel Prize winner Jerry Cornelius,
will continue with his father's research.
Hello, sir.
It goes without saying, sir,
how very sorry I was to hear.
Always very good to me
he was, your father,
in his own sort of way.
Yeah.
Sorry I couldn't get
to the funeral, sir,
but you know how it is.
Oh, you didn't miss much.
Very flat, Lapland.
So I believe, sir.
Where's Catherine?
Is she in the cabin?
No, sir.
Is she here?
She's, uh...
What's the matter with her?
Dead?
No sir, she's not dead.
I think, well, you see,
Mr. Frank, he, uh...
Frank!
What's that sod been doing to her?
Get in the cabin.
Right, sir.
All right then, let's have it.
What's been going on?
I don't know, sir.
He won't let me set
eyes on Miss Catherine.
Seven weeks now, every time I ask he says,
"Well, she's sleeping.
She's been sleeping for seven weeks?
That's what he says, but
what kind of sleep is that?
There's stuff like this
all over the house.
Yes, that's Frank's writing.
The rat bastard!
Yes, he's been experimenting.
He's in a terrible state himself, sir.
Living off this stuff he is.
All he eats now is bars of
chocolate and strawberry jam.
That's no good for anyone, is it?
Now listen, she's still in her old room?
Oh yes, sir.
Right.
Then I'll be home tomorrow.
Oh, that's good news, sir.
But you'll kick him out
this time, won't you, sir?
I'm afraid the old place is going up.
For sale, sir?
For keeps.
Napalm probably.
Napalm, sir?
Yeah, I haven't made up my mind yet,
but you know what a traditionalist I am.
Yes indeed, sir.
Get Catherine out of the house
when you're around, can you manage?
I think so, sir, but
I'm still a bit confused.
Get her out tomorrow night.
Very well, sir, but where to?
The lodge on the far
side of the grounds.
Do it about 10 o'clock.
There'll be some small confusion.
You should be able to make
it easily enough in the dark.
I'll do it somehow, sir.
But what about Mr. Frank?
Frank, don't worry, I'll sort him out.
There's another thing, sir.
It's the house itself.
You remember what that old house is like.
I hadn't forgotten.
Major Lindbergh?
Certainly, certainly, and
if you see General Spratt,
well, just say that, just say
Wrongway Lindbergh called.
Now that's right, Wrongway.
The wrong way is the right way.
Not at all, not at all.
Pleasure doing business with you, sir.
Miserable son of bitch.
Morning sweetheart,
did you get the message?
- Well now, Jerry.
- Have any luck?
I want you to brace yourself,
because I think that I
can get you a Phantom.
Oh really?
What mark?
What mark?
An F-4D.
That means that you're gonna have
a J67-GE-15 turbo jets,
APQ-109 radar control.
Also an ASQ weapon release computer.
And on top of that,
you're gonna have an
ASG lead control gyro,
and if you can believe
it or not, beyond that,
there's an ASN-63 inertial
navigation system, amen.
And I doubt that you'll do better.
And what about the bloody drop tanks?
Well, what about the bloody drop tanks?
Well, I need them, don't I?
I want to push the range to over 3000.
Over 3000?
Where in the fuck are you going?
I don't care where you're going
because they're standard equipment.
Well, they weren't on the last one.
Well, you didn't get the
last one from me, did ya?
No, I didn't get the last one from you.
And you won't make that
mistake again, will you?
And now, if you don't mind my asking why,
where are you going?
Somewhere with a bit of sun.
Cambodia, I fancy.
Yeah, Cambodia, eh?
She'll need the rest.
Brotherly love, eh Jerry?
She's all I've got, really.
- Major?
- Yes?
Zurich has gone off the air again.
Holy Christ.
All I'm getting
are local frequencies.
Mostly intercom from Russian tanks.
Are they talking about me?
- No.
- No?
Well that's good, thank you, Hari.
Good god, that place must be a shambles.
You've heard about Amsterdam?
Yeah, some mistake.
Phew, 28 square miles of white ash.
For once, the Americans did a good job.
Oh well, you know things
are a little more stable
here now, thank Christ.
Stock exchange had another
good day, up three points.
The pound's even holding
its own against the yen.
That can't be bad.
Call coming through for you, Major.
Are you in?
Am I in?
Well, I don't know.
Who is it?
General Long.
General Long, General Long.
Who's General Long?
Who's he with?
Everybody's gotta be with
somebody, some of the time.
Blackthorn.
Blackthorn, thank you.
Yeah, General Long.
Jeez, it's General Wong!
Did we do anything about those MIGs?
You were calling him back.
Well, you should've reminded me.
See you, sweetheart.
Yeah Jerry, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, hello, General?
Yeah, excuse me.
What time is it where you are?
Oh hell, I was calling you?
Fixed, fixed, fixed.
Fixed.
All these machines are bent!
Are you riding me, man?
Not tonight, baby.
Hiya, Shades.
Mr. Jerry Cornelius, a
legend in his own lifetime.
Ta-da!
How's the assassination business?
Still up there at number one.
Two presidents and one queen,
how's that for top class?
Get away.
What about napalm?
- Napalm?
- Right.
Are you buying or selling?
Asking.
Who wants it, you?
Give me a couple of days.
Too long.
Shit, Jerry, come on.
No, tomorrow.
Tomorrow is Sunday.
So?
All the shops are shut.
Shit.
Okay, are you doing anything tomorrow?
I'll think about it.
Come on.
Get off.
Where is the fucking ball?
- Mr. Cornelius!
- Hello, darling.
We haven't seen much of you lately.
No, how's the stargazing business?
Can't complain, how about you dear?
Would you like your
chart read, your fortune?
Oh, come on, forget it.
I've been doing them now for 60 years.
Five, you didn't even start
'til they aged you out of the government.
Who have you been talking to?
You, dolly bucks.
They should've listened
to me, shouldn't they?
I mean, when I tell them
the apocalypse is coming,
they bloody well ought to listen.
Tomorrow, what's it for?
Commies?
No, malice domestic.
I may be having a little trouble.
I thought you'd like to come along.
If you stay, we'll forget it.
I'm still thinking.
Where'd you win that, here?
I didn't win it, I bought it.
Where?
Italy.
Do you know Rome at all?
We've met.
I love it.
It doesn't seem the
same without the Vatican.
Hmm, I like the new place better.
Jerry, Jerry?
About tomorrow.
Um, I've been having these pains in my,
Jerry?
In particular,
there was some microfilm.
It's absolutely vital
that I get hold of it
if our work here is to continue!
Stay here, Dimitri.
My watch has stopped.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
12:41 and 40 seconds.
Dr. Smiles is late.
Of course.
This should be interesting.
I've never heard him back out
of anything he said he'd do.
Why are you all so sad?
Dr. Smiles?
He's reliable, Miss Brunner.
It's unusual to find
such confidence these days.
I'm not sure, gentlemen,
whether we should include this
Mr. Cornelius at all, hmm?
Surely we have no alternative.
No?
What's to stop us going now?
He's not expecting anything.
He could be useful,
but he's not essential.
As far as we know,
he could be planning some
kind of double-cross already.
I stand to lose too much.
Miss Brunner, we all
stand to lose too much.
Quite right, Dr. Powys.
Well, I'm sure when you meet him,
he'll pass even the Brunner test.
If I meet him.
He's the random factor.
Involving someone else at this late stage
could jeopardize our work badly.
With respect, Miss Brunner,
I would like to point out that...
And if he doesn't come,
do you propose to abandon the whole idea?
Of course not.
Abort the Final Programme?
- Unthinkable.
- Quite.
You know better, Miss Brunner.
I think we all feel.
Feel away, Dr. Smiles.
Having come this far,
shouldn't we surely start
with a little due caution?
Of course!
We wouldn't have gotten this
far if we'd been cautious.
I think you're all growing soft.
Overripe, Dr. Smiles.
But last time was different.
Here the risks are enormous.
The risks are a part of it, gentlemen.
We know where the house stands.
But without Cornelius,
we would never get in.
That's the truth!
Right on time, Mr. Cornelius.
Dr. Smiles.
My colleagues, Dr. Powys, Dr. Lucas,
and this is Miss Brunner.
How soon do you want us there?
There's a map.
The reference is marked.
There's a village school.
We'll meet you there about eight o'clock.
The house itself is
three miles further up.
We'll do the last lap together.
Oh, Mr. Cornelius,
your motives in helping
us seem a trifle obscure.
How 'bout revenge?
Will that do?
Revenge?
Ah yes, grudges, that sort of thing.
Very sound motive.
Let's call it revenge then.
Well, until tonight.
- That was all a bit bizarre.
- Hmm, yes.
I don't trust him either, Miss Brunner.
Yes, possibilities, Dimitri.
Germination creates the tree,
destroys a seed, and
preserves the species.
The joiner creates the table,
destroys a tree, but preserves the wood.
Such parallels do well to
illustrate the narrowing down
of all religions to one conclusion.
Take hold of that.
The more I read in scientific papers,
the more confused I become
between what I was taught as a Hindu
and what I have since
learned as a physicist.
But if spiritual and
scientific values combine,
then there is new hope.
The dark age is over.
I foresee the world plunged
into chaos and torment
far beyond anything previously
experienced by mankind.
I'm afraid it will be science returned.
I read your books today.
Oh really?
Heady stuff.
Time searched through
the declining West,
towards the ultimate
paradox and the ethical...
- Simulation?
- Ethical simulation.
Yes, I'm impressed.
I'm embarrassed.
Oh really?
Yeah, I thought I destroyed every copy.
You don't believe in
that stuff anymore then?
Well, I wrote them when I
thought I knew all the answers.
All of them?
Yeah.
Well, well.
Now I realize I'm just
beginning to know the questions.
What are the questions?
You're pushy, Miss Brunner.
What are these questions?
It would be nice to know
the amount of useful knowledge
a man can learn, would it not?
What the limit is?
The limit, Mr. Cornelius?
What are you, Miss Brunner?
What?
All right then, who, if you prefer it.
I like what better.
Yeah, I thought you would.
I'm a programmer of some...
- Experience?
- Yes, that's right.
So, it's computers?
It's computers.
Well, what do you compute?
And for whom?
I'm freelance.
- Freelance?
- This and that.
This and that?
Well, there's a lot of it about.
Continental divides, wars, famines.
Juicy stuff, Miss Brunner.
And what's your little game at the moment?
Program the sum total
of all human knowledge.
Get away!
Program immortality.
What's that worth?
The program for immortality,
Mr. Cornelius, what's that worth?
I never buy programs.
- Dead on time.
- It stopped again.
Hello.
Frank's probably got the house right now,
so from now on it's a foot job.
Sorry about that.
I must come with you.
No Dimitri,
not you, especially not you.
Miss Brunner, please.
She is right, Dimitri.
You're much too valuable to us.
You wait here.
We won't be long.
My place is with her, by her side.
No, not yet, my friend.
Dimitri should be all right now.
He's reasonably adequate.
Slightly emotional,
but when you picked him out,
he was a perfect subject.
Yes he was, Dr. Smiles.
Let's just hope he still is.
- What about him?
- Who, Dimitri?
Yeah, is he a scientist too?
- No, he's a Greek.
- Oh, the house.
It must be miscommunication, surely...
Get down over there!
Don't look at the light!
Come on, move!
Now, the lights are coming from the house.
It's just across the water.
They're designed to cause pseudo-epilepsy.
You wouldn't have
believed it, so quickly.
I have to say, incredible.
It also causes complete
destruction of the inner ear.
Yeah, it used to take 30 seconds.
Frank's probably been
pissing around with it.
Now just stay here, keep
your heads down, wait for me.
Right, fixed it.
So follow me, keep your
eyes on the ground.
Ah, synthetized.
Reacting only to a Cornelius fingerprint.
Well, it ain't much but it's home.
Oh, just a thought,
by the time we get there,
he'll probably have
activated the whole house.
What does that mean?
Hmm, you'll see.
This lift, where actually are we going?
We're going up to the main hall.
Up?
I could swear we're going down.
Those lights really got
to you, didn't they, Lucas?
Well, this is getting more
dangerous than we expected.
It could be a lift to armed
men, mercenaries, you know?
Who actually is here in this place?
Well, John would've
got Catherine out by now.
It just leaves Frank to deal with.
- Oh, well that doesn't...
- Shut up!
Now stay there, stand still,
don't move until I get back.
Well, where are you going?
Why are you leaving us here?
I'm going up to the main
control room, children.
There's just a chance
that Frank's so stoned
he's forgotten to do the
business with the lever.
How long?
A couple of minutes.
Then I'll come too.
Ah well, so far, so good.
Nice to hear the art of
conversation isn't dead.
What's all the fuss about,
all this bloody ritual?
After all, it's only a house.
Knowing his father,
I have a feeling it's
rather more than that.
What's that smoke?
I don't like the look of that.
Smoke?
It's not smoke.
Gas, back to the lift quickly!
Cornelius!
There's a door over here.
- Thank God, that's over.
- But is it?
Anyway, how will the
other two get through?
Well, they can't come through there.
When the gas is clear they...
We can't,
oh fuck, we can't warn them.
I knew it would be a disaster.
I knew it would!
It's hard to think.
My throat's burning, I need a drink.
Two minutes he said.
Mine's stopped.
So has mine.
So has mine.
Well, at least they're synchronized.
Well, what's that ticking?
Here it is.
Don't touch it!
Someone's been in here.
How'd he get out?
That's the point of it.
- The door.
- What door?
Another door.
There must be another door somewhere.
Here, this looks like a door.
No, it's only a bloody black queen.
I've got it!
- What?
- Look at this.
The clue is in this music
written by Cornelius himself.
It's called, "Checkmate in Three Parts."
First part, black and white, moderato.
Second part, the castle, allegro.
Third part, the king is dead, finale.
Well, if that's the
door, how does it open?
Don't you see, you fool?
When it's in check, mate.
Are you all right?
Yes, of course.
It's a graze.
It only touched me.
- Nothing else for it.
- No.
Are you all right, Powys?
Yes, of course.
Some sort of inflationary device.
It triggered up when
we entered the house.
Oh, the stupid bastards.
Come on!
Are you sure you're all right, Powys?
Yes, I'm all right.
It must be this direction, come on!
This direction.
Come on, Powys!
Powys!
Rhesus negative.
Wait here, wake them up.
Come on.
This time bloody do what I tell you
and don't touch anything!
Where's Frank?
Don't worry, I'll find him.
Is that the safe?
No, it's the main door,
but he'll have changed the combination.
Without him, the game's up.
Then get him.
All right!
How do we know he'll open it?
Threaten to keep him off his junk.
He'll just fall apart.
He'll open the safe,
all right, but remember,
whatever you do, leave him to me.
He can be very tricky.
John?
What the hell are you doing here?
I'm all right, sir.
Did you get Catherine out?
I got her as far as this, but...
Well, where is she?
It was about 10:00, sir, as you said.
Everything was going smoothly.
She was awake, sir.
Oh, she was awake, sir.
I think I'm dying, sir.
I think so.
Well, what happened?
Alarm went off, sir.
Mr. Frank, he run in
and saw us standing there on the stairs.
He put Miss Catherine down and then...
Then he shot me, sir.
I'm terribly sorry.
So you bloody well should be.
Well, where did he put her?
Did he say anything?
He said, he said he was
putting her back into bed, sir.
Catherine?
Catherine?
Catherine?
What's the trouble?
Would someone have the impertinence
to come into Miss Catherine's
room without permission?
Whoever you are,
I'll give you hell for
invading my sister's privacy!
If she's harmed or disturbed of any worth!
Frank?
- What?
- You know it's me.
And you're shitting yourself.
Now all I want is Catherine.
Why don't you come in and we'll talk?
Well, you can
forget about that door, Jerry!
You'll never know what I fixed her, Jerry.
I'm the only one who can wake her up.
She is well turned on.
Pull out your needle
and come out with your veins clear, Frank.
What you need is some temporal
cure, that's what I'm on.
Time fix is my remedy for everyone.
Don't you feel those millions
of years waiting in your spine, huh?
Waiting to find out what
happened to your back brain,
your midbrain, your forebrain?
You never know you had
so many brains, Jerry.
Until temporex starts
opening 'em up for you.
You're still writing those
bleeding awful commercials?
Well, why don't you
ask Sleeping Beauty here?
Look, she's waking up!
Jerry!
Catherine, keep still.
Jerry, Frank, stop it!
Jerry!
That needle could work itself
up into your heart, Jerry.
So, I'll get a magnet!
You've got something in those needles.
Here's your universal killer.
I'll see you in the next time phase.
Oh, I'm sorry the family reunion
hasn't been a great success.
Just the man I wanted to see.
Ugh, please fix now.
You get the fix when
we get the microfilm.
I'll tell you where it
is as soon as I get my fix!
Oh, I say.
Come, come, Mr. Cornelius.
Pull yourself together!
You know that the microfilm
is in the strongroom.
Yes, we do.
And if I open it?
That's the idea.
All right!
I've forgotten it.
Well, remember, darling.
Well, remember, darling.
Is that it then?
That's it.
Come Frank, we can't
go meeting like this.
You can make it.
Darling, that's a good boy.
Come, give it to me.
Come on, come on darling, give it to me.
Oh, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Oh, one thing before you open it.
Catherine!
Catherine!
Catherine!
All right, all right.
Calm down, all right.
You're all right.
You're all right.
There, all right.
Where the hell is this place?
You're in Sunnydale's Nursing Home,
Mr. Cornelius, and you're much better.
Am I?
Am I better?
Much!
They brought you here after
that accident at the fun fair.
The trick gun went off the
wrong way and shocked you,
something like that anyway.
Oh dear, something like that.
Are all nursing homes called Sunnydale's?
Most of them.
You know the last
person who was nursing me
was wearing an ivory
ring through her nose.
In this country we're
not allowed to advertise.
Oh shit!
You had three specialists.
Your friend insisted on the best.
Miss Brunner, a tall job?
I don't know her name.
Mr. Cornelius.
What do you want now, Flo?
Try and get some sleep.
But I don't need any sleep.
I know you don't, but it's
much easier to run a hospital
with all the patients sleeping.
It's the easiest way to run
the world for that matter.
So, Mr. Cornelius,
what are you going to do now?
I think I'll go home, Professor.
Seeing as my world is coming to an end,
I might as well be there to
watch it when it happens.
I can only pray that
out this world of anarchy
and hysteria some supreme
being will emerge,
a new Messiah, born of the age of science.
Has that Messiah been
born yet, I wonder?
It is more important,
who will recognize him if he has?
How nice of you to show up.
I thought I'd rung for a taxi.
I know, I intercepted your call.
Where's the Greek then?
He's resting.
Yeah, I'll bet.
I'm taking you out to dinner.
How nice, I hope I don't let you down.
Let's have some wine.
Would you like
something to wash it down?
What can you recommend?
We have red, white,
and some sparkling rose,
guaranteed all chateau dehydrated.
What's that one?
That's a very good Sauternes specialty.
It's double sweet, it goes with anything.
Yeah, I'll bet.
It's fortified with natural saccharine.
And what's that one?
Industrial waste from the
Beaujolais district of France.
Perfect, give me some.
Hey, are you sure it's
from the right bank?
Jesus sir, I don't know
what side the factory's on!
Well, it'll do.
You won't regret it.
Ah, I think I can see Jenny.
Jenny's a new girl.
I've got her on trial.
Doubtless you'll find her guilty.
But insane.
Hello Jenny, my sweet.
This is Mr. Cornelius.
Hello, Mr. Cornelius.
Hello, darling.
Are you fixed destiny-wise?
Ah, sit down, dear, and don't fidget.
You're a friend of hers?
I don't know, it's hard to tell.
Yes, I know exactly what you mean.
Are you interested, in Frank?
Oh, sod Frank!
I'm talking about Frank.
Are you interested?
In finding him?
- And the microfilm.
- Of course.
What nationality?
Van Doren, uh, Dutch?
- Dutch?
- No, Swedish.
A Swedish passport?
Well, I don't know, do I?
He prints his own.
He's a Swedish national.
- He knows Frank?
- Yeah, I guess so.
- He knows Frank!
- Yes, sure he does.
And Frank knows where to find him?
- Yes.
- Good.
Well, that narrows it down to three.
Schmidt, Van Doren,
and Baxter.
Are we finished yet?
- We've just started.
- Hmm.
Data process?
The problem is geographical, three hits.
Oh goody, you've cleared up.
Yes, it was in a bit of a mess.
All those, all those questions.
Yeah, I didn't expect
the Spanish Inquisition.
God, you'd enough like
biscuits, don't you?
Yeah.
Yeah, what's she doing now?
She's dialing the computer.
Well, at this time?
Is it cheaper after six?
Now then.
How much is she going to find out on me,
from a computer?
How blue your eyes are, Jenny.
Yeah.
Utmost urgency, Brunner.
I'll get confirmation in the morning,
but at the moment,
everything points to Turkey.
- All right.
- How are we gonna get there?
Well, I've got a plane and a chopper.
Tell me about your plane.
It's a Phantom jet.
- Well, you look ahead.
- I look around.
The head's here already.
Hey, sunshine.
This plane is only a two-seater, you know?
We'll cross that bridge
when we come to it.
Right, you pedal, I'll steer.
What should we play?
She'll be all right here with me.
I don't know that one.
Oh yes, I do.
Well, should you feel like the
real thing during the night,
you know where to come.
You all right?
I always carry my own toothbrush.
You'll find a socket for
your razor above the sink.
Blown it.
That's enough, dear.
Beautiful, Jenny.
I've always wanted to play like that.
Morning campers!
I didn't know you played, Miss Brunner.
I'm quite enjoying it.
- Morning.
- What's the time?
Where's, uh, where's Jenny?
Oh, she's consulting somebody else.
Don't worry about it.
Well, I fear I should.
Ignore the feeling.
Yeah, I'm fearing I
should do that as well.
You know, I keep thinking about
that bit with Jenny last night.
- How apparent.
- Yeah, a strange chick.
How did you find her?
Delicious.
You know, it's a bit
of a long shot, isn't it?
Coming out to a dump like this
on the strength of one phone call.
I hope your computer's right.
Hello.
Right, there's the train.
Where's Frank?
Okay smart ass, where's Baxter?
Get in.
Yeah, that's him.
Greedy old bastard.
He flogged half my father's secrets
before the old man sussed him out.
So, he
could know the secret
of the microfilm too?
Yeah, I guess so.
Everybody does except me.
Of course it was your father
who drove me to this exile here.
Delighted to hear he's dead.
That doesn't surprise you?
No.
It doesn't surprise you?
No!
Look, what about his microfilm?
Look!
Why don't you have a drink?
Libation?
Local stuff, not so bad when you get used.
Well, what about it?
About what?
The microfilm!
What about it?
Well, can you sell it?
It depends who wants it.
Well, do you want it?
It depends what's on it, Frank.
I suppose, me too.
Somebody tried to knock the
shit out of me to get it,
so it must be important, right?
Well, you know what the old man was into.
Engineering, computers, Lapland.
Lapland?
Oh, the flight.
Let's have a look at it.
Cool trick.
Yeah, not bad.
You know, it's almost 10 year
since I set eyes on a Cornelius.
Yeah?
Well, you better have a good
look 'cause I'm the last one.
What about Jerry?
I shot him, day before yesterday.
Dead?
That's a relief anyways.
I thought he might've been
on the jet last night.
Jet, what jet?
Some jet, got American markings.
Passed the village,
local people say it came down
other side of the mountain.
Crashed or what?
No, no, immaculate landing.
How many people?
Two aboard, a man and a woman.
Shit.
I thought the other might've been Jerry.
Yeah, that sounds like him, man.
I thought you said you'd killed him?
No, I said I shot him!
Jerry!
I should let them get
on with it, Dr. Baxter.
Boys will be boys, after all.
That's a long time, Doctor.
Well, we never finished it.
You do realize the potential, Miss?
Brunner.
Old man Cornelius,
he kept things to himself more and more.
He didn't see the commercial possibility.
Of course the inevitable will happen.
It frequently does.
I see you understand.
I mean, why should they blame me for?
The Chinese?
Whatever the first.
It's not that I'm poor, quite the reverse.
I'm just waiting for the golden
opportunity to come along.
Aren't we all?
Glad you could make it, Jerry!
Bloody sod!
I've been thinking what to do.
I'm gonna set your balls to your thighs.
Who told you I had any?
Everyone's got thighs!
So I could tempt myself
right in the yard with you.
Miss Silvers, for possession actually.
Women.
Women.
Well, they come up to the village to wash.
Stuff like that.
Yes, but it's not quite the same.
It can't be.
You're so unlike yourself.
Well exactly, you see some men...
But not you.
Where's Baxter then?
Well, he's somewhere inside.
Inside who?
I suppose he went the same way as Jenny.
Something like that.
Poor sod.
It's the way I have of
getting the best out of people.
Tell me, what do you do with the bones?
So Mr. Cornelius, what
are you going to do now?
Look, Miss Brunner, you've
got the bloody microfilm.
I thought by now you'd be losing interest.
Now, I hate long goodbyes, so piss off!
What
are you going to do now?
Well, for a start,
I'm gonna sit here and get
smashed out of my mind!
And I also have it on very good authority
that the world is coming to an end.
So, I thought I'd go home
and watch it on television.
- Typical.
- Yes, typical!
Come to Lapland with me.
Lapland!
What's in Lapland, for God's sake?
DUEL, Decimal Units Electronic Linkage.
Oh, another one of your
potsy machines, I suppose?
The most complex computer in the world.
In what world?
Come, Mr. Cornelius.
You can't manipulate the inevitable.
Well, I'll
have a bloody good try.
You've cut it very fine.
Do you realize how much time
you've got, Miss Brunner?
Just over 45 minutes.
Mr. Cornelius.
Hello, sweeties.
We weren't expecting you.
Well, just carry on
as though I wasn't here.
How much does he know?
Mr. Cornelius is here as an...
Observer?
Right.
You could say I'm seeking sanctuary.
Why now?
No, don't let's go into all that.
Nevertheless, it is a curious coincidence
that you should suddenly
appear now, isn't it?
Isn't it?
Do you know anything at
all of your father's work?
Well, we didn't talk much.
We just sort of passed messages.
It you had stayed a little
longer after his funeral,
I could've shown you around.
Ah, that's what you say now, honey.
You could have, but whether you would.
Mr. Cornelius, we've
got nothing to hide.
Then Miss Brunner,
you could've fooled me.
Miss Brunner, just
why have you brought him
at such a critical moment?
Why not?
He could prove useful and
has every right to be here.
Every right?
He's the last of the Cornelius line.
Is your appetite insatiable?
Who the hell does she think she is?
You should know that by now, Lucas.
Hey, you know I could live here.
It's one of the old K-class.
21 knots submerged.
I had one a few years ago.
What happened?
I sank.
I always
thought it was supposed to.
So, this was Daddy's summer place.
Well, is this it?
It's a bit primitive, isn't it?
It's not quite the
sophisticated sort of thing
you led me to believe, Miss Brunner.
This
isn't our final project.
It's the remains of one
founded by the Nazis.
Oh yeah, it would fit in very well
with our whole earth theory, wouldn't it?
Another world somewhere beneath our own,
with an entrance deep in the Arctic.
The
classic security fixation.
Yeah, well scientific mysticism,
there's always a big German hangar.
A sort of dress rehearsal
for the real, Doctor.
The twilight of the gods.
Or humanity.
Or both.
You mentioned the
word sanctuary earlier.
Have you come here for refuge?
Well, call it what you like,
but the dark age is ending.
Oh, when?
According to a few
friends of mine, very soon.
You think civilization's
about to blow itself apart?
No, that's one luxury it can't afford.
Why, the Third World War's
been going on for years,
but everybody's been so busy
watching the bleeding
commercials, they haven't noticed.
I thought he was obsolete.
No, Mr. Cornelius, not yet.
Hello?
He's very clean.
Well, cleanliness is next to godliness,
but the two should never be confused.
This way.
Well, there she is.
The most complex computer in the world.
Do not touch.
She's called DUEL.
Does she spin dry as well?
It's all a bit do it
yourself, isn't it, lovely?
We are not interested
in refined aesthetics,
but in creative science
and technological knowhow.
Do you know what that is?
Well, it's got to be
a brainwashing machine.
I've told you, we've got
the best brains in Europe
working for us, Mr. Cornelius.
You're looking at one now.
This is Hans Lieberman, a great brain.
A very old friend of mine.
Yes, salt of the earth.
Radio astronomy.
He died?
About four months ago.
But fortunately...
His brain is as good as ever.
Well, how did you get it?
The behavior patterns of the next of kin
make him a fascinating study,
don't you think, Mr. Cornelius?
I can think of nobody better suited
to capitalize on bereavement
than yourself, Miss Brunner.
Oh, Professor Harrison
is resting at the moment.
Okay.
So, you've got all the
best brains in Europe.
What are they all doing?
They are feeding DUEL.
We, and Miss Brunner, of course,
have systemized and related
their combined intelligence
into one comprehensive equation.
That equation has been fed
back into the computer and...
And now, it knows it all.
The sum total of human knowledge.
Everything.
Okay, so it's all in there.
So, what's it doing?
Our problem has been to feed
back that combined knowledge
into a human brain and still
keep it functioning normally.
But it will never work.
Tell me why.
No brain could possibly
accept such an enormous charge.
It would blow all its circuits.
Not one brain, Mr. Cornelius,
but two.
What's it made of, radiation?
Radiation, no, much more than that.
High energy radiation
as you probably know,
may give rise to profound changes
in the properties of substances,
and in particular, alpha
particles and neutrons may cause,
because of their electrical charge,
severe atomic displacement.
Now I'm not speaking only of ionization.
These rapidly moving particles
charged to produce atomic recoils
cause secondary recoils,
and it is this that produces
the most damage at the end of the scale.
I'm speaking of the field of
rapid heating and quenching.
I expect you're talking
about the thermal spike.
It must be obvious
to you, Mr. Cornelius,
that these processes
alter profoundly the structure of solids.
But the damaged alloy will then exist
in a state of metastable equilibrium.
The whole theory of binary alloy or...
But we've improved this!
We've taken the irradiation
out of the role of alloys
into the field on biological kinetics.
Yeah, but why here?
Why in bloody Lapland?
Professor Lucas?
At this time of the year,
the sun's rays remain in view
for six consecutive weeks.
Okay lovely, so the sun doesn't set.
But we're up north.
The rays here are at their weakest.
Ah, but your father's
work was based on time,
not on natural intensity.
To solve this problem, he built this.
Up there, it's open to the sky.
The center here is a giant prism.
For the last few weeks,
the sun's rays have been filtering in,
and we have been storing its energy.
And in a few minutes,
the sun's rays will have
saturated every inch.
So, that's why Lapland.
Your father has already used its energy,
with impressive results.
Last year, he induced conditions
accelerating the birth process.
A giant incubator?
What can it all mean?
I ask myself.
There's no time left
for further explanations.
You'll see the evidence for
yourself in a few minutes.
So Miss Brunner, the microfilm.
I've already broken it down.
It's a simple flowchart, as you can see.
Thank you.
Ready to be fed into the computer.
Excellent.
There are exactly 14 minutes left.
You better go and prepare yourself.
Of course.
Mr. Cornelius, perhaps
you'd like to stay?
I'm sure you'll find it very interesting.
I'm sure I shall.
Oh, tell you what,
I'll just nip downstairs
and get a few biccies.
That's odd.
My father's incubator I can understand.
DUEL I can understand, just.
But how do they relate?
I mean, what's the end product?
The microfilm is the link
between the two processes.
DUEL has been ready for some days.
The sunroom you've seen for yourself.
So, what's about to happen?
We're about to produce
an all-purpose human being.
An hermaphrodite in every respect.
It's self-fertilizing,
self-regenerating, immortal.
Repeating itself over and over again.
Retaining knowledge with the help of DUEL.
And do you,
do you think that two brains
are enough to accomplish all this?
Yes, and two bodies.
Oh, two bodies.
That means, you and Dimitri.
Yes, something like that.
Shit, the Greek!
You crazy bitch!
You tried to kill me.
It seemed like a good idea.
It wasn't really your destiny, Dimitri.
Hey, Miss Brunner!
Where the hell are you
going, for God's sake?
So it's him, is it?
Now Dimitri, what about piss off?
Take that!
Now let that be a lesson to you!
Fuck off, you Greek maniac!
Geronimo!
Oh shit!
Oh no, you're still here?
That's my bleeding, stop it!
Help, Miss Brunner!
I'm losing!
It's my destiny, Cornelius!
Well, you took your fucking time!
Miss Brunner, what is going on?
Why did you shoot Cornelius?
I didn't, I shot Dimitri.
Dimitri?
But Miss Brunner, he is vital to the plan!
You're wrong, Dr. Smiles.
In fact, we all were.
He's the ideal subject.
His father's microfilm
names him explicitly.
Why do you think I brought him here?
For the Final Programme?
Exactly.
Quickly, or it will be too late.
She's right, Lucas!
Hey, I'm losing an awful lot of blood.
I think I'm going to die.
Nonsense, quite the opposite.
Oh, careful lads.
What the
hell's going on here?
Where's Dimitri?
- She shot him!
- Who, Dimitri?
Yes!
We're going ahead with Jerry Cornelius.
Oh, you old man!
Don't worry.
You'll be all right here with me.
How the hell do we know
it's going to work with him?
That my friends, is in the lap of God.
But all our researches
were based on the
Dimitri-Brunner equations.
Thermal vibration, zero resistance.
I know that.
This new relationship demands
massive new adjustments.
We must make them.
What?
Five minutes is all we've got.
Yes.
Oh, you're crazy!
Well, all right, what's
his metabolic rate then?
- 40.
- 45.
See, hopeless.
All right, set it for 10.
- It's too low.
- Make it 20.
All right, I'll set it
somewhere between 10...
We could compensate.
I'm a scientist, I can't go
guessing and messing around!
Don't argue, Powys.
Think of it,
self-fertilizing,
self-regenerating human beings.
Immortal, down through the ages.
Oh Christ.
I chose you, Jerry.
I chose you for the Final Programme.
Now listen, Smiles, I'm
going ahead with this,
but I warn you, it's your responsibility.
Use the booster.
We must go through with this.
What's the alternative?
Another year with Miss Brunner.
Come to me, Jerry.
Come to me.
Do you know everything?
I'm anxious to be God.
You and me, immortal.
No!
Is there no more than God himself?
Can't you feel our bodies merging?
We shall be the new Messiah!
No Miss Brunner, you were wrong.
We shall be the new Messiah!
How are the brains standing up?
Not ideal.
Some sort of cross link
we hadn't accounted for.
Oh, I hope to God she
hasn't underestimated him!
No!
No!
So you are,
are you Messiah?
I'm not sure, Dimitri.
Let's just say it's the end of an age.
Time to start building anew.
See you around, sweetheart.
It's a very tasty world.