A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers Script - Dialogue Transcript
Voila! Finally, the A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers script is here for all you fans of the Wayne Wang movie. This puppy is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of the movie to get the dialogue. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and all that jazz, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. At least you'll have some A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers quotes (or even a monologue or two) to annoy your coworkers with in the meantime, right?
And swing on back to Drew's
Script-O-Rama afterwards -- because reading is good for your noodle. Better than Farmville, anyway.
A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers Script
This is the rocket scientist
I was sitting next to on the plane.
Mr. Shi, this is
my sister Barb.
Oh,
how do you do?
My daughter.
- Oh, hi. I'm Yilan.
- Hi. Nice to meet you.
Mr. Shi told me the most
fascinating stories.
Old stories.
I'm retired.
Well, you have a
wonderful visit in America.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. Bye-bye.
Yilan...
Yilan.
Yilan.
Huh?
Eh?
Good afternoon, sir.
Hello?
No, thanks.
Good morning.
Good morning.
What are you writing?
Nothing.
Well, it's a beautiful day.
Uh, yes.
Uh...
You no work today.
You no work yesterday.
Good.
Yeah, well, I'm unemployed
at the moment.
I can't seem
to find a job.
What you do?
Oh, well, I studied to be
a forensic scientist.
- Scientist?
- Yeah. Uh-huh.
Oh, good good.
I scientist--
rocket scientist.
Oh my God,
that is so cool.
That is so cool.
I want to be
a forensic scientist.
Have you ever been
in a cadaver lab?
It's very peaceful.
It's very peaceful.
We once had a brain that we
sliced up like a loaf of bread--
Well, pretty much everything
sliced up for our convenience.
A lot of people think
I'm weird and morbid,
but I think I have a very
sunny outlook on things.
Oh, yes,
you like sun.
- Uh-huh. Yes.
- Good good.
Uh, goodbye.
Oh, bye. Bye.
Bye-bye.
Good weather.
Uh...
Ci-cah-das.
Ci-cah-das?
Ci-cah-das?
Down.
Sleep.
17 years.
Come up.
Sing.
Jirjirak.
Jirjirak.
Jirjirak.
Aha.
Sing one summer-- die.
Zari-Jon, salom.
To park.
Adult school.
Friend.
Salom.
Hello in Farsi--
salom.
Salom.
Say salom.
- Say salom.
- No, salom.
Salom.
Salom, hello--
Chini...?
Ni Hao.
Ni Hao.
Telephone.
Cell phone.
Have cell phone?
No?
My wife--
Oh. Oh.
She die.
No phone.
No cell phone.
Cancer.
Liver cancer.
Good afternoon, sir.
How you do?
Good good.
This is Elder Reilly
and I'm Elder Leach.
How are you today, sir?
Good.
Good.
You look like you're a little
worried about something.
Are you okay?
Sir, have you ever thought
about finding answers
to all the questions
you have?
America
like cold water.
No good to stomach.
Stomach?
Sir, have you ever heard
of the prophet Joseph Smith?
Or of this book,
the Book of Mormon?
Joseph Smith brought the
Book of Mormon to the world
and we believe it
to be
the most correct book
on the earth.
Uh...
"awake, my sons.
Put on the armor
of righteousness.
Shake off the chains
with which you are bound
and come forth
out of obscurity
and arise
from the dust."
What it means is
this is a prophet
and he is talking
to his sons.
And he's telling them
to break--
break out of the chains,
to be strong.
To stand up.
Workers in the world,
come together.
You free.
You have world.
You know who said this?
No, I'm afraid not, sir.
Marx, Engels.
You too young.
Is he a Chinese wise man?
Yes, clever.
Sir, there are
many wise sayings
by many wise people,
but what we seek
to learn,
what helps us
answer the questions
we have
are the words
of the prophets of God.
I not know
your god.
China no have god.
That's why we're here
talking to you, sir.
Yes yes.
Do you have any questions?
Questions many many.
I not know English.
Would you like some
Chinese missionaries--
speak to missionaries
to help you understand?
I see you--
I remember myself.
1948.
Communist.
Okay.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
I finish book--
I see you.
"Indian summer."
"Indian summer."
"Indian summer."
one little,
two little
three little
indians...
My daughter--
My daughter--
she not happy.
Oh.
It's good.
Have daughter is good.
Be happy.
Yes.
Her husband--
He go China,
no back.
No back.
Eh?
I ask.
My daughter
no talk.
Yes.
Yes, my husband,
husband of mine left.
Left.
Uh,
Another woman?
My-- husband of mine
uh...
three...
three years.
America.
Iran-- return.
- Oh.
- Return to hell.
Men--
Idea.
Idea.
Communist.
Huh?
I study Russian.
Communist.
Communist--
Communist no bad.
Communist in bad hands.
Bad hand, bad foot,
bad Kalle.
Communist bad.
I-- I love America.
Yes yes.
- Yes yes.
- Yes?
Me?
Thank you.
I love America.
My son,
big son,
here-- doctor.
Good life.
Good car.
Good house.
All America.
You have son-- good.
My daughter
close to mama.
I make rocket.
We no talk.
I-- no good father.
"Seeking."
"Men seeking men."
"Women seeking women."
Hello.
Oh, hi.
Well, if every child did the
right thing with the parent,
We would lose half of our
traditional Chinese literature.
Yes, you're right.
Yeah, I'll try.
All right, I'll see you
in a little bit, okay?
Bye.
I need go.
You come.
I know here.
You sorry.
I sorry.
Oh.
Baby son.
Son baby son come.
Oh.
- Son have son.
- Son have son.
Baby son.
Grandson.
Grandmama.
Where grandson?
Hospital.
I go hospital.
Where you go?
Friend,
my friend drive.
Oh, no.
I take bus.
How do you do, madam?
Hello, sir.
Sit.
I must tell to you
something.
I had daughter.
Where?
In Iran.
Not here?
No, not here.
She died in Iran.
Look look.
Beautiful.
War.
Eight years war.
Two crazy men--
Lose daughter.
Lose daughter.
Sad story.
You look good side.
You two sons.
You baby grandson.
You grandmama.
You good.
You good.
Eh?
Hello there.
How do you do?
Can I help you?
I looking something.
Take your time.
I have a feeling
I have here in my store
Exactly what you're
looking for.
So what are you
looking for?
Present-- my daughter.
Something old,
very old.
I see.
How about this?
A friend of mine has a
trading post in Montana.
His great-grandfather
used this knife
in Custer's last stand.
Have you ever been
to the museum in Montana?
You see, Custer stood
maybe about that tall.
He had little feet--
Sorry.
Something good luck.
I see.
Now I get you.
What about this--
Good luck
for Native Americans?
Good luck American.
Native Americans.
American Indians.
These bears
were very special
and thought to possess
magic powers.
The spirit of the bear--
very good luck, see?
I can find the tribal
certificate if you want to see.
Forget the certificate.
Take my word,
it's one of a kind.
Is this old?
Well, honestly,
maybe it's not
that old
but if you want something
from 300 years ago,
you need to pay
big bucks.
And this conceptually
is as old as
a 300-year-old piece.
Hello?
- Dad.
Oh, Yilan.
Hello.
No one is available to take your call.
Please leave a message
after the tone.
Yilan...
Wei?
Good morning.
I go here.
Oh, I'm going downtown and I can
transfer you to the right bus.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Sir, your I.D., please.
I look--
I'm sorry, sir,
this facility
is only for
the college community.
She work here, library.
My daughter.
My daughter work--
I'm sorry, sir,
but this facility
is for law students and
college community only.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
Okay.
I'm father.
Hello.
Madam okay?
Grandson okay?
Madam fine.
Grandson fine.
She wasn't going to the
hospital to see her grandson.
I moved her into
the retirement home.
Retire home?
Old people home.
Old people
home.
Madam big son,
doctor--
she say
he take care madam.
Big house.
Not anymore.
Him and his wife--
they don't want madam
to take care
of their baby.
Yilan...
Yilan...
- Mister manager.
- Yes, sir.
Uh, more bus?
No, sir, that was
the last one for tonight.
My daughter no home.
I wait.
The least she could have
done was giving you a call
And saying that she'd either
be out late with friends
- Or working late.
- Yes yes.
I spent 11 years
with the C.I.A.,
so when my kids would
take off for a little while
I always knew
where they were,
or at least
I thought I did.
C.I.A.?
Mm-hmm, yes, I was
with them 11 years.
But, you know, our kids
worry us all the time.
We feed them. We clothe
them. We love them.
And then they turn
around and they bite us.
I worry.
I worry.
Well, that's all we
can do as a parent,
is worry and hope,
you know?
Hope good.
Hope good.
I'll have to agree
with you there.
You know,
when she gets home
sit down and have a
little talk with her.
And if that doesn't work, give
her a swift kick in the shins.
Good night, sir.
You have a good evening.
Oh, good.
Thank you.
You know, in China
we have an old saying--
What does it mean?
"It takes 300 years
of prayers
to cross a river
in a boat with someone.
It takes 3,000 years
of prayers
to share a pillow
with someone."
How many prayers
did we say?
Not enough for us to
become husband and wife.
You know,
you probably
should work
on getting your wife and
daughter to come to America.
I'll see if I can get
another Russian class
to T.A. next semester.
You may think
how much money you make
is important
to your daughter,
but maybe
you just don't know
girls as daughters.
And someday
before it's too late
you may want to explain
something to her--
something about love,
men,
and all the things that
her mother doesn't know.
I'm perfectly fine.
Yilan...
I waved to you
as my boat
was leaving
hats flew up
and everybody cheered
but you turned
as I guess
someone spoke to you
and in a sea
of arms
you disappeared
I live a life
of a ragged soldier
the secretary
to a rebel king
he kept us
drunk and hungry
in a jungle
tangled in the lilies
of his scheme
we gambled
and we fought
with one another
we had no Code
to give us unity
most died among us
without god or honor
as blood became
our faith and currency
but all the while
I kept your name
beside me
I wrote it
but refused it
on my tongue
believing you a song
still there
inside me
I feared your loss
if ever it was sung
I found myself
at last
on a shoreline
I booked
my passage home
and stood in tears
with a bag of apples
and a forged passport
the first I'd seen
my face
in seven years
now I wonder
at the day
when I might
find you
appear
among the living
at your door
will you have
a husband
and some children?
will we
share a secret
anymore?
oh, life is brutal
to the weak
and sober
its powers
of persuasion
dark and grey
it pushes
its way up
to the railing
and it turns
its face
as you start
to wave.