El Cantante

"El Cantante" leon ichaso's draft oct 07 2005 (not for distribution) �� PIECES OF MEMORIES...ARE SEEN. LIKE A DREAM. CLOSE UP of a pair of hands beating on a CONGA. A TIMBALES roll...an abanico. A Furious rhythm starts. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE KEEPING THE clave with their hand claps. THE VOICE OF THE SINGER...we dont' see. SINGER Puerto Rico...te quiero de gratis! Fingers FLUTTER ON THE KEYS OF A TRUMPET...as more percussion and BASS cook up the SALSA. We hear thunder. And FRAGMENTS of the face of the singer as lighting strikes. EXTREME CLOSE UPS OF A FACE, DESPERATE EYES. THE DARK SKIES. THE CHEER AND BOOS OF FANS... THEN, A HORRIBLE NOISE: FEEDBACK SCREAMS....an electrical malfunction...and everything turns into A SLOW MOTION NIGHTMARE. A BLACK SCREEN. COMPLETE SILENCE. A PAIR OF BEAUTIFUL EYES OPEN UP AFTER THE BAD MEMORY ENDS. A SCRATCHY CASSETTE. A VOICE IS HEARD. It's the whiny unforgettable voice of HECTOR LAVOE. One of Salsa's biggest. El Cantante de Los Cantantes. The SINGER OF SINGERS...now coming out of an old cassette player. HECTOR ...you see, I'm right here with you...okay? INT. PUCHI'S 2002 APARTMENT -- DAY A simple tenement somewhere in the Bronx. A picture of Hector in his glory days hangs on a wall. Next to him, a beautiful woman, holding on to his arm. He's her prize. She is PUCHI, the love of his life. HECTOR Never never leave you mami...it's not the same thing as being there with you...touching you, kissing you...bueno, I better stop...