Here are examples of how two scenes from The Matrix changed in different drafts.
The first scene is the conversation Cypher and Neo have in the Nebuchadnezzar when the rest of the crew are sleeping.
April 8, 1996 - Draft
March 29, 1998 - Numbered Shooting Script
Transcript from the movie
The second scene is the conversation Neo and Morpheus have just before they enter the Oracle's apartment.
March 29, 1998 - Numbered Shooting Script
Transcript from the movie
The first scene is the conversation Cypher and Neo have in the Nebuchadnezzar when the rest of the crew are sleeping.
April 8, 1996 - Draft
Code:
INT. MAIN DECK The core glows with monitor light. Cypher is in the operator’s chair as Neo comes up behind him. CYPHER Whoa! ****, Neo, you scared the bejeezus out of me. NEO Sorry. CYPHER No, it’s all right. NEO What are you doing? CYPHER Midnight watch. Neo’s eyes light up as he steps closer to the screen that seem alive with a constant flow of data. NEO Is that...? CYPHER The Matrix? Yeah. The monitors are packed with bizarre codes and equations. CYPHER (cont'd) You want a drink? He pours Neo a drink from a large plastic jug. CYPHER (cont'd) I’ll tell you, I feel for you, man. I really do. Most of us were still young, just punks, when Morpheus jacked us. But you, you had a real life. Neo takes a sip and it almost kills him. Cypher pounds on his back. CYPHER (cont'd) Good ****, huh? Dozer makes it. It’s good for two things: degreasing engines and killing brain cells. Red-faced, Neo finally stops coughing. CYPHER (cont'd) Did he tell you why he did it? Neo nods. CYPHER (cont'd) I’ll bet he didn’t tell you that this wasn’t the first time he thought the found the One. Neo shakes his head as Cypher fills his cup and laughs. CYPHER (cont'd) Let me give you a piece of advice. Between you and me, if Morpheus says you can fly, I wouldn’t go jumping out of any windows to find out if he’s right. Understand? Cypher raises his drink. New swallows another throat-scorching mouthful. CYPHER (cont'd) Welcome to the real world!
Code:
INT. MAIN DECK The core glows with monitor light. Cypher is in the operator’s chair as Neo comes up behind him. CYPHER Whoa! ****, Neo, you scared the bejeezus out of me. NEO Sorry. CYPHER No, it’s all right. Neo’s eyes light up as he steps closer to the screens that seem alive with a constant flow of data. NEO Is that...? CYPHER The Matrix? Yeah. Neo stares at the endlessly shifting river of information, bizarre codes and equations flowing across the face of the monitor. NEO Do you always look at it encoded? CYPHER Have to. The image translators sort of work for the construct programs but there’s way too much information to decode the Matrix. You get used to it, though. Your brain does the translating. I don’t even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, and redhead. You want a drink? Neo nods and he pours a clear alcohol from a plastic jug. CYPHER (cont'd) You know, I know what you’re thinking ‘cause right now I’m thinking the same thing. Actually, to tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking the same thing ever since I got here. He raises his glass. CYPHER (cont'd) Why, oh why, didn’t I take that blue pill? He throws the shot down his throat. Neo does the same and it almost kills him. Smiling, Cypher slaps him on the back. CYPHER (cont'd) Good ****, eh? Dozer makes it. It’s good for two things: degreasing engines and killing brain cells. Red-faced, Neo finally stops coughing. Cypher pours him another. CYPHER (cont'd) Can I ask you something? Did he happen to tell you why he did it? Neo looks up, unsure. CYPHER (cont'd) Why you’re here? NEO ... Yeah. CYPHER Gee-zus! What a mindjob. You’re here to save the world. You gotta be shitting me. What do you say to something like that? Neo looks down at his drink. CYPHER (cont'd) I’m going to let you in on a little secret here. Now don’t tell him I told you this, but this ain’t the first time Morpheus thought he found the One. NEO Really? CYPHER You bet your ass. It keeps him going. Maybe it keeps all of us going. NEO How many were there? CYPHER Five. Since I’ve been here. NEO What happened to them? CYPHER Dead. All dead. NEO How? CYPHER Honestly. Morpheus. He got them all amped up believing in bullshit. I watched each of them take on an Agent and I watched each of them die. Little piece of advice: you see an Agent, you do what we do; run. Run your ass off. Neo gulps down another shot. NEO Thanks... for the drink CYPHER Anytime. Cypher nods as Neo heads for the ladder. CYPHER (cont'd) Sweet dreams.
Code:
[B]Cypher:[/B] Whoa, Neo. You scared the bejesus out of me. [B]Neo:[/B] Sorry. [B]Cypher:[/B] It's okay. [B]Neo:[/B] Is that - [B]Cypher:[/B] The Matrix? Yeah. [B]Neo:[/B] Do you always look at it encoded? [B]Cypher:[/B] Well you have to. The image translators work for the construct program. But there's way too much information to decode the Matrix. You get used to it. I, I don't even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, redhead. Hey, you eh, want a drink? [B]Neo:[/B] Sure [B]Cypher:[/B] You know, I know what you're thinking, because right now I'm thinking the same thing. Actually, I've been thinking it ever since I got here. Why, oh why didn't I take the blue pill? Good ****, huh? Dozer makes it. It's good for two things, degreasing engines and killing brain cells. So, can I ask you something? Did he tell you why he did it, why you're here? Jesus. What a mind job. So you're here to save the world. What do you say to something like that? A little piece of advice. You see an agent, you do what we do. Run. You run your ass off. [B]Neo:[/B] Thanks for the drink. [B] Cypher:[/B] Sweet dreams.
March 29, 1998 - Numbered Shooting Script
Code:
INT. ELEVATOR The idea of learning one’s fate begins to weigh upon Neo with a steadily growing unease. NEO So is this the same oracle that made the, uh, prophecy? MORPHEUS Yes. She’s very old. She’s been with us since the beginning. NEO The beginning? MORPHEUS Of the Resistance. NEO And she knows what? Everything? MORPHEUS She would say she knows enough. NEO And she’s never wrong. MORPHEUS Don’t think of it in terms of right and wrong. She is a guide, Neo. She can help you find the path. NEO She helped you? MORPHEUS Yes. NEO What did she tell you? MORPHEUS That I would find the One. DING. The ELEVATOR opens. INT. HALL The long dark hall beckons. Neo follows Morpheus out of the elevator and the DOORS RATTLE shut behind him. With every step, a disturbing sense of inevitability closes in around him. At the end of the hall, Morpheus steps to the side of a door. MORPHEUS I told you that I can only show you the door. You have to step through it. Neo blows out a breath. His hand reaches but stops, hovering over the spherical handle. He backs away. NEO Morpheus, I don’t think this is a good idea. MORPHEUS Why? NEO I told you I don’t believe in this stuff. No matter what she says I’m not going to believe it, so what’s the point? MORPHEUS What do you believe in? NEO What do I believe in? Are you kidding me? What do you think? The world I grew up in isn’t real. My entire life was a lie. I don’t believe in anything more. MORPHEUS That’s why we’re here. NEO Why? So I can hear some old lady tell me, what? That I’m this guy that everybody’s been waiting for? That I’m supposed to save the world? It sounds insane. Unbelievable. And I don’t care who says it, it’s still going to sound insane and unbelievable MORPHEUS Faith is not a matter of reasonability. I don not believe things with my mind. I believe them with my heart. In my gut. NEO And you believe I’m the One? MORPHEUS Yes I do. NEO Yeah? What about the other five guys? The five before me? What about them? Morpheus tries to hide his heart being wrenched from his chest. NEO (cont'd) Did you believe in them too? MORPHEUS I believed what the Oracle told me... no, I misunderstood what she told me. I believed it was all about me. This is difficult for Morpheus to admit. MORPHEUS (cont'd) I believed that all I had to do was point my finger and anoint whoever I chose. I was wrong, Neo. Terribly wrong. Not a day or night passes that I do not think of them. After the fifth, I lost my way. I doubted everything the Oracle said. I doubted myself. He looks up at Neo. MORPHEUS (cont'd) And then I saw you, Neo, and my world changed. You can call it an epiphany, you can call it whatever the hell you want. It doesn’t matter. It’s not about a word. It’s about this. So I can’t explain it to you. All I can do is believe, Neo, believe that one day you will feel what I felt and know what I know; you are the sixth and the last. You are the One. His eyes blaze. MORPHEUS (cont'd) Until that time all I am asking from you is for you to hold on to whatever respect you may have for me and trust me. Neo feels a rush from Morpheus’ intensity, the unadulterated confidence of a zealot. NEO All right. He reaches for the handle which turns without him even touching it. A WOMAN wearing white opens the door. PRIESTESS (WOMAN) Hello, Neo. You’re right on time.
Code:
[I][B]In the apartment building:[/B][/I] [B]Neo:[/B] So is this the same Oracle that made the prophecy? [B]Morpheus:[/B] Yes. She's very old. She's been with us since the beginning. [B]Neo:[/B] The beginning? [B]Morpheus:[/B] Of the resistance. [B]Neo:[/B] And she knows what, everything? [B]Morpheus:[/B] She would say she knows enough. [B]Neo:[/B] And she's never wrong. [B]Morpheus:[/B] Try not to think of it in terms of right and wrong. She is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path. [B]Neo:[/B] She helped you? [B]Morpheus:[/B] Yes. [B]Neo: [/B]What did she tell you? [B]Morpheus:[/B] That I would find the One. I told you I can only show you the door. You have to walk through it. [I][B]In the Oracle's apartment:[/B][/I] [B]Priestess:[/B] Hello, Neo. You're right on time.(...)
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