Castle Kriegler - Murti Schofield

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CASTLE KRIEGLER
Original FMV
[TR-FMV-ORIG-1]
17-July-2000

"TOMB RAIDER : ORIGINAL FMV

OPENING FMV

Exterior, night. CU of puddle on cobbled yard reflecting massive silhouette of castle with crenellated walls, towers and a full moon in background. All shadows and cropped camera angles. We hear distant sounds of bombing.
ON-SCREEN CAPTION READS: SCHLOSS KRIEGLER. GERMAN CZECH BORDER REGION. 1945.
Hurried feet splash through the puddle and camera follows the back of the figure across the courtyard towards the dark bulk of the building. A doorway set low in the walls opens briefly showing low flickering light for a moment. As the door slams we pan up the massive silhouette to see more flickering lights set high in the windows of an angular isolated tower. We hear the faint sounds of morse code keys tapping.

CUT TO - Interior, high view point down onto echoing hallway. The hurrying figure rushes across shot throwing elongated shadow from wide flung doorway. Hallway decked out with all the Bavarian castle cliches; massive framed paintings, arrangements of weapons, heavy furniture, drapes etc. Figure shouts:
'Gerhard! GERHARD!' A second figure runs into shot.
'Count, I cannot find Countess Kriegler.' The Count shouts to him as he continues towards a far archway, gesturing to Gerhard. 'Get to the vaults Gerhard. See that the seals are intact. Madame Kriegler is down there already. Go to her! Go now!'

CUT TO - Long ornate stairway curving up into the gloom. We follow the Count's legs through the grotesquely carved banister rails as he rushes up.

CUT TO - View from floor level as Count strides down narrow upper landing (yes, portraits, little statues of grotesques, heavy drapes etc). He crashes unexpectedly against a squat, heavy door and rages as he fumbles to unlatch a large bunch of keys at his waist. Door grates open to reveal stone stairway disappearing up into the gloom. He rushes through.

CUT TO - High angle inside the circular stairway looking down. Deep shadows with low flickering light from a guttering torch set in the wall. The Count climbs into shot towards camera struggling to unholster a service revolver as he goes. We see he is old, gaunt, hair white with snow-white old fashioned goatee. His face is set, grim. The sound of the morse code tapping is louder, echoing in the confines.

CUT TO - CU of timber door with metal strips set deep into wide framed arch.
The Count approaches, twists the ring handle and bursts in. Morse code STOPS! Inside it is a dark echoey space with the distant edges lost in shadow.

CUT TO - POV of the Count into the room. It is a huge, empty space with dim vaulted roof beams. All shadows and odd angles (a la Cabinet of Dr Caligari/Edward Scissorhands). Daubs of some pattern can be seen on the floor (seven pointed star and cabalistic symbols) otherwise apart from a few indistinct heaps of draped boxes in corners the only other features are the large ornate lanterns on tall stands stood by five window alcoves. One is lit giving the area its only light. Nearby, on the edge of the shadows is a figure hunched over a rough crate. There is a crude morse sender kit on the crate amidst a nest of wires. With
calculated slowness the figure turns.

CUT TO - Figure at the crate. He is young but one eye is all white in a line of withered scaring. Ugly! He stares with cold arrogance and hatred. ‘Well father. The bombers are on their way. There is nothing either of us can do now. Our location has been fixed’ [He is Klaus Kinski from ‘Aguire, The Wrath of God’]

CUT TO – CU of the Count. His voice is pitched low but simmers with rage. 'Johan, what have you tried to do?'

CUT TO – Johan at the crate and morse sender. He gestures dismissively at the primitive apparatus. ‘This? It is of no consequence now. The bombers will find us.’
‘I have always told you Johan, we must all make our own destiny.’
‘ And what of honour father?All Kriegler obligations will end here as the truth is pounded to ruble around our ears No more wearisome burden to labour and bleed over. Does that feel good?' His tone is venomous, slick with revulsion. The sound of distant bombing is noticeable again with the addition of droning aircraft engines..."


To continue reading, download the full document.
Kriegler FMV placement in-game description
[FMV-ARCHIVE 1945 Eck ESCAPING]
18-June-2002

"1945 FMV – ARCHIVE
 
CUT BACK TO: Lara as she gives the Louvre Shard back to Kurtis. When Lara
asks how the Shards can be used to kill Eckhardt he puts his hand on her head
and we see a FLASHBACK TO 1945. Kurtis’ voice-over describes Eckhardt’s  escape from his Lux Veritatis  prison at the end of WWII.  
 
(APPROX TIMING = 35 secs )
1945 FLASHBACK FMV – ALL IN GRAINY BLACK AND WHITE.
We see Eckhardt trapped in the pit, locked into an ugly Confinement Suit with the Shards sticking out of forehead, chest and navel. A tremendous sound of bombing shakes the scene. CUT TO stock b&w footage of Allied bombers against black clouds, bombs raining down on the silhouetted outline of a castle. CUT TO the Suit swinging wildly in its chains from the terrible pounding. The upheaval is loosening the Shards. One falls out of its socket leaking dark fluid. Eckhardt breaks free.
 
END OF 1945 FLASHBACK FM.
[SEE DIALOGUE IN TOM-KURTIS-L-PROTO.]

KURTIS
The Periapt Shards are the only thing that can harm or weaken Eckhardt. The Lux Veritatis used all three Shards to keep Eckhardt locked away for 500 years.
 
In 1945 something happened that released the Black Alchemist from the pit. The Cabal had a hand in it, but the details are vague. They’re on my list too.”


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Castle Kriegler full FMV
[FMV-Kriegler-3-v'08]
21-January-2003
 
"CASTLE KRIEGLER FMV
 
CHARACTERS
COUNT KRIEGLER (Ernst)
JOHAN KRIEGLER - SON
COUNTESS KRIEGLER
GERHARDTT HEISSTURM– FAMILY SERVANT
 
EXTERIOR – NIGHT - CU of puddle on cobbled yard reflecting massive silhouette of castle with crenellated walls, towers and a full moon in background. All angles, shadows and cropped camera angles. We hear distant sounds of bombing.
 
ON-SCREEN CAPTION READS: SCHLOSS KRIEGLER. GERMAN CZECH BORDER REGION. 1945.
 
Hurried feet splash through the puddle and camera follows the back of the figure across the courtyard towards the dark bulk of the building. A doorway set low in the walls opens briefly showing low flickering light for a moment. As the door slams we pan up the massive silhouette to see more flickering lights set high in the windows of an angular isolated tower. We hear the faint sounds of morse code keys tapping.
 
CUT TO – INTERIOR  
High view point down onto echoing hallway. The hurrying figure rushes across shot throwing elongated shadow from wide flung doorway. Hallway decked out with all the Bavarian castle cliches; massive framed paintings, arrangements of weapons, heavy furniture, drapes etc.  
The figure shouts:
'Gerhardt! GERHARDT!' A second figure runs into shot.  
'Count, I cannot find Countess Kriegler.' The Count shouts to him as he continues towards a far archway, gesturing to Gerhardt.  
'Get to the vaults Gerhardt. See that the seals are intact. Madame Kriegler is down there already. Go to her! Go now!'
 
CUT TO  
Long ornate stairway curving up into the gloom. We follow the Count's legs through the grotesquely carved banister rails as he rushes up.
 
CUT TO  
View from floor level as Count strides down narrow upper landing (yes, portraits, little statues of grotesques, heavy drapes etc). He crashes unexpectedly against a squat, heavy door and rages as he fumbles to unlatch a large bunch of keys at his waist. Door grates open to reveal stone stairway disappearing up into the gloom. He rushes through.
 
CUT TO  
High angle inside the circular stairway looking down. Deep shadows with low flickering light from a torch guttering in the wall. The Count climbs into shot towards camera struggling to unholster a service revolver as he goes. We see he is old, gaunt, hair white with snow-white old fashioned goatee. His face is set, grim. The sound of the morse code tapping is louder, echoing in the confines.
 
CUT TO - CU of timber door with metal strips set deep into wide framed arch.
The Count approaches, twists the ring handle and bursts in. Morse code STOPS! Inside it is a dark echoey space with the distant edges lost in shadow.
 
CUT TO - POV OF THE COUNT IN THE ROOM  
It is a huge, empty space with dim vaulted roof beams. All shadows and odd angles (a la Cabinet of Dr Caligari/Edward Scissorhands). Daubs of some pattern can be seen on the floor (seven pointed star and cabalistic symbols) otherwise apart from a few indistinct heaps of draped boxes in corners the only other features are the large ornate lanterns on tall stands stood by five window alcoves. One is lit giving the area its only light. Nearby, on the edge of the shadows is a figure hunched over a rough crate. There is a crude morse sender kit on the crate amidst a nest of wires. With calculated slowness the figure turns.
 
CUT TO  
Figure at the crate. He is young but one eye is all white in a line of withered scaring. Ugly! He stares with cold arrogance and hatred. ‘Well father. The bombers are on their way. There is nothing either of us can do now. Our location has been fixed’  
[He is Klaus Kinski from ‘Aguire, The Wrath of God’]
 
CUT TO – CU OF THE COUNT  
His voice is pitched low but simmers with rage. 'Johan, what have you tried to do?'
 
CUT TO  
Johan at the crate and morse sender. He gestures dismissively at the primitive apparatus.
 ‘This? It is of no consequence now. The bombers will find us.’
‘I have always told you Johan, we must all make our own destiny.’
‘And what of honour father? All Kriegler obligations will end here as the truth is pounded to rubble around our ears No more wearisome burden to labour and bleed over. Does that feel good?' His tone is venomous, slick with revulsion. The sound of distant bombing is noticeable again with the addition of droning aircraft engines..."


To continue reading, download the full document.
Copyright (c) 2024 Murti Schofield. Lara Croft and Tomb Raider are the property of Embracer Group AB and Crystal Dynamics (formally Core Design, Eidos Interactive, and Square Enix).
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