yes. we're getting closer. can you feel it. can you see it? the heat. the brilliance. moving fast into the heart of it. buzz. buzz. can you feel the buzz? the city is pulling you in. the city of light. the city of diabolical promise. the city of answered prayers.
 and it begins on a rainy night, only a few months ago.
our hero, sherman mccoy, was about to make a simple phone call. and despite the existence of eleven telephones and seven different lines in the fourteen rooms of his six million dollar plus apartment, this was a phone call he could not make at home.
she was right, of course. and sherman knew it. christ. how could he have been so stupid? a simple phone call.  dissolve to:
the next morning, judy's words were still ringing in his ears. cheap. rotten. and a liar. alright. but was it really his fault. in a way she had brought it on herself, hadn't she? he intercepts campbell at the foot of the stairs.
on the lifecycle again. you see? like all those other women she spends so much time with. so drawn, so pale. you could see lamplight through their bones.
he was still a young man, in the season of the rising sap. he deserved more than these.  these .  social x-rays. and she was turning into one of them!
dragging themselves to their sports training classes, they keep themselves so thin, they look like x-ray pictures. sports-trained to death.
sherman was a master of the universe. he deserved better.
the roar enveloped him. music to his ears. the sound of educated young white men baying for money on the bond market. six hundred million in his hands. six million off the top for pierce & pierce. one point seven million for sherman. all in a day's work. he was there. at the top -- impervious, untouchable, insulated by wealth and power. a great height from which to view the rest of the poor world. a great height from which to fall. 36a angle - fax machine 36a * spitting out the message: "sherman, arriving new york * on the concorde tonight. best, maria." *
of course, up to this point in our story, i was blissfully ignorant. i had no idea of the storm that was gathering. never even heard of sherman mccoy. hadn't the faintest notion that soon his name would be inexorably tied to mine. that his fate would be inextricably bound to my own destiny.
i had my own problems. and i simply had no idea that sherman mccoy was the solution i was looking for. 105 angle - caroline heftshank and filippo chirazzi 105 *
caroline. you devil. come and have a drink with us.
yes. and a very pretty someone he is, too.
enchante. we're a little crowded.
why don't you squeeze in next to billy cortez. billy, you keep your hands to yourself. now, filippo, you sit down on top of billy and i'll see if i can get caroline to sit down on my face.
gerald. well. hello.
yes. evelyn. how are you?
gerald, have a drink. please, i can explain.
ah. yes. well.
incroyable!
i see. yes. yes, of course. well, i am on to something right now.  and i think i've got.  it's just a matter of.  this is something that is really going to break open! moore just looks at him. then.
it was the end of the road for me. i could see it coming. see it coming? christ, it was here!
i'd had my chance and i'd blown it away in a bottle. it was over. and i had to face up to that fact. 108 int. fallow's bedroom - peter - morning 108 *
i could always go back home. small town, small newspaper. or i could take the time off, write a novel or two. or i could slit my wrists. this last suggestion actually seemed the most appealing because, in fact, it required the least amount of effort. the telephone rings.
and then the telephone rang. he answers.
hello? peter fallow speaking. cut to:
uh.  yes.
no. no. no. no. no. thanks. no. fox's assistant approaches. they all move toward the exit. *
well, yeah, but.  look, it's an unfortunate situation. but i'm not altogether sure there's a story in it.
i see. yes, but what's your interest exactly?
my situation?
i see.
do you have a daughter?
does she have a little toy wagon?
i'll have a scotch and water. *
he was a student of yours at ruppert high. in your english class.
he was seriously injured. i'm a journalist. i write for a newspaper.
what i would like to find out is what kind of student he was.
would you say he was a 'good' student?
his mother says he was considering going to college.
well, is there anything at all you can tell me about his performance or aptitude -- anything at all?
fallow.
do you have any of his written work?
well, there must be some record of how he measures up to the others.
well, by that standard, is henry lamb an honors student?
but it was too late. it was gone. six hundred million dollars. on wall street, a frantic salesman was a dead salesman. and sherman knew it. he puts down the phone and stares at the newspaper. he sits there in his two thousand dollar saville row suit and his new and lingwood cap-toed shoes and he sweats. around him, voices come out of the chaotic room. voice #1 feds buying all coupons! market subject! voice #2 holy fucking shit. i want out! i want out!! 128 omitted 128 *
peter fallow, from city light.
where are all the people?
peter fallow, city light. corsaro * oh, you're the reason we're up in this godforsaken place. you and your little newspaper article.
sorry about that.
look, reverend, aren't you afraid we may be trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill here? i mean, honestly.
well, i am a journalist.
i think maybe you've got the wrong man, here.
yes. he certainly is.
oh. yes. sure. yes. corsaro * i mean this henry lamb is.  was .  is a nice kid. no record, neighbors seem to like him, an honor student.
no question about it. corsaro * because, well, i don't give a shit, but he's gonna be a saint by the time we get through with him. so it would be good if it were true. you know?
excuse me, mister mccoy?
you don't know me but i'm.  but peter is buried in the onslaught before he can say another word.
it was too much for me. all of it. sherman mccoy had been swept away from me. before i could even speak to him. and as the day progressed, i began to appreciate the power, the magnitude of the force that had been unleashed by my little story.
jackels. dogs. yapping at the heels of their prey. and i was one of them. well, let them have it. enough is enough. i was finished. i summoned what little dignity i had left and decided to go home.
jesus christ.
yes. i know. i know that. what are you?
you need to get out of here.
this way. come on.
me either. especially on a first date. but we don't really have a choice. they enter the subway.
are you alright?
look, i owe you an apology.
you don't know who i am.
go where?
look. sit down. just sit down a minute. i'll get you home. *
would you like a drink? i happen to have a little something.
go on. fuck it. what are they going to do? arrest you?
not in a million years.
yeah. but he didn't live in the * south bronx. did he? *
you look like shit. and you smell, too.
take it easy.
yeah.
it's okay. have another drink.
this is you. you'll be right on lexington avenue.
you're not important. you're just dinner. you know what i mean? and a week from now, a month -- nobody is even going to remember what they ate.
how do you mean?
what?!
wait a minute! wait a minute!
that same evening, just a few blocks away, i was being praised and congratulated. it should have been a very triumphant yours truly at leicester's. but it wasn't.
 my little encounter with sherman mccoy was spoiling everything. the truth has a way of doing that.
where's the phone?
don't tell me i'm finally going to get into your panties.
listen, caroline. i'm sort of with some people tonight.
yes. yes, i do. franco or federico.
caroline, you're absolutely soused.
caroline, isn't that dangerous? or at least unsanitary?
you're joking.
but how do you know all this?
you don't know where they are?
arthur. thanks for meeting me on such short notice.
yes. we've never met but i'm a good friend of.  your wife.
yes. uh.  where is maria, by the way?
uh, yes. and we're doing a little profile piece. we're calling it the 'new tycoons.' and, naturally, we thought of you.
oh, there's no hurry. so maria is in italy. where abouts?
well, there are some great hotels in lake como. is she at the excelsior?
i'd like to talk to her, too. if i could. if i could get in * touch with her.  *
yes.
arthur? arthur?
excuse me. hello? excuse me. waiter!!! the maitre d' approaches the table.
mr. ruskin seems to have suffered some kind of -- well, i don't know.
i think you'd better call someone.
well, somebody has to do something. peter tries to perform the heimlich maneuver on ruskin.
jesus.
what?
mrs. ruskin?
my name is peter fallow. i just wanted to offer my sympathy.
ah, well, yes. i was actually quite close to him when he died.
you shouldn't.
yes. just one other thing. i understand you're a friend of sherman mccoy.
yes. i gather you were not only in the car with him when he had his unfortunate accident in the bronx. but i understand you were driving.
i was hoping you might tell me exactly what happened that night.
fallow.
look, don't you understand? it is very possible that sherman mccoy was not driving that car. and i can almost prove it.
the hospital?! what are you talking about?
alright, alright. but christ, albert, this is a great story. this is my exclusive. and it's also the truth!
i can't just drop this now. i can't just let it go.
how could i turn my back on the plight of this grief stricken woman? how could i turn my back on a 'profitable relationship'? i was touched to the depths of what was left of my soul.  and my bank account.
so i printed their little story. well, why not? why not be the best whore in the house? and anyway, i was beginning to see even greater possibilities in my situation. * the shades are drawn; the room is dark. weiss sits at his desk. andriutti and kramer are with him.
mr. leach?
i understand you been doing some creative wiring in this building. peter and leach continue talking.
in less than three minutes, i had what i was looking for. it was more than a story. i had the makings of a book here. a great book. a prize winning effort. all i needed was a big finish.
so i shipped off a little present to sherman mccoy's lawyer and i waited for the fireworks.
and there it was. the end of sherman mccoy. and it wasn't the * ending i was hoping for. he was * finished. she might as well have put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. there was no hope now. the darkness closed in around him. and then i noticed the most peculiar thing. sherman was smiling.
oh, sorry. i'm peter fallow. i'm peter fallow. ha. ha. ha.
thanks. i needed that.
it was the last i saw of sherman mccoy.
and so we come to the end of our story. sherman, you see, who started with so much, lost everything. but he gained his soul. whereas i, you see, who started with so little, gained everything.  dissolve to:
but what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses .  ah, well. there are compensations. peter reaches the podium and faces a standing ovation. cameras begin to flash. end credits begin.
	120:
)t( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 25. 90 2. *
)t( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 25. 90 3. *
)t( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 25. 90 3a.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 4.
5. *
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 12.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 13. *
)p( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 10. 90 14.
)w( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 7. 9. 90 16.
)w( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 7. 9. 90 17.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 27.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 28.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 30.
)p( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 10. 90 31.
)p( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 10. 90 32.
)p( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 10. 90 33.
37. *
)u( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 6. 11. 90 44.
)u( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 6. 11. 90 a44a.
)u( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 6. 11. 90 44a.
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 46.
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 52.
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 53.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 54.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 55.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 56.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 58.
)v( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 6. 12. 90 60. *
)v( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 6. 12. 90 60a.
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 66. *
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bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 72.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 74.
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 75.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 78a.
)r( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 8. 90 83.
)x( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 7. 12. 90 85.
)x( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 7. 12. 90 85b. *
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)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 88.
)j( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 25. 90 89.
)o( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 26. 90 93.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 94.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 95. *
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 96.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 97. 98.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 103.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 104.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 105.
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 106. *
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 107. *
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 107a.
112. *
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 113. *
bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 114. *
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bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 118.
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bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 120.
121. *
)r( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 8. 90 124.
)r( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 8. 90 125.
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)y( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 7. 19. 90 127.
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bonfire of the vanities - rev. 4. 18. 90 129.
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)s( bonfire of the vanities - rev. 5. 18. 90 136. *