THE DEATH OF ANGELIQUE VITRY

About the Book

William Johnson was one of the central figures in the war between the French Canadians and the British (1756 – 1761) for the possession of Canada. He was an Irishman of tremendous tenacity and charm, who managed to galvanize the native American Indians into a powerful fighting force, aligning them with the British, and finally defeating the French Canadians in the battle on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. Although Johnson is a powerful political figure and wealthy landowner (he offers a five pound bounty for any French scalp the Iroquois turn in), he has some serious character flaws, one of which is a nagging doubt about his sexual prowess. In order to compensate for this neurotic trait, he attempts to seduce every female in sight, regardless of age or ethnic origin, and eventually contacts syphilis. One female he fails to seduce, however, is a young French Canadian redheaded girl named Angelique Vitry, who reminds him of Kathleen, the red-haired Irish lass he left behind in County Cork, Ireland. Angelique is only eleven years old, but she looks sixteen. She was an orphan whose mother died on a boat bringing Irish immigrants to Canada. Raised by nuns in a Catholic orphanage in ¬Montreal, she’s a repressed youngster, totally ignorant of sex. When she is befriended by Johnson, she becomes obsessed with him, and develops a hysterical pregnancy. Johnson is torn between fatherly devotion to the youngster and an attraction that is deeply rooted in the girl’s close resemblance to Kathleen. Johnson’s housekeeper, Mary, whose father is Chief Hendricks of the Iroquois tribe, has lived with him for many years and given him a son called Light As A Feather. She is jealous of Angelique, and convinces her father that the girl is possessed, and must be destroyed before she spreads a pestilence on all the Iroquois Nation. This puts Johnson in a dilemma: if he clings to Angelique, he risks losing the support of the Iroquois in a decisive upcoming battle with the French; if he lets her go, he wins their support. He lets her go—but the Iroquois fail to keep their end of the bargain, and decide to burn Angelique at stake, convinced that she’s a witch. Johnson saves Angelique’s life by having one of his soldiers escort her back to her home in Quebec, knowing full well that by so doing he will have to fight the French on his own. Later, Johnson is wounded in battle. During a retreat, he takes shelter in a cabin that his soldiers have found in the woods. Ironically, it turns out to be the home of Angelique’s stepfather and stepmother, who have now betrothed her to a French Sergeant she hates. While Johnson is recuperating from his battle wounds, with Angelique nursing him, he discovers a gold cross in Angelique’s possession; the same one that he had given to Kathleen, back in Ireland. Johnson is devastated by the realization that he was sexually attracted to his own daughter, and steals away from her once he is well enough to travel. An amnesty in the war is declared and a celebration takes place on the grounds of Johnson’s estate. He has now become deathly ill with the venereal disease. While he is giving a speech before his troops, Light As A Feather delivers the scalp of his daughter Angelique to him, claiming the reward of five pounds. Johnson angrily draws his sword, and is about to slay his son when he is distracted by a vision he has of Kathleen approaching him through the woods. Light As A Feather sees his chance and drives a knife into his father’s back. Eric Till will direct this film, and Kevin Spacey has been submitted the script for consideration. Agent: BK Nelson, Inc. (760) 778 8800 Copyright (2005) John Stark Productions 23663 Park Capri #129, Calabasas, Ca. 91302 Ph./fax (818) 222 6031 Email: JohnStarcevich1@sbcglobal.net www.johnstarkproductions.com

About the Author

Jovanka Bach was a playwright, novelist and medical doctor based in Los Angeles. Her first successful stage plays were the Balkan Trilogy, which her husband John Stark, produced and directed at the Odyssey Theatre in Santa Monica and off-Broadway at the Barrow Group Theatre in New York. Other successful plays included O'Neill's Ghosts, Sylvie, and Mercy Warren's Tea. Most recently her play Chekhov and Maria was produced in New York by John Stark, and filmed by Eric Till. It won three best feature awards, and is now airing on Super Channel Canada, PBS TV, Russian TV and coming up soon on Spanish and French TV. Her Platypus children's stories were written just before she passed away in 2006. The three stories were illustrated by Colby Monier. http://www.johnstarkproductions.com/