Tài liệu Writing the short film 3th - Part 38 pdf

PIGEON (La Colombe) by Anthony Green Based on a True Story Setting: Winter—Early December—Small town of Reims in France—1941, Nazi regime has occupied France for nearly 18 months. FADE IN: EXT. SMALL TRAIN PLATFORM AT TICKET WINDOW—DAY. JOSEPH One to Milano please. JOSEPH WEISNER, 55 years old, stocky, grey-haired male takes his ticket from the small opening in the glass partition of the ticket office. The open-air station leaves the harsh winter breeze free to prey on the dozen passengers waiting for the next train. JOSEPH walks to the closest bench with his newspaper under his arm and suitcase in hand and sits. EXT. SOUTH END OF TRAIN PLATFORM. DAY Joseph sits patiently on the bench reading his newspaper. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a sandwich and tries to eat it while awkwardly holding the newspaper in front of him. A lone pigeon startles Joseph when it begins pecking at his shoe. Joseph breaks off a few crumbs and tosses them down for the pigeon. Joseph does this repeatedly until finally the pigeon seems to be content and walks away. Joseph returns to his newspaper. Pause. Joseph puts down the newspaper reacting to STRAY KID 1 and STRAY KID 2’s LAUGHING. STRAY KID 1 (O.S.) Now! Now! Now! Short Short Screenplays 249 App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 249 He looks to his right to find two kids ten feet down the platform as they load a slingshot. In front of them sits the pigeon. STRAY KID 2 (O.S.) He’s so ugly. STRAY KID 2 begins to aim his slingshot when Joseph jumps up off the bench and runs over to the two kids. CUT TO: EXT. NORTH END OF TRAIN PLATFORM. DAY. JOSEPH REMAINS IN FOCUS IN THE BACKGROUND. FRANCOISE, in her early 40s, says goodbye to a man with a soft kiss. The man turns and leaves; as Francoise watches him go she hears the commotion unfolding at the other end of the platform. She watches as Joseph nearly stops the kids. CUT TO: EXT. SOUTH END OF TRAIN PLATFORM. DAY. Joseph snatches the slingshot from STRAY KID 2 just after the stone narrowly misses the pigeon. STRAY KID 1 tries to pull the slingshot back out of JOSEPH’S hands. JOSEPH turns his back to the kids and walks over to a waste bin. As he walks, STRAY KID 1 distracts Joseph by trying to reclaim the slingshot while STRAY KID 2 sneaks behind him and slips his wallet and papers out of Joseph’s pocket. The two then run off. JOSEPH does not notice and drops the slingshot into the bin. As he turns around to head back to his bench, he looks to the end of the platform and spots three Nazi soldiers. Joseph quickly sits back down on the bench and continues with his sandwich and paper. In the distance, an ESCALATING RUMBLE accompanied by a SCREECHING WHISTLE can be heard. JOSEPH looks down the tracks at the glorious steam- powered locomotive approaching the station. The train slows into the station surrounded in a cloud of steam and comes to rest. Through the haze JOSEPH makes out the Nazi soldiers boarding the last passenger car. He jogs over to the bench to retrieve his suitcase under cover of the steam and boards the first passenger car. 250 Writing the Short Film App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 250 INT. FIRST PASSENGER CAR ON TRAIN. DAY. Joseph walks down the aisle toward the last row of the car. The car has only about ten passengers in it who have managed to take up nearly all the seats with their luggage. Joseph puts his suitcase in the compartment above him and sits next to the window in the furthest corner from the back of the train. Francoise enters afterward and sits across the aisle from him. She opens up a book and begins reading. Joseph looks at her suspiciously and then quickly glances away when she looks back at him. Joseph sits and stares anxiously out the window waiting for the train to lurch into motion. It doesn’t. He watches the two kids, who have returned for their slingshot, huddled around the trash bin trying to reach to the bottom for it. Their arms simply aren’t long enough. The pigeon sits peacefully in front of them. The train remains motionless. MUFFLED SHOUTING from the passenger car ahead. Joseph reaches into his right pocket. He looks scared, then pushes his hand further into his pocket and pulls out nothing. Francoise glances over from her seat and then back at her book. He checks his left jacket pocket, same thing. He starts patting his whole body over trying to find his papers and wallet. His movements become more frantic. Francoise gives a longer look at Joseph. He is visibly upset. Joseph opens his hands and looks down at his sweaty palms and caresses a wedding ring. He then goes through each pocket for a second time. Francoise looks up from her book again to see him. Pause. FRANCOISE Your papers? Joseph turns to her and slowly nods and then leans over to scan the floor looking for his papers. He comes back up unsuccessful. Short Short Screenplays 251 App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 251 FRANCOISE (CONT.) You lost them? JOSEPH says nothing and turns around in his seat to get a look at the exit of the train. He turns back around and stares out at the pigeon, contemplating his next move, when a soldier with a large dog walks by his window. LOUDER SHOUTING from the next car. Joseph brings his head down to his hands. His whole body shudders. He begins to mutter a Hebrew prayer. JOSEPH Baruch atah adonai . . . Francoise looks around the train; no one else seems to have noticed. She turns back to him. FRANCOISE (loud whisper) Shut up! Joseph seemingly doesn’t hear her and continues to pray. Francoise stares at Joseph who has lost his composure. Her eyes begin to show some degree of compassion. Pause. The train remains motionless. SHOUTING IN THE NEXT CAR CONTINUES TO ESCALATE. JOSEPH finishes his prayer and gazes blindly out the window as STRAY KID 1 and STRAY KID 2 pull the slingshot out of the garbage bin just out of his view. BANG! The far door of their car swings open. The three heavily armed Nazi soldiers enter shouting. SOLDIER 1 Your Papers! All the passengers in the car go reaching for their bags and pockets to find their papers as the soldiers continue to shout orders. 252 Writing the Short Film App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 252 Francoise glances at the approaching soldiers, springs up and begins to yell at Joseph. FRANCOISE (loudly) You stupid man! You stupid, stupid, stupid man! The Nazis continue down the aisle interrogating each passenger, not yet paying attention to the drama that has unfolded in the rear of the car. As the first and the last soldier demand the papers, the soldier in the middle clutches his rifle, pointing it at each passenger. SOLDIER 2 Identification! Francoise’s outburst only becomes more and more extreme as the soldiers approach them. Joseph confused sits helpless as SOLDIER 1 approaches steps away. FRANCOISE (shouting) You’re an idiot! A complete fool! Francoise seemingly does not notice the soldiers approaching and begins hitting Joseph over the head with her book. SOLDIER 1 (yelling) Stop! Stop! Stop immediately! Papers! Francoise ignores him. FRANCOISE (shrieking) How do I do it? You sicken me. I feel sick looking at you. Not sure what to do, SOLDIER 1 looks back at his superior, SOLDIER 2. SOLDIER 2 brushes by SOLDIER 1 and pulls a hand gun out from his holster and points it at her head. Short Short Screenplays 253 App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 253 SOLDIER 2 Enough! (pause) Papers! Francoise turns to the Nazi. She looks him up and down and then reaches into her front pocket and hands him her papers. As he takes her papers, she turns to Joseph. FRANCOISE (pointing dauntingly down at him as he stares into her eyes) He forgets his keys. (pause) He forgets his glasses. Joseph starts shaking his head as he mutters back at Francoise. JOSEPH (in disbelief) What? No— FRANCOISE He forgets his wallet! JOSEPH (frustrated) You’re exaggerating— Francoise barely lets Joseph get a word in. She turns and looks back at the soldiers. FRANCOISE And now: My husband has forgotten his papers. SOLDIER 1 drops his gun and inspects her papers. He looks at the other two soldiers, then at Joseph. Joseph looks him in the eyes and makes a small hand motion displaying embarrassment for his forgetfulness, but intentionally flashing his wedding ring. 254 Writing the Short Film App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 254 SOLDIER 2 hands the papers back to her, looks at the other two and shrugs. He then walks past them towards the exit. SOLDIERS 1 & 3 follow. Francoise watches them depart and drops to her seat. She catches her breath as they both sit and gaze at each other, speechless. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. TRAIN PLATFORM. DAY. The soldiers disembark the train and signal the conductor. With a screeching whistle, the train lurches forward as the lone pigeon (la colombe) lies dead on the platform. FADE TO BLACK. Short Short Screenplays 255 App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 255 . the passengers in the car go reaching for their bags and pockets to find their papers as the soldiers continue to shout orders. 252 Writing the Short Film. ring. 254 Writing the Short Film App-A.qxd 9/27/04 6:01 PM Page 254 SOLDIER 2 hands the papers back to her, looks at the other two and shrugs. He then walks