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

JOSEPH walks to the closest bench with his newspaper under his arm and suitcase in hand and sits.. STRAY KID 2 begins to aim his slingshot when Joseph jumps up off the bench and runs ove

(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!

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

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

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

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

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

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