Cinema Paradiso Page #11

Cut to:

SPACCAFICO AND SALVATORE are now outside the café, head towards the square. In

front of the movie house, the CHARWOMAN is at work. SPACCAFICO is so nervous he

lights two cigarettes without noticing it. SALVATORE is turning something over

in his mind.

SALVATORE:

Don Ciccio, I've got an idea...You

remember that old abandoned movie

house where they're supposed to build

those low-rent houses?

SPACCAFICO:

So what's that got to do with it?

SALVATORE:

The projector's all rusty, but I

could fix it in two or three days.

Give the place a good cleaning, put

in some seats and bring in a

projectionist and we'll show Catene

in two houses.

SPACCAFICO:

(Shrieking)

What the f*** you talking about? You

getting into the act too, Toto?

Titanus has trouble giving me even

one copy and I have to say thanks! If

I ask for two, the least they'll do

is cut off my head and play ball with

it!

A shrewd look glitters in SALVATORE s eyes. He smiles.

SALVATORE:

Who says we need two copies?

42 CINEMA PARADISO. INT. DAY

The house is jammed with people. Almost bursting at the seams. The last scenes

of Catene move across the screen. Tears stream down the faces of the men and

women. The children are unusually silent. Even the BLACKSMITH is awake, indeed

whispers ahead of time all the lines of Nazzari and Yvonne Sanson, knows them by

heart. Among the crowd in the balcony there is ALFREDO and his wife, the MAYOR,

DON VINCENZO the landowner, the schoolteachers. Now the music is loud, heart-

rending. 'THE END' appears on screen. The lights go on. And there is a great

din and uproar as one audience leaves and another arrives. The race for empty

seats. Quarrels. The CARABINIERES help the USHER maintain order and persuade the

people who want to see the film again to get up and leave.

USHER:

(Exasperate])

That's enough now! You've seen it ten

times! I need the seats! I wish you'd

all get the galloping runs!

CARABINIERES:

Easy! Easy! Through the emergency

exits, quick! Stop the jabbering!!

43 CINEMA PARADISO. PROJECTION BOOTH. INT.

The end of the film slips through the sprockets. SALVATORE switches off the

motor. He is particularly fast in taking the reel out of the housing. And even

faster in dropping it into the sack BOCCIA is holding open for him.

SALVATORE:

Now get running and bring me the

first reel. Meanwhile I'll start

showing the news!

BOCCIA:

OK, Toto!

44 VILLAGE STREETS AND COUNTRYSIDE. EXT. DAY

BOCCIA speeds like an arrow on his bicycle through the village streets. Tied to

the parcel-rack is the sack containing the second part of Catene. He now turns

off the main street and takes a short-cut down a country road. He pedals as fast

as he can. Until he disappears into the distance, beyond the trees.

45 ENTRANCE OLD ABANDONED MOVIE HOUSE. EXT. DAY

BOCCIA finally reaches the old movie house, which has been more or less spruced

up. Here too people are lined up in front of the posters of Catene. CICCIO

SPACCAFICO is waiting impatiently on an outside staircase. He too is holding a

sack, containing the first part of the film. The bicycle pulls up in front of

him. The sacks are exchanged.

SPACCAFICO:

Quick! Give it to me! Here's the

first part. Get moving!

BOCCIA heads back to the Cinema Paradiso, to take the first part to SALVATORE.

SPACCAFICO dashes up the stairs, and hands the sack to a MAN standing in the

door, through which the bare projection booth can be seen, and the projector

which SALVATORE has put back into working order. SPACCAFICO yells in excitement.

SPACCAFICO:

Here you are! Quick, quick!! People

are waiting!

46 OLD ABANDONED MOVIE HOUSE. INT. DAY

In fact, inside the old freezing cold movie house, the audience is grumbling.

Everyone is wrapped in overcoats and woollen scarves and are sitting on chairs

they've brought from home and wooden benches. The hum of the projector is heard

at last. The lights go down. The grumbling subsides. The words 'PART TWO' appear

on screen and then the images of the film.

47 VARIOUS COUNTRY ROADS AND VILLAGE STREETS. EXT. DAY/SUNDOWN

Meanwhile BOCCIA pedals his way swiftly through the countryside on his way to

the Cinema Paradiso...

FADE.

Now BOCCIA is on his way back to the old movie house. To carry out another

exchange of sacks containing the reels of film.

FADE.

Another race back to Cinema Paradiso. BOCCIA starts looking tired, his breath is

short. And daylight starts fading into the colours of sundown.

FADE.

The last fading light of sundown.-BOCCIA is pedalling once more back

to the old movie house. With the same sack tied to the parcel-rack. He

is exhausted. On his last legs. He slows down, then stops.

48 CINEMA PARADISO. INT. EVENING

The lights are still on. In the thick blanket of smoke, the crowd stirs

nervously. Shouting. Whistling.

AUDIENCE:

Hey, when's it starting!! We've got

ploughing to do in the morning!!

Toto, get a move on!! Heeey!!

49 PROJECTION BOOTH. INT/EXT. EVENING

In the booth, the projector is turned off. SALVATORE looks nervously

out of the window...at the square. But not a sign of BOCCIA. A CARABINIERE

peers in through one of the holes.

CARABINIERE:

What are we going to do, Toto? The

whole place here is up in arms.

They've been waiting more than a half

hour.

SALVATORE:

What can I do?

50 OLD ABANDONED MOVIE HOUSE. INT. EVENING

Here too the audience is up in arms. They're waiting for Part Two tostart.

CICCIO SPACCAFICO tears his hair with rage.

SPACCAFICO:

Where's the f***ing bastard got to?

SPECTATOR:

Let's get one thing straight, Don

Ciccio! I'm waiting ten minutes

more, and if you haven't started...

you're giving me my money back!!

AUDIENCE:

(In chorus)

Well said! Well said! We want our

money back!!

SPACCAFICO:

Easy! Easy! What about my showing you

the first part again? Huh?

People shout, whistle, give Bronx cheers.

AUDIENCE:

No! First part, my foot! We want to

see how the story ends!!

Down in the front row, PASQUALE, the man who sells black market cigarettes,

stands up.

PASQUALE:

I've seen the whole works! You want

me to tell you how it ends?

A shoe comes flying at him.

AUDIENCE:

Nooo! No! Shut up, you jerk!!

5I VILLAGE STREETS AND COUNTRY ROADS. EXT. EVENING

SALVATORE has got himself a bicycle and is going off to look for

BOCCIA. He pedals fast, turns into the country short cut. Looks

around not a sign of Boccia. By now it is dark. He sees a MAN in the window of

a farmhouse, calls out to him.

SALVATORE:

Boccia! Boccia!

SALVATORE rides on. Now he's in the open country. All of a sudden he seems to

hear something. He stops. Pricks up his ears. It's a sort of moan - he can't

figure out if it's an animal or a man. He turns on the flashlight he has brought

along. Takes a closer look around.

Catches sight of a bicycle wheel on the ground behind a bush. That's where the

moan is coming from! He creeps over in alarm. Next to the bicycle he now catches

sight of the sack with the film. And the moaning gets louder.

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