From Here to Eternity Page #30

MP’S VOICE

Halt!

155.

Prew starts to run back across the road. A white spotlight

flashes on, its harsh brilliant light following him. Prew

slips to one knee.

CLOSE SHOT PREW:

looking toward the jeep, blinded by the blazing light. He has

the appearance of a terrified animal. There is a wildness, a

senselessness about him. The blotch of blood oozes and

spreads over his shirt. He picks up a rock from the road.

MEDIUM SHOT:

Prew rises, staggers away from the jeep.

MP’S VOICE

HALT!

Prew flings the rock desperately toward the lights. There is

a crash of glass and one headlight winks off. Prew runs

across the road and onto the golf course.

.

MEDIUM SHOT JEEP

The motor starts, The jeep moves out from its hiding place

and starts across the golf course.

MOVING SHOT SHOOTING FROM JEEP

Prew, in a skirmisher's zigzag, is trying to elude the

spotlight. He is about twenty yards in front of the jeep. He

heads for a high sandtrap. The spot is full on him as he

reaches the lip of the trap. He turns, yells something back

at the jeep. It is barely heard over the sound of the jeep.

PREW:

-- I'm a soljer! -

MP:

That guy ain’t no soljer -- he dint

halt -

MEDIUM SHOT PREW

standing on the lip of the trap, the jeep bearing down on

him. He turns, starts to dive into the trap. A blast of

gunfire from the jeep hits him. He falls sideways into the

trap, rolls over on his back, The jeep moves into the shot,

crawls half-way over the trap, stops, its spotlight pouring

down on Prew. His eyes are open, looking up to the sky.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

CAMERA SHOOTS DOWN to Prew from top of trap. A portion of the

jeep is in shot, but we are not able to see the MPs.

MP'S VOICE

(quavering, almost

tearful)

(MORE)

156.

MP'S VOICE(cont'd)

-- maybe he was a soljer -- I dint

mean to kill him -- I dint mean it,

guys -- you know we got orders -

SECOND MP'S VOICE

Shut up.

The voices are lost as CAMERA MOVES SLOWLY DOWN toward Prew's

open eyes. We hear his thoughts on the sound track, clear and

fast at first and slow and almost inaudible as the CAMERA

REACHES A FULL HEAD CLOSEUP.

PREW'S VOICE

... sweat it out and sweat it out

and wait and wait and wait for

it... and now it's here... it's

here... gotta see to do it well...

gotta do it well... won't take

long...

CAMERA MOVES CLOSER TO CLOSEUP of Prew's open eyes.

PREW’S VOICE

... just a little more now... gotta

do it good... it'll be over...

nobody lies... lonely... a man

has... got to have some place...

Prew's eyes close. THE SCREEN GOES BLACK.

FADE OUT.

BLACK LEADER:

There is no sound as the screen remains black for several

beats.

FADE IN:

EXT. GOLF COURSE - NIGHT

TWO SHOT WARDEN AND A LIEUTENANT COLONEL

They are looking down to camera, which SHOOTS UP as if from

point of view of Prew's body in the sand trap. The dimmed

headlights of two jeeps illuminates them. Warden is fighting

to control his emotion, to remain the professional soldier.

The Lieutenant Colonel is disturbed, but kindly.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

Where's your Company Commander?

WARDEN:

He's at Headquarters, sir. I'm the

First Sergeant.

157.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

Did you know this man personally?

.

WARDEN:

Yes, sir.

MEDIUM SHOT WARDEN AND LIEUTENANT COLONEL

They are standing on the lip of the sandtrap. The hoods of

the jeeps that chased Prew and the second jeep are just

behind them in shot.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

He didn't have any regular

identification. But they found a

card on him with his name -

(holds card close to

headlight)

-- seems to be a membership in a

club. The -- New Congress Club.

WARDEN:

Yes, sir.

The Lieutenant Colonel hands the card to Warden.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

I'll turn this over to you. And

these other things that were on

him. This -

He unfolds a sheet of paper, holds it to the headlight. He

and Warden squint at it.

INSERT:
CRUMPLED SHEET OF PAPER WITH PENCILED WRITING:

"Re-enlistment Blues" is written at the top. The stanzas of

the song are beneath the heading.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL'S VOICE

Seems to be acme sort of poem.

WARDEN'S VOICE

Yes, air.

Very softly, so distant that we can only distinguish a word

or two now and then, we hear the voices of Clark, Anderson

and Prew singing the "Re-enlistment Blues." The plaintive

melody continues under the rest of the scene.

MEDIUM SHOT WARDEN AND LIEUTENANT COLONEL

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

And this. Whatever it is.

158.

He holds Prew' s bugle mouthpiece up to the light, gives it

to Warden. Warden holds it in his hand, stares at it. Under

the "Re-enlistment Blues," even softer, farther away, we now

hear Prew's bugle blowing Taps. It continues, with the song,

to the end of the scene.

WARDEN:

It’s the mouthpiece of a bugle.

The Lieutenant Colonel looks at Warden closely.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

Are you all right, Sergeant? Was

this man a friend of yours?

Warden speaks very formally.

WARDEN:

Sir, this man was a good soldier.

He loved the Army moren any soljer

I ever knew. I would like to make a

formal request that this body be

buried in the Army's permanent

cemetery at Schofield Barracks.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

I believe I can attend to that for

you.

WARDEN:

Thank you, sir.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

I'm sorry, Sergeant.

The Lieutenant Colonel walks off.

ANOTHER ANGLE WARDEN

INCLUDING Prew's body in the shot as Warden looks down at it.

He looks at it for several moments. The Taps is just coming

to an end. Warden speaks very quietly.

WARDEN:

No, sir. I hardly knew the guy...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. HONOLULU HARBOR - DAY

LONG SHOT SHOOTING FROM DOCK TO SHIP LEAVING HARBOR

Taps and the Re-enlistment Blues are swept away by the lush

strains of Aloha Oe. The Hawaiian music continues through the

scene.

159.

EXT. PROMENADE DECK OF SHIP - DAY

MEDIUM SHOT KAREN

She is looking back at the city. Around her neck is a garland

of leis.

LONG SHOT HONOLULU FROM DECK OF SHIP KAREN'S POV

ALMA'S VOICE

It's very beautiful, isn't it?

MEDIUM SHOT KAREN

She turns and CAMERA PANS to INCLUDE Alma in shot, standing

beside Karen. She is dressed in black, quite severely.

KAREN:

(sociably)

I think It's the most beautiful

place I ever saw in my lire.

ALMA:

No one would know there was a war,

from out here.

Karen takes off her leis, begins tossing them over the rail.

KAREN:

There's a legend. If they float in

toward shore, you'll come back some

day. If they float out to sea, you

won't.

ALMA:

I won't come back. I had to get

away from here. You see, my fiance

was killed on December seventh.

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