Into the Woods Page #8

(Excited)

As pure as gold?

CINDERELLA:

I must get home.

CINDERELLA runs off.

WIFE:

Wait! I need your shoes!

The WIFE goes after CINDERELLA but then hears a distant COW

MOAN. She turns around to discover that MILKY-WHITE has taken

off.

WIFE (CONT’D)

Milky-White!

The WITCH appears from nowhere.

WITCH:

One midnight gone!

WIFE:

Already?!

WITCH:

Get that cow!

The WIFE takes off after the cow as the CAMERA RISES above

tree level. The BLUE SHADOW has moved a little further across

the face of the MOON.

EXT. JACK’S FARMHOUSE - THE NEXT DAY - DAYBREAK

A STRAGGLY ROOSTER crowing, the sun cutting across its path.

INT. JACK’S FARMHOUSE - DAYBREAK - CONTINUOUS

JACK’S MOTHER is woken by the rooster crow to find something

ticking her nose.

She opens her eyes, brushing the “something” away -- then

sees that it’s a huge LEAF pushing in through an open slat in

the wall.

EXT. JACK’S FARMHOUSE - DAYBREAK - EXTREME WIDE SHOT

The cottage, now dwarfed by a giant BEANSTALK. JACK’S MOTHER,

a tiny figure from this distance, comes running out of the

house, takes one look at the giant plant and screams.

EXT. WOODS - TALL TREES - DAY

Various angles of JACK, running feverishly through the woods

in search of the BAKER. He carries a huge sack of LARGE-SIZED

COINS over his back. He occasionally calls out: “Mr. Baker!”

The BAKER, peacefully asleep is curled up in a large root,

clutching the red cape like it was his blankie. Suddenly JACK

leaps from atop calling his name and waking him.

JACK:

(shouting)

Mr. Baker! Mr. Baker!

BAKER:

(half asleep)

What?

JACK:

Good fortune! Good fortune, sir! Look

what I have! Five gold pieces.

BAKER:

(skeptical)

How would you come by five gold

pieces?!

JACK:

THERE ARE GIANTS IN THE SKY!/ THERE

ARE BIG TALL TERRIBLE GIANTS IN THE

SKY!

JACK throws him the bag and begins to scale up the root of

the tree.

JACK (CONT’D)

WHEN YOU’RE WAY UP HIGH AND YOU LOOK

BELOW/ AT THE WORLD YOU’VE LEFT AND

THE THINGS YOU KNOW,/ LITTLE MORE THAN

A GLANCE IS ENOUGH TO SHOW/ YOU JUST

HOW SMALL YOU ARE.

(MORE)

JACK (CONT’D)

WHEN YOU’RE WAY UP HIGH AND YOU’RE ON

YOUR OWN/ IN A WORLD LIKE NONE THAT

YOU’VE EVER KNOWN,/ WHERE THE SKY IS

LEAD AND THE EARTH IS STONE,

EXT. BEANSTALK - DAY - FLASHBACK

JACK is now climbing the BEANSTALK.

JACK (V.O.)

YOU’RE FREE TO DO/ WHATEVER PLEASES

YOU,/ EXPLORING THINGS YOU’D NEVER

DARE/ ’CAUSE YOU DON’T CARE,/ WHEN

SUDDENLY THERE’S

EXT. WOODS - DAY - PRESENT

JACK is half-way up the tree with the BAKER below.

JACK:

A BIG TALL TERRIBLE GIANT AT THE DOOR.

BAKER:

A giant?

JACK:

A BIG TALL TERRIBLE LADY GIANT

SWEEPING THE FLOOR./ AND SHE GIVES YOU

FOOD/ AND SHE GIVES YOU REST,/ AND SHE

DRAWS YOU CLOSE/ TO HER GIANT BREAST,/

JACK (in the tree).

JACK (CONT’D)

AND YOU KNOW THINGS NOW THAT YOU NEVER

KNEW BEFORE,/ NOT TILL THE SKY.

The BAKER listens intently.

JACK (CONT’D)

ONLY JUST WHEN YOU’VE MADE A FRIEND

AND ALL,/ AND YOU KNOW SHE’S BIG BUT

YOU DON’T FEEL SMALL,/ SOMEONE BIGGER

THAN HER COMES ALONG THE HALL/ TO

SWALLOW YOU FOR LUNCH.

AND YOUR HEART IS LEAD AND YOUR

STOMACH STONE/ AND YOU’RE REALLY

SCARED BEING ALL ALONE,/ AND IT’S THEN

THAT YOU MISS ALL THE THINGS YOU’VE

KNOWN/ AND THE WORLD YOU’VE LEFT AND

THE LITTLE YOU OWN.

EXT. BEANSTALK - DAY - FLASHBACK

JACK scurries down the BEANSTALK, with the large SACK OF

COINS over his shoulder, occasionally looking up to see if he

is being followed.

JACK (V.O.)

THE FUN IS DONE./ YOU STEAL WHAT YOU

CAN AND RUN!

(MORE)

JACK (V.O.) (CONT'D)

AND YOU SCRAMBLE DOWN/ AND YOU LOOK

BELOW,/ AND THE WORLD YOU KNOW/ BEGINS

TO GROW:

EXT. WOODS - DAY - PRESENT

JACK looks down to the BAKER.

JACK:

THE ROOF, THE HOUSE, AND YOUR MOTHER

AT THE DOOR./ THE ROOF, THE HOUSE, AND

THE WORLD YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO

EXPLORE./ AND YOU THINK OF ALL OF THE

THINGS YOU’VE SEEN./ AND YOU WISH THAT

YOU COULD LIVE IN BETWEEN,/

JACK now scurries down the tree.

JACK (CONT’D)

AND YOU’RE BACK AGAIN,/ ONLY DIFFERENT

THAN BEFORE,/ AFTER THE SKY.

THERE ARE GIANTS IN THE SKY!/ THERE

ARE BIG TALL TERRIBLE AWESOME SCARY/

WONDERFUL GIANTS IN THE SKY!

JACK jumps from the tree and lands in front of the BAKER. He

up-ends the sack and dumps the five gold coins on the ground.

JACK (CONT’D)

So, here’s your money, sir! Five gold

pieces. Where is my Milky-White?

BAKER:

(hesitantly)

Milky-White is back home with my wife.

JACK:

Let’s go find them!

JACK grabs the BAKER and excitedly tries to pull him along.

BAKER:

Wait a minute! I’m not sure I want to

sell.

JACK:

But you said I could buy her back. Do

you want more money?

BAKER:

No, no, no! It’s not that-JACK

(ignoring him)

You keep that. I’ll fetch some more.

BAKER:

Wait. I didn’t say--

But JACK doesn’t wait to listen. Taking the EMPTY SACK, he

runs off excitedly.

BAKER (CONT’D)

Hey, come back!

EXT. WOODS - TALL TREES - DAY - CONTINUOUS

The BAKER follows after JACK and collides into his WIFE,

dropping his satchel and revealing the red cape. He hides the

money sack.

BAKER:

What are you doing here?

WIFE:

Well...

She doesn’t want to tell him she’s lost MILKY-WHITE.

WIFE (CONT’D)

I see you’ve got the red cape!

BAKER:

Yes. I’ve got the cape. Only two items

left.

WIFE:

(sheepish)

Three.

BAKER:

Two. We’ve the cape and the cow.

WIFE:

(faked enthusiasm)

You’ve the cape...

BAKER:

What have you done with the cow?!

WIFE:

She ran away. I never reached home.

I’ve been looking for her all night.

BAKER:

(angry)

How could you?

WIFE:

She might just as easily have run from

you!

BAKER:

But she didn’t!

WIFE:

BUT SHE MIGHT HAVE!

BAKER:

BUT SHE DIDN’T!!!

WITCH (O.S.)

WHO CARES!

The WITCH appears in the tree directly above them.

WITCH (CONT’D)

THE COW IS GONE! GET IT BACK! GET IT

BACK!!!

BAKER:

We were just going to do that. Here.

He climbs towards her with the cape.

BAKER (CONT’D)

You can have this-

WITCH:

DON’T COME NEAR ME WITH THAT, FOOL!! I

can’t touch it! By midnight tomorrow

bring me the items or that child you

wish for will never see the light of

day!

With a grand sweep of her cape, the WITCH throws off dirt and

muck over the BAKER and the BAKER’S WIFE as she disappears

into a cloud of dust.

The BAKER wipes dirt from his mouth.

BAKER:

I don’t like that woman.

WIFE:

I’m sorry I lost the cow.

BAKER:

I shouldn’t have yelled.

(firmly but kindly)

Go back to the village. I will make

things right. And then we can just go

about our life. No more witches or dimwitted

boys or hungry little girls.

The BAKER’S WIFE starts to speak.

BAKER (CONT’D)

GO!, please -- go.

She goes.

EXT. WOODS - PINE FOREST - DAY

WIDE SHOT. We hear the hoofbeats of horses coming from both

directions. Crossing the frame and each other are

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