Jamaica Inn Page #6

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JAMAICA INN EP1 FIRST REVISION SET PINK 25.9.13

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JEM OOV:

What d’you mean?

JOSS OOV:

(reluctant)

Customs’ve been turning over half

the stashes. Someone’s talking.

…mutter mutter… MARY can’t hear JOSS’s next words… or JEM’s

response …then she hears -

JOSS OOV (CONT’D)

I need you to get me some horses.

JEM OOV:

And I’ve said no.

JOSS OOV:

So you wanna see me hang then? Your *

own brother!

A clatter from within, perhaps one of them shoved the other.

But PATIENCE suddenly comes in and sees MARY

PATIENCE:

Mary! Get away from there!

MARY ducks back guiltily as PATIENCE glares fear. But she

steels herself to confront her aunt about the smuggling

MARY:

Aunt Patience -

PATIENCE:

No.

And she’s gone.

EXT. COURTYARD, JAMAICA INN - DAY 3 37

Wet laundry’s flapping, MARY hanging it out but her eyes are

trained on the door of the inn…

-she turns away sharply as JEM exits, trying to hide that

she was watching for him, but she isn’t fast enough -

- he’s clocked it as he heads over. She glares reproach -

MARY:

You could have told me you’re his

brother.

JEM:

(attempts light humour)

I thought you might have guessed it

from my manners.

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JAMAICA INN EPISODE 1 SHOOTING SCRIPT 23.9.13

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MARY’s still not game to be amused, feels threatened by him

on every level. Not least because, as she glances at the inn

-PATIENCE is spying through the window, seems afraid of him.

JEM’s more serious as he moves to her -

JEM (CONT’D)

How long d’you plan to be here

Mary? Seems a waste, a maid like

you. You need to find a husband

MARY:

- oh everyone seems very keen to

tell me what I need!

He holds his hands up- fair enough. There’s a moment between

them, a beat of understanding. Before she looks away.

JEM:

I mean to say, you shouldn’t stay

here. Listening at doors. There’s

things going on you shouldn’t get

caught up in

MARY:

What, smuggling?! Oh I worked that

out, I’m not stupid, I -

But he steps forward, his hand over her mouth to silence her -

JEM:

-you are if you say it so damn

loudly.

-but his proximity and touch are intimate and MARY feels it.

JEM glances round to check that no-one heard and as he takes

his hand away, MARY’s cowed, and quieter now if a bit sulky -

MARY:

Well it’s wrong. And I know the

lies folk tell themselves to make

out it’s no crime, like why should

they pay taxes to a King who takes

the cream and leaves the rest of us

to starve? But that doesn’t make it

right.

(beat)

If I had somewhere else to go, I

would and I’d take my aunt with me.

JEM speaks softly, warningly -

JEM:

Mary, whatever it is you think you

know, you mustn’t speak of it. Not

if you want to stay safe.

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JAMAICA INN EPISODE 1 SHOOTING SCRIPT 23.9.13

MARY:

Says the horse thief?

JEM:

You might be right there. It’ll

probably be the death of me one

day.

MARY can’t help hoping not. But she looks down to hide her

eyes. JEM reaches out and lifts her chin. She looks at him,

says nothing. He nods to the stable

JEM (CONT’D)

Here, take this nag. I brought her

for you.

MARY looks at the beautiful horse he leads out. Turns away.

MARY:

I don’t want it.

JEM:

Take her anyway. There might come a

time you’d rather not be here, and

if there is you’ll need her.

MARY looks at him but still won’t take it.

A moment then JEM looks disappointed. He mounts his horse;

offers the reins of the other out to MARY one last time - no

response.

He shrugs and kicks off to ride away, leading the other horse

behind him.

MARY watches until he’s out of sight

-then she turns to see JOSS smoking outside the inn, watching

her. MARY ripples vulnerability, throws him a haughty look

-and in response he chucks his mug of ale all over the newly

clean cobbles, messing her work on purpose, angry about his

confrontation with JEM but more than that, something nastily

sexual in the action -and jealous about her frisson with JEM.

MARY turns to head in a different door, but PATIENCE emerges,

watching JOSS, ever his shadow.

MARY turns and stalks off towards the moors.

We stay on JOSS looking smug; with twenty miles of moors

around them, he knows there’s nowhere to go and it’s a stunt.

But MARY isn’t bluffing, keeps on walking, and JOSS’s bravado

crumbles-

JOSS:

Mary?

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JAMAICA INN EPISODE 1 SHOOTING SCRIPT 23.9.13 26

She still keeps walking, and in his face we see his fear as

he glances to the moors beyond; there’s something there that

scares him.

JOSS (CONT’D)

Mary!

Stay on his fear as she ignores him.

38 EXT. GORSE FIELD, BODMIN MOOR - DAY 3 38

The moors are moody, weather changing every second as MARY

walks, angry, upset, no idea where she’s headed.

She strides up a stony ridge and is surprised that in the

distance there’s the sea, its wild surf crashing.

She takes a deep breath, enjoying the sense of freedom.

She’s calmer now as she walks more steadily in the direction

of the sea.

39 EXT. BODMIN MOOR - DAY 3 39

MARY heads towards the distant sea, the sound of tinkling

sheep bells on the wind.

But a sudden shadow to the right and

-MARY looks round sharply, just in time to see it dart

between the stones. She stops.

MARY:

Hello?

But it’s gone - could it be a ghost?

MARY stares and suddenly there it is again, and now she’s

spooked, hurrying off in a new direction and almost starting

to run.

The landscape around her has changed; it’s darker, muddier,

stunted thorn trees, buzzards overhead; and MARY stumbles

forward into the deathly landscape

- suddenly gasping to see

-a twisted human skeleton, still in the rags of clothes,

sticking up out of the bog.

MARY’s frozen in mute horror. She looks behind but the shadow

has gone. No matter, she’s too spooked to stay here now as

even this beautiful landscape has betrayed her so she

-hurries back the way she came, towards Jamaica Inn.

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JAMAICA INN EP1 FIRST REVISION SET PINK 25.9.13

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40 INT. FRONT BAR, JAMAICA INN - EVENING 40

POV through the window of MARY returning, still troubled.

It’s JOSS, readying the inn for a busy night and as she looks

up and sees him, she’s surprised.

*

He hesitates, and then - almost regretful JOSS

Want you serving in the bar

tonight.

*

He turns inside. We stay on MARY worried at what this means.

41 INT. MARY’S BEDROOM, JAMAICA INN - NIGHT 3 41

MARY watches from her window as the rough male DRINKERS slip

into the courtyard, one by one, heads down, like ghosts.

On MARY’s apprehension.

42 INT. FRONT BAR, JAMAICA INN - NIGHT 3 42

Raucous laughter, ribaldry, thick tobacco smoke: ugly,

sweaty, dirty and loud, the all-male company curse and spit,

straddling the stools as they swill their ale.

It’s JOSS’s POV as he surveys his MEN, as though weighing up

their characters to see who might be grassing:

There’s HARRY, a pedlar, 50s, small, wiry, sees everything,

bright as hell (although he feigns deference to JOSS); STOUT,

burly; the TWINS; ELI, a skinny, nasty piece of work; THOMAS,

filthy LAD 15; TUBBY who is thin; AMBROSE, book/records

keeper, better dressed as by day he’s the local school

teacher. Most of the others are copper/tin miners or full-

time smugglers.

*

MARY is behind the bar as she watches JOSS, tall and

charismatic, master of his domain and making a show of it in

front of his men, standing near MARY, half to protect her,

and half to show that she belongs to him, in case any of the

MEN who keep on glancing at her get any ideas.

HARRY perches at the bar, beadily eying her as she serves.

HARRY:

Have ye settled in Miss Yellan?

HARRY seems more sober and polite than the rest, but JOSS

glances at him, watching him with MARY.

HARRY (CONT’D)

Harry. I’m Harry.

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