King Kong Page #4

EXT. JUNGLE CLEARING - DAY

ROAR CONTINUES... PAR onto CARL DENHAM roaring into a MEGAPHONE! He is

sitting in one of TWO VEHICLES, parked just off the road, on the edge

of a clearing. Several CREW MEMBERS from the ship are perched on the

vehicles, including PEEK and KURT. MR GINTING, and TWO SUMATRAN GUIDES

look nervously around, clutching RIFLES.

DENHAM lowers the megaphone looking very satisfied with himself ...

DENHAM:

DENHAM:

The sound of a wounded warthog ... a little trick I picked up from the

Tau Tau people of New Guinea! Keep you're eye to the eyepiece, Herb! We

won't be waiting long.

HERB has the camera set up in the middle of the clearing, his lens

staring into the thick, dark jungle that lies ahead ... he looks alone

and vulnerable.

DENHAM throws a huge lump of BLOODY RAW MEAT into the clearing ... it

lands at HERB'S feet ... he swallows nervously. DENHAM settles back

into his seat, lighting a LARGE CIGAR.

DENHAM (CONT'D)

Tell me Mr Ginting - are there any parts of your country where people

still wear ... native costume?

MR GINTING:

Native costume?

DENHAM:

Y'know ... traditional ceremonies where the woman ... divest themselves

of their undergarments.

DENHAM gestures at his chest ... MR GINTiNG is confused.

DENHAM (CONT'D)

Hooters, Mr Ginting. There's nothing the public like to see more than

native hooters.

PEEK sniggers. MR GINTING frowns.

MR GINTING:

We are a very modest and deeply religious people, Mr Denham.

DENHAM:

(grunting)

That's too bad.

A NOISE from the jungle - DENHAM suddenly leaps to his feet.

DENHAM (CONT'D)

He's close, boys - Roll camera! Roll sound!

HERB rolls camera ... the WHIRRING MOTOR is the only sound in the

clearing - even the BIRDS are suddenly quiet ...BRANCHES SNAPPING ...

LEAVES SHAKING -SOMETHING is approaching from inside the dense jungle

...

TENSE FACES! DENHAM ... MR GINTING ... KURT ... HERB wipes a bead of

sweat from his brow without taking his eye off the eyepiece ... A GASP

is heard from the GROUP as the bushes part and out steps the mighty ...

SUMATRAN TIGER! It warily steps into the clearing, regarding HERB with

suspicion. He can barely breath as he pans, following the TIGER'S

movements.

DENHAM (CONT'D)

(loud megaphone)

Looking good Herb! Stand by for the roar ... here we go!

DENHAM lowers his MEGAPHONE and throws a large STONE, hitting the TIGER

on the back! The TIGER ROARS!

DENHAM (CONT'D)

Boy! Were those teeth in focus, Herb?

HERB:

(choked whisper)

Yeah!

The TIGER sniffs the meat ... REJECTS IT ...

MR GINTING:

(quiet)

He doesn't want the meat ...

He SNARLS AT HERB ...

MR GINTING (CONT'D)

(panicked)

Man Eater!!!

DENHAM:

A man eater! Fantastic!

(megaphone)

Making history, Herb

PEEK:

For Gods sake! Get him outta there!

DENHAM:

Just a few more seconds ...

The TIGER suddenly springs on HERB! The cameraman SCREAMS as he topples

backwards - CAMERA, TRIPOD and TIGER landing on top of him!

For a moment, all ONLOOKERS are frozen in their VEHICLES ... MR GINTING

suddenly raises his RIFLE and fires ...

CUT TO:

EXT. SUMATRAN DIG - DAY

BANG! BANG! GUNSHOTS echo across the dig site. EVERYBODY stops - looks

around ... LORD DARROW races out of a tent.

AT THAT MOMENT ... The TIGER races out of undergrowth, charging

STRAIGHT THROUGH THE CAMP!!

LORD DARROW:

(yelling)

Tiger!!!

CHAOS ERUPTS!

BRIEF IMAGES FLEETING GLIMPSES of the TIGER, racing through the camp -

leaping tables, crashing through tents ... PEOPLE are running, diving,

grabbing RIFLES. ANN pushes a SUMATRAN MAID clear of the TIGER.

VEHICLES suddenly BURST OUT OF THE TREES and career wildly through the

camp! The SUMATRAN? RAN GUIDES are SHOOTING at the fleeing TIGER ...

HERB - battered and bleeding - is FILMING from one of the bouncing

vehicles! DENHAM is balancing in the front seat with a look of EUPHORIA

- like a general leading a CAVALRY CHARGE.

The vehicles do MORE DAMAGE than the TIGER! ANCIENT STATUES are BODE

OVER, GUY ROPES snag on the cars -RIPPING TENTS OUT OF THE GROUND,

LUNCH TABLES are destroyed. PEOPLE that lept away from the TIGER have

to LEAP-- FURTHER to avoid the SPEEDING CARS!

BANG! BANG! The TIGER does a HUGE LEAP as BULLETS whizz by ...

RICOCHETING OFF THE BUDDHA in the BG!!! Lumps of ROTTEN STONE fly off

in clouds of dust.

The TIGER bounds up the bank beside the BUDDHA and DISAPPEARS into the

undergrowth.

LORD DARROW runs at the VEHICLES.

LORD DARROW (CONT'D)

Stop it! You idiots!

ANN races towards her FATHER as the vehicles SLIDE TO A HALT at the

foot of the cliff BELOW THE BUDDHA.

ANN:

(alarmed)

Father!

LORD DARROW:

These are priceless artifacts! They're ruining the site!

DENHAM:

(quietly to kurt)

Who is this limey a**hole?

KURT SHRUGS ... LORD DARROW hurries towards the VEHICLES.

LORD DARROW:

Out! Out! All of you! We have been issued with an exclusive permit -

ANN:

(interrupting Darrow)

Father ... Father!

THE BUDDHA ... Bullet hits have blown lumps of stone away, revealing a

creepy BRONZE STATUE - concealed beneath the thin "Buddha" shaped outer

layer. Only a small section is revealed, but it is clear that the

BRONZE FIGURE is that of an ANIMAL ...

LORD DARROW:

(mesmerized)

What the ...

LORD DARROW rushes up the slope to the STATUE ... He hits the STONE

VENEER with his stick - once, twice, on the THIRD BLOW, the remainder

of the "Buddha" shell suddenly CRUMBLES AWAY and falls in a heap on the

ground!

Exposed for the first time in nearly 800 years is the STATUE OF A

FRIGHTENING ANIMAL ... an APE-LIKE creature -FACE SNARLING with

fearsome RAGE ... bristled fur ... taloned hands. It sits atop a pile

of REAL HUMAN SKULLS, integrated into the bronze work. At the base of

the statue - PANELS OF HIEROGLYPHIC-TYPE INSCRIPTION. An ancient piece

of frightening art ... it sends the GROUP into STUNNED SILENCE.

LORD DARROW (CONT'D)

God Lord ... I don't believe it.

LOW ANGLE ... LORD DARROW turns to face the GROUP, the STATUE filling

the frame behind him. The old man's eyes blaze with obsessive

intensity.

LORD DARROW (CONT'D)

(creepy)

Behold ... the Beast God ... KONG!

MR GINTING backs away, TREBLING.

MR GINTING:

(terrified)

Kong.

LORD DARROW:

(creepy)

Worshipped by a savage race ... "Talak e a Kong" The Cult of the Beast

God - until now a myth ... a superstition.

The SUMATRANS are all backing away. The EUROPEANS stare at the STATUE -

KURT moves closer, studying the HIEROGLYPHICS on a panel that seems to

contain a CRUDE MAP. The ATMOSPHERE is mesmerizing. SILENCE ...

DENHAM:

(loudly)

That was great your Lordship! Now, if you wouldn't mind - just repeat

that and we'll get it from another angle. Exact same words please!

HERB has been filming LORD DARROW!

LORD DARROW:

No photography!!! Turn that thing off!

DENHAM climbs out of his VEHICLE ...

DENHAM:

Hi - Carl Denham. I'm A big admirer of your work, sir. I've loved all

your discoveries. I really want to work closely with you on this

incredible find. It'll be good for you and good for me.

ANN:

Look Mr Denham - you're not welcome here. Just pack up your cameras and

go.

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