Midnight Express Page #4

BILLY stands there, arms straight up in the air, eyes

clamped shut, trying not to breathe. CHORUS of rifle and

revolver CLICKS OFF as:

PULL BACK to OVERHEAD SHOT BILLY surrounded by thirty

SOLDIERS with rifles pointed at him from all directions,

crouched nervously. The PASSENGERS all huddled on the

ground.

BILLY, eyes closed. Edge of frame shows a shaky muzzle a

REVOLVER poked into his belly, moving up.

MOVE to THE FIRST OFFICER, older, more experienced but

scared, poking with the revolver; reaches in with his hand

cautiously, starts to pull up the turtleneck sweater. MOVE

with the hand, revealing the HASHISH PLAQUES around the

navel. A pause. His HAND draws the sweater higher. More

PLAQUES.

FIRST OFFICER'S FACE relaxes. Starts to smile, finding it

funny.

FIRST OFFICER:

(yells out)

It's hashish. just a smuggler.

SOLDIERS (OFF)

(in chorus echo,

relaxing, chuckling)

Hashish...smuggler...hippy...

MASTER ANGLE SOLDIERS REGROUPING. PASSENGERS starting to

rise from the ground.

SUSAN dumbfounded watching all this from the door of the

PLANE, starts back down the ramp. But a flow of upcoming

PASSENGERS slows her descent.

BILLY is led roughly by TWO SOLDIERS parallel to the plane

his hands on his head. He manages a glance at Susan. A

slight but strong movement of the head and eyes. 'No. Don't

come down the stairs'

SUSAN understands it, looks helplessly, hesitates lost

between two worlds. A silent shaping of a puzzled mouth.

SUSAN:

...Billy...?

She is washed back along in the flow of passengers.

CUT:

VIP ROOM AIRPORT LOUNGE. The scene moves very fast,

Indicating A sense of chaos. Much smoke. Many phone calls.

Half A dozen Turkish police OFFICERS Are bizarrely seated

In A row of fold up chairs next to A desk. Chattering among

themselves (AD LIB) lighting their Turkish cigarettes.

They hardly pay attention as:

MOVE TO BILLY, scared, sweating - backlit by the huge

windows overlooking the airstrip. In background, we see

the 707 Pan American PLANE beginning to circle towards the

runway. GUARDS have stripped him down to his bare chest

and now knife through the adhesive tape from two sides at

once. Then RIP the tape off. BILLY winces.

ANOTHER ANGLE the room. Billy's luggage Is being Tossed.

Clothes fly through the air. A sweatshirt; Marquette

University Rowing Team. A 35mm camera. A gift package for

his mother ripped open. A silver Turkish kettle, clanging

To The floor. Another package is ripped open and a set of

Turkish tea cups smash and break all over the floor. Very

fast.

BILLY watches, bewildered. He is stripped of the last plaque

in of the confusion is that each time another police officer

his navel. FOLLOW the plaque clattering onto the pile of

forty plaques.

FIRSTOFFICER (OFF)

Name?

BILLY (OFF)

William Hayes.

MOVE BACK QUICKLY to the OFFICER with notebook at the desk.

Part of the confusion is that each time we see another

police officer we see he has another face.

FIRST OFFICER:

Vi... Vilyum... Vilyum...

BILLY (OFF)

Hayes.

FIRST OFFICER:

Hi-yes...

(writes it down)

ANOTHER ANGLE --

FIRST OFFICER:

'Merican?

BILLY:

(nods)

New York.

The OFFICER is puzzled.

BILLY:

New York... New York...

FIRST OFFICER:

Ahhhh...Nev Yok!

(writes it down)

A LOUD SOUND OFF.

The DOOR flies open and ANOTHER OFFICER strides in.

Paunchy, moustached. The room is suddenly silent as we

TRACK him in, followed by a grinning civilian FLUNKY with

a big portable photo instrument and bulb.

THE FIRST OFFICER jumps up from the desk, makes an

obsequious salute to the SECOND OFFICER who arrogantly

acknowledges it and takes the vacated chair behind the

desk. The FIRST OFFICER moves to the first fold-up chair

in the row, pushing the police officer in that chair further

down. THIS OFFICER, in turn, shoves the next man down. It

goes all the way down the line like a comedy until the

last man in the row stands up against the wall. But this

is all in the background as:

SECOND OFFICER:

Name?

BILLY:

William Hayes.

SECOND OFFICER:

Vil... Vilyum...?

BILLY:

Hayes...

Sharp SOUND OFF of FILM BEING RIPPED FROM CAMERA. He darts

a look at

POLICEMAN stretching the undeveloped film out. Another

loud SOUND OFF, interrupting this--

THE DOOR flies open again and a THIRD OFFICER strides in,

obviously the most important yet, because the SECOND OFFICER

jumps up from the desk, and all the others immediately

move down one seat in the hierarchy without a moment's

hesitation. But the THIRD OFFICER strides right up to Billy,

waves to the SECOND OFFICER. THE CAMERAMAN in background

bubbles with enthusiasm, sliding into position. Billy is

puzzled - what's going on? His arm is grabbed and he is

swivelled around.

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