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Midnight Express Page #5
- R
- Year:
- 1978
- 121 min
- 1,869 Views
REVERSE ANGLE - OVER CAMERAMAN
BILLY in the middle, flanked by SECOND and THIRD OFFICER,
grinning like big game hunters, their arms on his shoulders.
The FIRST OFFICER, sticking a bunch of hashish plaques
into Billy's hands, runs OUT OF FRAME. BILLY looks from
side to side. The SECOND OFFICER pats him hard on the back
of the head, meaning 'look at camera'. BILLY glances at
him, sees the grin on both the officers' faces. Thinking
this is the necessary expression, he grins at the camera.
CAMERAMAN disgustedly looks up from his eyepiece.
CAMERAMAN:
No.. He's smiling. Make him look
miserable.
SECOND OFFICER slugs BILLY in the stomach with a quick
back-handed fist. BILLY groans, sinks to his knees. The
plaques fall on the floor.
FIRST OFFICER:
(running up)
Gel? Gel??
He growls, grabbing Billy's arm and hauling him up,
gathering the hashish plaques and putting them back in his
arms. The TWO OFFICERS put their arms back on Billy's
shoulders. BILLY, in pain, makes the proper expression of
misery.
FLASH! The bulb goes.
CUT:
THE 707 PAN AMERICAN PLANE, destination New York, roars up
into the sky. PULL BACK all the way to BILLY sitting next
to the window, huddled over, feeling woozy and near
vomiting. He glimpses the plane but it is anti-climatic
now; as he stares down at his boots. Then remembers
something! Surprised.
ANOTHER ANGLE - ROOM. The Turkish OFFICERS talk AD LIB
among themselves, congratulating, slapping shoulders,
pointing to the hashish plaques, etc.
In center background, we see BILLY submissively lifting
his arm for permission to speak,
THIRD OFFICER nods, approaches, followed by OTHERS.
BILLY slowly, partly out of pain, pulls off one of his
boots, bangs it on the heel and two more PLAQUES clatter
to the floor.
TURKISH MOUTHS drop open.
BILLY finishes the process with the other boot. An awkward
silence OFF.
BILLY:
(trying to explain,
innocent)
I forgot... I really did.
(makes ineffective
gestures)
ANOTHER ANGLE. The room explodes with screams and commotion.
AD LIB:
THIRD OFFICER:
(screaming at SECOND
OFFICER)
You idiot, you fool. You told me
the American was searched... and
he's pulling hashish out of his
boots! You're all dogshit!
SECOND OFFICER:
(turning on First
Officer, screaming)
You worthless piece of garbage,
where did you learn to search a
prisoner? He's been in our custody
for an hour, etc.
FIRST OFFICER:
(screaming at the
others)
Who searched him? Who?
Amid all the screaming TWO POLICEMEN rush over and yank
BILLY upwards, and start to strip all his clothes.
BILLY:
(protesting)
That's it! That's all I have!
CUT:
BILLY spread-eagled STARK NAKED against the wall. He is
afraid to move. A strange silence.
ANOTHER ANGLE. BILLY naked in center B.G. against the
wall.The OFFICERS and SOLDIERS quietly leering at his trim,
muscular buttocks. Hungry stares. Bisexuality is prevalent
in Turkey.But there is also embarrassment among the
officers; none would do anything openly in front of the
others; instead they just stare and smoke their cigarettes.
Low murmurs. Continued telephone calls. Much thick smoke
all over the room.
Another DOOR opens OFF. Obsequious GREETINGS in Turkish.
BILLY is afraid to look over his shoulder, feeling
enormously humiliated.
VOICE (OFF)
Howdy, Billy. Howya doing, Ok?
A perfect Texas drawl. BILLY glances over his shoulder.
Sees:
TEX a tall, lanky blonde-haired American in a business
suit with boots. Clean cut, very handsome, with a strong
flavour of danger in his blue eyes.
TEX:
(smiling, extends
Billy's clothes)
finished for the time being if
you'd like to put your clothes on.
ANOTHER ANGLE - BILLY, so grateful at last to see a fellow
American, reaches quietly for the clothes, his eyes never
leaving Tex. Release?
CUT:
TURKISH DETECTIVE sits at the main desk in the room. Unlike
the others, he has no moustache; a skeletal face,
intelligent looking. TEX Is behind, leaning casually up
against the wall. Angled to Billy's side is the entire
array of seated OFFICERS looking on like a tribunal.
DETECTIVE:
(thickly accented
English, sympathetic)
Are you afraid, Vilyum?
BILLY, standing to the side of the desk, clothed now,
buckling his belt - afraid.
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"Midnight Express" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Aug. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/midnight_express_1061>.
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