Playback Page #11

BRANDON:

I stopped him.

CLARENDON:

And if he fails, he at least has

the good manners to apologize.

BRANDON:

I don't exactly regard Larry

Mitchell's pick-ups...

Clarendon turns back on him. Then--

CLARENDON:

(to Betty, with

courtly gesture)

We haven't been introduced. But if

you'll overlook that, I'm sure

that between us we can contrive a

graceful exit.

BETTY:

(smiling at him

warmly)

Thank you very much.

They go towards the door side by side.

Brandon turns and CAMERA PANS HIM BACK TO BAR where Killaine

has remained motionless, his drink untasted.

BRANDON:

Would it have helped if I'd knocked

him down?

KILLAINE:

Hardly. Who's the girl?

BRANDON:

Somebody Mitchell picked up on the

train. I don't even know her name.

KILLAINE:

She doesn't look like a girl who

would let herself be picked up on

a train.

BRANDON:

That's what I thought, at first.

(a beat)

Maybe somebody else ought to have

thrown this party.

(a beat)

With my liquor of course.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ROYAL HOTEL - BETTY'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT:

Face of traveling clock on a night table. Room is dark,

lit only by moonlight. Hands of the clock stand almost

11:
15. Ticking is HEARD faintly. A little smoke drifts

across the face of the clock.

CAMERA PANS BACK ALONG THE SMOKE to Betty lying in bed,

her eyes wide open. Somewhere outside a CHURCH CLOCK CHIMES

the quarter hour. The last strokes of the clock are drowned

out by a sudden peal of THUNDER. Betty jerks upright in

bed. The thunder frightens her. There is another LOUDER

peal, this time preceded by a FLASH of LIGHTENING which

LIGHTS UP HER FACE. She shuts her eyes against it. The

THUNDERSTORM grows suddenly HEAVY. Repeated FLASHES of

LIGHTENING across her FACE and peals of THUNDER.

CAMERA MOVES IN ON HER EYES which are frozen.

FLASHBACK:

INT. COUNTY COURTHOUSE - GREENWATER NORTH CAROLINA --

NIGHT:

CAMERA PULLS BACK VERY SLOWLY

And everything has changed except Betty's expression. The

FLASHES go on, but they are now seen to be FLASHBULBS of

NEWSPAPER CAMERAMEN. Betty is dressed very soberly and is

standing just inside the door of a courtroom with a jail

matron beside her.

The CAMERA KEEPS PULLING BACK AWAY FROM BETTY, and the

entire courtroom is seen.

It is late at night in the county courthouse GREENWATER,

NORTH CAROLINA. There is an excited buzzing of conversation.

A BAILIFF is RAPPING for order.

The JURY is sitting, grim faced and silent, in the box.

The Judge is not on the bench yet.

Betty is led along the side corridor then through the bar

where DEFENSE ATTORNEY, a haggard, dark-haired young man,

stands waiting for her.

(NOTE:
All Southern accents except Betty's in this scene)

BAILIFF:

(shouting)

Everybody stand up! His Honor,

Judge Hopkinson! Court now in

session!

Everybody stands up. Betty and the jail matron and the

young attorney face towards the bench.

CAMERA SHOWS THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY, also standing up at

his table.

CAMERA PANS OVER TO THE DOOR OF THE JUDGES CHAMBERS. He

walks slowly to the bench, stands for a moment behind it,

looking out over the courtroom, then sits down. He is a

distinguished courtly Southerner of the best type, an old

man but very erect. When he sits, all the spectators and

lawyers sit down.

The double doors at the back are closed and a BAILIFF stands

with his back to them. Suddenly, one of the doors is pushed

open, almost knocking the Bailiff out of the way.

He turns angrily as HENRY KINSOLVING enters. The Bailiff

seeing who it is, stands aside. Henry Kinsolving is an

arrogant, bitter man about 60 years old, with the stamp of

power and authority. He marches down the center aisle of

the court through the bar, and sits at the table near the

PROSECUTOR. The Judge stares down at him coldly.

JUDGE:

Mr. Bailiff, please make room for

Mr. Henry Kinsolving, outside the

bar of the court.

Henry Kinsolving springs to his feet and glares at the

Judge. Then he turns and goes through the gate of the bar

and sits down outside in a chair the Bailiff places for

him solicitously. There is a general shuffling of feet and

noise which subsides slowly.

JUDGE:

(slowly and

impressively)

Before the Jury renders its verdict,

the Court wishes to warn those

present that there is to be no

demonstrations of any kind. No

person is to leave the courtroom

until the Court rises.

(he glances towards

press table)

I repeat... no one is to leave the

courtroom.

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