Pleasantville Page #25

It swings open and David and Mr. Johnson are led in wearing

handcuffs. Dan, the Police Chief (now ballif), shows them to

a table in the center of the room directly facing Big Bob.

There is no lawyer present. There is also no prosecutor.

ANGLE. DAVID.

He glances around a little confused. (Weird courtroom.) Big

Bob bangs the gavel.

BOB:

Bud Parker and William Johnson,

you have been charged with

desecration of a public building

and the intentional use of

prohibited paint colors in

violation of the Pleasantville

Code of Conduct and laws of

common decency. Do you admit that

on the night of May 1, you did

consciously and willfully apply

the following FORBIDDEN colors to

the Pleasantville Town Hall:

(beat)

Red, Pink, Vermillion, Puce,

Chartreuse, Umber, Blue, Aqua, Ox

Blood, Green, Peach, Crimson,

Yellow, Olive and Magenta.

DAVID:

Um ... Yes I do. Where's our

lawyer?

BOB:

We prefer to keep these

proceedings as "pleasant" as

possible. I don't think a lawyer

will be necessary.

There is a murmur and a great deal of nodding amongst the

black and white faces. Big Bob smiles to himself then

proceeds.

BOB (CONT)

Do you further admit that this

was done surreptitiously and

under the cover of darkness?

DAVID:

Well--it was dark out ...

BOB:

Good. Do you further admit that

this unnatural depiction occurred

in full public view where it was

accessible to, and in plain sight

of, minor children?

DAVID:

It was accessible to everyone.

BOB:

Very well. Let the record show

that the defendants have answered

in the affirmative to all the

charges.

He looks directly at them for the first time.

BOB (CONT)

Do you have anything to say in

your defense?

SHOT. DEFENSE TABLE.

Mr. Johnson just looks at David, confused and terrified.

MR. JOHNSON

I didn`t mean to hurt anybody.

I just have to paint ... I

need to.

He gropes for something else to say, but what else is there?

David glances over and sees him sit slowly back in his seat.

David rises from his chair.

DAVID:

I think I've got something to say.

BOB:

Very well ...

David looks out over the audience. After a moment or two, he

looks back at Big Bob.

DAVID:

I think I know why you're doing

this. I mean, I understand why

you're doing this. I used to

feel the same way. I used to

want this place to stay just the

way it was. I never wanted it to

change ...

There is a loud MURMUR. Big Bob bangs the gavel.

DAVID (CONT)

(he smiles slightly)

But nothing stays the same. You

get things, and you lose things,

and that's the good part and the

bad part--but you can't have a

good part without a bad part.

He turns and sees his mother in the balcony. They lock eyes

for a moment. David smiles slightly and continues.

DAVID (CONT)

It's like the basketball team.

BOB:

(leaning forward)

The basketball team?

DAVID:

Sure. Everybody's upset because

they're not winning anymore--but

just think how it would feel if

all of a sudden they do win.

There's a murmur in the gallery.

DAVID (CONT)

Wouldn't it feel better than when

they used to win all the time?

There is a LOUDER MURMUR. Big Bob looks concerned.

DAVID (CONT)

See, I know you want it to stay

"Pleasant" but there are so many

things that are so much better:

like Silly ... or Sexy ... or

Dangerous ... or Wild ... or

Brief ...

(beat)

And every one of those things is

in you all the time if you just

have the guts to look for them.

(pointing to the "colored" section)

Look at those faces back there.

They're no different than you are.

They just happened to see

something inside themselves that

you don't want to ...

BOB:

Okay--that's enough!

DAVID:

I thought I was allowed to

defend myself.

BOB:

You're not allowed to lie.

DAVID:

I'm not lying ... Here I'll show

you.

He turns suddenly toward the jury box.

DAVID (CONT)

Mr. Simpson ...

MR. SIMPSON

Yes.

DAVID:

What color is that hedge of yours?

MR. SIMPSON

Green.

DAVID:

No, not that hedge. The other one.

MR. SIMPSON

The other one?

DAVID:

The one in your mind. The one

that you see on a bright cold

morning. The one that you see

when you walk in front of your

house and you just stand there

and stare.

Mr. Simpson suddenly looks far away. He gets a kind of dreamy

look in his eye.

DAVID (CONT)

What color is that hedge?

CLOSE UP. MR. SIMPSON.

SUDDENLY AND BEFORE OUR EYES, MR. SIMPSON TURNS TO LIVING

COLOR. A huge MURMUR moves through the courtroom. Bob bangs

the gavel.

BOB:

I said, that's enough!

VARIOUS VOICES FROM

THE AUDIENCE:

"No ... Let him finish ... Go on ..."

Big Bob lifts the gavel and is about to bang it when David

suddenly turns toward George.

DAVID:

Alright. Dad ...

DIFFERENT ANGLE.

There is a LOUDER MURMUR. Big Bob just looks at him frozen

while David confronts his "father." George straightens up.

GEORGE:

(solemn)

Yes Bud.

DAVID:

(beat)

Don't you miss her?

CLOSE UP. GEORGE.

He looks at him stunned. Big Bob bangs the gavel but nobody

listens. George just stares at him like he got shot.

DAVID:

I mean, of course you do, but it

isn't just the cooking or the

cleaning that you miss--it's

something else, isn't it ...

George swallows. The UNDERTONE in the room starts to grow as

he glances toward the back of the room.

DAVID (CONT)

(softer whisper)

Maybe you can't even describe it.

Maybe you only know it when it's

gone. Maybe it's like there's a

whole piece of you that's missing

too.

(shrugs)

You might even call it "love."

BIG BOB:

(BANGING the gavel loudly)

Okay, that's IT!!!

DAVID:

(motioning toward the back)

Now don't you think she looks just

as pretty in color? Don't you

think she looks just as pretty as

she did the day you met her?

Slowly, almost imperceptibly George nods. A single tear rolls

down his cheek. As it traces the side of his face it leaves a

long trail of COLOR behind it.

DAVID (CONT)

Don't you wish you could tell her

that?

He nods again and it all comes out. Betty smiles at him

through her tears. Even Mr. Johnson smiles as well.

BOB:

(POUNDING the gavel)

YOU'RE OUT OF ORDER!

DAVID:

Why am I out of order?

BOB:

BECAUSE I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO

TURN THIS COURTROOM INTO A CIRCUS!

DAVID:

Well I don't think it's a circus.

And I don't think they do either.

David motions behind him to the black and white section.

There are now ten to fifteen "colored" faces.

BOB:

THIS BEHAVIOR WILL STOP AT ONCE.

DAVID:

But see that's just the point. It

can't stop at once. Because it's

in you. And you can't stop

something that's in you.

BOB:

(tightly)

It's not in ME.

DAVID:

Oh sure it is.

BOB:

No it isn't.

He crosses to the bench looking right up at Big Bob. He leans

over the bench and gets right up in his face.

DAVID:

(smug whisper)

What do you want to do to me

right now?

Big Bob starts to tremble. He shakes with rage as David moves

closer.

DAVID (CONT)

C'mon. Everyone's turning colors.

Kids are making out in the street.

No one's getting their dinner--

hell, you could have a flood any

minute ... Pretty soon you could

have the women going off to work

while the men stayed home and

cooked ...

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