Schindler's List Page #24

She sees eyes in the darkness; five other children are already

there.

EXT. DEPOT - PLASZOW - LATER - DAY

Waves of heat rise from the roofs of the long string of cattle

cars. Inside, those who "failed" the medical exams bake as

they wait for the last cars to be filled.

Schindler's Mercedes pulls up. He climbs out and stares

transfixed. He notices Goeth then, standing with the other

industrialists, Bosch and Madritsch, and strolls over to

them.

GOETH:

I tried to call you, I'm running a

little late, this is taking longer

than I thought. Have a drink.

SCHINDLER:

What's going on?

GOETH:

I got a shipment of Hungarians coming

in, I got to make room for them.

It's always something.

He glances away at the train. The idling engine only partially

covers the desperate pleas for water coming from inside the

slatted cars.

GOETH:

They're complaining now? They don't

know what complaining is.

He grins. Schindler watches as another car is loaded. It's

like they're climbing into an oven.

SCHINDLER:

What do you say we get your fire

brigade out here and hose down the

cars?

Goeth stares at him blankly, then with a What-will-you-think-

of-next? kind of look, then laughs uproariously and calls

over to Hujar --

GOETH:

Bring the fire trucks!

HUJAR:

What?

Hujar heard him, he just doesn't get it. Finally he turns to

another guy and tells him to do it.

STREAM OF WATER CASCADE onto the scalding rooftops. The fire

trucks are there, the hoses firing the cold water at the

cars on the people inside who are roaring their gratitude.

GOETH:

This is really cruel, Oskar, you're

giving them hope. You shouldn't do

that, that's cruel.

And amusing, not just to Goeth, but to the other SS officers

standing around as well. Oskar moves away to talk with one

of the firemen. At full extension, apparently the hoses still

only reach halfway down the long line of cars. He returns to

Goeth.

SCHINDLER:

I've got some 200-meter hoses back

at D.E.F., we can reach the cars

down at the end.

Goeth finds this especially sidesplitting, and hollers --

GOETH:

Hujar!

THE D.E.F. HOSES have arrived and are being coupled to

Plaszow's. As the water drenches the cars further back, the

people inside loudly voice their thanks, and the guards and

officers outside grin at the spectacle.

GUARD:

What does he think he's saving them

from?

The joke takes on new dimension when, from the back of the

D.E.F. trucks, boxes of food are unloaded. Accompanied by

the laughter of the SS, Schindler moves along the string of

cars pushing sausages through the slats.

GOETH:

Oh, my God.

Goeth is almost hysterical. But slowly then, slowly, the

amusement on his face fades. His friend moving along the

cars bringing futile mercy to the doomed in front of countless

SS men, laughing or not, is not just behaving recklessly

here, it's as though he were possessed.

The water rains down on the last car.

EXT. D.E.F. - DAY

A German staff car pulls in across the factory gate, blocking

it. Two Gestapo men climb out.

INT. D.E.F. FACTORY - DAY

The girl who brought Schindler best wishes on his birthday

glances up from her work to the Gestapo crossing through the

factory. They climb the stairs to the upstairs offices and,

moments later, appear behind Schindler's wall of glass.

INT. SCHINDLER'S OFFICE - DAY

Schindler leaning against his desk, drink in his hand, calmly

tries to assess his humorless arresters.

SCHINDLER:

I'm not saying you'll regret it, but

you might. I want you to be aware of

that.

GESTAPO 1

We'll risk it.

Schindler glances beyond them to a point outside his office,

to Klonowska. She nods, she knows what to do, she'll make

the phone calls, call in the favors.

SCHINDLER:

All right, sure, it's a nice day,

I'll go for a drive with you guys.

He snuffs out his cigarette.

INT. GESTAPO CAR - MOVING - DAY

Settled comfortably in the backseat, Schindler glances idly

out the window. As the car makes a turn, though, he looks

back. Apparently he expected it to turn the other way.

SCHINDLER:

Where are we going?

The guys up front don't answer. Concern, for the first time,

registers on Schindler's face. The car approaches a building

block long with an ominous sameness to the windows.

INT. MONTELUPICH PRISON - CRACOW - DAY

Schindler is made to empty his pockets, his money, cigarettes,

everything. Around him clerks speak in whispers, as if raised

voices might set off head-splitting echoes along the narrow

monotonous corridors.

INT. MONTELUPICH PRISON - DAY

He's led down a flight of stairs into a claustrophobic tunnel.

He's taken past darkened cells. Past shadowy figures crouched

in corners and on the floor.

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