Shawshank Redemption Page #10

Hadley glances at the rocks lining the window sill, turns to

Norton.

HADLEY:

Looks pretty clean. Some contraband

here, nothing to get in a twist over.

Norton nods, strolls to the poster of Rita.

NORTON:

I can't say I approve of this...

(turns to Andy)

...but I suppose exceptions can

always be made.

Norton exits, the guards follow. The cell door is slammed and

locked. Norton pauses, turns back.

NORTON:

I almost forgot.

He reaches through the bars and returns the Bible to Andy.

NORTON:

I'd hate to deprive you of this.

Salvation lies within.

Norton and his men walk away.

RED (V.O.)

Tossin' cells was just an excuse.

Truth is, Norton wanted to size

Andy up.

87INT -- PRISON LAUNDRY -- DAY (1949) 87

Andy is working the line. Hadley enters and confers briefly

with Bob. Bob nods, crosses to Andy, taps him. Andy turns,

removes an earplug. Bob shouts over the machine noise:

BOB:

DUFRESNE! YOU'RE OFF THE LINE!

88INT -- WARDEN NORTON'S OFFICE -- DAY (1949) 88

Andy is led in. Norton is at his desk doing paperwork. Andy's

eyes go to a framed needle-point sampler on the wall behind

him that reads:
"HIS JUDGMENT COMETH AND THAT RIGHT SOON."

NORTON:

My wife made that in church group.

ANDY:

It's very pretty, sir.

NORTON:

You like working in the laundry?

ANDY:

No, sir. Not especially.

NORTON:

Perhaps we can find something more

befitting a man of your education.

89INT -- MAIN BUILDING -- STORAGE ROOMS -- DAY (1949) 89

A series of bleak rooms stacked high with unused filing

cabinets, desks, paint supplies, etc. Andy enters. He hears a

FLUTTER OF WINGS. An adult crow lands on a filing cabinet and

struts back and forth, checking him out. Andy smiles.

ANDY:

Hey, Jake. Where's Brooks?

Brooks Hatlen pokes his head out of the back room.

BROOKS:

Andy! Thought I heard you out here!

ANDY:

I've been reassigned to you.

BROOKS:

I know, they told me. Ain't that a

kick in the ass? Come on in, I'll

give you the dime tour.

90INT -- SHAWSHANK PRISON LIBRARY -- DAY (1949) 90

Brooks leads Andy into the bleakest back room of all. Rough

plank shelves are lined with books. Brooks' private domain.

BROOKS:

Here she is, the Shawshank Prison

Library. Along this side, we got

the National Geographics. That

side, the Reader's Digest Condensed

books. Bottom shelf there, some

Louis L'Amours and Erle Stanley

Gardners. Every night I pile the

cart and make my rounds. I write

down the names on this clipboard

here. Well, that's it. Easy, peasy,

Japanesey. Any questions?

Andy pauses. Something about this doesn't make any sense.

ANDY:

Brooks? How long have you been

librarian?

BROOKS:

Since 1912. Yuh, over 37 years.

ANDY:

In all that time, have you ever had

an assistant?

BROOKS:

Never needed one. Not much to it,

is there?

ANDY:

So why now? Why me?

BROOKS:

I dunno. Be nice to have some

comp'ny down here for a change.

HADLEY (O.S.)

Dufresne!

91 ANDY STEPS BACK INTO THE OUTER ROOMS AND FINDS HADLEY WITH 91

another GUARD, a huge fellow named DEKINS.

HADLEY:

That's him. That's the one.

Hadley exits. Dekins approaches Andy ominously. Andy stands

his ground, waiting for whatever comes next. Finally:

DEKINS:

I'm Dekins. I been, uh, thinkin'

'bout maybe settin' up some kinda

trust fund for my kids' educations.

Andy covers his surprise. Glances at Brooks. Brooks smiles.

ANDY:

I see. Well. Why don't we have a

seat and talk it over?

BROOKS:

Pull down one'a them desks there.

Andy and Dekins grab a desk standing on end and tilt it to the

floor. They find chairs and settle in. Brooks returns with a

tablet of paper and a pen, slides them before Andy.

ANDY:

What did you have in mind? A weekly

draw on your pay?

DEKINS:

Yuh. I figured just stick it in the

bank, but Captain Hadley said check

with you first.

ANDY:

He was right. You don't want your

money in a bank.

DEKINS:

I don't?

ANDY:

What's that gonna earn you? Two and

a half, three percent a year? We

can do a lot better than that.

(wets his pen)

So tell me, Mr. Dekins. Where do

you want to send your kids?

Harvard? Yale?

92INT -- MESS HALL -- DAY (1949) 92

FLOYD:

He didn't say that!

BROOKS:

God is my witness. And Dekins, he

just blinks for a second, then

laughs his ass off. Afterward, he

actually shook Andy's hand.

HEYWOOD:

My ass!

BROOKS:

Shook his f***in' hand. Just about

sh*t myself. All Andy needed was a

suit and tie, a jiggly little hula

girl on his desk, he would'a been

Mister Dufresne, if you please.

RED:

Makin' yourself some friends, Andy.

ANDY:

I wouldn't say "friends." I'm a

convicted murderer who provides

sound financial planning. That's a

wonderful pet to have.

RED:

Got you out of the laundry, didn't

it?

ANDY:

Maybe it can do more than that.

(off their looks)

How about expanding the library?

Get some new books in there.

HEYWOOD:

How you 'spect to do that, "Mr.

Dufresne-if-you-please?"

ANDY:

Ask the warden for funds.

LAUGHTER all around. Andy blinks at them.

BROOKS:

Son, I've had six wardens through

here during my tenure, and I have

learned one great immutable truth

of the universe:
ain't one of 'em

been born whose a**hole don't

pucker up tight as a snare drum

when you ask for funds.

93INT -- MAIN BUILDING HALLWAY -- DAY (1949) 93

DOLLYING Norton and Andy up the hall:

NORTON:

Not a dime. My budget's stretched

thin as it is.

ANDY:

I see. Perhaps I could write to the

State Senate and request funds

directly from them.

NORTON:

Far as them Republican boys in

Augusta are concerned, there's only

three ways to spend the taxpayer's

hard-earned when it come to prisons.

More walls. More bars. More guards.

ANDY:

Still, I'd like to try, with your

permission. I'll send a letter a

week. They can't ignore me forever.

NORTON:

They sure can, but you write your

letters if it makes you happy. I'll

even mail 'em for you, how's that?

94INT -- ANDY'S CELL -- NIGHT (1949) 94

Andy is on his bunk, writing a letter.

RED (V.O.)

So Andy started writing a letter a

week, just like he said.

95INT -- GUARD DESK/NORTON'S OUTER OFFICE -- DAY (1949) 95

Andy pops his head in. The GUARD shakes his head.

RED (V.O.)

And just like Norton said, Andy got

no answers. But still he kept on.

96INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1950) 96

Andy is doing taxes. Mert Entwhistle is seated across from

him. Other off-duty guards are waiting their turn.

RED (V.O.)

The following April, Andy did tax

returns for half the guards at

Shawshank.

97INT -- PRISON LIBRARY -- ONE YEAR LATER (1951) 97

Tax time again. Even more guards are waiting.

RED (V.O.)

Year after that, he did them all...

including the warden's.

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