Shawshank Redemption Page #12

He arrives at the Brewster. It ain't much to look at.

112INT -- BREWSTER HOTEL -- DAY (1954) 112

A WOMAN leads Brooks up the stairs toward the top floor. He

has trouble climbing so many stairs.

WOMAN:

No music in your room after eight

p.m. No guests after nine. No

cooking except on the hotplate...

BROOKS (V.O.)

People even talk faster. And louder.

113INT -- BROOKS' ROOM -- DAY (1954) 113

Brooks enters. The room is small, old, dingy. Heavy wooden

beams cross the ceiling. An arched window affords a view of

Congress Street. Traffic noise drifts in. Brooks sets his bag

down. He doesn't quite know what to do. He just stands there,

like a man waiting for a bus.

BROOKS (V.O.)

The parole board got me into this

halfway house called the Brewster,

and a job bagging groceries at the

Foodway...

114INT -- FOODWAY MARKET -- DAY (1954) 114

Loud. Jangling with PEOPLE and NOISE. Brooks is bagging

groceries. Registers are humming, kids are shrieking.

WOMAN:

Make sure he double-bags. Last time

your man didn't double-bag and the

bottom near came out.

MANAGER:

You double-bag like the lady says,

understand?

BROOKS:

Yes sir, double-bag, surely will.

BROOKS (V.O.)

It's hard work. I try to keep up,

but my hands hurt most of the time.

I don't think the store manager

likes me very much.

115EXT -- PARK -- DAY (1954) 115

Brooks sits alone on a bench, feeding pigeons.

BROOKS (V.O.)

Sometimes after work I go to the

park and feed the birds. I keep

thinking Jake might show up and say

hello, but he never does. I hope

wherever he is, he's doing okay and

making new friends.

116INT -- BROOKS' ROOM -- NIGHT (1954) 116

Dark. Traffic outside. Brooks wakes up. Disoriented. Afraid.

Somewhere in the night, a LOUD ARGUMENT is taking place.

BROOKS (V.O.)

I have trouble sleeping at night.

The bed is too big. I have bad

dreams, like I'm falling. I wake

up scared. Sometimes it takes me a

while to remember where I am.

117INT -- FOODWAY -- DAY (1954) 117

BROOKS (V.O.)

Maybe I should get me a gun and rob

the Foodway, so they'd send me home.

I could shoot the manager while I

was at it, sort of like a bonus.

118INT -- BROOKS' ROOM -- DAY (1954) 118

Brooks is packing his worldly possessions into the carry bag.

Undershirts, socks, etc.

BROOKS (V.O.)

But I guess I'm too old for that

sort of nonsense anymore.

119INT -- BROOKS' ROOM -- SHORTLY LATER (1954) 119

Brooks is dressed in his suit. He finishes knotting his tie,

puts his hat on his head. The letter lies on the desk, stampe3

and ready for mailing. His bag is by the door.

BROOKS (V.O.)

I don't like it here. I'm tired of

being afraid all the time. I've

decided not to stay.

He takes one last look around. Only one thing left to do. He

steps to a wooden chair in the center of the room, pulls out s

pocketknife, and glances up at the ceiling beam.

He steps up onto the chair. It wobbles queasily. Now facing

the beam, he carves a message into the wood: "Brooks Hatlen

was here." He smiles with a sort of inner peace.

BROOKS (V.O.)

I doubt they'll kick up any fuss.

Not for an old crook like me.

120 TIGHT ON CHAIR 120

His weight shifts on the wobbly chair -- and it goes out

from under him. His feet remain where they are, kicking feebly

in mid-air. His hat falls to the floor.

ANGLE WIDENS. Brooks has hanged himself. He swings gently,

facing the open window. Traffic noise floats up from below.

121EXT -- EXERCISE YARD -- SHAWSHANK -- DAY (1954) 121

Andy reads the letter to Red and the others:

ANDY:

P.S. Tell Heywood I'm sorry I put a

knife to his throat. No hard feelings.

A long silence. Andy folds the letter, puts it away. Softly:

RED:

He should'a died in here, goddamn it.

122INT -- PRISON LIBRARY -- DAY (1954) 122

Andy is sorting books on the cart. He replaces a stack on the

shelf -- and pauses, noticing a line of ants crawling up the

wood. He glances up. The ants disappear over the top. He pulls

a chair over and stands on it, peers cautiously over.

ANDY:

Red!

Red steps in with an armload of files. Andy gingerly reaches

in, grabs a black feathered wing, and pulls out a dead crow.

RED:

(softly)

Is that Jake?

123INT -- WOOD SHOP -- DAY (1954) 123

Red is making something at his bench, sanding and planing.

RED (V.O.)

It never would have occurred to us,

if not for Andy. It was his idea.

We all agreed it was the right

thing to do...

124EXT -- FIELDS -- DAY (1954) 124

Low hilly terrain all around. A HUNDRED CONS are at work in

the fields. GUARDS patrol with carbines, keeping a sharp eye.

We find Andy, Red, and the boys working with picks and

shovels. They glance over to the pickup truck. Hadley's

chewing the fat with Mert and Youngblood. A WHISTLE BLOWS.

GUARD:

Water break! Five minutes!

The work stops. Cons head for the pickup truck, where water is

dispensed with dipper and pail. Red and the boys look to Andy.

Andy nods. Now's the time. The group moves off through the

confusion, using it as cover. They head up the slope of a

nearby hill and quickly decide on a suitable spot. The

guards haven't noticed.

Jigger and Floyd start swinging picks into the soft earth,

quickly ripping out a hole. Red reaches into his jacket and

pulls out a beautiful wooden box, carefully stained and

varnished. He shows it around to nods of approval.

ANDY:

That's real pretty, Red. Nice work.

HEYWOOD:

Shovel man in. Watch the dirt.

124 CONTINUED 124

Heywood jumps in and starts spading out the hole.

125 BY THE TRUCK 125

Youngblood glances up and sees the men on the slope.

YOUNGBLOOD:

What the f***.

HADLEY:

(follows his gaze)

HEY.' YOU MEN UP THERE.' GET YOUR

ASSES OFF THAT SLOPE!

(works his rifle bolt)

YOU HAPPY A**HOLES GONE DEAF? YOU

GOT FIVE SECONDS 'FORE I SHOOT

SOMEBODY!

Suddenly, other cons start breaking away in groups, dozens of

them heading toward the slope. The guards look around.

HADLEY:

What am I, talkin' to myself?

126 ON THE SLOPE 126

Andy pulls a towel-wrapped bundle from his jacket and unfolds

it. Jake. Andy lays him in the box, followed by Brook's

letter. Red places the casket in the hole. A moment of

silence. Andy gives Red with an encouraging nod.

RED:

Lord. Brooks was a sinner. Jake was

just a crow. Neither was much to

look at. Both got institutionalized.

See what you can do for 'em. Amen.

Muttered "amens" all around. The boys shovel dirt onto the

small grave and tamp it down.

127INT -- SHAWSHANK CORRIDORS -- DAY (1955) 127

RAPID DOLLY with Hadley. He's striding, pissed-off, a man on e

mission. He straight-arms a door and emerges onto --

128EXT -- SHAWSHANK PRISON WALL -- DAY (1955) 128

-- the wall overlooking the exercise yard. He leans on the

railing, scans the yard, sees Andy chatting with Red.

HADLEY:

Dufresne! What the f*** did you do?

(Andy looks up)

Your ass, warden's office, now!

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