Slow West Page #8

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hit the ground

Massive thunder crack and a flash of lightning

JAY out cold, we enter his absinthe fueled dreams

47.

54

INT - PIONEER HOUSE - EVENING 54

A basic wooden room, walls pain'ted white, a table and chair

Nothing else, looks like a stage set

The only light source is a candle on the table

Rose sits on a chair at the table, reading a book by the

candle light

Two windows on the wall behind ROSE , but instead of glass,

paper, semi-transparent oiled paper

Slowly and theatrically lights fade up from outside, glowing

through paper windows

JAY is slumped against the opposite wall. Rose does not seehim, JAY is the sole audience to this strange ‘play’

He smiles as he sees ROSE

A distant crack of thunder and SILAS enters the room from a

door on the right, smiles at Rose

JAY stops smiling, looks confused, then upset

SILAS sits at the table with ROSE and starts to read a

newspaper

ROSE gets up and approaches JAY (POV CAMERA), leans in and

picks up.. a baby

The baby is crying

ROSE sits back down and rocks the baby

ROSE:

Jay-bird, why so sad?

SILAS smiles

Suddenly rain and thunder sound

From somewhere (reality, not dream) we hear JAY shouting

JAY:

Silas!!

The lights dim on the dream scene

CUT TO:

48.

55

EXT - DAWN - CAMP BY RIVER 55

SILAS wakes up -(note - the audience is led to believe thiswas JAY's dream, it begins as JAY'S dream, as we cut back toreality with SILAS waking, we may presume this is also SILASdream)

SILAS wakes up

JAY shouting

Dawn throws light on an unexpected and chaotic state of

affairs

Thunder crashes, lightning is flashes, heavy rain falls insheets

The river has burst its banks and the camp has become the

river

The water is up to SILAS’ waist as he sits upright against a

tree

Food, clothing, blankets, equipment, all float around them

and down the river

SILAS leaps up

JAY looks for his gun

JAY:

Silas! I can’t find my gun

SILAS looks down at his now empty holster, then runs to theside of the tree where he left his rifle, now just an empty

case

SILAS:

Son of a B*tch!

PAYNE has stolen all their weapons

They splash around grabbing their gear

Each lightening flare reveals a fresh tableau of chaos

JAY'S book ‘Ho for the West’ slowly revolves as it floats offdown the river

CUT TO:

56

EXT - VAST PLAIN - MORNING 56

A vast plain

49.

In the distance a forest, beyond the forest a mountain range,

on the mountain a storm, distant cracking of thunder, faintflashes of lightning

This is the storm SILAS and JAY are in, and it looks about a

day's ride from the middle of the plain

The plain, on the other hand, is backing hot, clear blueskies

A house sits in the middle of the plain, freshly built,

bright yellow pine, oiled paper, not glass, on the window

JOHN ROSS stands on the porch of the house he has just built

JOHN looks at the distant storm and shakes his head - he

needs the storm to be here, to water his crops

He turns to watch a figure walk slowly towards him across theplain

This is KOTORI, a young, handsome Native American, dressed in'settler’ shirt and trousers

KOTORI carries two large jack rabbits, has a rifle over hisshoulder, holds up the rabbits

JOHN nods and smiles

JOHN ROSS:

Come in Kotori

CUT TO:

57 INT - PIONEER HOME - DAY 57

The Ross house is simply constructed, whitewashed wood

walls, paper windows, we may recognise the room from JAY'sdream during the flood

Now it is furnished - simple furniture mad from pine- adresser, a table, chairs, a bed

The dresser has plates, apples, bottles of milk, glasses

There is also a milk churn, other objects of use for dailylife far from any store

There is a rifle on two nails above the door, a single bed inthe far corner (John's), a door leading to a tiny room whereRose sleeps - and in the back a small larder full of food andutensils, and a back door

ROSE is now dressed in trousers and shirt, more practical,

making her look more grown up, her platted hair makes hermore ‘American’

50.

ROSE ROSS picks up a butter mould and carries it across the

room

She pauses mid stride as she hears KOTORI approach - she isvery alert

KOTORI enters, ROSE smiles

ROSE:

Kotori

She takes the jackrabbits from him and hangs them up on anail in the back larder

JOHN enters and sits down at the table with KOTORI

ROSE pours her father a cup of coffee

JOHN ROSS (SARCASTIC)

Turned out nice again

ROSE turns

KOTORI:

Coffee!

ROSE turns back and pours Kotori a coffee

ROSE:

You always ask for coffee and youalways spit it out

ROSE slowly lifts the top of the butter mould, but the butterhas not set and sinks out in a yellow splodge onto the table

ROSE (CONT’D)

For Gods sake

JOHN ROSS:

Language Rose

ROSE scrapes up the butter

JOHN ROSS (CONT’D)

An improvement, stayed on the table

They exchange smiles

CUT TO:

58

EXT - PRETTY MEADOW - DAY 58

Meanwhile..

SILAS and JAY are out of the woods and on a grass meadow

Their drenched worldly goods are spread out on the grass

51.

SILAS sits on his saddle and pours water from his boot

JAY wrings out his suit jacket

SILAS tries to spit, his dry mouth producing a dribble down

his chin

SILAS:

Only thing dry's my mouth

SILAS places a soggy cigar in his mouth

JAY:

My head is killing me

SILAS looks at JAY, a testing, intense look

SILAS:

You remember nothing from lastnight?

JAY:

I remember Payne.. Then rain

SILAS unravels a knotted rope

JAY looks at all the wet gear, looks at SILAS, looks at the

rope

JAY (CONT’D)

Give me that rope

SILAS throws the rope to JAY

CUT TO:

SILAS and JAY are riding across the meadow with a rope tiedlike a washing line, stretched between the two horses

To keep the rope taught they ride about fifteen feet apart

All their wet gear is tied to the rope, enabling them to dry

while they ride

Both men ride in their long-johns

It is both practical and ridiculous

SILAS smiles at JAY

SILAS:

Not bad kid

First compliment and JAY acts cool but smiles to himself

They ride into the sunset, but this is not the end..

CUT TO:

52.

59 EXT - RIDGE - DAY 59

PAYNE and his gang appear on the lip of the ridge and stop,

looking down the hill

They are about 500 yards behind JAY and SILAS, who havedismounted and are at the bottom of the hill

SILAS SELLECK (V.O.)

I must have been Jay's age when I

joined Payne's gang

PAYNE’s gang watch as SILAS and JAY stop at the edge of aforest at the bottom of the hill

SILAS SELLECK (V.O.)

Those were prosperous times in our

trade. When I split, I was lucky to

do so with my life

This forest is Silverghost, the forest JAY paid SILAS to get

him too, so they must be close to ROSE now

In fact on the far side of the forest is a plain and on theplain sits a house and in that house ROSE, JOHN and KOTORI

SILAS turns and looks back up the hill, his fears confirmedwhen he sees PAYNE and his posse at the top of the hill

JAY turns to see the posse

JAY:

What do they want?

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