Strangers on a Train Page #14

ANNE:

This is Mr. Antony, father.

SENATOR:

How do you do, sir.

BRUNO:

I'd like to talk to you sometime,

Senator, about my idea of harnessing

the life force. It will make atomic

power look like the horse and buggy.

(the Senator and Anne

are beginning to

look at him in

amazement)

I'm already developing my faculty

for seeing millions of miles. And,

Senator, can you imagine being able

to smell a flower on the planet of

Mars? I'd like to lunch with you

some day soon and tell you more about

it.

Interrupted by new arrivals, Bruno moves away out of the

picture, with a charming smile to Anne.

The Senator greets the new guests with open mouth and simply

shakes their hands while glancing off in direction of the

departing Bruno.

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DOWAGER:

(to Senator)

So nice to see you, my dear Senator.

SENATOR:

Ah yes, indeed -- I beg your pardon?

She realizes he hasn't heard a word she's said and haughtily

moves on. The Senator turns to Anne.

SENATOR:

(still looking after

Bruno)

I don't remember inviting that young

man. Who is he?

ANNE:

A friend of the Darvilles.

SENATOR:

He has an unusual personality.

Provocative.

CLOSEUP ANNE:

She looks off in Bruno's direction extremely disturbed at

this new aspect of the mysterious stranger.

CLOSEUP GUY:

He is watching Bruno.

MED. SHOT

Guy sees Bruno join a group of several ladies who are seated

on a settee and a couple of older men who are standing by.

A waiter comes along with a tray of drinks. Bruno takes

one.

CLOSEUP BARBARA:

She comes from the same direction that Guy came. She stops

short as she sees:

MED. SHOT FROM BARBARA'S VIEWPOINT

Bruno is now heartily joining in conversation with one of

the elderly gentlemen.

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CLOSE SHOT BRUNO AND GROUP

Bruno talking to an elderly, dignified gentlemen.

BRUNO:

But tell me, Judge, after you've

sentenced a man to the chair, isn't

it difficult to go and eat your dinner

after that?

JUDGE:

Young man, when a murderer is caught,

he must be tried. When he is

convicted, he must be sentenced.

When he is sentenced to death, he

must be executed.

BRUNO:

Quite impersonal, isn't it, sir?

JUDGE:

So it is. Besides, it doesn't happen

every day.

At this moment, Anne comes into the scene. She hesitates as

she hears Bruno's answer.

BRUNO:

So few murderers are caught.

The Judge moves out of the way. Bruno smiles blandly at the

ladies. One of them speaks to him.

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

Well, Mr. Antony, you seem very

interested in the subject of murder.

Anne looks more troubled, then moves on out of the scene.

BRUNO:

No more than anyone else. No more

than you, for instance.

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

Me? I'm not interested in murder.

Bruno pulls up a chair to face the two woman on the settee,

sits down, straddling the seat, to look at them over the

back of the chair and settle down for a nice conversation.

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BRUNO:

(his tone is teasing)

Oh, come now, everyone's interested

in that. Everyone would like to put

someone out of the way. Now surely,

Madame, you're not going to tell me

that there hasn't been a time when

you wanted to dispose of someone.

Your husband, for instance.

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

(laughs)

Good heavens, no!

BRUNO:

(playfully)

Ah ah!

(shaking a finger at

her)

Are you sure? Do you mean to tell

me there wasn't a tiny moment - when

you'd been made really angry? And

what did you say?

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

(squirms, giggling)

Well...

BRUNO:

There you are, you see! There you

are! All right, now you're going -to

do a murder. How are you going

to do it? This is the fascinating

part -- how are you going to do it...I

didn't get your name?

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

Mrs. Cunningham.

BRUNO:

Mrs. Cunningham, how are you going

to do it?

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

(entering into the

spirit of the play)

Well, I suppose I'll have to get a

gun from somewhere.

BRUNO:

(shakes his head)

Tssk, tssk. Oh no, Mrs. Cunningham.

(MORE)

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BRUNO (CONT'D)

Bang, bang, all over the place.

Blood everywhere?

The other woman joins in:

MRS. ANDERSON

What about a little poison?

BRUNO:

Ah! That's better, that's better.

Mrs.....?

MRS. ANDERSON

Anderson.

BRUNO:

(he is thoroughly

enjoying himself)

That's better, Mrs. Anderson. But

Mrs. Cunningham is in a dreadful

hurry. Poison could take...let's

see...ten to twelve weeks, if poor

Mr. Cunningham is to die from natural

causes.

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

I have a wonderful Idea! I can take

him out in the car and when I get to

a lonely spot, knock him on the head

with a hammer, pour gasoline over

him and over the car and start the

whole thing ablaze.

BRUNO:

(looks at her

deprecatingly)

And then have to walk all that way

home?

Mrs. Anderson laughs.

BRUNO:

No, I have the best way, and the

best tools.

(he holds out his

hands and shows them)

Simple, silent, and quick. The silent

part being the most important. Let

me show you what I mean.

(MORE)

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BRUNO (CONT'D)

(he raises his hands

toward Mrs.

Cunningham's throat,

then stops a moment

to ask)

You don't mind if I borrow your neck

for a moment do you?

MRS. CUNNINGHAM

(giggles)

Well, it's not for long.

BRUNO:

Oh! no.

(he takes a drink and

puts his glass down)

Now, when I nod my head, just see if

you can cry out, and I bet you can't.

(he places his hands

around Mrs.

Cunningham's neck)

Now with my two thumbs...you see

that's where I'll be able to prevent

any sound coming from you. Now,

just wait for the nod of my head.

CLOSEUP BRUNO:

As he starts to Press her neck, his eyes wander from the

face of his "victim" to someone else off scene.

MED. SHOT BARBARA

She is watching this rather unorthodox demonstration. The

CAMERA MOVES UP until her head fills the screen. Her glasses

glint in the light.

CLOSEUP BRUNO:

He is now transfixed. His breathing becomes heavy. A strange

expression comes over his face. He still stares off at

Barbara.

MED. SHOT BARBARA

We see the whirling merry-go-round spinning around her head.

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BIG HEAD CLOSEUP BRUNO

He now seem to have almost gone into a trance. Over the

shot we begin to HEAR a strangled cry, and a broken

exclamation, then Mrs. Anderson's voice.

MRS. ANDERSON'S VOICE

Mr. Antony! Mr. Antony!

ANOTHER VOICE:

Stop him! Stop him!

CLOSEUP:

Bruno's wrists and hands and the neck of his victim. We can

just see Mrs. Cunningham's chin at the top of the screen.

Her head is tossing from side to side. Her hands are

clutching at Bruno's wrists. The hands of the other two

women, also in the picture, are pulling at Bruno's wrists.

Mrs. Cunningham's hands begin to slide off. Her head drops

back.

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