The Birth Of A Nation Page #13

(CONTINUED)

5/8/15 - PINK

74

98 EXT. SLAVE QUARTERS - COURTYARD - POST - NIGHT 98 *

Nat’s eyes open to find Jethro, hovering, drunk.

JETHRO:

You best just go on’ and die. It’d

be easier on you. You make itoutta’ this alive, I’m gonna ride

you like hogs on slop.

(beat)

Die.

Jethro straightens, staggers away.

We move in CLOSE on Nat’s near-lifeless eyes. His eyes slowlydrift closed, until-

A FAINT GLOW OF LIGHT ILLUMINATES HIS FACE.

REVERSE to reveal-

A CANDLE HAS BEEN PLACED IN FRONT OF NANCY’S CABIN.

Nat wills his eyes open. THE LIGHT ACROSS HIS FACE BRIGHTENS.

We again REVERSE to reveal-

More candles have been placed in front of various slavecabins. We see the door of another slave cabin open, an armproduces a candle. Another cabin and another- until theentire courtyard glows.

Nat’s body responds- his chin lifts, his muscles tighten,

legs supporting his body’s weight. Off Nat’s determination-

CUT TO:

99 EXT. SLAVE QUARTERS - COURTYARD - POST - DAY 99

Samuel and Jethro arrive to find Nat alive and fully alert.

Despite his gaunt features and the infected puss bubblesprotruding from his back, he supports his own weight.

SAMUEL TURNER:

You learned your lesson, boy?

Nat, wild eyed, looks just close enough to Samuel to avoideye contact. Something unnerving about his subservience.

NAT:

Oh, yes ‘suh. I’ve learned.

(CONTINUED)

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99 CONTINUED:
99 99 CONTINUED: 99

SAMUEL TURNER:

(to Jethro)

Let him off.

Jethro unlocks the stock. Nat stands up straight for thefirst time in days, his entire body trembling involuntarily.

SAMUEL TURNER (CONT’D)

You done preachin’ for a while.

Don’t want you goin’ off with no

groups unless me or Jethro is

there, ya hear?

NAT:

Yes, suh.

SAMUEL TURNER:

Go on and get cleaned up. Want you

back in the field come mornin’.

NAT:

Yes, suh.

As Samuel and Jethro walk off, Hark approaches.

HARK:

Nat, you alright?

Nat collapses, face-planting in the dirt.

100 INT. SLAVE QUARTERS - NANA’S CABIN - DUSK 100

Nat lies on a cot, his back covered with steaming strips ofcotton. Bridget sits at his side. Nancy arrives with a thinblade and a bottle of brown liquid. Bridget slowly peels backa cotton strip to reveal an infested wound. She takes theblade, cuts a shallow incision into the bubbled flesh.

BRIDGET:

I watched your grandfather die. In

the old land. Saw him give up the

ghost with my own eyes. And he saw

me. He harnessed the Holy Spirit

that day. Yes he did.

She applies pressure to the wounds, sending blood and pussoozing from his flesh.

BRIDGET (CONT’D)

I was proud of him. So proud. I

still thank God he died that day.

That he didn’t live to see what I

seen... To watch a strong man

broken down is a terrible thing.

(CONTINUED)

100

101

102

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CONTINUED:
100

The brown liquid steams as she pours it across his wound.

INT. SLAVE QUARTERS - NANA’S CABIN - DUSK 101

Nat staggers in from the intense day of work. Sweat and driedblood crust his shirt to his back. He spots Bridget in herchair, faced toward the stove.

NAT:

Hey Nana.

Nat grimaces as he peels off his shirt. Several lines offresh stitches.

NAT (CONT’D)

Stitches held up good...

Nat rinses his hands and face in a nearby pot of water,

suddenly stops. He looks to Bridget, walks to her.

NAT (CONT’D)

Nana?

Her lifeless eyes fixed forward. A needle and thread restsbetween her fingers, a half sewn pair of pants in her lap.

INT. SLAVE QUARTERS - NANA’S CABIN - DAY 102

TIGHT on Nat’s face. His eyes cast down at something we don’tyet see. We PULL BACK to reveal Bridget’s body wrapped head

to toe in linen on a plank table behind him. We continue topull back to find his eyes set on his closed Bible. He flipstoward the back.

“Ephesians 6:
5-6 -Servants, be obedient to them that are

masters...”

“Matthew 5:
38 -If anyone strikes you on the right cheek...”

“Luke 6:
27 Do good to those who hate you, bless those who

curse you...”

ON NAT as fix forward.

A SERIES OF QUICK FLASHBACKS

-- The slave’s teeth hammered out--

The young slave girl led on a leash--

Cherry beaten and bruised--

The blood seeping from the corn onto his hand-

WITH NAT as he flips the Bible again... His jaw tightens.

He slowly rises, moves to Bridget’s wrapped body. He lifts itand carries her out of frame. We move in close on the Bible.

Closer until a verse fills the frame:

(CONTINUED)

102 CONTINUED:

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102

“Samuel 15:
3 Now go and strike... and devote to destruction

all that they have... Do not spare them, but kill both manand woman, child...”

103 EXT. SLAVE QUARTERS - SLAVE CEMETARY - DAY 103

Bridget’s funeral has long ended. Nat stands before her freshgrave. Dozens of single flowers litter a wooden cross. In theBG Hark arrives.

HARK:

You alright?

NAT:

Mostly.

(beat, then)

I need you to round up a few men wecan trust. Have ‘em meet us near

the big cyprus at Cabin Pond, nightafter next.

Hark eyes him, nods. A beat before Hark turns to leave.

NAT (CONT’D)

Hark...

(Hark turns back)

He’s still here, brother. Even now.

104 EXT. DISMAL SWAMP - CABIN POND - NIGHT 104

Nat sits alone in front of a small smoldering brush fire. A

few seconds pass before Hark and THREE OTHER MEN emerge from

the dark. Nat stands, meets them. Hark is flanked by SIMON(24), Nelson and WILL (THE SLAVE WE RECOGNIZE FROM FOWLERPLANTATION).

*

*

HARK:

This is Simon. Samuel bought him amonth back in Norfolk.

NAT:

I remember.

HARK:

You know Nelson. And this is Will.

(CONTINUED)

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104 CONTINUED:
104 104 CONTINUED: 104

NAT:

(remembering)

Word travels fast.

(then)

You weren't followed?

Will shakes his head ‘no’.

NAT (CONT’D)

Good. Welcome. Glad you’re here.

SNAP:

All eyes open and fix into the darkness towards the sound.

Nat stands. A tense moment passes before JASPER emerges fromthe shadows.

HARK:

(to Jasper)

This a grown folks meetin’. Get!

Jasper slowly backpedals, until.

NAT:

Hold on. You come from Randall’s.

JASPER:

Yessuh.

HARK:

He just a boy.

NAT:

So was David.

(then, to Jasper)

Have a seat.

Jasper timidly complies. Nat studies the faces before him.

NAT (CONT’D)

Let’s pray... Heavenly father, we

come to you this evening to thankyou for the gift of your Word. Wepray you guide our hearts and mindsthat we may follow your will alone.

In Jesus’ name...

ALL:

Amen.

NAT:

I been followin’ the Lord a long

time, now. Preachin’. Citin’

scripture.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

104

Sharing the word through the fewsections and pages I’ve been

allowed...

5/8/15 - PINK

CONTINUED:
(2)

NAT (CONT'D)

79

104

Holds his worn Bible up high.

NAT (CONT’D)

But, I’ve gone back into this Word.

All of it. With new eyes. I see now

that for every verse they use tosupport our bondage, there is atruth demanding our freedom. Forevery line they use to justify ourtorture, there’s another that damns

them to hell for those actions.

(beat)

They say by the darkness of ourskin, we’ve been cursed. That God’s

called our children and our

children’s children to be beast of

burden until death. That He’s

called our wives and daughters towarm their bellies in the night...

(beat)

This isn’t the word of the God I

serve.

He lets this sink in.

NAT (CONT’D)

The Lord has spoken to me; visionsof what is to come. A rise of goodagainst evil. “The first will be

last and the last will be first”...

(pointed)

We’ve been chosen.

NELSON:

What we gon’ do?

NAT:

The same as David and Gideon-and

Joshua and Sampson...

We will fight.

SIMON:

The six of us? *

NAT:

At first. But once it begins, ourbrothers and sisters’ll join.

NELSON:

They a lot of whites.

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