The Birth Of A Nation Page #16

NAT:

This all of us?

HARK:

This it.

Hark studies the light part of the sky, smiles, then *

chuckles. *

(CONTINUED)

5/8/15 - PINK 92

127 CONTINUED:
127 127 CONTINUED: 127

HARK (CONT’D) *

What?

NAT:

By now, I’d be two row’s down. Half

bag full...

HARK:

(smiles)

I’d be headed to the barn, gettin’the stock fed.

REBEL MAN 1

I be boilin’ water fo’ da’

smokehouse... Thankin’ on dumpin’it in on massa’s head.

Laughter from the group.

REBEL MAN (O.C.)

I be tightnin’ barrells, sealin’cracks.

WILL:

Checkin’ leaves is dry. Packin’ an’stackin’ ‘em up. Dodgin’ that

cracka’s lash... *

(beat) *

But not today. *

NAT *

No, suh. *

(then, to the group) *

On to Jerusalem?

HARK:

On to Jerusalem.

The phrase echoing through the ranks as Nat and Hark share alook.

128 EXT. JERUSALEM - ARMORY - DAWN 128

A thick fog sits on the road. The Armory sits quietly on acul-de-sac in the distance.

129 EXT. JERUSALEM - ARMORY ENTRANCE - DAWN 129

Nat and Hark, armed, stand on the main road. Dozens of rebels

stand in ranks behind them, weapons ready.

(CONTINUED)

5/8/15 - PINK 93

129 CONTINUED:
129 129 CONTINUED: 129

Nat squints in the distance.

SILENCE AS THEY WAIT

Finally, RAYMOND COBB steps from within a bricked archway, *

JESSE steps out, loyal at his side. Cobb regards Nat acrossthe hundred yard stretch.

COBB:

Throw down them weapons! Lay on theground!

CLOSER TO REVEAL-

Neither Nat, nor his men budge. A beat before A GROUP OF OVERFIFTY ARMED, LOCAL WHITES emerge from hidden positions withinthe brick cul-de-sac.

NAT:

(to his men)

The LORD is our light and our

salvation, whom shall we fear?

We slowly track across the faces of the rebels as they eyetheir adversaries. Cobb barks orders as the armed whites

scramble to line themselves up.

NAT (O.S.) (CONT’D)

When the wicked, even our enemies

and our foes, came upon us to eat

up our flesh, they stumbled and

fell...

A white man fastens a BAYONET onto his rifle. We pass Will...

NAT (O.S.) (CONT’D)

Though a host should encamp againstus, our hearts shall not fear:

Cobb unholsters his pistol. We pass Hark....

NAT (O.S.) (CONT’D)

...though war should rise againstus... in this will we be confident!

We arrive back to Nat, eyes focused and wild.

NAT (CONT’D)

REBEL!

Nat charges toward Cobb and his men, his rebels close behind.

Cobb lets out his own battle cry as he and his men charge!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

(CONTINUED)

4/9/15 -WHITE 94

129 CONTINUED:
(2) 129 129 CONTINUED: (2) 129

Men from both sides are killed instantly.

The two sides slam into each other with the sound of thunder!

Nat, fires his rifle, tosses it before pulling his axe andsword. He swings both, connecting with flesh.

Cobb wields a RIFLE with an attached BAYONET. He plunges itspoint into passing rebels.

Will crushes a white man’s head with the broad side of his

axe, before burying the sharp side into another man’s chest.

Hark fights off two men, with an empty rifle. He smashes oneunconscious with the butt before Jesse arrives, grabs him ina choke from behind. He holds Hark as another charges withhis bayonet. Just as Hark is nearly pierced, he head-buttsJesse, spinning him in front and into the blade.

Nat, kicks a man in the groin, raises his sword to swipe when-

BANG! A bullet pieces his shoulder. He drops his sword,

stumbling backward.

REVERSE to reveal Cobb holding a rifle. He rushes Nat, lungesat him with his bayonet. Nat catches the barrel, hip tosseshim to the ground and pounces. The two roll until Cobb landson top. Cobb locks both hands around Nat’s neck in a choke.

Nat spots his sword just feet away, but just out of reach. Hefights at Cobb’s grip, finally separating two fingers,

breaking them backwards with a SNAP!

A monstrous left slumps Cobb to his side. Nat reaches,

snagging his sword as he climbs atop Cobb. Cobb strainsagainst Nat’s weight as Nat presses the sword tip toward

Cobb’s neck.

IN THE BG a white man is seen rushing toward Nat. He raiseshis rifle and IS TACKLED out of the frame.

Nat’s sword pierces Cobb’s neck. He pushes it deeper, their

eyes remaining locked. Finally the sword’s hilt is pressed toCobb’s neck, pinning him into the ground below. Nat watches

until the last sign of life is gone.

Nat rises, his shoulder stained red from the gun shot. As helooks around, we see only rebels stand-the ground litteredwith bodies, black and white. A few white men can be seen

retreating in the distance. He locks eyes with Hark, both outof breath-

NAT (CONT’D)

(to all)

C’mon!

(CONTINUED)

5/8/15 - PINK 95

129 CONTINUED:
(3) 129

Nat pulls his sword, grabs a nearby weapon and sprints towardthe Armory. Hark, Will and the remaining rebels, joining him.

130 EXT. JERUSALEM - ARMORY - MORNING 130

Nat and the rebels sprint into the cul-de-sac, arriving atthe Armory door. Will steps forward, smashes the lock with anaxe handle.

NAT:

Line up!

HARK:

Guns comin’!

The rebels toss axes and shovels aside as, line up as Nat andHark surge the entrance.

131 INT. ARMORY -SAME 131

Nat, Hark and others storm in to find dozens of stacked

crates.

NAT:

Open em’ up and pass ‘em back!

The men begin cracking open the crates. Nat opens one himselfand his face falls.

HIS POV to reveal-

The crates EMPTY, HEAVY STONES sit in place of guns.

NAT (CONT’D)

Get outside-

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunfire rips through the slat walls. *

NAT’S POV *

-Outside the armory door, bullets perforate the exposedrebels as they are attacked from every angle.

*

*

Nat spots INFANTRY OF THE STATE MILITIA stand on rooftops and

in widows of the surrounding cul-de-sac buildings. Their fire

power continues to bear down on the rebels inside.

*

*

*

Nat, Will, Hark and the remaining others crouch low, dodging

fire. Without warning, Will stands, storms outside it is met

with gunfire.

*

*

*

(CONTINUED)

131 CONTINUED:

5/8/15 - PINK 95A

131

He grabs a bayonet fitted musket, stands himself up with it.

His silhouette looking more like an African statue. A final

shot blows through his face.

*

*

*

132 OMITTED 132 *

5/8/15 - PINK 96

133 INT. ARMORY - CONTINUOUS 133

Nat crawls towards the open door. As he reaches to close it,

he spots two MILITIA SOLDIERS wheeling a CANNON. As they aim

it toward the armory door-

*

*

*

NAT *

Get back! *

SLOW MOTION as the cannon erupts, Nat diving for cover just

before impact-BOOM!

*

*

BLACK *

Nat emerges from beneath the loose rubble, his face and body

covered in ash-like dust and dirt. Daylight pours in from the

cannon’s exit blast at the back of the room.

*

*

*

Nat spots Hark, a thick shard of shrapnel lodged deep between

his collarbone. Nat crawls to him, struggles to drag himtowards the exit. Hark waves him off as he holds his wound.

*

*

*

HARK(spits blood)

Go on. You gotta lead.

*

*

A beat before they embrace. Nat sees a few other rebelsemerging from the debris.

*

*

NAT *

Come on!

He helps three rebels through the opening, offers Hark afinal look, before exiting.

We stay with Hark, blood gushing through his fingers withevery breath.

134 INT. WOODS -DAY 134

Nat darts through the woods alongside a few of his men.

Finally, they stop. Only three rebels remain. Gunshots ringout in the distance. The men crowd in. Nat barks instruction,

using his finger to draw a map in the dirt.

NAT:

OK, we’re right here, about three

miles away from Cabin Pond. That’s

there we’ll regroup. Any other

survivors’ll meet us there...

Nat takes in the faces of his men. A closer look shows theyaren’t men at all, but boys.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote