The Day the Clown Cried Page #10

Helmut slowly gets up ... in pain and practically crawls to

his bunk ... having to pass all the men, almost as though he

were ashamed ... he gets to his bunk, and tries vainly to

get up to the top where he lives ... Keltner helps him ...

and as he settles in his place ...

CLOSE - THE GUARD

GUARD:

(yelling across the barracks)

Reverend! If you don't watch that idiot,

we may have to get him a keeper!

The guard storms out the door ... slamming it shut.

CLOSE - KELTNER AND HELMUT

Keltner leaning over the side of Helmut's bunk whispering

... as the other men go back to their respective chores and

whatever they were doing when the guard stormed in ...

KELTNER:

Helmut, Helmut, how could you think of doing

such a thing? I begged you not to irritate him ...

and that I would ask him about your papers ...

that wasn't smart, Helmut ... not smart at all ...

as a matter of fact ...

HELMUT:

(gritting his teeth)

Leave me alone! ... and mind your

own business ... Just leave me be ...

Keltner knows this is nothing more than Helmut's dismay and

pain in his heart talking ... The kindly man drops down to

his own bunk ... just shaking his head ... as if to say, how

can I help him? as we:

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BARRACKS H - DAY

The same Guard is motioning for the men to hurry and get

outside ... he is standing at the doorway to the barracks

and the men are moving out into the ice cold morning as

briskly as they can ... the Guard moves inside after the

last man has made his exit ...

INT. BARRACKS - DAY

SHOOTING OVER the Guard as he looks around, we see Keltner

coming out of the toilet area, rushing because he's late ...

he throws his towel on his bunk, and as he does ... he sees

what stops him in his tracks ...

KELTNER'S POV

It is Helmut still sound asleep in his bunk ...

ANOTHER ANGLE:

Keltner moves towards Helmut to wake him ...

GUARD:

(in a sotto voice)

Reverend, let him sleep ... you

move out, I'll take care of this ...

Keltner reluctantly starts to move out towards the front

door, as the Guard passes him on his way to Helmut's bunk

... Keltner goes out the door ... the Guard sneaks over

towards the bunk where Helmut is asleep and very sneakily

slips the cover off Helmut's body ... then proceeds to open

the window above his head and the window alongside ... and

across the way and opens the back door ... which is adjacent

to the toilet area ... and walks out of the barracks leaving

the front door wide open ...

EXT. BARRACKS H - DAY

All the men are lined up for inspection, they are all

looking straight ahead as the Guard walks down the line.

All except Keltner who can't help but look in the direction

of the barracks where he knows Helmut is still sleeping. He

throws a glance at the guard as if to say ... why? Why are

you doing this? Why did he leave Helmut sleeping, usually

the one thing that would send the guard up a wall ... why is

he allowing this to happen?

GUARD:

(as he finishes his walk)

You are a sick looking group of things ...

I can't even call you human ...

because you're not ... you're all lice ...

DISMISSED!

The men break up and go about their business, they move in

all directions, but Keltner starts for the doorway to the

barracks and is detoured by the guard who knew he would, as

he stands in the way of Keltner who has to turn away and go

about his business ... the Guard peeks into the barracks.

INT. BARRACKS - GUARD'S POV - DAY

Helmut still sleeping...

EXT. BARRACKS - CLOSE - GUARD - DAY

He is delighted ... he grabs the door and slams it shut with

a bang that would wake the dead ... then opens it again and

walks off ...

INT. BARRACKS - CLOSE - HELMUT - DAY

He jumps from out of his hard sleep ... foggy and unsure

about where he is, what time it is and he looks around and

sees the barracks are empty ... and he panics ... but he is

also shivering ... the barracks feel like the inside of a

meat truck refrigerated somewhat below zero ...

Helmut grabs his pants from the front of his bunk, pulls the

cover over him and tries to get the pants on under the cover

... It is cold! (Photographically, we can show "cold" ...

Props:
vapor/smoke.)

He gets his pants on and jumps down onto the cold floor and

dances from the ice-like floor, he bends down looking for

his socks and shoes ... he wears just a tee-shirt ...

Having trouble finding both shoes, he grabs the blanket

again and covers himself with it, while searching for the

other shoe ...

He finds the other shoe and proceeds to put them on ...

takes a beat and sees he has no socks on ... reaches under

the bank and pulls out the pair of socks ... which stand

straight up (from the cold) ... he holds them in the air,

and drops one at a time and they sound like "pans" hitting

the floor ... he takes one and blows warm air from his mouth

into the socks, one at a time, which warms them ... (Props:

the socks need discussion!)

He then proceeds to put his shoes on and puts one on, and

then the other ... now wearing both shoes he starts to tie

the laces ... he pulls them straight away to tie and they

stand straight up! (Props: this is done with leather

laces, pure leather ... it works without any unnecessary

rigging!)

INSERT - THE STANDING STRAIGHT LACES

BACK TO SCENE:

He finally gets them tied and starts, still sleepily, into

the toilet area ... (We can go for a great sound joke here.)

He steps into the latrine, closes the door and we HEAR the

SOUND of crushed ice being poured into the bowl ... he

flushes and we HEAR what might sound like an ice crusher ...

he steps out of the latrine and walks over to the basin and

turns the water on.

INSERT:

The water spickets ... they both read "COLD".

BACK TO SCENE:

And as he takes some water on his hands to his face ... it

is "cold" and his face just freezes from the pain of the

cold ... he looks around and sees the little metal ashtray,

that looks like a small bowl or a tin from a used shaving

cream lather soap ... he fills it with water .. and to show

his ingenuity, he takes a lighter from his pocket, places

the tin on the edge of the sink and lights the fire under

the tin (which couldn't possibly hold more than a handful of

water) and proceeds to heat same ...

Once he is satisfied that it is at least warmer than the

spicket supplied, he grabs for the tin which is so hot from

the burning, he screams in another type pain ... the pain of

"HOT" hurting ... he decides to flick his fingers in the tin

bowl and splash some of the water on his face (which is by

now, just drips of water) ... brushes his teeth with his

finger and soap ... straightens his hair and exits the

toilet to his bunk to get his shirt ... another "ICE COLD"

item ... he feels how cold it is, and doesn't have the

courage for another climate blast ... he rolls up his shirt

and places it under his armpit to warm it ... as it hits

under his arm ... the cold just about wipes him out ... he

decides to sit on it ... and he does.

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