The Day the Clown Cried Page #4

REICHER:

STEINER !!!! Get in here!

A frightened and spineless like corporal springs into his

office and clicks his heels and screams.

CORPORAL:

Heil Hitler!

(shooting that stiff arm out

like on a spring!)

Reicher flips his wrist in answer to the heil, showing

complete annoyance at having to do it.

REICHER:

Do I see what I think I see here?

The corporal leans over the desk, and in order to see puts

his hand on the desk to brace himself... Reicher smacks his

arm, knocking his face flat on the desk ... he stays there

with his ass in the air, waiting for instructions. Reicher

leans down putting his nose right to the corporal's nose.

REICHER:

Never put your hands on my desk ...

is that clear?

Still in the same position, the Corporal extends his arm for

a heil Hitler, which is virtually impossible in the position

he is in.

CORPORAL:

(meekly) Yes sir!

REICHER:

MOVE IT!!

The Corporal rises and stands stiffer than ever...

REICHER:

(picking the folder up)

Now tell me, is this brief correct?

Is that prisoner, the drunk, the one

that impersonated the Fuehrer?

CORPORAL:

Yes sir! It is!

Reicher paces behind his desk ... the Corporal still stiff

at attention ... waits and watches in mortal fear.

REICHER:

(to himself)

I get all the weirdos ...

Alright, Corporal, send him in!

The corporal clicks his heels, thrilled that he can go.

CORPORAL:

Yes sir!!!!

He exits, and returns with Helmut and one more guard.

Helmut stands in the doorway, frightened and unsure, Reicher

still pacing behind his desk feels Helmut's presence ...

REICHER:

Alright, come in, sit down!

Helmut walks to the chair in front of Reicher's desk ... The

spineless corporal moves towards the door ... turns ... and

takes his position on the opposite side of the door that the

guard is standing at ...

Reicher picks up the folder again, fingers through it. As

he looks through the folder, he looks at Helmut and looks

and fingers pages and the silence and the anxiety is getting

to Helmut as he sweats and waits.

Reicher is toying with him, and each time Reicher looks up

the sick, little-boy smile crosses Helmut's face, hoping to

endear himself to this Prussian pig!

Reicher finally sits down beside his desk in a chair that

resembles a throne. It is high and it looks down on Helmut.

(Props:
This chair must be higher and taller than Helmut's

chair ...

for POV shots diminishing Helmut seated there.)

OVER REICHER ON HELMUT

REICHER:

(soft spoken)

Are you Helmut Doork?

HELMUT:

(nervously)

Doork, yes sir, Helmut Doork!

I am he! Yes sir, that is correct, Doork!

REICHER:

And are you a clown in the circus?

HELMUT:

(ego setting in and forgetting

for a moment his trouble and danger)

Not JUST A CLOWN!

I am Helmut Doork, Premier Clown!

I've clowned for the royal heads of

many of our finest countries,

why there were times when I had to...

REICHER:

(breaking in)

That was years ago ... According

to these papers you are now just

a helper in the circus with

little or no importance!!

This stuns Helmut, his facade destroyed ... His face drops

along with his fear ...

HELMUT:

(meekly)

Some things are only temporary ...

Lt. Reicher! Only yesterday, I

had calls from one of the great

circus owners in all of Europe ... he...

REICHER:

(breaking in, strong and angry)

You are NOTHING!! You are a

HAS BEEN!! You WERE A CLOWN ...

REICHER:

(continuing)

You are now a prisoner of the State

and that's not funny ... Can you make

something funny out of that, Clown?

Helmut sinks even lower in the over-stuffed chair, despair

in his eyes and a weight on his heart ... the truth slashing

at his very being.

HELMUT:

(softly)

No! Lt. Reicher, I can't make anything

funny from that thought ...

REICHER:

It is no thought ... It is fact, Clown,

unquestionable fact!!

Now down to the issues at hand ...

Did you willfully and with malice attack

the State and impersonate the Fuhrer?

HELMUT (softly)

I was drunk! It was a mistake!

I meant no disrespect ... Sir ... Honestly,

I was drunk and not responsible for my actions

and thoughts! And my actions were subconcious!

REICHER (screaming)

Subconcious?? Meaning it was all motivated

by truth that came out under the influence of alcohol!

HELMUT (still softly)

I am a LOYAL German!

REICHER:

And what kind of commendation would you

expect for being a loyal German?

HELMUT:

I want nothing! But I'm more loyal

than most Germans I know ...

REICHER:

Like who?

Helmut realizes this was the wrong thing to say ... he

sweats ...

HELMUT:

Ah, like ... er ...

REICHER:

Names! Names!!! Who?

HELMUT:

I don't know ...

REICHER:

Sir!!!

HELMUT:

I don't know, sir ...

REICHER:

But you said other Germans ... What OTHER Germans ...

Who are they? Why aren't they loyal? Who?

HELMUT:

(trying desperately to cop out)

I'm not responsible for what I say now ...

REICHER:

Why? You're not drinking ... you said you weren't

responsible last night because you were drunk!

Are you drunk now?

HELMUT:

No, sir!

REICHER:

Then why are you not responsible now?

HELMUT:

I don't know!!

REICHER:

SIR!!!

HELMUT:

I don't know -- sir !!!

REICHER:

Why are you not responsible?

Why? Why? Why? Why?

On each attack of the word "why", Reicher creeps up closer

and closer to Helmut, really intimidating him ... and the

sound of his voice echoes and becomes monotone and ominous

...

_________________________________________________________

THE NEXT TWO PAGES

OF THE SCRIPT:

ARE MISSING:

(AS THEY ARE IN THE ORIGINAL)

_________________________________________________________

The corporal gets Reicher's point and marks his notebook,

flips the cover closed, snaps to attention as we:

DISSOLVE TO:

INT RAILWAY STATION - DAY

Ada walking as briskly as a woman can walk without running

and then her walk becomes a panic running, looking,

sweating, and the look on her face is evident that she is

frightened and close to shock ... she gets to a train gate

where she sees the S.S. men pushing men through the gate to

the train ... she knows she is where she has to be ... she

approaches one of the S.S. men ...

ADA:

Excuse me, sir, but I wonder if

you would help me ... you see ...

S.S. MAN

(very briskly)

No! Go away!

ADA:

You don't understand ...

S.S. MAN

You don't understand ...

I said go away !!

Ada backs away from the gate, and stands to one side

watching the prisoners being moved from the back of the huge

truck backed up to the railway area ... she is looking

through the iron bars (we SHOOT the bars holding depth of

field snugly so that the prisoners and the bars are in sharp

focus) ... we make QUICK CUTS between Ada and the prisoners

exiting the huge truck ... as we see the change of

expression on Ada's face we know she sees what she's been

looking for ... Helmut ... he is walking in a slow rhythm

following a group of men who look equally as broken and sad

as he looks ... Ada yells through the bars ...

ADA:

HELMUT !

Just as she yells, the voice of an S.S. Man drowns out her

scream as he yells...

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