The Death Artist Page #3

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He grabs up more clay, starts mushing the face -

Soon the object begins to lose resemblance to anything close to a

human head, or anything for that matter -

Walter stands up and backs up, looking at the sculpture - getting

angry he begins to mush the sculpture -

WALTER:

No no no no -

The cat meows again, louder - Walter looks around, irritated - he

begins to SQUASH the sculpture -

Finally losing his patience Walter kicks back the chair, grabs the

clay head and HURLS it across the room -

The clay hits the wall with a dull THUD, stays there for a beat,

then falls to the ground -

Walter pushes back his hair with his hand - the cat meows -

The beans begin to OVERFLOW on the stove -

Walter runs toward the stove, smacking his head on the overhead

light -

The light swings back and forth as Walter rushes over to the pot,

grabbing it hastily off the stove before SHRIEKING in pain and

dropping the pot into the sink, splattering beans in all directions

-

Walter clutches his hand in pain as the light swings, the cat

meowing louder -

Walter begins to look around furiously -

WALTER:

Frankie shut up!

Walter then focuses his frustrated mind toward the direction of the

patched up wall -

Walter gets closer -

He hears the meowing coming from inside the wall -

WALTER:

Frankie?

Walter puts his ear to the wall - he hears SCRATCHING

noises -

Walter turns away from the wall -

WALTER:

I don't believe this!

(yelling at the wall)

How did you get stuck in the wall!

The meowing persists -

WALTER:

Alright alright - calm down,

I'll get you out -

Walter looks around, goes toward a drawer by the sink, and produces

a long, narrow CARVING KNIFE - he heads back to the wall -

WALTER:

Hang tight Frankie, ol' Walter's

gonna get you out...

Walter then feels the wall as if he does this type of thing

professionally - when the determines the proper area of entry he

carefully aims the knife and - WHAM! -

SCREECH! Frankie makes a comical screech of pain which ends

abruptly -

Walter FREEZES - his eyes wide open with panic - he stands back -

The wall is silent -

WALTER:

Frankie?

There is no response -

WALTER:

Frankie how're ya doin' in there?

There is no response -

Walter begins to BEAT the wall, until the thin material begins to

give way -

He RIPS a big chunk of the wall off, confirming the worst -

The knife IMPALED Frankie into a wooden stud in the wall - the cat

is no more -

Walter pulls and tugs at the knife until it is freed from the wall -

he gingerly cradles Frankie, still impaled by the knife -

WALTER:

What have I done?

Walter walks over to the kitchen table -

WALTER:

Oh Frankie I'm so sorry...

He lowers the cat down -

WALTER:

Poor Mrs. Swicker...

(Beat)

She had a nice fat piece of

ocean-fresh halibut for you...

Walter walks backward toward the kitchen, looking forlornly at the

cat -

He reaches for another can of beans, but his eyes focus on the clay

head on the floor -

Walter picks up what used to be a head and sits back down at the

kitchen table -

He looks at Carla looking back at him from the picture - he then

stares blankly ahead -

WALTER:

Repetition is death, Frankie...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT LOS ANGELES - DAWN

Silhouetted buildings in the early light -

INT WALTER'S ROOM - DAWN

Still dressed, Walter tosses and turns on his bed -

MAXWELL(V.O.)

Nourish the artist, stretch their

skin upon an easel, crush their

bones into a paste, so that he may

mold them, let them die, and by

their miserable death become the

clay in his hands, that he might

MAXWELL (cont.)

form an ashtray or an ark - that he

might take you in his magic hands

and wring from your marrow wonder -

all that is comes through the eye

of the artist -

Walter bolts upright, waking from his dream -

WALTER:

(beat, then almost

imperceptibly)

Where are the John Joe Jake Jim...

Jerk...

Walter gets up out of bed - he heads toward the kitchen table -

He looks at a now stiff Frankie -

MAXWELL(V.O.)

Dead...dead...dead...

Walter stares at Frankie for a beat and turns off the overhead lamp

- he then looks up, as if getting an idea -

He looks over at the floor -

Sees the BAG OF PLASTER -

EXT STREET - DAY

Walter's feet are visible as he walks down the street - as we pan

up, we see Walter cradling a PACKAGE wrapped in brown paper and

string -

EXT JABBERJAW - DAY

Leonard stands very close to Carla, who is wearing tight, red velvet

bell-bottoms - she flips through several canvases of SCRIBBLE

PAINTINGS she has brought over -

CARLA:

I'm trying to find a style of

my own. Do you really like them?

LEONARD:

Oh yes...very nice...very, very

nice...

Walter then approaches with his package -

Carla sees him - so does Leonard -

CARLA:

Hi Walter...

LEONARD:

What are you doing here so early?

WALTER:

Well I brought something, I wanted

to show you.

LEONARD:

What is it, your laundry?

WALTER:

Huh?

CARLA:

Don't worry about him...what have

you got?

WALTER:

(enthusiastically)

A thing I made.

Walter lowers it to the ground and undoes the string - he then opens

the paper and reveals what he brought -

It is FRANKIE, encased in plaster along with the knife -

Walter grins like a simpleton at his creation, but Carla is

impressed -

CARLA:

Wow...

(Beat)

Wow...

Carla picks up the statue -

CARLA:

Leonard...look at this...

Leonard puffs on his cigarette -

LEONARD:

Where'd ya buy that?

WALTER:

I didn't buy it I made it.

Leonard takes another puff -

LEONARD:

(incredulous)

You...made that?

WALTER:

I said I did, didn't I!

CARLA:

I've never seen anything like this,

maybe Segal, but nothing with such...

dichotomy...

(Beat)

It's very good, Walter -

WALTER:

Honest?

LEONARD:

Well, what's it called?

Walter looks up at Leonard -

WALTER:

Dead Cat!

LEONARD:

(Beat)

Dead Cat?

WALTER:

Yeah.

LEONARD:

Well it sure looks dead enough.

Walter stands up -

WALTER:

You want to buy it, put it in the

club?

LEONARD:

You want me to buy Dead Cat?

(laughs)

It'll scare people away.

CARLA:

Don't you feel it?

Leonard and Walter look at Carla -

LEONARD AND WALTER

(simultaneously)

Feel what?

CARLA:

Don't you feel what it's giving

off? It's...presence...

come take a closer look...

Leonard gets closer -

CARLA:

Look at the detail, it's so alive,

and yet...so dead...

Carla turns the statue's face toward Leonard -

CARLA:

Look at the expression on its face...

Walter puffs his cigarette and stares at Walter -

LEONARD:

Well...why did you put a knife in

it?

WALTER:

I didn't mean to.

LEONARD:

Got carried away, huh?

Leonard inspects the statue -

LEONARD:

Alright, I'll tell you what. I'll

put it in the corner of the alcove.

If it sells, we'll split it fifty-

fifty. How's that?

WALTER:

Sure!

(Beat, then to Carla)

So I guess that means I'm an

artist after all.

CARLA:

(smiles politely)

Maybe so...

LEONARD:

I wouldn't give up your day job.

WALTER:

All that is comes through the

eye of the artist...

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