The Deer Hunter Page #12

GENERAL:

Uh-oh.

The GENERAL and the DRIVER turn tail, scramble back down the

embankment and pile in the jeep.

GENERAL (CONT'D)

(as they take off)

Y'know, there's more f***ing

maniacs coming out of this

conflict...

MERLE watches them go without expression. On the road below

the REFUGEES stream past -- by the hundreds, by the

thousands, by the tens of thousands. For a long moment MERLE

watches, then he jams the gun in his pants and stands.

EXT. EVACUATION ROUTE - DAY

MERLE is walking with the fleeing REFUGEES. CAMERA PANS,

HOLDING ON MERLE as he grows smaller and smaller -- to a

speck in the vast human torrent.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. OUT-PATIENT ROOM - U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL - SAIGON - DAY

The room is tiny, a cubicle furnished with a chair. NICK is

alone, standing at the window looking out. He wears ill

fitting civilian clothes whose colors are too bright for-the

pallor of his skin. Around his neck is a piece of plastic on

which is stapled a colored paper marker. Departing aircraft

thunder overhead and there is the sound of some nearby

hydraulic mechanism.

EXT. LOADING RAMP (NICK'S POV) - U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL - DAY

Black BODY BAGS are laid out in countless rows on the hot

concrete TWO PFC's are stacking them on pallets and MORE

PFC's, driving hydraulic LIFTERS, are loading the pallets

into the cavernous hold of a huge JET TRANSPORT.

INT. OUT-PATIENT ROOM - U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL - DAY

NICK turns away from the window and sits down in the chair.

Suddenly the door bursts open and a harassed DOCTOR comes in.

DOCTOR:

Is your name Solomon?

NICK shakes his head.

DOCTOR (CONT'D)

Are you sure?

NICK nods.

DOCTOR (CONT'D)

Lemme see this.

The DOCTOR looks at the paper marker on NICK's neck.

DOCTOR (CONT'D)

Is this yours?

NICK nods.

DOCTOR (CONT'D)

This isn't yours. This can't be

yours! I'm going to take this one

off and cut it up...

(he extracts a pair of

scissors and does so)

Shred it... so no one gets a hold

of it. What I'm going to do now,

I'm going to give you this one.

(he staples a new marker

around NICK's neck)

There. How's that? Does that feel

better?

NICK nods. The DOCTOR directs a finger at him.

DOCTOR (CONT'D)

That one's yours.

The DOCTOR slams back out the door. Another jet thunders

overhead. The hydraulic LIFTERS on the loading ramp shriek

and whine...

NICK reaches for the new paper marker on his neck and peers

down at it from the corner of his eye. It seems to remind him

of something and he takes out his wallet. In his wallet is a

PHOTOGRAPH of LINDA. NICK peers at the photograph intently,

then closes his wallet and puts it away.

INT. U.S. ARMY TELEPHONE CENTER - SAIGON - DAY

Banks of telephones line the wall. Stretching out from the

telephones are long, ragged lines of SERVICEMEN waiting to

call home. The room is huge, full of echoes. Re-enlistment

posters are plastered everywhere and CANNED LATIN MUSIC is

playing.

NICK stands in one of the lines with only one person in front

of him. He looks anxious. He takes out his wallet again,

peers intently at LINDA'S PHOTOGRAPH, then puts it back.

NICK takes a half-step forward -- staring at the telephone --

and then he stops, frozen with fear.

GUM CHEWER BEHIND

Go on, babe. Take it. 'S all yours!

NICK:

(mumbles)

You go ahead.

CAMERA HOLDS ON NICK as he turns out of the line and heads

for the exit under a long row of CLOCKS.

EXT. BUSY STREET - SAIGON - DAY

NICK comes along the sidewalk in a CROWD OF PEDESTRIANS. He

is drunk and he moves aimlessly, as if he had been drifting

along for hours. As he comes to a stop, staring at a SOUTH

VIETNAMESE who has lost both legs, he fumbles in his pocket

for a pint of whiskey, empties the bottle and drops it in the

gutter. Suddenly, across the street, something catches his

eye.

NICK:

(calling)

Sal...! Sal!!!

NICK throws himself into the traffic, headlong, without even

looking.

Vehicles swerve and screech to a stop. NICK dodges between

them, gains the sidewalk on the other side and claps his hand

on the back of a passing SOLDIER. The SOLDIER turns. It is

not SAL at all and the resemblance is not even close.

NICK (CONT'D)

Sorry... Thought you were someone

else.

The SOLDIER continues on his way. The CROWD streams on, a sea

of bobbing, brilliant color. NICK gropes in his pocket and

produces another pint bottle. He unscrews the cap and downs a

long swallow.

INT. BAR - SAIGON - NIGHT

The place is very dark. LOUD MUSIC is playing. Partially-clad

BAR GIRLS are dancing with the CUSTOMERS, while above, on a

kind of trapeze, NAKED GIRLS are performing obscene

contortions.

NICK sits at one of the tables. By now he is very drunk and a

BAR GIRL is giving him her undivided attention.

NICK:

I love Linda, see. I love Linda

more than I can even say.

BAR GIRL:

Everybody love Linda.

NICK:

That's right. That's exactly what I

mean!

BAR GIRL:

I love Linda. Myself, I love Linda

so much!

NICK:

Only,good people love Linda, see.

What Linda has, Linda --

BAR GIRL:

(in his ear)

How you like to have nice f*** with

Linda? You like that? Special,

crazy f*** just like with Linda?

NICK:

(stares at her)

You mean...?

BAR GIRL:

I show you. Come. You come.

(pulls him to his feet)

Linda have special, crazy f***.

That right?

NICK nods. He looks as if he might be about to cry.

BAR GIRL (CONT'D)

I give you special, crazy f***,

just like Linda. Come. You come.

Linda cry, make crazy moan?

NICK nods.

BAR GIRL (CONT'D)

I give you cry, crazy moan. Come.

You come.

INT. CORRIDOR - BAR - NIGHT

The BAR GIRL comes around the corner with NICK, guiding him

to a flight of narrow stairs. She has one hand around his

waist and the other down the front of his pants.

BAR GIRL:

You like to call me Linda now?

NICK:

Linda, yeah.

BAR GIRL:

You call me Linda, just like home.

Suddenly NICK draws to a stop, staring at a small window at

the end of the corridor. He tears himself loose from the BAR

GIRL and pushes up against the glass.

EXT. NARROW STREET (NICK'S POV) - NIGHT

Seated on the sidewalk against the wall of the opposite

building is an OLD MAN surrounded by a collection of white

ceramic elephants. A truck roars by in front of him.

Motorcycles sputter past and PEDESTRIANS hurry in both

directions. The OLD MAN sits motionless, like the guardian of

some timeless, silent kingdom.

INT. CORRIDOR - BAR - NIGHT

NICK spins away from the window.

NICK:

Hey... Hey, elephants! Look at

those elephants!

The BAR GIRL stares at him.

NICK (CONT'D)

Linda loves elephants! Linda... she

loves 'em!

NICK turns and charges back down the corridor with the BAR

GIRL hot on his tail.

BAR GIRL:

Wait! First I give you special

f***!

NICK:

Elephants! Make way... I gotta get

elephants!

EXT. NARROW STREET - NIGHT

NICK paces up and down in front of the OLD MAN and his

ceramic elephants.

NICK:

Great... These are great. I wanna

tell you these are great elephants!

I'm going home, see... Stateside in

a few days and my wife Linda, she

loves elephants. She... she has a

thing for elephants because

elephants... Elephants go on. You

know what I mean? They go right on.

I don't know if they cry. Maybe at

night. I mean... What I mean is my

two best buddies are dead, see,

MIA, who knows, and they would have

liked some elephants also

because... How much are these

elephants? I mean let's talk

elephant.

(notices a GROUP OF STREET

URCHINS)

Hey you guys...! Over here! Come

over here and carry elephants!

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