The Ghost and the Darkness Page #8
- R
- Year:
- 1996
- 110 min
- 622 Views
ABDULLAH:
(advancing on Patterson now)
-you do not call me a liar- you know
nothing of their health- consider
yourself fortunate I persuaded so
many to stay- consider yourself
fortunate I have decided to stay-
PATTERSON:
(losing it)
You think you matter?
(gesturing toward the
stopping now)
-Beaumont is on that train- he
matters-
CUT TO:
PATTERSON, moving in on Abdullah now-
PATTERSON:
He sees this chaos, he'll replace
you all.
ABDULLAH:
He'll replace you, too- that's all
you really care about.
PATTERSON:
You think so? Fine.
(finished arguing)
It's best you get out. Go. Tell all
your people to go, run home where
they'll be safe under the covers and
when the bridge is built and the
railroad is done, they can tell their
women that out of all the thousands
who worked here, they were the only
ones to flee-
(And he wheels around,
starts to walk away as we-)
CUT TO:
ABDULLAH. Quiet, staring after Patterson.
CUT TO:
SAMUEL. Patterson has won. As the two of them exchange a quick
glance-
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT standing in the door of a passenger car, handsome as
ever. Somehow his clothes are still pressed.
Patterson moves up. In a splendid mood. Samuel is happy too.
PATTERSON:
Pleasant journey?
BEAUMONT:
(stepping off the train)
How could it be? I hate Africa.
Now there is the sudden sound of men singing- Patterson looks
around and we
CUT TO:
ABDULLAH and his workmen, moving away from the train- they are
singing the same song that the workmen sang just before The Ghost
and The Darkness attacked- it's pretty- but it's also a little
unnerving.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. Listening a moment.
BEAUMONT:
Lovely sound- they seem happy.
PATTERSON:
Don't they, though?
BEAUMONT:
So work must be going well?
CUT TO:
PATTERSON. He and Samuel share another glance.
PATTERSON:
(delicately)
Truthfully?
(beat)
There has been the occasional odd
hiccup- but then, as you so wisely
told me, I'd never built in Africa.
BEAUMONT:
But overall, you're pleased?
SAMUEL:
(moving in)
I have never experienced anything
like it.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT; almost longingly looks back at the train.
BEAUMONT:
I almost feel like getting right
back on.
(glances at his watch)
CUT TO:
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. They do not breathe.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. He really wants to leave and for a moment it looks like
he just might.
BEAUMONT:
(a sigh)
I suppose it would be a dereliction
of duty not to at least look around.
Now Abdullah wanders happily by.
PATTERSON:
(waving)
Morning, friend, glorious day.
ABDULLAH:
As are they all.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. He takes a step inside the passenger car.
CUT TO:
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. Hoping.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. Reluctantly returning. He has a large box.
BEAUMONT:
I do need to see Starling.
PATTERSON:
(dully)
Starling?
BEAUMONT:
Awhile back he ordered some bibles-
(indicating the box)
-I've brought them.
(looking around)
Is he here?
PATTERSON:
(beat)
Yes he is.
BEAUMONT:
Well, I need to speak to him.
SAMUEL:
(helpfully)
Let me deliver the bibles.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. His eyes flick from one man to the other. It's over.
BEAUMONT:
Excellent show.
(voice low)
Where is Starling?
CUT TO:
PATTERSON. The jig is up. He gestures-
PATTERSON:
Here he comes now.
(And on that-)
CUT TO:
HALF A DOZEN NATIVES CARRYING STARLING'S COFFIN. They start to put
it on the train and as they do-
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. Stunned. And furious! He storms off the train and we-
CUT TO:
THE BRIDGE:
as Beaumont sees it. Patterson and Samuel are with him.
Little more work has been done than the last time we saw it. A few
men are working slowly.
And now there are guards with rifles patrolling it.
CUT TO:
BEAUMONT. A deadly look at them. He storms off.
CUT TO:
THE HOSPITAL:
as Beaumont sees it- Patterson, Samuel, and Hawthorne stand
quietly.
It's much more crowded than the last time. Still under control,
but barely.
Beaumont is icy now. He gestures sharply toward Hawthrone to join
them.
CUT TO:
OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL
THE FOUR MEN speak low and fast-
BEAUMONT:
What in hell is going on?
SAMUEL:
The Ghost and The Darkness have come.
BEAUMONT:
(snapping)
In English.
PATTERSON:
It's what the natives are calling
the lions-
(beat)
-two lions have been causing trouble-
BEAUMONT:
-what's the surprise in that, this is
Africa?
PATTERSON:
It hasn't been that simple so far.
BEAUMONT:
What have they done besides kill
Starling?
(beat)
How many have they killed?
(Patterson nods for
Hawthorne to answer)
CUT TO:
HAWTHORNE. Doing his best.
HAWTHORNE:
Well, of course, I can't supply a
totally accurate answer because
there are those that are actually
authenticated and there are those
that we once thought were workers
killing each other or deserting
from camp so any number I give is
subject to error-
BEAUMONT:
(cutting through)
How many?
HAWTHORNE:
Thirty, I should think.
BEAUMONT:
(stunned)
Christ!
(whirling on Patterson)
What are you doing about it?
(Now from there-)
CUT TO:
SOMETHING VERY ODD:
We are looking at a small railroad car in a deserted area. This is
not near the track but off by itself, in an area surrounded by
thorn trees.
Several workers are erecting a cloth tent to cover it, trying to
disguise the fact that the small railroad car is, indeed, nothing
It is difficult work and they are perspiring heavily.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND BEAUMONT looking at it.
BEAUMONT:
This is supposed to be salvation?
(staring at Patterson)
What kind of idiocy are we dealing
with here?
PATTERSON:
(keeping control)
I'm calling it my "contraption"-
we're going to surround it with a
boma- a fence, to you- and we're
going to leave a small opening
opposite that door.
CUT TO:
THE RAILROAD CAR. There is, in fact, an open front door. Patterson
gestures for Beaumont to follow him inside.
CUT TO:
INSIDE THE CAR AS THEY ENTER. It has been divided in half by thick
metal bars from floor to ceiling. The bars are close together,
only a few inches between them.
PATTERSON:
In that half will be bait- human
(points to the open
doorway)
-a sliding door will fit above that
and a trip wire will run across
the floor.
BEAUMONT:
(The smile is back)
Genius- the beast will enter,
tripping the wire, the door will
slide down, trapping him, you, safe
behind the bars, will have him at
your mercy and will shoot him.
Patterson nods. Beaumont explodes.
BEAUMONT:
Are you running a high fever, man?
How could you expect something as
lunatic as this to succeed? How
could you even conceive of it?
PATTERSON:
I didn't conceive of it for the
lions- I built one in India when
there was trouble with a tiger.
BEAUMONT:
(incredulous)
And it worked?
PATTERSON:
(He hates to say this)
In point of fact, it didn't.
(hurrying on)
But I'm convinced the theory is
sound.
CUT TO:
THE TWO OF THEM. They move outside. The tension between them is
considerable. Beaumont looks at Patterson for too long a moment.
PATTERSON:
What?
BEAUMONT:
you're simply not up to the job.
(Silence. Then-)
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