The Night of the Hunter Page #10

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- WILLA AND PREACHER

They sit by the water; drooling willows; almost in travesty

of a romantic scene. WILLA dabbles one hand in the water.

WILLA HARPER:

(very shy)

Did Ben Harper ever tell you what he

done with that money he stole?

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- PREACHER

His head goes slantwise and he smiles oddly.

PREACHER:

My dear child, don't you know?

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

He watches intently towards his mother; PEARL holds his hand.

ICEY'S voice o.s.

GROUP SHOT -- WOMEN, JOHN AND PEARL

ICEY SPOON:

She's moonin' about Ben Harper. That

wasn't love, it was just flapdoodle.

(agreeing nods and

murmurs)

Have some fudge, lambs.

(she hands some down

to John and Pearl.

Pearl smears her

mouth with it; John,

watching always

towards his mother,

takes one nibble and

throws the rest away)

When you're married forty years, you

know all that don't amount to a hill

o'beans! I been married to my Walt

that long, and I'll swear in all

that time I'd just lie there thinking

about my canning.

In BACKGROUND WALT looks sheepish.

WILLA'S VOICE

(calling o.s.)

John! John?

All look towards her.

LONG SHOT -- OVER GROUP

WILLA is standing, beckoning JOHN

MEDIUM TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PEARL

They start towards their mother.

GROUP SHOT -- ICEY AND WOMEN -- NEW ANGLE

ICEY SPOON:

A woman's a fool to marry for that.

It's something for a man. The good

Lord never meant for a decent woman

to want that -- not really want it!

It's all just a fake and a pipe-dream.

The others agree with her. She puts a piece of fudge in her

mouth.

CLOSE GROUP SHOT -- PREACHER, WILLA, CHILDREN

...as JOHN and PEARL (with DOLL) come shyly up. WILLA is

seated again. She is radiant.

WILLA HARPER:

John, Mr. Powell has got something

to tell you.

PREACHER:

Well, John, the night before your

father died, he told me what he did

with that money.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

He desperately conceals his reaction; he thinks BEN has

betrayed him.

RESUME GROUP SHOT

PREACHER:

That money's at the bottom of the

river wrapped around a 12-pound

cobblestone.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN AND PEARL

He now conceals his new reaction.

RESUME GROUP SHOT

WILLA touches PREACHER'S hand, warmly.

WILLA HARPER:

Thank you, Harry.

She looks all around her, glowing, and stands up, hands to

hair.

PEARL HARPER:

John...

JOHN HARPER:

Sshhh...

WILLA HARPER:

I feel clean now! My whole body's

just a quiverin' with cleanness!

She walks away towards ICEY and the WOMEN.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER

PREACHER:

John:
here.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN AND PEARL

JOHN moves to stand in front of him; PEARL, to stand beside

PREACHER, with the DOLL.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER AND CHILDREN

From JOHN'S eye-level; as JOHN steps in front of him and

PEARL beside him.

PREACHER:

Your tie's crooked.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- JOHN

The hand named LOVE and the hand named HATE come in to

straighten the necktie. JOHN looks down. He looks up and

sees:

GROUP SHOT -- JOHN'S VIEWPOINT

PREACHER, in close-up, hands busy o.s.; PEARL, with doll;

and between them, in BACKGROUND, WILLA. She is now running

fast towards ICEY, who walks towards her with arms

outstretched. Behind them, the group of WOMEN. BIRDIE'S guitar

music begins o.s.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BIRDIE'S BOAT -- EVENING -- MEDIUM SHOT -- BIRDIE, JOHN

AND SKIFF:

Birdie sits beside his open door, strumming a guitar and

singing. The scene is lamplighted from within. Ben's skiff

is inverted on trestles in FOREGROUND. At start of scene we

see only JOHN's feet; he's under the skiff, examining it.

After three lines of song he comes out from under, and lounges

against the skiff, tracing a tarry seam with his forefinger.

BIRDIE STEPTOE:

(singing)

'Twas down at Cresap's Landing, Along

the River Shore, Birdie Steptoe was

a Pilot in the good old days of yore.

Now he sets in his old wharf-boat...

JOHN HARPER:

(across him)

When'll Dad's skiff be ready?

BIRDIE STEPTOE:

Can't hear ye, boy.

(singing)

...So the big boats heave a sigh,

They blow for Uncle Birdie...

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