The Night of the Hunter Page #2

TROOPER:

You driving an Essex tourin'-car

with a Moundsville license?

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

INT. COURTROOM -- CLOSE THREE-SHOT -- JUDGE AND CLERK, OVER

PREACHER:

JUDGE:

Harry Powell, for the theft of that

touring car you will spend thirty

days in the Moundsville Penitentiary.

PREACHER:

(correcting Clerk)

Preacher Harry Powell.

JUDGE:

A car thief! Picked up where you

were! A man of God?

(to Clerk)

Harry Powell.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

FULL SHOT -- MOUNDSVILLE PENITENTIARY -- DAY (HELICOPTER)

A grim stone turretted façade; an American flag idles at top

center.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

CLOSE DOWNWARD TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PEARL HARPER

They sit in the grass, a sentimental picture. JOHN is nine;

PEARL is five. They are working together on PEARL'S doll;

PEARL is dressing her, while JOHN gets on a difficult shoe.

PEARL HARPER:

Stand still, Miss Jenny!

JOHN HARPER:

(across her)

There! What's so hard about that!

He proudly exhibits the shod foot.

They hear the sound of an auto engine o.s. They look o.s.

and get up, PEARL dangling the doll.

LONG SHOT -- OVER THE CHILDREN -- BEN HARPER'S FORD

A Model-T Ford approaches at maximal speed on uneven dirt

road.

PEARL HARPER:

(to John, happily)

Daddy!

The car careens towards us; then swings into the sideyard as

we PAN, and stops.

They run towards their father fast; then JOHN looks puzzled

and they stop short.

BEN HARPER half-falls out of the far door, his shoulder blood-

stained, his eyes wild. A hefty, simple man of thirty. He

looks at them, dazed, across the car.

MEDIUM SHOT -- BEN HARPER

BEN HARPER:

Where's your Mom?

JOHN HARPER:

Out shopping -- you're bleeding, Dad --

BEN HARPER:

Listen to me John.

On this he comes around clear of the car with a revolver in

one hand and a bloody roll of banknotes in the other.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

He screams. BEN slaps him with the back of the money hand,

leaving blood on JOHN'S cheek.

CLOSE GROUP SHOT -- JOHN, BEN, PEARL

PEARL, and the house, are in BACKGROUND. PEARL just clutches

her doll. During BEN'S next lines, JOHN touches his cheek

and looks at the blood on his fingers and at the bloody money --

of which we FLASH-CUT an INSERT.

BEN HARPER:

(rushing)

Listen! This money here! We got to

hide it before they get me! There's

close to ten thousand dollars.

(his eyes dart wildly)

Under a rock in the smokehouse? Ah

no. Under the bricks in the grape

arbor? No, they'd dig for it.

CLOSE SHOT -- BEN

BEN HARPER:

(sudden triumph)

Why sure! That's the place!

He moves forward and OUT and in his place we see two police

cars, small in distance, coming fast. We hear sirens.

INT. FRONT POLICE CAR -- THROUGH WINDSHIELD

...and OVER two STATE TROOPERS. They move at high speed,

with sirens. BEN and his CHILDREN, tiny in the distance,

dilate.

TROOPER:

(driving)

That's him.

2ND TROOPER

(over his shoulder,

as if to us)

He prob'ly still has that gun.

CLOSE GROUP SHOT -- BEN AND CHILDREN

...police cars approaching in BACKGROUND. PEARL hugs her

doll. JOHN is dazed. BEN stands, pistol in hand.

BEN HARPER:

Here they come.

JOHN HARPER:

Dad, you're bleeding...

He grabs JOHN'S shoulder and stoops as we TIGHTEN IN.

BEN HARPER:

Listen to me son. You got to swear.

Swear means promise. First swear

you'll take care of little Pearl.

Guard her with your life, boy. Then

swear you won't never tell where

that money's hid. Not even your Mom.

JOHN HARPER:

Yes, Dad.

BEN HARPER:

You understand?

JOHN HARPER:

Not even her?

In b.g. the TROOPERS get out of their cars and fan out

cautiously to surround BEN: guns in hand.

BEN HARPER:

You got common sense. She ain't.

When you grow up that money'll be

yours. Now swear. "I will guard Pearl

with my life..."

JOHN HARPER:

(fumbling)

I will guard Pearl with my life...

BEN HARPER:

..."and I won't never tell about the

money."

JOHN HARPER:

And I won't never tell about the

money.

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