The Pianist Page #10

THE SZPILMANS:

Mother sobbing. The others, still horrified.

REGINA:

(softly, to Mother)

Be quiet, Mama, for God's sake, be

quiet!

Then sound of shots, slamming doors, screams, shouts.

Szpilman and Henryk hurry to another window so that they

can see what's going on.

Their POV from second window building opposite and street:

SS Men herding a couple of dozen prisoners from the building

opposite.

People watching from the windows but trying not to be seen.

The headlights of the SS vehicle are switched on and the

SS Men are forcing their prisoners to stand in the beam.

A GERMAN VOICE:

Run! Run!

The prisoners start to run.

The SS men open fire with a machine gun mounted on the

vehicle. People in the building opposite begin to SCREAM.

The prisoners are being shot down. They are lifted into

the air by the bullets, turn somersaults, fall dead.

One man escapes by running back in the opposite direction,

out of the beam of light and is lost to sight for a moment.

The escaping man, a silhouette, out of the light, runs

with all his strength, putting distance between himself

and the SS. He starts to scale a wall. He looks as though

he's getting away.

But there's a floodlight on the SS vehicle. It flares into

light, swivels and finds the man. A volley of shots.

The man drops from the wall, dead. The SS men get into the

vehicle and speed off, driving over the dead bodies.

THE SZPILMANS:

Szpilman and Henryk stare at the scene, silent, shocked.

The only sounds, the weeping of the people opposite and,

nearer, Mother crying softly.

INT. CAFE NOWOCZESNA - DAY

Szpilman, as if in another world, playing the piano. The

cafe is full of customers but the atmosphere is much more

subdued than previously, the mood is sombre.

EXT. CAFE NOWOCZESNA - DAY

A doorman with a cudgel beats away the beggars from the

door as Halina, distraught and out of breath, runs to the

cafe entrance. The doorman lets her in.

INT. CAFE NOWACZESNA - DAY

Szpilman snaps out of his reverie, seeing, across the heads

of the customers, Halina, in a state of great anxiety,

beckoning urgently.

Szpilman quickly brings the piece to a close, stands, steps

off the platform, threads his way through to Halina. She's

shivering, almost unable to speak.

SZPILMAN:

What's happened?

HALINA:

(almost incoherent)

Oh my God, it's terrible, you've

got to do something, oh my God!

SZPILMAN:

(shaking her)

Calm down, what, what is it?

HALINA:

They're hunting people on the

streets. They've picked up Henryk.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

Szpilman running. Streets crowded. Corpses. Szpilman,

sweating, dodges and sidesteps. Then, suddenly, a woman

bars his way. She's the Feather Woman, brightly rouged,

with her thickly painted eyebrows, the unsteady mauve

ostrich feather rising from her straw hat.

THE FEATHER WOMAN

Excuse me, but have you seen my

husband Izaak Szerman?

SZPILMAN:

I'm afraid not.

He tries to dodge past but she grabs his arm.

THE FEATHER WOMAN

He's tall, he's handsome. He has a

little grey beard. If you see him,

please do write, Izaak Szerman's

his name, don't forget.

Szpilman manages to free himself and runs on.

EXT. LABOUR BUREAU BUILDING - DAY

A mob of men in front of the building being herded this

way and that by Jewish policemen. More and more captive

men are brought in by the German Schutzpolizei (Shupos).

The mob constantly swelling.

Szpilman reaches the back of the crowd.

SZPILMAN:

(to an elderly man

nearest him)

What's happening?

THE ELDERLY MAN:

They've got my grandson in there.

They pick 'em up, they take 'em

away. What do they do to them?

I've stopped believing in God!

Szpilman scans the mob. The Jewish policemen using batons

and whips to herd the men. No sign of Henryk. Szpilman

becomes alert. He's seen someone he recognises. Heller,

with his red hair and Hitler moustache, wielding a baton,

driving men into the building. With difficulty, Szpilman

pushes his way through the mob and gets nearer to Heller.

SZPILMAN:

(yelling)

Yitzchak!

Heller doesn't hear.

SZPILMAN:

Yitzchak!

Heller glances round.

SZPILMAN:

Here, please! Wladek Szpilman!

Heller shoves someone aside so that Szpilman can approach,

but he continues to beat and manhandle people.

SZPILMAN:

Henryk's in there.

HELLER:

I haven't seen him.

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