The Pianist Page #7

INT. GHETTO APARTMENT - DAY

Szpilman and Henryk enter and stop. Uneasy.

MOTHER:

Good, they're here. Yitzchak

Heller's been waiting for you,

Henryk.

Seated at the table with Mother and Father is a uniformed

young man, YITZCHAK HELLER, unusual appearance, a man with

red hair and a Hitler moustache.

Heller remains seated, just nods at the brothers.

HENRYK:

What's this about?

MOTHER:

Sit down, have tea, I'll start

lunch when the girls get back.

Henryk and Szpilman sit. They eye Heller suspiciously.

HENRYK:

So, what are you doing here?

FATHER:

He brought cakes.

Awkward silence.

FATHER:

His father's back in the jewellery

business and doing well, isn't

that so, Yitzchak? Amazing.

Jewellery.

He runs dry. Another awkward silence. Then:

HELLER:

We're recruiting.

HENRYK:

Who's recruiting?

HELLER:

Don't be clever with me, Henryk.

I've come here as a friend. They're

bringing Jews in from all over the

country. Soon there'll be half a

million people in the ghetto. We

need more Jewish police...

HENRYK:

(sarcastic)

Oh? More Jewish police? You mean

you want me to wear a cap like

yours, beat up Jews with my

truncheon and catch the Gestapo

spirit. I see!

HELLER:

(eyes narrowed,

dangerous)

Someone's got to do it, Henryk.

HENRYK:

But why me? I thought you only

recruited boys with rich fathers.

Look at my father, look at us, I

mean...

HELLER:

(interrupting,

flaring)

Yes, I'm looking at you and that's

why I'm here. Your whole family

can have a better life. You want

to go on struggling for survival,

selling books on the street?

HENRYK:

(a smile)

Yes, please.

HELLER:

(to Szpilman)

I'm doing you people a favour. And

what about you, Wladek? You're a

great pianist. And we've got an

excellent police jazz band. They'd

welcome you with open arms. Join

us. You've got no work...

SZPILMAN:

Thank you. But I've got work.

Silence. Heller rises angrily.

INT. CAFE NOWACZESNA, GHETTO - DAY

On a platform, Szpilman plays at a piano, but he can hardly

be heard above the noise of chatter and laughter.

The large cafe is crowded, hot and smoke-filled. Well-heeled

customers, pimps, whores, businessmen sit at little tables,

eating, talking, laughing, almost drowning the piano music.

Some dance.

A couple of tables back from the piano, a customer is doing

business with a friend. The customer has a small stack of

coins, some of them twenty-dollar gold pieces. He folds

back the tablecloth to reveal a marble surface beneath. He

drops a coin on the marble and listens but the noise is

too loud. He sees the cafe owner, BENEK, fiftyish, and

makes gestures, pointing at Szpilman. Benek pushes his way

through to Szpilman.

BENEK:

(whispering into

Szpilman's ear)

I'm sorry, Mr Wladek, he wants you

to stop.

SZPILMAN:

(continuing to play)

Who wants me to stop?

Benek points to the customer, who makes an imploring gesture

to Szpilman. Szpilman stops playing.

The friend watches the customer intently as he drops the

coins one by one onto the marble. He drops them, puts his

ear close and listens. Two or three he discards, but he

smiles when coins make a pure tone, and he keeps them.

Szpilman exchanges looks with a pretty whore, who makes

eyes at him.

Satisfied, the customer beams, nods his thanks to Szpilman,

who resumes his piano playing.

EXT. GHETTO STREET - DUSK

Szpilman walking. He passes emaciated children and beggars.

He steps over the corpses lying on the sidewalk.

EXT. STREET NEAR WALL - DUSK

The wall runs the length of the street, dividing it in

half and narrowing it. Buildings on one side, the wall on

the other.

Szpilman walks along. A piercing whistle from the Aryan

side. Szpilman stops.

Two women appear from a doorway, approach the wall and

look up. Two or three packages come flying over from the

Aryan side. The women grab them and disappear.

Szpilman walks on and sees a child appear through a hole

at ground level. The child wriggles through then turns,

pulls a package after him and runs.

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