The Stunt Man Page #3

ANGLE ON CAMERON

Surveying the town -- expressionless, a jungle beast going to

survive no matter what -- at least for a few more hours. He reaches

down and rips off his trouser legs at the thigh, turning them into

cutoffs a vacationing bather might wear. He pulls off his worn

boots and flings them into the brush, his eyes never leaving the

town below. There are crowds to get lost in down there. He

unbuttons his sleeve and looks at the handcuff still encircling his

wrist. Stopping beside a large rock, he smashes the bracelet

against it. It won't open. Grimacing in pain, he re-buttons the

sleeve, opens his shirt and begins descending the palisades toward

the town.

EXT. BOARDWALK

The SCREEN is yellow and on it are the words: 'HAVE A NICE DAY.'

THE ANGLE WIDENS and we realize the words are on the back of a

YELLOW HAT that jiggles as its wearer walks. It is Cameron. Beyond

him we see the tide of tourists in oils and ointments flirting with

the sun. Teenage girls at portable toilets adjusting their bikinis.

The boardwalk cops in white shirts, looking like ice cream vendors,

whom Cameron deftly avoids. Then, he looks up at the sky,

perplexed:
the helicopter from the bridge is overhead, circling.

Cameron watches it warily as he walks.

ANGLE ON BOARDWALK

A BIG CROWD has formed at the railing of the pier. Many of the

people with CAMERAS CLICKING at the sand below. Cameron notices the

helicopter is now sharing the sky with a brightly painted open

cockpit BIPLANE. It is a WORLD WAR I FIGHTER with BRITISH INSIGNIA.

ANGLE ON BOARDWALK AND SKY

Cameron works his way through the crowd. All eyes now look upward

at the plane. A LOUD VOICE is HEARD coming through an electric

BULLHORN.

- 11

VOICE:

All right, people. Quiet! We're

losing the sun! This is a take!

You're welcome to watch, but please,

no flashbulbs. They'll spoil the

shot.

Cameron's world has become more ordered again. It's a film company

shooting on location -- this somehow must explain the Duesenberg.

His eyes go to the scene below.

36

ANGLE ON COVE:

A CAMERA RIG suspended from the end of the yellow construction crane

is PHOTOGRAPHING the surf where EXTRAS in German WWI uniforms

unload ashore. The bright little plane has started a lazy dive

toward the soldiers, its engine whining. From here it looks as

fearsome as Snoopy and the Red Baron.

37

ANGLE ON THE BEACH

As the British plane pulls out of the dive, there is a tremendous

explosion. In the flash of smoke and flame, barge, rowboats,

ammunition and people are blown sky-high. The smoke from the

exploding ammunition momentarily obscures the scene.

38

ANGLE ON CROWD:

The onlookers are very impressed and pleased and then abruptly their

pleasure turns to horror and disbelief.

39

ANGLE ON COVE:

As the smoke lifts, the Tom and Jerry violence has become a

horrifying reality. Bodies are scattered about. One man has been

severed in half, drenched in blood. Chunks of meat, arms and legs

litter the beach.

40

ANGLE ON CROWD:

Paralyzed by the sense of catastrophe.

MAN:

(shouting)

Something went wrong.

Then, people begin to moan and scream.

- 12

41

CLOSE ON CAMERON

Staring tensely at the carnage. By reflex, a shout escapes his

lips.

CAMERON:

Medic! Get the medics!

41A

A WOMAN sags into a faint. A small child in the crowd is crying and

clutching Cameron's leg.

42

ANGLE ON COVE:

As the scene continues we hear a voice on the Bullhorn.

VOICE (O.S.)

Cut! I said CUT! That's a print.

Suddenly the reality of the horror turns into an obscene, absurd

farce as what appear to be the missing parts of bodies begin

wriggling out of the sand where the extras were partially buried to

create the macabre effect and now the extras become whole human

beings before our eyes once again.

43

ANOTHER ANGLE:

The crowd reacts in various ways. Sighs of relief, laughter, anger.

The exhumed extras wipe sand from their eyes and shake it down their

trouser legs.

A.D.

(yelling)

Beautiful, Harvey. You gave

everybody a heart attack.

HARVEY, the Second Unit Director, yells back.

HARVEY:

Eli will hate it. He said he wanted

the shot in one? Now watch, he'll

do six hours of pick-ups.

The crowd disperses. A TOURIST turns to Cameron.

TOURIST:

Great...but why do they always use

so much blood? It ruins the

realism, don't you think?

- 13

CAMERON:

(still shaken, quietly

mutters)

...a**hole...

The tourist stiffens as Cameron turns away, his attention now drawn

by the beating sound of the helicopter. He glances up.

44

CAMERON'S POV

The helicopter is descending toward the beach while the FILM CREW

rapidly moves equipment from the last scene into piles to clear a

landing site.

45

ANGLE ON FISHING PIER

Wary of the men in the chopper, Cameron is moving down the pier away

from the landing site. Suddenly he stops short, caught by something

he sees O.S. Excitedly he points and begins to shout.

CAMERON:

Hey! Hey you...!

46

CAMERON'S POV

Below him, walking away on the sand is one of the actors with the

same red hair, the same old British army jacket as Burt -- the man

in the Duesenberg. Hearing the shout, the actor stops and

tentatively turns. It's a mistake. Clearly the features are

different. It's not Burt.

47

ANGLE TO INCLUDE CAMERON

Cameron is puzzled. He watches as the red-haired actor looks about

to see who called and finding no one, starts off, but is stopped by

a LITTLE OLD LADY holding a parasol and offering her autograph book.

LITTLE OLD LADY:

Mr. Bailey! Aren't you Raymond

Bailey, the actor? Would you please

sign your autograph? Write 'to

Emily...for eternal peace.'

Raymond signs the book with the easy charm of a man who's done it a

million times. He has those special rugged good looks that belong

to Marlboro men and movie stars.

- 14

LITTLE OLD LADY (CONT'D)

I'm certainly glad you're all right.

I lost my husband and my son in the

wars...

The sound of the chopper blades has become deafening as it hovers

for a landing. The Old Lady snatches her autograph book and heads

for the landing site.

ANGLE ON HELICOPTER

As it touches the ground and its doors fly open. Out step the

CREWMEN and ELI CROSS. The ASSISTANT DIRECTOR rushes up and shouts

over the hissing blades of the idling chopper.

A.D.

What happened on the bridge?!

ELI:

(deeply upset)

All the divers found in the car was

the goddamn camera.

A.D.

(stunned)

And Burt?

ELI:

(anguished)

No Burt! All gone...caught in the

current probably and...they're

diving downstream and searching the

riverbanks, but...don't say anything

to the crew yet...

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