The Night of the Hunter Page #3

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.

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