The Kingdom of Heaven Page #3

EXT. THE YARD OF THE FORGE. DISCONTINUOUS (SUNLIT, A DREAM)

A splendid rooster, Chanticleer, taking a dust-bath. A

woman’s BARE FEET move through the farmyard. The face of the

woman we have seen dead. She is alive, smiling. She is

kneeling at the edge of a kitchen garden, planting small

saplings, a LOMBARDY POPLAR, smiling back at her observer...

BALIAN, in sunlight, on the best day of his life. Face

dripping. He is at the trough, washing.

(CONTINUED)

7.

CONTINUED:

EGGS are laid in a bed of grasses. The WIFE looks back at her

observer.

(Balian), walks through a door, and disappears.

INT. A TOWN LOCKUP. DAY

BALIAN awakes in reality and in dirty straw. He sits up. He

is no more than thirty as it was in those days. Nothing in

his face except the fact that he has again remembered his

wife is dead. Balian is no peasant. He is a master craftsman,

a blacksmith and inventor. He is watched by two sympathetic

GUARDS.

The PRIEST, entering, has no fear of Balian: he has been

tormenting him for years, and knows him as an easy target: a

man who will never strike back.

PRIEST:

(resentfully)

The Bishop needs you.

(as Balian says nothing)

Release him.

He goes, a man off on his business. BALIAN remains sitting in

the straw. He stares at the open DOOR as if not knowing what

to do with such a thing as a door.

OLD GUARD:

(to Balian, kindly)

On your feet. This is not heaven.

It is the world, and there are

troubles in it. Do yourself no

injury. Other men are always good

for that.

BALIAN nods, and does stand.

EXT. CROSSROADS. NIGHT. SNOWING

A whimpering DOG scratches at the forzen ground, already

covered with snow. The burial crossroads. BALIAN, drunk, is

looking at the stars. Then he falls to his knees, staring at

the earth. He touches the ground. It is frozen and his wife

is beneath it. As he sobers up,

SOUNDS OS:
AND

THE PRIEST comes along, with BOYS and GRAVEDIGGER carrying

bundles of fuel and torches.

(CONTINUED)

8.

CONTINUED:

BALIAN continues to kneel. The burden-carriers walk on,

crossing themselves, in semi-respectful silence (though one

of the BOYS laughs, and is swatted by the GRAVEDIGGER). The

PRIEST remains behind, and crouches by his brother.

PRIEST:

You must take the corss. Crusade.

BALIAN, in an extremity of grief, has nothing to say to this.

PRIEST (CONT’D)

Her grave was here. Or was it

there. I am afraid I cannot tell

you the exact location. I wasn’t

present at the burial.

(BALIAN stares at the

ground)

Call me a liar. You have reason.

(a beat)

You never fight back.

(slaps Balian’s face

aside)

You turn the other cheek. Do you

think you are Jesus Christ?

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