Midnight Express Page #4

BILLY:

(smiles)

You're right.

Bus stops suddenly. BILLY changes expression.

THROUGH FRONT WINDSHIELD we see TURKISH SOLDIERS in several

HALFTRACKS drawn up in a semicircle blocking the bus. The

Pan American PLANE is directly behind. Also JEEPS and a

POLICEMAN waving the bus down.

BUS BOOR opens and the Turkish Police OFFICER hops aboard

briskly:

OFFICER:

Attention please, Ladies and

Gentlemen. For your own safety

we're conducting a security check

before you board your airplane,

Kindly file out the back. Women

and children in one line. Men in

another.

PASSENGERS. A confused hum.

VARIOUS PASSENGERS

What's he saying? I don't know...

Marian. Hey Marian, what the

hell...

The Turkish-speaking PASSENGERS are gathering together

their items and beginning to exit as:

POLICE OFFICER repeats, in ENGLISH

POLICE OFFICER:

Idem.

CLOSE BILLY. The POLICE OFFICER is only beginning the

speech.in English but already Billy realizes, And it's

panic. Silent panic. That horrendous cold feeling all

over his back:
Oh God what have I done, what can I do now?

He freezes.

MOVE TO SUSAN rising, fetching her things, irritated.

SUSAN:

Jesus, they do everything ass

backwards in Turkey.

Behind her we see the other AMERICAN PASSENGERS beginning

to disembark with the usual chorus of overlapped

conversations, expletives, including:

PASSENGERS:

They're checking for hijackers.

Any Palestinians aboard? Hey Harry,

get rid of your grenades...

Laughter is returned from several of the American

contingent, but we MOVE BACK to BILLY in foreground; all

of a sudden he is on his knees trying to crawl under the

seat.

SUSAN (OFF)

Billy, what's the matter?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes