We're No Angels Page 6

  219Interior: Monastery—Refectory—Day.

  The staging area for the Procession, people bustling about, the banner overhead, CELEBRATE THE PROCESSION OF ST. ANN. NED, asking directions of a monk, is directed toward what is obviously the command post of the procession. He walks; CAMERA FOLLOWS. Behind a large table are seated FATHER NOGULICH, the Yugoslav priest, and his TRANSLATOR. Priests are bringing the Yugoslav priest garments to okay, forms to sign; the two are very busy. NED comes up; all his remarks are translated to, and then translated from, Yugoslavian by the TRANSLATOR.

  NED: I changed my mind, I wanna march in the Procession.

  TRANSLATOR: Too late.

  NED: What do you mean, “too late . . . “?

  TRANSLATOR: You're late, you're a day late.

  NED: We got delayed.

  TRANSLATOR (shrugs): We have, we've just closed up the list. . . .

  He holds up the list; the TRANSLATOR and FATHER NOGULICH shrug, after the manner of bureaucrats everywhere.

  NED: Well, open the list up.

  TRANSLATOR: Can't do it.

  NED: Uh-huh, uh-huh . . . you want me to go above your head?

  The Translator and FATHER NOGULICH confer.

  TRANSLATOR: We do not understand the meaning of the phrase.

  NED: It means I'm going to go to the head man and puke all over ya, I got a problem, and I got a right to march in the Procession . . . now, you sign me up.

  TRANSLATOR: This is not a Christian attitude.

  NED: Tough.

  The Translator and FATHER NOGULICH confer. Beat.

  TRANSLATOR: He says that there is something “wrong” about you.

  NED: You tell him that he don't know the half of it, unless he puts my name on that list.

  Beat. FATHER NOGULICH looks long and hard at NED, who returns the stare. Beat. FATHER NOGULICH nods to the TRANSLATOR, who signs the list.

  TRANSLATOR (softly): All right . . .

  NED turns to go.

  TRANSLATOR: And who will your afflicted be . . . ?

  Beat. NED stops, turns back.

  NED: I'm sorry . . . ?

  TRANSLATOR: Are you deaf, who will your afflicted be . . . ?

  NED: . . . afflicted . . . ?

  TRANSLATOR (petulantly): Who will you be escorting?

  NED: . . . escorting . . . ?

  TRANSLATOR (as if to a child): Who will be the afflicted person you will be escorting in prayer, for the intercession of the Virgin?

  NED: Uh, we thought that we'd just go ourselves. . . .

  The TRANSLATOR throws up his hands, as does FATHER NOGULICH.

  TRANSLATOR: Yes, yes, that's lovely . . . let's live our lives with no rules at all . . . ! (He taps his list with the pen.) Who will be the afflicted person you will be escorting across . . . ?

  220Exterior: Monastery—Day.

  NED, looking for something; CAMERA FOLLOWS him down the street. The workmen are bringing out the effigy, and a couple of townspeople come over to it and start pinning money to it. He sees the LITTLE GIRL; he hurries up to her.

  NED: Where's your mother? (He remembers she can't speak.) Aaah. . .

  He looks around.

  221Exterior: Shanty town—Molly's House—Day.

  Point of View: MOLLY coming out of her house with her basket of laundry.

  222Angle: NED goes over to her; he tries to take the laundry from her. She resists. She walks on; NED and the CAMERA MOVE with her.

  MOLLY: Ah, Mr. Holiness, no, I don't need your help.

  NED: I want to ask you something.

  MOLLY: What, do I want to go upstairs for a ride . . . ? You know, you got a lot of nerve. . . .

  NED: Yeah, I'm a sinner. . . .

  MOLLY: Big of you to say so.

  NED: But I want to change. . . .

  MOLLY: Good luck.

  NED: I think it's time to make a gesture.

  MOLLY: Go make it.

  NED: I want to take your little girl in the Procession of the Shrine.

  Beat.

  MOLLY: You go to hell.

  Beat.

  NED: What's the matter, don't you believe in divine grace. . . ?

  MOLLY: I told you: Piss off. You take your carnival and shake down someone else.

  NED: If God. . .

  MOLLY stops, turns to him.

  MOLLY: I told you: I don't need your magic show. I don't want your goddamn mumbo jumbo, ‘n’ I won't curse my kid with it. You got it. . . ?

  NED (He takes her arm; stops her): Please. Please. (Beat.) Please, isn't there anything . . . isn't there anything which would change your mind . . . ? What could I do to change your mind . . . ?

  Beat.

  MOLLY (reflectively): Uh-huh . . . (Beat.) I'll tell you what would convince me. . . .

  NED: What?

  Beat.

  MOLLY: What's the most important thing in the world . . . ?

  223Interior: Monastery—Day.

  JIM and the YOUNG MONK proceeding in a stately fashion down the hall.

  JIM: And what about all this no talking stuff. . . ?

  YOUNG MONK: Well, as you know, our order subscribes to the Rule of Silence. . . .

  JIM: . . . uh-huh . . .

  YOUNG MONK: . . . except for the few days of the Procession.

  JIM: Uh-huh, and, is that no talking stuff, is that hard. . . ?

  YOUNG MONK: Actually, no, I think it's quite refreshing. . . .

  JIM nods.

  YOUNG MONK: And, I believe, you've written yourself, if you recall what I'm speaking of in Deuteronomy. . . four: twelve. . . ?

  JIM: Four: twelve.

  YOUNG MONK: “Ye heard the voice of the words . . . “?

  JIM: Oh. In four: twelve, yeah . . .

  NED (offscreen): Jimmy!

  The YOUNG MONK and JIM turn.

  224Angle: NED coming hurriedly down the hall, catches up to the two.

  JIM: Hiya, Ned.

  The YOUNG MONK nods. Beat. The YOUNG MONK indicates they should proceed. NED follows.

  JIM (to YOUNG MONK): Well, is there anything else I should . . . oh, oh oh . . . ?

  He fingers the rough cloth of the monk's habit.

  JIM: Is this stuff scratchy?

  YOUNG MONK: You get used to it.

  NED (sotto): Jimmy, I got to talk to you.

  JIM: Not now, Ned.

  NED: Jimmy. . .

  JIM: I got it whipt, okay, I made my mind up.

  NED: What, what?

  They have arrived at a massive oaken door. The YOUNG MONK KNOCKS solemnly.

  JIM: I'm gonna check into the deal here.

  NED: What deal?

  YOUNG MONK (proudly): Father Brown is going to join our order.

  NED (to Jim): You're what?

  JIM (sotto): Hey, it's three squares and a cot.

  NED and JIM have a whispered exchange.

  NED: Jimmy . . .

  JIM: I tol’ you I'm not going back there, Ned.

  NED: I got the way out. . . Jim. I got the way out. . . .

  The YOUNG MONK KNOCKS on the door again.

  JIM: You do . . . ?

  NED: Yeah.

  A large VOICE is heard from behind the oak door.

  FATHER LEVESQUE (offscreen): Enter.

  The YOUNG MONK swings open the oak door. He looks to JIM. Beat.

  NED (to Jim; sotto): You're ‘bout three hundred feet from freedom, Jimmy. I can get us across. Don't go native on me here. (To YOUNG MONK.) Whaddaya trying to do, shanghai my pal. . . ?

  NED leans into the room beyond the oak door. To the scene beyond.

  NED: Changed our mind. Changed our minds. Sorry.

  He swings the door shut, starts walking away with JIM. CAMERA FOLLOWS them. JIMMY looks back over his shoulder at the YOUNG MONK, shrugs.

  JIM: I can't believe it, Ned, they're gonna catch us.

  NED: No, I promise you, no. All we need is a hundred bucks from that Shrine out there.

  The two confer.

  NED gestures with his head; bot
h turn their heads.

  225Exterior: Monastery—Day.

  Point of View: Out the window. The banner reading, CONTRIBUTE TO RESTORE THE SHRINE OF ST. ANN. Below the banner is the effigy, now getting fairly well covered with bills the passersby are pinning to it.

  226Interior/Exterior: Monastery—Day.

  NED and JIM walking. They walk past a small conference of priests. One PRIEST is speaking and gesturing to a drawing of the Madonna. His remarks are rendered into English by a TRANSLATOR. The PRIEST speaks in Serbo-Croatian; the TRANSLATOR translates.

  TRANSLATOR: The Albigensian heresy, at which time Cardinal Archbishop Frotti was asked to take action on the issue of, as it was termed then, Mariolatry, and . . . ah, Father Brown, Father Riley.

  227Angle: NED and JIM stop.

  TRANSLATOR: Since you've written on this so well, will you tell us what Cardinal Archbishop Frotti did . . . ?

  Beat.

  JIM: Hey, what would you have done?

  The assemblage nods and sighs in complete agreement. The TRANSLATOR translates for the Yugoslav PRIEST, who also nods his agreement. NED and JIM continue down the hall. NED looks over at the effigy outside. JIM turns to look.

  228Exterior: Town Street—Day.

  Point of View: The effigy. The effigy moves slowly toward the town square. The YOUNG MONK comes INTO the FRAME, looking after JIM and NED. He sighs softly.

  229Exterior: Monastery—Day.

  NED and JIM proceed toward the effigy. The TRANSLATOR is holding a clipboard.

  TRANSLATOR: And let's make sure that we perform it right.

  NED: We're gonna be fine, don't you worry.

  TRANSLATOR: Let us see that we will be. When the Procession starts (he hands Ned a mimeographed sheet) I will be holding part of the float. Father Levesque will say, “Suffer the little children to come unto me . . . “ I will hold out my hand. . . .

  NED: Okay, okay . . . fine . . .

  He gestures JIM to go on.

  230Exterior: Town Square—Day.

  Angle: JIM moving stealthily toward the effigy. CAMERA MOVES with him. He looks around. Sidles closer to the effigy. JIM starts to move toward the effigy. Someone comes by. JIM retires. Beat. He tries to move toward it again. Two people come by. They nod. JIM nods. Sighs. Beat. Beat. The SHOPKEEPER comes past, tips his hat.

  SHOPKEEPER: Evening, Father.

  JIM nods. Beat. Looks after the SHOPKEEPER, who is walking away.

  231Exterior: Monastery—Day.

  Angle: NED still buttonholed by the TRANSLATOR.

  TRANSLATOR: And you say what. . . ?

  NED sighs, looks at his sheet, reads.

  NED: “Volo. I will pray for the intercession for this poor unfortunate.”

  TRANSLATOR: Yes. And then . . . ?

  MOLLY (offscreen): You got my money . . . ?

  NED turns.

  232Exterior: Monastery—Day.

  Angle: MOLLY leading her LITTLE GIRL by the hand. The LITTLE GIRL dressed in a white, clean, but very ratty communion dress. NED and the TRANSLATOR turn to look at her. Beat.

  MOLLY: You got my money . . . ? The Processions starting in fifteen minutes, and if you want . . .

  NED, shushing her, moves her away from the TRANSLATOR.

  NED: Yes, yes, fine . . .

  CAMERA MOVES with them as NED moves her around the side of the building.

  TRANSLATOR (shouting after them): And when we reach the middle of the bridge . . .

  NED (calling back to him): It's going to be fine, willya . . . ?

  233ANGLE: NED AND MOLLY.

  MOLLY: You got my money?

  NED: Hey, you are one money-grubbing bitch. . . .

  He draws her aside, beneath the monastery struts.

  MOLLY: Whatever, but the kid don't march in the parade, without I get a hundred bucks.

  NED: You're gonna get your money, you're gonna get your goddamn money, how'd you get this way . . . ?

  MOLLY: None of your business, what are you to me. . . ? What are you to me . . . ? Nothing, you want me to pray, you want me to screw, you want me to march in the parade . . . pay me.

  NED: Hey, nice talk in front of your kid.

  MOLLY: . . . she can't hear you, she's deaf. . . .

  SOUND of a gunshot. NED flinches. Another SHOT. NED hesitates, moves around the building, peers out.

  234Exterior: Town.

  Point of View: The commotion in the street, birds flying. People running.

  235Exterior: Monastery/Shanty town Boardwalk—Day.

  Angle: NED moves out past the side of the building. Calling.

  NED: What is it. . . ?

  PASSERBY (running): They shot ’em.

  NED: They shot who . . . ? They shot who . . . ?

  The PASSERBY running away, over his shoulder.

  PASSERBY: The one they were lookin‘ for, the convict. He was trying to steal the money . . . !

  236Exterior: Town Square—Day.

  Another PASSERBY runs from the direction of the shooting.

  SECOND PASSERBY: They shot the convict!

  NED (softly): Oh, hell . . . Jimmy. (He looks around.) Where, where . . . ?

  SECOND PASSERBY: He ran in the hardware store.

  THIRD PASSERBY: They chased him into the hardware store; he tried to get a gun.

  237Exterior: Town Square—Day.

  People running toward the SOUND of the shots. NED running. He stops outside the general store, people milling about. Militiamen are being directed by the SHERIFF. The WARDEN pushes through the mob into the store.

  PASSERBY: Warden . . .

  WARDEN: Lemme through.

  The WARDEN enters the store.

  NED (to BYSTANDER): What happened?

  BYSTANDER: I don't know, they . . .

  The WARDEN comes out.

  WARDEN: Send for the doc. Get a couple men over here. . . .

  Bystander: Is that the. . .

  WARDEN: Yep. It's him all right, we got our convict, no doubt about it. . .

  WARDEN goes back into the store. Two men come out supporting the DEPUTY, who has been slightly wounded.

  DEPUTY #2: Oh, Lord, Oh Lord, I'm shot, the man in there shot me. . . .

  The DEPUTY and his supporters pass. NED looks after them. Beat. He holds his gaze on something in the distance.

  238Point of View: The DEPUTY moving OUT OF THE FRAME, beyond him, the bridge, unguarded, as the militiamen and guards all race over toward the site of the shooting.

  BYSTANDER (offscreen): Yep. I think he's dying. Tried to disguise himself. . . knew they'd catch him.

  239Close-up: NED rubs his forehead.

  BYSTANDER (offscreen): . . . how'd they ever think they could get away . . . somebody said “send for the doc,” b’ I bet they need a priest. . . .

  NED looks up to heaven for guidance. Beat. NED starts through the mob.

  NED (sadly): I'm a priest. . . .

  239AInterior: General Store/Hotel—Day.

  The mob starts to part; CAMERA FOLLOWS NED into the store.

  BYSTANDERS (offscreen): Let ‘em through . . . (etc.).

  CAMERA FOLLOWS NED into the store. Beyond him, on the far side of the store, is the SHOPKEEPER, who, very shaken, is talking to the DEPUTY.

  SHOPKEEPER: . . . tried to steal, I saw him near the gun case, and, and, and, I knew he was the man. . . .

  240Close-up: NED, his face, pushing through the crowd.

  241Point of View: The WARDEN talking to a deputy.

  WARDEN: Get ‘em outta here, and get ‘em locked up, he's going to die, let ‘em die in jail. . . .

  242Angle: NED clutches his rosary, pulls his granny glasses closer to his head.

  NED: Where's the injured man . . . ?

  BYSTANDERS (variously): It's the priest, let ‘em through.

  NED bends over the stricken form on the floor.

  243Close-up: as he whispers in the ear of the fallen man.

  NED (sotto): Jimmy, I'm so sorry . . . Jimmy . . . I told you we were gonna get
outta here. . . .

  The man turns his head. It is not Jimmy.

  BOB: What is he sayin’ . . . what is he sayin’ to me . . . ? Father. I ain't gonna die . . . get ‘em away from me. . . .

  NED (sotto; surprised): Bobby!

  WARDEN (offscreen): Okay, okay, the man's on his last legs. He's ravi. . . okay. Stretcher-bearers! Get in here. . . . Doc. . . ?

  DOCTOR (offscreen): Move aside, lemme get to ‘em. . . .

  BOB: Get that damn priest out of here. . . .

  He pushes at the priest (NED) with his bloody hands.

  244Angle: The crowd over the fallen man.

  DEPUTY #1: Give way . . . give ‘em room, make way here.

  NED gets up from the group. He moves gingerly, as he cannot see because of the blood on his glasses. CAMERA MOVES with him. He stops, looks down. He takes off his bloody glasses to see better.

  DOCTOR (offscreen): All right, gently, men, gently, y'have someone run ahead and fetch my bag over to the jail. . . .

  BOB (offscreen): I'm not gonna die, damn the lot of you . . . I‘m not gonna die here. . . .

  NED takes a bandanna out of his pocket, starts cleaning the blood off his glasses.

  WARDEN (offscreen): He gives you any sass, you let him drown in his own blood. He just killed my two best men over't the prison . . . clear the door. You hear me. Clear the door . . . stand aside.

  NED rubs his eyes. He sighs. He is jostled and turns around. A foot from his face . . . BOBBY, the convict on the stretcher, looks right at him. BOBBY recognizes him.

  BOB (astonished, softly): Ned!

  The Procession with the stretcher starts to move through the door. NED watches, puts on his glasses.

  BOB: Gimme the priest, I'm caught up, I'm going, I feel myself going. . . .

  The procession with the stretcher moves out through the door.

  BOB (looking back toward Ned): The priest. Is there a Christian among you. . . ?

  245Angle: NED‘S arm is taken by the SHERIFF, going out of the door.

  246Interior: Jail Cell—Day.

  BOBBY, swaddled in bandages. The DOCTOR gets up from him. A GUARD lets the DOCTOR out of the cell.

  247Angle: The far corner of the cell, NED holding his Bible. Beat.

  248Angle: NED and BOBBY. BOBBY waits until he hears the SOUND of the doctor and the guard receding, then looks at NED. NED pulls his chair over by BOBBY and sits at his head.

  BOB: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

  NED (leaning in; sotto): We thought you were dead, Bobby. . . .

  BOB: It's been a long time since my last confession.

  NED: Why'd you have to shoot that man . . . ?