The Night of the Hunter

                    ICEY
          He taken the Lord's name in vain and he
          trampled on his Holy Book!

                    WALT
          String that Bluebeard up to a pole!

                    ICEY
          He's Satan hiding behind the Cross!

                    OTHERS
               (ad lib)
          Lynch him!  String him up!

We PAN RACHEL and CHILDREN past this street and they hurry towards RUBY, who
stands alone in BACKGROUND, facing the jail.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- RUBY'S ECSTATIC FACE
In BACKGROUND, RACHEL and CHILDREN hurry towards her.  MOB noise o.s. 
Hearing the approach of RACHEL'S GROUP, RUBY turns the back of her head
towards us.  Now there are no mob voices; only the ominous sound of fifty-odd
people marching step.

                    RUBY
          I love him!

TRACKING SHOT -- RUBY
Ominous silence.

                    RUBY
          He loves me because I'm so purty!  You think
          he's like them others!

SIDE TRACKING SHOT -- RUBY, RACHEL AND GROUP
Marching sound o.s.  RACHEL firmly takes RUBY's arm and drags her off in our
direction.  RACHEL shoos MARY and CLARY ahead of her.  JOHN and PEARL flank
RACHEL, clinging to her wide skirts.  RUBY, nearest us, keeps looking back
over her shoulder.  We TRACK them alongside of JAIL to rear of JAIL.

                    RUBY
               (continuing)
          You took on something awful about him buying me
          that there movie book.  You was so mad, you
          shot him and the blue men took him.

On "blue men," we stop TRACKING and, as GROUP leaves SHOT, CENTER a POLICE
CAR, waiting at rear door of JAIL.  POLICEMEN start out of door.

MEDIUM GROUP SHOT -- POLICEMEN AND PREACHER
They roughly hustle PREACHER into the car.  Marching sound o.s.

SHOT -- FROM WITHIN CAR -- BART
PREACHER and POLICE are in b.g.  Through car window we see BART THE HANGMAN
come out of his door.  He wears his derby.  A POLICEMAN puts head out of
window.  Marching o.s.

MEDIUM SHOT -- BART THE HANGMAN
On porch, by door, is a doll's perambulator, but this time there is a
Christmas wreath on the door.  Marching o.s.

                    POLICEMAN (o.s.)
          Hey, Bart!

Auto engine starts up o.s.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- BART

                    BART
          Yeah?

MEDIUM SHOT -- POLICEMAN
Marching o.s.

                    POLICEMAN (o.s.)
          We're savin' this bird up fer you!

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- BART
Marching o.s.

                    BART
          This time it'll be a privilege.

FULL PANNING SHOT -- POLICE CAR, THEN RACHEL AND GROUP
The car jumps fast out of SHOT and we PAN PAST BART and CENTER RACHEL and
GROUP, walking fast away from us.  Mob voices o.s.

                    A VOICE
               (o.s., over departing car)
          Bust the door down!

CLOSE GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
Clutching Christmas parcels, they hurry away from us into darkness.  RUBY,
hanging back, dragged by RACHEL, babbles over her shoulder.

                    RUBY
               (happily)
          They'll git him out.  I'll git my things ready
          -- my shawl and my Mickey Mouse watch that
          don't run and the straw hat with the flower,
          and we'll be married and live happily ever
          after.

                    VOICES
               (o.s., ad lib, cutting across Ruby)
          Bust down the door!  Set fahr to it!  Where's
          that axe?!  Climb up on the balcony!  You six
          git 'round to the back!

                    ICEY
               (o.s., screaming)
          People of Marshall County!

                                        DISSOLVE TO

FULL SHOT -- NIGHT LANDSCAPE -- PINE TREES AND SOFTLY FALLING SNOW

                                        DISSOLVE TO

EXT. RACHEL'S HOUSE -- EVENING; SNOWING -- CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL AT MAILBOX
She peers into empty mailbox.

                    RACHEL
          Nothing!

She slams the box shut and, as we TILT and PAN, walks away from us through
snow towards her lighted house.

                    RACHEL
          I'm glad they didn't send me nothing!  Whenever
          they do it's never nothing I want but something
          to show me how fancy and smart they've come up
          in the world.

She goes into the house.

INT. RACHEL'S KITCHEN
It is decorated for Christmas.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
Rachel enters; the four girls stand in line, packages ready; JOHN stands in
b.g., in doorway to next room.

                    MARY
          Can we give you your presents now?

CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL

                    RACHEL
          Shoot!  You don't mean to say you got me a
          present?

Their hands hold packages up to her.

                    RACHEL
          Shoot now!

She takes a package.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

                    RACHEL (o.s.)
          Why, Ruby!

Embarrassed, JOHN leaves the SHOT.

                    RACHEL (o.s.)
          A POT-HOLDER!

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN -- NEW ANGLE
From a fruit bowl, he selects the biggest apple, shines it on his shirt,
wraps it in the doily under his bowl, opens a drawer and gets out a clip
clothes-pin, clips his package, and leaves SHOT.

                    RACHEL
               (o.s., continuing)
          And much neater than last year's, Ruby!

Sound of tearing gift paper o.s.

                    RACHEL (o.s.)
          And Clary!  ANOTHER POT-HOLDER!  Ain't that
          thoughtful.  I'm always burnin' my hands.

FULL SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN, OVER JOHN
... as he enters with present.  RUBY and CLARY are standing aside; MARY and
PEARL hold up a third pot-holder.

                    RACHEL
          And did you two make this together?

                    MARY
          You hop us, some.

CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL, ACCEPTING JOHN'S GIFT
She opens it.

                    RACHEL
               (quietly)
          John, that's the richest gift a body could have.
               (continued, briskly)
          You'll find your presents in the cupboard under
          the china-closet.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN

                    RACHEL
          You know where, Ruby.

All turn and run through door except RUBY, whom RACHEL detains.

                    RACHEL
          Ruby:
               (she takes a box from
                her apron pocket)
          This is yours.

RUBY opens it quickly; it is a cheap costume jewelry flower-spray.  RUBY and
RACHEL kiss like grown women and RUBY goes to join the others.

FULL SHOT -- RACHEL
She turns to her stove and is framed by Christmas garland in b.g.; banging
pots about and stirring; praying as she works, which is the best way to pray.
Appropriate noise, o.s., of opening presents.

                    RACHEL
          Lord save little children! (bang) You'd think
          the world would be ashamed to name such a day
          as Christmas for one of them... (bang) ... and
          then go on the same old way.
               (she starts stirring)
          My soul is humble when I see the way little
          ones accept their lot.
               (she pauses in stirring)
          Lord save little children!  The wind blows and
          the rain is cold.  Yet, they abide...

In BACKGROUND, the GIRLS run upstairs, their new dresses over their arms. 
RACHEL glances over her shoulder.

MEDIUM SHOT -- JOHN -- RACHEL'S VIEWPOINT
JOHN stands in next room, looking at something in his hand.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN -- IN OTHER ROOM
We see he holds a watch.  He looks like any boy, rich or poor, with his first
watch.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- RACHEL

                    RACHEL
               (whispering, so that
                he does not hear)
          For every child, rich or poor, there's a time
          of running through a dark place; and there's no
          word for a child's fear.  A child sees a shadow
          on the wall, and sees a Tiger.  And the old
          ones say, "There's no Tiger; go to sleep."  And
          when that child sleeps, it's a Tiger's sleep,
          and a Tiger's night, and a Tiger's breathing
          on the windowpane.  Lord save little children!

JOHN enters boldly behind her and, with a scrape, masterfully swings a chair
around close to her and straddles it.  RACHEL turns her back to us.  She
expects him to speak, he doesn't, so she fills in:

                    RACHEL
          That watch sure is a fine, loud ticker!

JOHN gives her a burning, proud smile.

                    RACHEL
          It'll be nice to have someone around the house
          who can give me the right time of day.

JOHN finds his tongue.

                    JOHN
          This watch is the nicest watch I ever had.