The Night of the Hunter

                    JOHN
          Just fine.

He gets up.

                    BIRDIE
          Leavin', boy?

                    JOHN
          Yep; gotta watch out for Pearl, Uncle Birdie.

                    BIRDIE
          Well, goodnight, boy.  Come again -- any time.

JOHN leaves the SHOT.

                    BIRDIE
          And mind now -- I'll have your Paw's skiff in
          ship-shape, 'side of a week.

MOVING SHOT -- JOHN
As he runs past SPOON's, looking in, he is curious.

MOVING SHOT -- SPOON'S, HIS VIEWPOINT
ICEY embraces WILLA or waltzes her around; WALT looks on, pleased.

FULL SHOT -- JOHN
He hurries away from us towards home.

FRAMING SHOT -- THE HARPER HOUSE
In the otherwise dark house, one window is lighted.  JOHN enters the SHOT,
his back to us.  Seeing the lighted window, he hesitates.

                    JOHN
               (softly)
          Is somebody there?

Silent pause, listening; then he walks cautiously towards us.

FULL SHOT -- JOHN
A tall, narrow shooting-frame; right and left thirds of screen are black.  We
SHOOT from inside the screen door.  JOHN crosses the porch and softly opens
the door and enters on tiptoe and pauses, close to us, in the dark hallway,
listening sharp.

                    JOHN
               (softly)
          Is somebody here?

Silence.  Relieved, but puzzled, he tiptoes along towards the rear of the
hallway in CLOSE-UP as we PULL AWAY.  We bring in the bottom of the stairs.

                    PREACHER'S VOICE (o.s.)
          Good evening, John.

JOHN gasps, peering, and looks up.

TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND THE PREACHER -- NARROW SCREEN
PREACHER looks at JOHN; JOHN sinks onto the edge of a chair. PREACHER sits
opposite.  A bar of light from door falls on PREACHER's face.

                    PREACHER
          I had a little talk with your mother tonight,
          John; and your mother decided it might be best
          for me to -- let you know the news.

From JOHN, just a questioning helpless reaction.

                    PREACHER
          Your mother told me tonight she wanted me to be
          a daddy to you and your sister.  We're going to
          get married, son.

JOHN is still.

                    PREACHER
          Did you hear what I said, son?

                    JOHN
          Huh?

                    PREACHER
          Married!  We have decided to go to Sistersville
          tomorrow, and when we come back --

                    JOHN
               (breathing it)
          You ain't my Dad!  You won't never be my dad!
 
                    PREACHER
               (obsessed, disregarding him)
          -- and when we come back, we'll all be friends --
          and share our fortunes together, John!

                    JOHN
               (screaming)
          You think you can make me tell!  But I won't!  I
          won't!  I won't!

He gawks at his own folly, covers his moth with his hand and looks up at
PREACHER.

                    PREACHER
               (softly)
          Tell me what, boy?

                    JOHN
          Nothin'!

                    PREACHER
          Are we keeping secrets from each other, little
          lad?

                    JOHN
          No.  No.

PREACHER stiffens, relaxes, and chuckles softly.

                    PREACHER
          No matter, boy, we've got a long time together.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PREACHER
JOHN starts for the stairs.

                                        DISSOLVE TO

EXT. HARPER YARD -- MORNING -- CLOSE SHOT -- BEN'S FORD
It stands vibrating, then moves out of shot with receding engine sound o.s.,
disclosing:

TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PEARL
ICEY's skirts in BACKGROUND.  They are awfully spic-and-span; they even wear
shoes.

                    ICEY (o.s.)
          Wave yer hands!  Great sakes!

They wave after the car, bewilderedly.

                    ICEY (o.s.)
          You wait here while I get your night things.

She hustles out of shot.

                    PEARL
          Now can I tell?

                    JOHN
          Hm?

                    PEARL
          When Mr. Powell's our Daddy, then can I tell
          him about--

His hand clamps over her mouth.  She struggles and whimpers.

                    JOHN
          You swore, Pearl!

                    PEARL
               (across him)
          John!  Don't!

                    JOHN
          You promised Dad you wouldn't never tell!

He takes his hand away but holds it ready.

                    PEARL
          I love Mr. Powell lots and lots, John.

JOHN grabs her by the shoulders and glares.

                    JOHN
          Don't you tell!  Don't you NEVER DARE tell!

Over them we

                                        LAP DISSOLVE TO

SHOULDER CLOSE-UP -- WILLA
She is caressing her shoulders.

FULL SHOT -- WILLA
Her back is to us.  She is in a pathetic night dress; she stands before a
mirror in a hotel bedroom in Sistersville.  She walks to the door.

INSERT -- WILLA'S HAND
It hesitates on the doorknob.

CLOSE SHOT -- WILLA
Shooting OVER her as she opens the door, we see PREACHER in bed, his back to
us.  Beyond him, a window.  The drawn shade rustles quietly.

CLOSE SHOT -- THE DOOR
... from within the room. WILLA closes the door on which PREACHER's coat
hangs.  The closing brings a knocking sound.  WILLA feels the outside of the
coat; feels something hard; takes out the knife and looks at it.

INSERT -- THE KNIFE IN HER HAND

CLOSE SHOT -- WILLA
A moment of perplexity; then a little smile.

                    WILLA
               (whispering)
          Oh!  It's... uh...

She puts it back in the pocket and gives the pocket a pat.  She starts
towards the bed.

TWO-SHOT -- WILLA AND PREACHER
We SHOOT OVER PREACHER as she approaches modestly and stands by the bed.

                    WILLA
               (softly)
          Harry...

His hand comes up; she puts out her own, expecting a loving hand-clasp; but
PREACHER points to the window.

                    PREACHER
          Fix that window shade.

Startled, then again tender, she moves to:

CLOSE SHOT -- WILLA AT WINDOW
She adjusts the shade, looking always towards the bed.  She smiles
maternally.  As we PULL BACK and PAN into FULL SHOT OF BED, she comes to the
bed and sits on the edge and slips off her mules.  PREACHER's back is to her.

                    WILLA
               (softly)
          Harry!
                   
                    PREACHER
               (cool and clear)
          I was praying.

                    WILLA
          Oh, I'm sorry, Harry!  I didn't know!  I
          thought maybe--

With a sounding of bedsprings, PREACHER turns.  His voice is quiet and cold.

                    PREACHER
          You thought, Willa, that the moment you walked
          in that door, I'd start in to pawing you in the
          abominable way men are supposed to do on their
          wedding night.  Ain't that right now?

                    WILLA
          No, Harry!  I thought--

                    PREACHER
          I think it's time we got one thing perfectly
          clear, Willa.  Marriage to me represents a
          blending of two spirits in the sight of Heaven.

He gets out of bed.  WILLA puts her face down to the pillow and moans. 
PREACHER snaps on a harsh bare bulb at center of room.

                    PREACHER
               (quietly)
          Get up Willa.

                    WILLA
          Harry, what--

                    PREACHER
          Get up.

She obeys.

                    PREACHER
          Now go and look at yourself yonder in that mirror.

WILLA hesitates.

FULL SHOT -- OVER PREACHER -- CENTERING A STAINED BUREAU MIRROR

                    PREACHER
          Do as I say.

WILLA walks to meet her image in the mirror; her eyes on PREACHER.

                    PREACHER
          Look at yourself.

Her head drops, facing the mirror.

CLOSE SHOT -- WILLA, PREACHER, BULB
WILLA is in HEAD CLOSE-UP; bulb hangs at center; PREACHER, in his nightshirt,
is beyond it.

                    PREACHER
          What do you see girl?

Her mouth trembles; she can't talk.

                    PREACHER
          You see the body of a woman!  The temple of
          creation and motherhood.  You see the flesh of
          Eve that man since Adam has profaned.  That body
          was meant for begetting children.  It was not
          meant for the lust of men.

WILLA just opens her mouth.

                    PREACHER
          Do you want more children, Willa?

                    WILLA
          I-- no, I--

                    PREACHER
          It's the business of our marriage to mind those
          two you have now -- not to beget more.

                    WILLA
          Yes.

He stands watching her for a moment; then he snaps off the light and gets
into bed.

                    PREACHER
          You can get back into bed now and stop
          shivering.

                    WILLA
               (whispering)
          Help me to get clean so I can be what Harry
          wants me to be.

                                        LAP DISSOLVE TO

INSERT -- A TORCH OR RAILROAD FLARE

                    VOICES (o.s.)
          AAA-MEN!

GROUP SHOT -- CONGREGATION
A dozen country men and women in religious ecstasy.

(NOTE: No set necessary for this scene.  Flare, or flares, in every SHOT. 
Faces lighted by flares.)

                    CONGREGATION
          AAA-MEN!

                    WILLA
               (o.s., very loud)
          You have all sinned!

                    CONGREGATION
          Yes!  Yes!

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- WILLA

                    WILLA
          But which one of you can say, as I can say: I
          drove a good man to murder because I kept
          a-houndin' him, for clothes and per-fumes and
          face paint!

GROUP SHOT -- CONGREGATION

                    WILLA (o.s.)
          And he slew two human beings and he come to me
          and he said: Take this money and buy your
          per-fumes and paint!

FULL FIGURE SHOT -- WILLA, STANDING; PREACHER STANDING IN B.G.

                    WILLA
          But Brethren, that's where the Lord stepped in!
          That's where the LORD stepped in!

                    PREACHER
          Yes!

                    CONGREGATION (o.s.)
          Yes!  Yes!

GROUP SHOT -- CONGREGATION

                    WILLA
               (o.s., screaming)
          And the Lord told that man--

                    CONGREGATION
          Yes!  Yes!

CLOSE SHOT -- WILLA

                    WILLA
          The Lord said, take that money and throw it in
          the River!

                    CONGREGATION (o.s.)
          Yes!  Yes!  Hallelujah!

                    WILLA
          Throw that money in the River!  In THE RIVER!

                    CONGREGATION (o.s.)
          IN THE RIIV-ER!

                                        CUT TO

EXTREME CLOSE DOWN-SHOT -- PEARL'S DOLL
It lies face down on arbor bricks, its back wide open; money spilling out.  A
little breeze toys with the money.  HOLD, a moment in silence.  Then we hear
a snipping sound o.s.  TILT UPWARD into --

CLOSE SHOT -- PEARL
She sits at the end of the grape-arbor.  She finishes cutting a skirted
paper-doll out of a hundred dollar bill and lays it down beside a male
hundred dollar paper-doll.  She pats the dolls.

                    PEARL
          Now!  You're John -- and you're Pearl.

                    JOHN'S VOICE
               (o.s., calling)
          Pearl?  ...  Pearl?

PEARL starts guiltily and looks towards him, scrambling money together.
JOHN's footsteps o.s.

                    PEARL
          You'll get awful mad, John.  I done a Sin!

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN -- PEARL'S ANGLE

                    JOHN
          You what?

He hears the frantic rustling of paper --

                    JOHN
               (aghast)
          Pearl!  You ain't--

CLOSE SHOT -- PEARL, OVER JOHN