The Night of the Hunter

                    PREACHER
          How about that!  This is what I use on
          meddlers.

He lays the open knife on the table.

                    PREACHER
          John might be a meddler.

THREE SHOT -- THE CHILDREN, OVER PREACHER
PEARL thinks the knife is a toy and crosses behind JOHN to pick it up.

                    PREACHER
          NO -- no, my lamb.  Don't touch it!  Now, don't
          touch my knife!  That makes me mad.  Very, very
          mad.

She hugs the DOLL and he puts the hand named LOVE on her curls.

                    PREACHER
          Just tell me now; where's the money hid?

                    PEARL
               (affectionately)
          But I swore.  I promised John I wouldn't tell.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER

                    PREACHER
          JOHN--DOESN'T--MATTER!  Can't I get that
          through your head, you poor silly, disgusting
          little wretch!

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- PEARL
Her mouth quivers; a large tear brims in her eyes.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER

                    PREACHER
          There now!  You made me lose my temper!

THREE SHOT -- CHILDREN, OVER PREACHER

                    PREACHER
          I'm sorry!  I'm real sorry!

PEARL sniffles and wipes here eyes with her free fist.

                    PREACHER
          Now!  Where's it hid, honey?

                    JOHN
               (suddenly and lightly)
          I'll tell.

THREE SHOT -- PREACHER, OVER NAPES OF CHILDREN

                    PREACHER
               (lightly)
          I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut--

                    JOHN
               (light and quick)
          NO -- it ain't fair to make Pearl tell when she
          swore she wouldn't.  I'll tell.

PREACHER's eyes crinkle and he turns to PEARL, smiling brightly.

                    PREACHER
               (chuckling)
          Well, I declare!  Sometimes I think poor John
          will make it to Heaven yet!

His eyes snap back to JOHN and his voice is like a whip.

                    PREACHER
          All right, boy: where's the money?

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- JOHN

                    JOHN
          In the cellar; buried under a stone in the
          floor.

THREE SHOT -- PREACHER, OVER CHILDREN
He closes and pockets the knife.  His eyes never leave JOHN's.

                    PREACHER
          It'll go hard, boy, if I find you're lyin'.

THREE SHOT -- CHILDREN, OVER PREACHER
PEARL gapes up at JOHN as he speaks.

                    JOHN
          I ain't lyin'.  Go look for yourself.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER
... as he gets up, cellar door in BACKGROUND.

                    PREACHER
          All right...

He turns towards the door; then glances around.

                    PREACHER
          Come along.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- JOHN

                    JOHN
          What?

THREE SHOT -- PREACHER, OVER CHILDREN

                    PREACHER
          Go ahead of me -- the both of you.

They cross him towards the door.

FULL SHOT -- THE CELLAR STEPS -- FROM THE BOTTOM
The CHILDREN precede PREACHER, who carries a candle in holder.  PEARL is
gaping at JOHN's lie.  JOHN is looking left and right, casing the joint.

                    PREACHER
               (continuing)
          You don't reckon I'd leave you?

                    JOHN
               (with forced lightness)
          Don't you believe me?

                    PREACHER
               (sardonically)
          Why sure, boy, sure.

Now they are at the bottom of the stairs.  JOHN sees PEARL's expression and
takes her hand.

                    PREACHER
          Now, where, boy?  Mind; no tricks.  I can't
          abide liars.

                    JOHN
          Yonder.

He squeezes PEARL's hand harder, and points.

FULL SHOT -- NEW ANGLE -- OVER THE THREE
JOHN points out a place beneath a shelf laden with Mason jars; it is at the
most distant part of the cellar from the stairs.  PREACHER starts toward it,
leaving them at foot of stairs, then turns, catching JOHN's ruse.

                    PREACHER
               (sardonic)
          O no you don't!

He shepherds them ahead of him.

THREE SHOT -- NEW ANGLE
They arrive beneath the shelf.

                    PREACHER
          Now: where?

                    JOHN
               (lying magnificently; meeting
                Preacher's eyes)
          Under the stone in the floor.

PREACHER sets the candle on a barrel near the shelf-prop and sinks to his
knees below shot as PEARL gapes up at JOHN and JOHN looks stony.  She seems
about to speak.

FLASH INSERT -- JOHN SQUEEZES PEARL'S HAND HARD

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER, FEATURING FLOOR
His hands sweep dust and expose concrete.  He straightens on his knees and
turns to the CHILDREN in close BACKGROUND.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- PREACHER
... as he turns.

                    PREACHER
          This is concrete.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- THE CHILDREN
A moment's silence.

                    PEARL
          John made a Sin.  John told a lie.

THREE-SHOT -- FAVORING PREACHER
PREACHER gets slowly to his feet and puts on his "listening" look.  His
sincerity is beyond doubt.

                    PREACHER
          The Lord's a-talkin' to me now.  He's a-sayin',
          "a liar is an abomination before mine eyes."

He takes his knife out, and springs it open.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- FAVORING JOHN

                    PREACHER
          Speak, boy: where's it hid?

The knife pricks the flesh under JOHN's ear.

                    PREACHER
          Speak, before I cut your throat and leave you
          to drip like a hog hung up in butcherin' time.

CLOSE SHOT -- PEARL
She starts to sob.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PREACHER

                    JOHN
          Pearl, shut up!  Pearl, you swore!

                    PREACHER
          You could save him, little bird.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- PEARL

                    PEARL
               (crying)
              Inside my doll!  Inside my doll!

TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PREACHER, FAVORING PREACHER
PREACHER is astounded.  His hands fall away from JOHN.  He leans back against
the wall and talks through laughter.

                    PREACHER
          In the doll!  Why, sure! Sure!

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- JOHN
His eyes are all over the place.

                    PREACHER'S VOICE (o.s.)
          The last place anyone would look!

THREE-SHOT -- PREACHER, JOHN, PEARL
PREACHER makes a lunge across JOHN for the doll; JOHN, ducking under his arm,
pulls PEARL forward with his left hand; he turns backwards and with his free
hand, in one movement, knocks over the candle and pulls out the support on
the shelf.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER
Jars shower over him; one crowns him and breaks, shedding guck, which he
wipes from his eyes.

TWO SHOT -- THE CHILDREN
They start up the stairs.

FULL SHOT -- PREACHER
He makes one step forward, steps on a rolling jar and falls.

TWO SHOT -- THE CHILDREN
They are near the top of the stairs.  We hear PREACHER below them.  JOHN
slips and they nearly fall backward.  As JOHN recovers, PREACHER enters the
shot, his back to us.  The children get through the open door as PREACHER
reaches the top.  JOHN slams the door, catching PREACHER's hand.  PREACHER
screams. JOHN's astonished eyes peer through the crack in the door; the door
loosens; PREACHER yanks his hand loose and sucks it, groaning;  the door
slams to; the bolt is shot home.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- PREACHER
... over sound of slamming bolt.  He snarls like the Big Bad Wolf.

All the above happens at once.

INT. KITCHEN -- CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND PEARL, BY DOOR
PEARL, dangling her doll, cries.  JOHN, panting, leans against wall by door.
JOHN is wondering what to do now.  Pause.

                    PREACHER'S VOICE
               (o.s., sweetly)
          Chill-dren?  The only reason I wanted that
          money is so's you could have it.

                    JOHN
               (to himself, panting)
          The river.  That's the only where!  Uncle Birdie
          Steptoe!

                    PREACHER'S VOICE
               (cooing)
          Puhr-urrl?  Want your Mommy back?

Pearl hugs her doll.

                    PREACHER'S VOICE
          Want me to get her right now?

                    PEARL
               (sharply)
          John?

                    JOHN
          Hush, Pearl.  Come on.

They fly out of the house.

                    PREACHER'S VOICE
               (bellowing, as they go)
          OPEN THAT DOOR, YOU SPAWN OF THE DEVIL'S OWN
          STRUMPET!

FRAMING SHOT -- EXT. HARPER HOUSE
A pretty, pastoral shot of the house in light mist, as they run across and
leave the shot.  Before they disappear, we hear PREACHER's fists hammering
against the door.  We stay on the house at leisure; we hear him lunging,
shoulder to door; we begin to hear squeaking of hinges and splintering of
wood.

FULL CIRCLE SHOT -- FRAMING BIRDIE'S WHARF-BOAT
An ultra-romantic image of shelter and peace.  Frogs or river noises o.s.,
then the rattle of running footsteps.  The CHILDREN enter, their backs to us,
sprinting towards the boat.  Light mist as in previous shot.

                    JOHN
               (calling)
          Uncle Birdie!  Uncle Birdie!

INT. BIRDIE'S BOAT -- GROUP SHOT -- BIRDIE AND CHILDREN
We shoot over BESS's turned photograph and over BIRDIE close, passed out in
his rocker.The CHILDREN run through open door in BACKGROUND and JOHN runs up
to BIRDIE.

                    JOHN
          Uncle Birdie!

CLOSE SHOT -- BIRDIE

                    BIRDIE
               (gesturing feebly)
          Don't!

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- NEW ANGLE -- BIRDIE, OVER JOHN

                    JOHN
          Hide us, Uncle Birdie!  He's a-comin' with his
          knife!

He grabs BIRDIE's shoulder; BIRDIE half-rises, and falls face down on floor.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- BIRDIE ON FLOOR, OVER JOHN

                    JOHN
          It's me!  John Harper and Pearl!  You said to
          come a-runnin' if we needed you!

BIRDIE rears on one elbow and looks up at him.

                    BIRDIE
               (in friendly recognition)
          Johnny!

He falls face down again.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- NEW ANGLE -- FAVORING JOHN
JOHN grabs BIRDIE by one ear, turning his face up.

                    JOHN
          Uncle -- Birdie!  Oh -- please!  Please, wake
          up!
         
CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- FAVORING BIRDIE
He looks up earnestly at JOHN.

                    BIRDIE
          I never done it, boy.  Sweet Heaven, I never
          done such a terrible thing!  I'll swear on the
          Book to it, boy!  I never done it!  I never!

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN
He is lost; and he becomes a man.

                    BIRDIE'S VOICE (o.s.)
          Lord save poor old Uncle Birdie Steptoe that
          never hurt a fly!

He snores softly.

                    JOHN
               (quiet)
          There's still the river.  The skiff is down by
          the willows.

He masterfully takes PEARL by the hand and leads her into the night.

LONG SHOT -- THE CHILDREN
We shoot from the river.  They struggle through the sumac and pokeberry weeds
at edge of river, towards skiff, whose prow, tethered to willow, we see
throughout this unmoving shot, at our extreme right.  When they come opposite
skiff -- which is a few yards out from shore --

                                        WE CUT TO

TWO-SHOT -- THE CHILDREN
PEARL, frankly bored, dangling her doll, is yawning.  JOHN, as he finishes
undoing the rope from a willow root, looks up and around, checking on
pursuit.  His eyes fix.

FULL SHOT -- PREACHER'S SHADOW
On the bank above, it is huge in the mist.  Same camera position as foregoing; new angle.

TWO-SHOT -- THE CHILDREN
BACK view: skiff in BACKGROUND.  Same camera position; new angle.

                    JOHN
               (whispering)
          Please be quiet-- Oh, please, Pearl!

                    PEARL
               (natural voice)
          John, where are we g--

                    JOHN
          Hush.