Scripts: Strangers on a Train (18/Oct/1950) - part 6
LONG SHOT EXT. STREET FROM ANNE'S VIEWPOINT
There are cars lined up outside on the street. One limousine
is pulling up in the center, two figures at the passenger
door. One is climbing in. The other is Guy.
CLOSEUP ANNE
She calls out urgently:
ANNE
Guy!
CLOSE SHOT
Guy turns and closes the door.
MEDIUM SHOT FROM ANNE'S VIEWPOINT
The limousine moves off and Guy comes toward her.
MEDIUM SHOT
Anne comes down the steps and intercepts Guy on the sidewalk.
She leads him along a few paces and then stops and faces
him.
CLOSE TWO SHOT
Anne nods off in the direction of the departed Bruno and
speaks in a desperate, low voice.
ANNE
You didn't meet him for the first
time the other day, did you, Guy?
Guy stares at her for a moment.
GUY
You mean when you introduced us at
the club?
ANNE
Yes. Did you notice how he stared
at Barbara that day?
GUY
(awkwardly)
Well, I didn't -- particularly --
ANNE
(breaks in)
He stared at her again tonight --
while his hands were around Mrs.
Cunningham's throat.
Guy looks at Anne with an expression of growing fear and
alarm. She goes on inexorably:
ANNE
What did Miriam look like, Guy.
GUY
(awkwardly)
Well, why do you ask me? You've
seen her pictures in the paper.
ANNE
Go on, I want you to tell me.
GUY
(haltingly)
Well, she was dark, not too tall,
rather pretty --
ANNE
What else?
GUY
What else is there?
ANNE
She wore glasses, didn't she?
GUY
Yes.
ANNE
She looked a lot like Barbara, didn't
she?
Guy suddenly begins to realize what Anne is getting at.
Anne lowers her head, deliberately avoids looking at Guy, as
she asks:
ANNE
How did you get him to do it, Guy.
GUY
I get him to do it?
ANNE
He killed Miriam, didn't he? Tell
me, Guy!
GUY
Yes.
(suddenly bursting
out)
He's a maniac. I met him on the
train going to Metcalf. He had a
crazy scheme about exchanging murders.
I do his murder and he do mine.
ANNE
(quietly)
What do you mean -- your murder,
Guy?
GUY
Well, he'd read about me in the paper.
He knew about Miriam -- and about
you. He suggested that if he got
rid of Miriam for me, I should kill
his father.
ANNE
You must have realized he was talking
a lot of nonsense!
GUY
Of course! I didn't give it another
thought. And now a lunatic wants me
to kill his father.
ANNE
(beginning to believe)
It's too fantastic!
GUY
(grimly)
Yes, isn't it?
ANNE
You mean you've known about Miriam
all this time?
GUY
Since the first night. He gave me
her glasses.
ANNE
Why didn't you call the police?
GUY
(bitterly)
And have them say what you did --
"Mr. Haines, how did you get him to
do it?" And Bruno would say we'd
planed it together.
ANNE
Oh, Guy -- what can we do?
GUY
I don't know, Anne...I don't know.
ANNE
(With an anxious look
across the street)
Guy, hadn't we better go inside?
Your friend Hennessy's watching us.
(she Shudders)
GUY
(sadly)
You see, Anne, that's why I didn't
want you to know anything about this.
I wanted to protect all of you --
your father, Barbara. And now that
you know, you're acting guilty, too.
ANNE
(desperately)
Oh, if we could only talk to father
or someone about it.
GUY
No, that's no good, Anne. I mustn't
drag anyone else into this mess.
Come on. Let's go in.
They go toward the house.
CUT TO:
TWO SHOT ACROSS THE STREET
As Hennessy watches Anne and Guy go toward the house, his
relief, HAMMOND, comes up. Hammond's a zealous, hard-eyed
sleuth.
HENNESSY
(a little glum)
Hello, Hammond.
HAMMOND
You look worried. What's the matter?
HENNESSY
You'd better keep on your toes.
Something funny's going on.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GUY'S APARTMENT LATER THAT NIGHT
Still in his dinner clothes, Guy is seated in deep thought
near the telephone, wrestling with his problem. There is an
open telephone directory in front of him. He comes to a
decision, picks up the telephone and dials a number. He
waits for the answer, then:
GUY
Bruno? Yes, yes, it's Guy...I've
decided to do what you want. I'll
make that little visit to father....
(listens a moment)
Tonight.
(listens another moment)
Yes, I want to get this thing over
with, can you leave the house again,
Bruno?
(pause)
You'd better stay out till daylight.
Guy hangs up, rises and starts to move with purpose for his
night's activities.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GUY'S APARTMENT NIGHT
Guy is sitting at the table. He is dressed differently,
having changed from his dinner clothes to a sack suit. There
is only one lamp lighted in the room. Guy presents a grim
picture.
He is studying the plan of Bruno's house, and he picks up
the key Bruno sent along with it. Finally he looks at his
watch, then folds the plan and puts it in his pocket with
the key. He rises, crosses to the chest of drawers, opens
the top drawer.
INSERT: THE OPEN DRAWER
Guy's hands take out the Luger. His hand then picks up
Miriam's glasses from the drawer, holds them a moment. He
is about to put them back, then decides to take them along,
puts them into his pocket.
MED. SHOT
CAMERA PANS GUY across to the window. He parts the curtains
slightly and looks out.
MED. SHOT ON STREET (FROM GUY'S VIEWPOINT)
Hammond is lighting a cigarette as he strolls in front of
the house.
INT. GUY'S APARTMENT
Guy crosses to his door, which he opens surreptitiously.
MED. SHOT CORRIDOR
Guy glances down the stairs, then closes the door behind him
quietly and moves away to a window at the turn of the stairs.
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE
Guy comes out of the window onto the second floor fire escape.
He creeps stealthily down and emerges into a narrow alleyway.
He steps back into the shadows for a moment when he sees:
LONG SHOT FROM GUY'S VIEWPOINT (PROCESS)
The strolling figure of Hammond on the far side of the street.
MED. SHOT
Guy turns away and is soon lost in the darkness of the street.
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A TALL PAIR OF ELABORATE IRON GATES NIGHT
We are on the inside of the gates. We see them swing open
slightly and the figure of Guy edges through them.
CLOSE SHOT
Guy leaves the gates ajar and then, taking the plan of Bruno's
house from his pocket, and the key, he looks toward the house.
EXT. STEPS LONG SHOT NIGHT
This is a long flight of steps. Moonlit. They are lined
with tall black cypress trees which throw their shadows across
the steps. Guy moves out of one shadow, into another and
carefully starts up the stairs.
AT THE DOOR
He pauses, looks about for a moment and listens. Then he
puts the key into the lock, finding it with his flashlight.
The door opens a few inches. He turns off the flash, and
enters.
INT. ANTONY HOME ENTRANCE HALL
As Guy moves in soundlessly and closes the door. He looks
toward the stairs which are in shadow.
MED. SHOT
Guy starts up the stairs slowly. He carries his flashlight
and the plan.
AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS THE DOG
A huge shadow lies it the head of the stairs. As Guy comes
slowly up the stairs, the Great Dane looks down at him.
GUY ON THE STAIRS
He reacts to the sight of the dog, stops an instant, and
turn on his flashlight. The heavy massive face of the dog
looks straight down at him. Guy turns off the flashlight
and after a moment of indecision starts slowly up the stairs
once more, the dog watching every step he takes.
UPPER HALLWAY
Guy comes up the last few stairs and still the dog hasn't
moved. Guy slowly edges past him and the Great Dane's head
turns to watch him.
GUY
moving quietly along the hallway, approaches two doors. He
takes out his flash and identifies the door with his plan.
INSERT:
The plan shows two doors in relation to the stairway. The
first one is clearly marked: "MY room." The adjoining door
is marked: "My FATHER'S room."
CLOSE SHOT GUY
He pauses at the first door, then passes it quietly, walking
on to the next one. He turns the knob soundlessly and passes
through into the room.
INT. ANTONY BEDROOM LONG SHOT
The room is in darkness except for the dim outline of the
recumbent figure in the bed. We hear Guy's voice, in a loud
whisper:
GUY
Mr. Antony!
The figure stirs.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Guy takes a stop closer to the bed.
GUY
(urgently)
Mr. Antony! Don't be alarmed -- but
I must talk to you about your son.
About Bruno. Mr. Antony!
The figure on the bed turns and a hand stretches out toward
a bedside light. The light goes on with a sudden glare.
CLOSEUP FACE OF BRUNO IN THE LIGHT (LOW CAMERA)
The low CAMERA throws a vast shadow up on the wall behind
him, creating a grimace of his smile.
BRUNO
Yes, Mr. Haines?
CLOSEUP GUY
His face is dead.
MED. SHOT
Bruno rises from the bed and sits on the and of it. He is
fully dressed, just as he was at the party, in white tie and
tails.
BRUNO
(politely)
My father isn't home tonight, Mr.
Haines.
(smiles grimly at
Guy's surprise)
I was about to tell you that over
the phone. But you came to such a
sudden decision. I wondered why.
GUY
(recovering quickly)
Since you sent me a key to your house,
I decided to use it -- to make a
little social call on your father.
I thought he'd be Interested to know
he his a lunatic son.
The faintest flicker of Bruno's eyes indicates the intensity
of his reaction. He stares hard at Guy.
BRUNO
Then a I correct, Mr. Haines, in
assuming that you have no intention
of going ahead with our arrangement?
GUY
No intention whatsoever. I never
had.
BRUNO
I see. You won't have any further
use for the key, then, Mr. Haines.
(he holds out his
hand and Guy gives
him the key)
Thank you very such.
As Bruno continues to stare at him, Guy takes out the Luger.
For a moment a look of fear comes into Bruno's face as he
thinks Guy will probably shoot him. After a pause, Guy tosses
the gun on the bed.
GUY
Or this.
Bruno's relief turns again to menace. He picks up the gun
and fingers it nervously.
GUY
(kindly)
Look, Bruno. You're terribly sick.
(haltingly)
I don't know whether it's possible
for you to realize it or not. I
don't know much about these things,
Bruno. But why don't you go someplace
where you can get some treatment?
Not only for your own sake, Bruno,
but you can't go on causing more and
more destruction to anyone you happen
to meet.
Bruno pays no attention. He rises.
TWO SHOT
Guy's arguments have made no impression on Bruno whatsoever.
He fingers the gun.
BRUNO
I don't like to be doublecrossed.
(MORE)
BRUNO (CONT'D)
I have a murder on my conscience,
but it's not my murder, Mr. Haines --
it's yours. And as you're the one
to profit, I think you should be the
one to pay for it.
For an instant his nervous hands seem to be struggling with
the urge to kill Guy.
GUY
(gives up)
Well, I guess it's no use, Bruno.
We sees to have nothing further to
discuss.
Bruno goes to the door in silent acquiescence and opens it
for Guy to pass through.
INT. HALLWAY MED. SHOT
Guy walks toward the stairs, tense and apprehensive. Bruno
is following him, still holding the gun. When the Great
Dane sees Bruno it gets to its feet, as if waiting for a
command.
Guy starts down the stairs but Bruno stays where he is, the
dog beside him. Gay turns and looks back it this tableaux
of menace.
BRUNO
Don't worry. I'm not going to shoot
you, Mr. Haines. It might disturb
mother.
(with a feeling of
power)
I'm a very clever follow. I'll think
of something better than that. Much
better.
LONG SHOT
Bruno remains in the foreground of the scene as Guy proceeds
on down the stairs. We see him open the front door and pass
through.
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. STREET ACROSS GUY'S APARTMENT EARLY
CLOSE SHOT HENNESSY AND HAMMOND MORNING
Hennessy is relieving Hammond who has kept watch on Guy's
apartment night.
HAMMOND
(in the middle of his
story)
He came back at three twenty-five.
I didn't even know he'd given me the
slip until his 'phone kept ringing
for about half an hour. Nobody sleeps
that sound. So I got the janitor to
let me in. No Haines.
HENNESSY
(to himself)
Wonder where he went?
HAMMOND
We'll probably hear of another dame
murdered.
HENNESSY
(puzzled)
Shut up. I'd better contact Metcalf.
I should think this calls for more
questioning of Mr. Haines.
HAMMOND
Questioning? Nuts! Let's take him
in.
HENNESSY
My dear Mr. Hamond, how many times
do I have to tell you that we have
nothing conclusive on Haines? There's
no evidence that he was ever at the
scene of the crime. Can't you get
that into your thick head?
(quietly)
Now stay put till I get back.
As he starts away --
FADE OUT.
FADE IN
INT. ANTONY LIVING ROOM LATE MORNING
Anne and Mrs. Antony are in the middle of a conversation.
Anne's manner is tense and purposeful, Mrs. Antony's much
less serious.
MRS. ANTONY
Oh, now, Miss Burton, really! I
know Bruno's been in some very awkward
scrapes, but nothing so ridiculous
as a murder.
(she gives a short
little laugh)
ANNE
(desperately)
But, Mrs. Antony, you've got to make
him do something about this. Don't
you see that just one word from him
would extricate Guy from this dreadful
situation?
MRS. ANTONY
(lightly)
Oh, but Miss Burton, I'm sure this
thing must be some practical joke.
You know, Bruno sometimes goes too
far.
(girl to girl)
Of course I shouldn't be saying this
to an outsider, but sometimes he's
terribly irresponsible and gets into
all kinds of escapades.
ANNE
But don't you understand, Mrs. Antony --
your son is responsible for a woman's
death.
MRS. ANTONY
(drawing herself up
with some hauteur)
Did Bruno tell you this?
ANNE
Of course not, Mrs. Antony.
MRS. ANTONY
(that settles it)
Well, there you are.
(MORE)
MRS. ANTONY (CONT'D)
(she sighs and rises,
winding it up)
Well, Miss Burton, it was very nice
of you to call. You must excuse me
now. I must get back to my painting.
Do you care for painting, Miss Burton?
I find it so soothing.
(shakes Anne's hand)
You must come again sometime.
She goes out. Anne is left helpless, standing in the middle
of the room. She picks up her purse and is about to go when
she hears a voice:
BRUNO'S VOICE
Oh, Miss Burton!
Anne turns back in direction of the voice. CAMERA PULLS
BACK until we can see the feet of Bruno protruding from behind
a chair in which he is sitting. He has obviously heard the
entire conversation between Anne and his mother. Bruno rises.
He is in dressing gown and pajamas.
BRUNO
I'm afraid mother wasn't very helpful,
was she?
(he strolls toward
Anne)
You know she hasn't been well for a
long time. She's a little -- how
shall I say -- confused.
(shakes his head
commiseratingly)
Poor mother.
Anne is too stunned to speak.
BRUNO
You know, I'm very upset with Guy.
He shouldn't have sent you on an
errand like this.
ANNE
Guy doesn't know I'm here, Mr. Antony.
BRUNO
He's been leading you up the garden
path, I'm afraid. He must be very
desperate to try to involve me.
I've been protecting him ever since
we had that conversation on the train
and he told me how he hated his wife.
Bruno is now standing near the window a little apart from
Anne, with his back to him. He takes something out of the
pocket of his dressing gown and looks down at it in his hand.
It is Guy's lighter. Suddenly he stuffs it back his pocket
and turn back to Anne.
BRUNO
Why, do you know, Miss Burton, he
tried to get me to go back to the
island one night after dark and pick
up his lighter so the police wouldn't
find it? He dropped it there, you
know, when -- well, that night.
Anne's horror is growing.
BRUNO
The whole thing's been worrying me
so much. But of course I couldn't
do it, Miss Burton. It would have
been too risky. And besides, it
would have made me an accessory.
Anne stares at this insane man and sinks on the settee. She
starts to cry in sheer frustration. Bruno goes to her
sympathetically.
BRUNO
Miss Burton, I know how you feel.
He puts his hand on her shoulder. Anne flings it off. There
is an awkward pause as Bruno looks down at her. Then he
begins to look around restlessly.
BRUNO
Miss Burton, you must excuse me. I
have an urgent appointment.
(looks it his watch)
I must go up and change. Now, I
really must go...if you'll excuse
me...
He turns, starts out of the room and up the stairs in the
hall. Anne watches him.
STAIRWAY FROM ANNE'S VIEWPOINT
Bruno turns and waves to Anne from the landing, then goes on
up the stairs.
INT. LIVING ROOM MED. SHOT
Anne slowly rises, a lonely figure in the large room, and
makes her way out.
...continue to part 7
