The
Tragedy of Pigeon Point
Draft
11a 3-30-01
With
the exception of a few scenes the film is to be shot in black and
white. The camera movements are smooth and
fluid while the color sequences
all
have a hand held look to them.
Most of the action takes place at and
around
the Pigeon Point lighthouse: a tall, white washed tower seated on a
wind-swept
promontory. The beach surrounding
the lighthouse is studded with
large
rocks.
Blackness.
The
echoing of footsteps on metal is heard.
Fade to CU of ELLIOT‚s feet
climbing
a wrought-iron spiral staircase.
Fade to black. ELLIOT is a
young
man,
about twenty years old. His
clothes are dark and childish in
appearance.
Fade
to LS of ELLIOT climbing the stairs.
We move with him, peering through
the
railing. ELLIOT carries a small
striped suitcase at his side. Fade
to
black. A bright light reflecting off and
refracting through the giant
fresnel
lens of the Pigeon Point lighthouse momentarily breaks the darkness.
Return to blackness. Titles fade up: "The Tragedy of Pigeon
Point."
Fade
to black. POV up through many
flights of spiraling stairs to ELLIOT,
still
climbing. In the lighthouse
entryway, BILL stands looking up towards
ELLIOT. BILL is in his mid fifties. He wears the uniform of a State Parks
Service
officer.
BILL
Elliot? I‚m going out.
He
pauses, waiting for a response then puts on his hat and exits the
lighthouse. ELLIOT sinks into the recessed nook of
the third story window.
He
removes a picture book from his suitcase and opens it. Instead of
reading,
however, he looks up and out to the sea.
His view of the long
coastline
is interrupted only by the frame of the window.
The
entryway of the lighthouse, night.
BILL enters, walks again to the
center
of the lighthouse and peers up.
BILL
It's
getting to be a bit nippy outside.
Well, I‚m headed off to bed.
Say,
if
you ever need anything you know where I'll be.
He
turns and leaves. ELLIOT is in his
window with his picture book. He
looks
down after BILL. The shutting of
the door reverberates through the
lighthouse. From the exterior of the lighthouse
ELLIOT can be seen
silhouetted
in the window. Faintly, from far
out to sea, a woman‚s voice
can
be heard singing what sounds like a children‚s lullaby.
VOICE
Hey
non nony, nony, hey nony∑
[Hamlet.
IV, 3, 165]
Fade
to black.
Fade
up on the exterior of the lighthouse. ELLIOT site reading on the
wrought
iron deck that encircles the top of the lighthouse. He glances up
from
his book and out to the ocean.
After a beat he turns and looks
directly
at the camera.
ELLIOT
I
am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse myself of such things
that
it were better my mother had not born me:
Cut
to ELLIOT running on a treadmill in a large gym. Weight machines and
stationary
bikes line the walls. The change
of location brings with it a
shift
into color - blaring color, as though the saturation level has been
turned
up too high. ELLIOT is flanked by
a young man his same age. The two
of
them wear matching running suits: ELLIOT‚s is a ruby red, his
friend‚s a
brilliant
yellow. The other man speaks
earnestly to ELLIOT as he runs but
we
cannot hear him. ELLIOT is again
starring directly out at the audience.
Without
hesitation he continues with his monologue.
ELLIOT
I
am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I
have
thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act
them
in.
ELLIOT
is now in the passenger seat of a flashy red convertible driven by
the
man who ran beside him at the gym.
Two women accompany them in back.
While
the mood of the others in the car is light and giddy, ELLIOT‚s is dark
and
melancholy.
ELLIOT
What
should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are
arrant
knaves all,
Cut
back to the exterior of the lighthouse.
The image is again black and
white. It is now nearly dusk.
ELLIOT
Believe none of us.
[Hamlet.
III, 1, 122-130]
ELLIOT
breaks his gaze with the camera and looks off to sea. In the
distance,
quietly as though it has been there through the entirety of the
proceeding
scene, the song can be heard again.
VOICE
Hey
non nony, nony, hey nony∑
[Hamlet.
IV, 3, 165]
The
camera follows ELLIOT‚s gaze out past the rocks to the ocean.
Evening. ELLIOT walks down the spiral stairs,
suitcase in hand. BILL
enters
the base of the lighthouse, apparently on his way up to find ELLIOT.
Each
is uncomfortable by the confrontation.
BILL
Oh. What was it I was going to tell
you? Oh yes, yes: in case you
weren't
already
aware, tomorrow is tour day. So it
might perhaps be best if you
kept
out of the way.
ELLIOT
Alright.
BILL
Yes. Yes, I think that will be fine. Don't you?
ELLIOT
Oh,
yes.
BILL
Good. Have a pleasant night then.
BILL
exits through the front door.
ELLIOT shakes off the discomfort of the
interchange
and curls up for the night in his window.
The
following morning, a few cars pull up to Pigeon Point. BILL begins his
monologue,
which overlaps the following action.
A group of five tourists
follow
BILL through the entryway to the ground floor of the lighthouse.
ELLIOT
sits three floors up in his window reading.
BILL
The
construction of this lighthouse finally began back in 1871, with the
inaugural
lighting of the lamp following a year later. Funding wasn't
approved
by congress until after a series of three fatal shipwrecks that
occurred
just out past the point.
Hearing
the tour approaching ELLIOT picks up his book and begins to climb
further
up into the lighthouse. A young
GIRL in the tour spots him climbing
the
stairs above her.
GIRL
Who‚s that?
BILL
I‚m sorry,
what?
The
GIRL points up.
GIRL
That.
BILL
Oh,
that's just "the boy in the belfry." No no, not really.
Actually I‚m
not
quite sure who that is. He just
showed up one day, said he wanted to be
"the
lighthouse keeper‚s assistant." Unfortunately I had to tell him that
there
really isn‚t a lighthouse keeper here anymore, only me. The
coastguard
took over all the lighthouses a few years back and installed
their
own electric beacons. Everything‚s automated ˆ and with good
reason.
Hardly
anyone uses lighthouses for navigation anymore. All modern boats are
equipped
with sonar, satellites and electric tooth brushes. This lighthouse
is
really just a landmark that the park service maintains for the sake of
nostalgia. But I told him that he could stay if he
still wanted to. He
spends
his time just sitting around the place, like me, and the old lamp up
there. He seems to have taken to it all right.
It is kind of nice out here
sometimes. But I look forward to these tours on
the weekend. I think it‚s
marvelous
that you folks drive all the way out here to visit us. Shall we
head
on up?
BILL‚s
sharing of himself has made a few members of his tour uncomfortable.
Sensing
this BILL begins to escort them up the stairs.
BILL
Watch
your step now.
The
tour group follows him. Fade to
black.
Night. ELLIOT is curled up asleep in his
window. Rain beats softly against
the
glass. Gusting wind and heavy surf
can be heard outside. A small
industrial
lighting fixture mounted to the wall next to ELLIOT‚s window
begins
to flicker. ELLIOT wakes up. The light goes out leaving him in the
dark. He glances out the window. Seeing only darkness he rushes outside
to
BILL‚s
nearby cottage. ELLIOT enters
without knocking. The cottage is
rustic:
a single room with an old wood burning stove, wooden paneling, and
the
collected paraphernalia of a sea life.
BILL is woken by the sound of
his
door slamming shut.
BILL
Who
goes there?
ELLIOT
Me,
Elliot. The light‚s gone
out.
BILL
What? What's that?
ELLIOT
I
think the power went out. Sorry to wake you.
(Elliot
gestures up)
The
light's gone dark.
BILL
Oh. Well that's something isn't it.
(chuckles) Go back to sleep
Elliot.
If
the power is not up again by morning I‚ll go in to town and check things
out.
BILL
rolls over and pulls the blankets up around his head, dismissing
ELLIOT. ELLIOT returns to his window and curls
up to sleep.
Morning. The storm has cleared but power has not
yet been restored to
Pigeon
Point. A loud knocking is heard at
the lighthouse door. ELLIOT
opens
his eyes. He hesitates, waiting
for BILL to respond. The knocking
comes
again, louder still. After a
moment ELLIOT slowly descends. The
knocking
continues. Upon reaching the door
he finds a scrawled note taped
to
the glass. "Gone to
town." He tears it down. On the other side of the
glass
starring back at him he can now see the irate face of a very wet young
woman.
RUE appears to be of about the
same age as ELLIOT. She is dressed
in
a seaman‚s yellow raincoat and pants, and does not appear to have
recently
bathed. Hesitantly, ELLIOT opens
the door. RUE speaks like an
excited
child.
ELLIOT
Hello?
RUE
The
light's out.
ELLIOT
Pardon
me?
RUE
(Bursting
past him)
Your
light is out!
RUE
begins leaping up the stairs.
ELLIOT again hesitates.
ELLIOT
It‚s
not my light.
ELLIOT
moves slowly at first after her, then bounds up the stairs. He
reaches
the lamp room at the very top of the lighthouse. At first RUE is
hidden
from him by the giant lens that fills most of the room. He peers
into
it and sees her face on the other side, distorted in the curved glass.
She
is starring at the dark lamp.
RUE
What's
wrong with it?
ELLIOT
I
don‚t really know. I think
the power is out.
RUE
Well
that's a dangerous thing, for a lighthouse not to have any light. What
kind
of a lighthouse keeper are you to let the light go out?
ELLIOT
I'm
not... This is not my lighthouse.
RUE
It‚s
not? Who's is it?
ELLIOT
It‚s
Bill‚s lighthouse. I just
live here.
RUE
In
the lighthouse? Where do you
sleep?
ELLIOT
In
my window, on the third floor. I
like it there. Why, where do you
sleep?
RUE
Out
on my boat. It's on the
beach. You can see it down there
stuck between
the
rocks. There is a big hole in the
side of it.
ELLIOT
>From
the storm?
RUE
No,
I could have handled the storm if I could have seen where the rocks
were.
ELLIOT
I‚m
sorry.
RUE
That's
ok. It's not your lighthouse. I'm Rue, captain of the clipper ship
'Phelia.
RUE
offers her hand and ELLIOT accepts it
ELLIOT
I'm
Elliot.
RUE
Well
I'm happy to meet you Elliot. Come
with me, you can help find some
wood
to fix my boat.
RUE
disappears down the stairs. ELLIOT
doesn‚t hesitate this time but
scampers
right along after her.
Exterior
- a large strip of rocky beach below the lighthouse. ELLIOT and
RUE
emerge onto the bank above the beach.
RUE is out in front with a saw
and
bucket of nails. ELLIOT trails slightly
behind, arms full of wood.
RUE‚s
"boat" is a small two-person dinghy. It has been painted both inside
and
out. Wild brush strokes makeup
abstract female figures. Violently
painted
lines cover the women's bodies which appear disturbingly like
self-inflicted
cuts. The name 'PHELIA is written
wildly on its stern. The
boat
is currently lodged between two large rocks with a hole in its side.
It
appears as though even with a watertight hull the rowboat would hardly be
sea
worthy. In the back of the boat is
a small trunk; two foils are lashed
to
its side. A pair of worn paddles
rest across the seat.
RUE
This
is my boat. I think first off
we're going to have to move her off the
rocks. There's rope in the trunk.
ELLIOT
opens the trunk. Inside is a
collection of paints and brushes, two
peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches, an apple and a coil of rope. ELLIOT
picks
up the rope exposing a snapshot of RUE with two friends. The trio are
dressed
in outfits far more appropriate to their age then RUE‚s present rain
gear. They appear to be at a bar with other
young people, having a good
time. During RUE's speech she and ELLIOT drag
the boat off the rocks.
RUE
She
may not be much to look at right now but she'll be all right once were
through
with her. Last night‚s storm
was terrible, the swells were twenty
feet
above the deck. I couldn‚t
see the rocks Œtill we were almost upon
them. I cried, "All hands! Pull hard to
starboard." But it was too
late
and
we were pounded into the rocks. All right, you ever caulked a hull
before?
Afternoon. BILL pulls up in front of the
lighthouse in an aging ford
pickup. He walks out to the edge of the grassy
bank above ELLIOT and RUE.
They
have nearly finished repairing the boat.
BILL
(Shouting
down to them)
Hey
Elliot! It sounds as though we
won't have power for a while still,
possibly
not Œtil tomorrow.
(He
turns as if to go back inside then looks back)
Hey,
I‚m about to head up to Duart‚s for a drink, can I pick you up
anything
in
town?
ELLIOT
shakes his head no.
BILL
Well,
alright I'll just see you later then.
BILL
heads back towards the lighthouse.
ELLIOT sits inside the boat which
is
now shored up on the sandy beach.
RUE kneels beside it hammering.
RUE
Is
he your Dad?
ELLIOT
No,
he's Bill.
(ELLIOT
unties one of the foils and picks it up)
What‚s
this for?
RUE
Pirates!
ELLIOT
grins at RUE. She drops her hammer
and grabs the foil.
RUE
We
were attacked once not too long ago, just north of Drake‚s Bay. The
scoundrels
were after my trunk, but I fought them off single handed. Here,
you
be the pirate captain, her name was Gerda. Now you have to try and
board.
With
a flick of her wrist RUE challenges ELLIOT to a duel. After only a
moment
she has him pinned with her sword.
RUE
Now
walk the plank! But I cut off your
leg so you have to hop.
ELLIOT
leaps into the sand. He makes
gurgling noises as he feigns drowning.
RUE
Ha! If I ever catch you again you'll be
walking with a peg for a leg.
She
returns the foil to ELLIOT and goes back to her hammering.
ELLIOT
Why
were they after your trunk?
RUE
Buried
treasure. Gold doubloons and
rubies mostly. What do you do up
at
the
lighthouse?
ELLIOT
(Sliding
the foil through his belt)
I‚m
the keeper‚s first assistant.
RUE
What
does that mean?
ELLIOT
It
means it's my job to trim the lamp wicks, and fill up the oil barrels.
If
it's foggy in the morning I light the boiler for the fog horn, and every
day
the lens has to be polished. Then
when its dark I get my turn at watch.
RUE
Have
you ever seen a ship wreck?
ELLIOT
Oh
yeah. A few years ago the
Hellespont ran aground here, on its way from
Australia. The fog was so thick the captain
couldn‚t see the stars to
navigate. He ran his ship into the rocks just
like you, right out there.
RUE
Were
there any survivors?
ELLIOT
Uh-huh. The crew were hanging on to broken up
pieces of their ship to keep
from
drowning. I swam out and saved two
of them.
RUE
Were
there sharks?
ELLIOT
Huge
ones, the size of whales. I took a
plank from the sinking ship and
knocked
one on the head to keep it from eating the first mate.
RUE
Wow! Well, I think we're finished.
She‚s all patched up. Now
it's up to
you
to go and see that the lamp up there is lit again so I won‚t end up back
on
these rocks tonight.
ELLIOT
But
I can‚t do that.
RUE
Why
not?
ELLIOT
That's
Bill's job. I told you I‚m
just his assistant, and anyway he says
only
the people in town can get it back on.
RUE
But
Elliot, I have to set sail!
ELIIOT
I‚m
sorry.
RUE
I've
been stuck on shore too long already.
I have cargo to deliver thirty
leagues
south of here. Couldn't you go
find them?
ELLIOT
No.
RUE
Why?
(Elliot
shrugs)
Well
I‚d go myself but I don‚t know how to get there.
ELLIOT
Its
just up the road.
RUE
But
I only have my boat.
ELLIOT
You
could drive my car.
RUE
But
I can‚t drive silly, can you?
ELLIOT
Yes.
RUE
Oh. Well how about if you drive and I go
with you.
ELLIOT
Well,
that might be alright.
ELLIOT
motions for her to follow him as he turns to go. They are both
visibly
apprehensive. Together they walk
towards the lighthouse.
Shift
to color. ELLIOT and RUE reach the
red convertible, which is parked a
hundred
yards or so down the road from the lighthouse. They get in.
The
sun
shade on the passenger side is down.
RUE catches her reflection in the
vanity
mirror. Uncomfortable by what she
sees, she flips it up.
RUE
Is
this your Dad‚s car?
ELLIOT
No,
it‚s mine.
RUE
This
is? Wow. Pretty snazzy.
And it‚s a∑ what do you call the ones with
the
roof that comes off.
ELLIOT
A
convertible.
RUE
Yeah!
Elliot
starts the car and pulls away.
They drive inland, out of the country
and
into the hills.
RUE
Do
you know where we‚re going?
ELLIOT
Yes,
well... (he nods his head "yes")
The
begin to head down a steep hill towards Silicon Valley. They enter the
urban
space of the city. ELLIOT stops
the car in front of a Pacific Gas and
Electric
branch office.
RUE
What
are we doing here?
ELLIOT
You
wanted to come.
RUE
No
I didn‚t. There‚s not
even anyone here, where are they?
ELLIOT
Where
are who?
ELLIOT
turns off the engine.
RUE
Them. The people. The ones you‚ve been talking about. That can light the
lamp
so I can leave and get my cargo delivered on time silly.
ELLIOT
I
guess they‚re in there.
RUE
What? There? No, never mind, forget it. Let go light the lamp ourselves?
ELLIOT
I‚m
not playing right now, not anymore.
RUE
What?
ELLIOT
That
lamp, in the lighthouse, runs on electricity. You were up there with
me.
RUE
But
you went on and on about∑
ELLIOT
Yes,
after you said that you fight off pirates to protect your treasure.
RUE
I
do.
ELLIOT
No,
you don‚t. I saw the inside
of your trunk, there‚s nothing in it but
paints
and sandwiches.
RUE
Well
that‚s my treasure. Oh,
alright, whatever Mr. "I spend my days
trimming
wicks and filling oil barrels."
ELLIOT
Fair
enough, I read picture books sitting in the window of a hundred year
old
lighthouse. What do you do with
your time?
RUE
I
paint.
ELLIOT
What
about the pirates?
RUE
I
paint and I paddle.
ELLIOT
Why?
RUE
Why
do you think. Why do you? Why do you hide yourself out in that
lighthouse? Are you happier there, do you feel
safe?
ELLIOT
I'm
all right. I'm better.
RUE
But
it's not quite the life of a "keeper‚s first assistant?" (ELLIOT
shrugs) So why did you stop? And why did you drive us to
fuckin‚ PG&E?
ELLIOT
You
were the one that wanted us to leave and come out here. How was I...
What
was I supposed to do?
RUE
Keep
pretending, playing with me. Why did you stop?
ELLIOT
You
didn‚t give me any choice.
How could I keep pretending that I "live the
life
of a Wickie."
RUE
A
what?
ELLIOT
A
"wickie," its what they used to call lighthouse keepers. Forget it.
RUE
Whatever,
lets just go back.
ELLIOT
We
messed it up. It's messed up now.
RUE
I
don't understand.
ELLIOT
What
your paintings are of?
RUE
What?!
ELLIOT
All
over your boat, why‚d you paint those horrible things?
RUE
Oh,
fuck you. They‚re not horrible. Fuck off! Because they‚re in my head, I
don‚t
know. I‚d hate to see
what‚s in yours.
ELLIOT
How
did they get into your head?
RUE
I
said I don‚t know.
ELLIOT
What
are you out on that rowboat.
RUE.
God,
you are an asshole. Probably the
same reasons your read in the
lighthouse
Elliot. Why don‚t you dress
like you‚re twenty two, or however
old
you are? No, I want you to really
explain this to me. You‚re
not ten!
ELLIOT
Thank
you, I know I‚m not ten.
RUE
No,
no stop. I think I know why, and I
think you know too, and I think you
know
why I paint. I scare my self
sometimes too. But what I still
don‚t
get
is why you won‚t keep pretending.
I was having fun with you.
We were
both
doing great, no? So lets go
sailing around the ocean for a while, and
then
I‚ll take you back and we can help Bill man the lighthouse. It could
be
fun.
ELLIOT
I
can‚t.
ELLIOT
starts the car. He throws it into
first.
RUE
What
are you doing? Stop, I‚m not
through.
ELLIOT
hits the gas hard. The car speeds
away.
The
image is black and white once again.
The convertible races back to the
front
of the lighthouse. ELLIOT is out
first. He attempts to put the top
up
on the car but abandons it quickly and heads quickly towards the
lighthouse. RUE gets out of the car and begins to
follow him.
ELLIOT
Leave
Rue. Go back to your boat.
ELLIOT
enters the lighthouse. RUE stands
dumbfounded at the entrance for a
moment,
then runs towards the beach. ELLIOT begins to climb the stairs of
the
Lighthouse. RUE struggles with her boat.
She pulls hard on the rope,
trying
to haul it off its shoring. ELLIOT
continues up the stairs. RUE
screams
at the boat in frustration. With a
final tug the boat tips off its
supports
and slides past her towards the sea. ELIOT climbs further still.
RUE
shoves hard from the back of the boat towards the waves. Under her
breath
she mumbles a few words of her song.
Affected by the strain of her
exertion
the words sound more like a march than a lullaby.
RUE
Hey
non nony, nony∑
Cut
to the lighthouse interior. ELLIOT slumps into his familiar place at the
window.
Cut
back to the sea. RUE‚s boat
hits the edge of the water she gasps with
delight. She jumps into the back of her boat and
grabs a paddle. She
paddles
violently at the water. Her boat
soars over the coming waves.
Slowly
she is succeeding at making her way out to sea.
Cut
to ELLIOT in window. He looks out
to the sea and RUE. He turns to
the
camera,
and begins to speak.
ELLIOT
I
have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth∑ and indeed it
goes
so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame the earth seems
to
me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy the air, look you∑
this
majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appeareth nothing to
me
but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is
a
man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties∑ in action how like
an
angel,
in apprehension how like a god:
the beauty of the world, the paragon
of
animals- and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights
not
me-
Cut
to RUE and boat.
ELLIOT
nor
women either,
[Hamlet.
II, 3, 295-309]
RUE
is now far out past the breaking waves.
The lighthouse is now just a
small
figure on the cliffs behind her.
She sings her song happily now.
Her
mood
is rising. Between the boards that
make up her boat‚s repaired hull a
drop
of water begins to push its way in.
Cut
to lighthouse interior. ELLIOT
begins to play again. He jumps up from
his
window enraged.
ELLIOT
Come
on sir. [Hamlet. V, 2, 277]
ELLIOT
unsheathes the foil from his belt and motions for his unseen opponent
to
advance. On the second floor
landing he begins to fight a duel.
Almost
at
once he scores a hit.
ELLIOT
One. [Hamlet. V, 2, 279]
ELLIOT
proudly backs away from his enemy.
He pauses and motions him forward
with
his hand.
ELLIOT
Come. [Hamlet. V, 2, 287]
Cut
to the ocean. RUE paddles on, singing.
A small pool of water has begun
to
collect in the bow of her boat. The leak has grown so that there is now a
small
rivulet of water running from the crack.
Cut
to the lighthouse interior. ELLIOT
lunges.
ELLIOT
Another
hit. What say you.
[Hamlet.
V, 2, 288]
He
steps back and again surveys his opponent.
ELLIOT
Come
for the third∑ You do but
dally. I pray you pass with your
best
violence. [Hamlet. V, 2, 301-302]
ELLIOT
launches himself into the fray.
After a moment of aggression he
shifts
to defense. He is forced back
quickly toward the stairs leading
down. He attempts footing beyond the edge of
the landing and careens
backwards
down the stairs. He lands at the
base of the lighthouse, his own
foil
stuck through his chest. ELLIOT
stares down at himself in surprise.
ELLIOT
O,
I am dead.
Cut
to the sea. RUE paddles on,
ignoring the fact that she is now up to her
ankles
in water. The paint on her
boat‚s interior has begun to run from
contact
with the seawater. The pool about
her feet is turning a milky
white. She continues to sing, now with greater
ferocity and pleasure than
before.
Cut
to ELLIOT, lying at the base of the stairs.
ELLIOT
I
am dead, thou livest.
(He
stares once again at the camera)
Report
me and my cause aright to the unsatisfied. [Hamlet. V, 2, 342-344]
Cut
to RUE, paddling far out on the horizon.
ELLIOT
Things
standing thus unknown shall I leave behind me.
Cut
back to ELLIOT.
ELLIOT
If
thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, absent thee from felicity awhile,
And
in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain to tell my story.
[Hamlet.
V, 2, 350-354]
Fade
to black. A moment of darkness.
ELLIOT
(V.O.)
The
rest is silence. [Hamlet. V, 2,
363]
End.