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8 INT -- COURTROOM -- DAY (1946) 8
Andy stands before the dias. THE JUDGE peers down, framed by
a
carved frieze of blind Lady Justice on the wall.
JUDGE
You strike me as a particularly icy and remorseless man, Mr. Dufresne.
It chills my blood just to look at you. By the power vested in
me by the State of Maine, I hereby order you to serve two life
sentences, back to back, one for each of your victims. So be it.
He raps his gavel as we
CRASH TO BLACK: LAST TITLE UP.
9 AN IRON-BARRED DOOR 9
slides open with an enormous CLANG. A stark room waits beyond.
CAMERA PUSHES through. SEVEN HUMORLESS MEN sit side by side at
a long table. An empty chair faces them. We are now in:
INT -- SHAWSHANK HEARINGS ROOM -- DAY (1947)
RED enters, removes his cap and waits by the chair.
MAN #1
Sit.
Red sits, tries not to slouch. The chair is uncomfortable.
MAN #2
We see by your file you've served twenty years of a life sentence.
MAN #3
You feel you've been rehabilitated?
RED
Yes, sir. Absolutely. I've learned my lesson. I can honestly say
I'm a
changed man. I'm no longer a danger to society. That's the God's
honest truth. No doubt about it.
The men just stare at him. One stifles a yawn.
CLOSEUP -- PAROLE FORM
A big rubber stamp slams down: "REJECTED" in red ink.
10 EXT -- EXERCISE YARD -- SHAWSHANK PRISON -- DUSK (1947) 10
High stone walls topped with snaky concertina wire, set off at
intervals by looming guard towers. Over a hundred CONS are in
the yard. Playing catch, shooting craps, jawing at each other,
making deals. Exercise period.
RED emerges into fading daylight, slouches low-key through the
activity, worn cap on his head, exchanging hellos and doing minor
business. He's an important man here.
RED (V.O.)
There's a con like me in every prison in America, I guess. I'm
the guy who can get it for you. Cigarettes, a bag of reefer if
you're partial, a
bottle of brandy to celebrate your kid's high school graduation.
Damn
near anything, within reason.
He slips somebody a pack of smokes, smooth sleight-of-hand.
RED (V.O.)
Yes sir, I'm a regular Sears &
Roebuck.
TWO SHORT SIREN BLASTS issue from the main tower, drawing
everybody's attention to the loading dock. The outer gate swings
open...revealing a gray prison bus outside.
RED (V.O.)
So when Andy Dufresne came to me in 1949 and asked me to smuggle
Rita Hayworth into the prison for him, I told him no problem.
And it wasn't.
CON
Fresh fish! Fresh fish today!
Red is joined by HEYWOOD, SKEET, FLOYD, JIGGER, ERNIE, SNOOZE.
Most cons crowd to the fence to gawk and jeer, but Red and his
group mount the bleachers and settle in comfortably.
11 INT -- PRISON BUS -- DUSK (1947) 11
Andy sits in back, wearing steel collar and chains.
RED (V.O.)
Andy came to Shawshank Prison in early 1947 for murdering his
wife
and the fella she was bangin'.
The bus lurches forward, RUMBLES through the gates. Andy gazes
around, swallowed by prison walls.
RED (V.O.)
On the outside, he'd been vice- president of a large Portland
bank.
Good work for a man as young as he was, when you consider how
conservative banks were back then.
TOWER GUARD
All clear!
GUARDS approach the bus with carbines. The door jerks open.
The new fish disembark, chained together single-file, blinking
sourly at their surroundings. Andy stumbles against the MAN in
front of him, almost drags him down.
BYRON HADLEY, captain of the guard, slams his baton into
Andy's back. Andy goes to his knees, gasping in pain. JEERS
and SHOUTS from the spectators.
HADLEY
On your feet before I fuck you up so bad you never walk again.
13 ON THE BLEACHERS 13
RED
There they are, boys. The Human Charm Bracelet.
HEYWOOD
Never seen such a sorry-lookin' heap of maggot shit in my life.
JIGGER
Comin' from you, Heywood, you being so pretty and all...
FLOYD
Takin' bets today, Red?
RED
(pulls notepad and pencil)
Bear Catholic? Pope shit in the woods?
Smokes or coin, bettor's choice.
FLOYD
Smokes. Put me down for two.
RED
High roller. Who's your horse?
FLOYD
That gangly sack of shit, third from the front. He'll be the first.
HEYWOOD
Bullshit. I'll take that action.
ERNIE
Me too.
Other hands go up. Red jots the names.
HEYWOOD
You're out some smokes, son. Take my word.
FLOYD
You're so smart, you call it.
HEYWOOD
I say that chubby fat-ass...let's see...fifth from the front.
Put me
down for a quarter deck.
RED
That's five cigarettes on Fat-Ass. Any takers?
More hands go up. Andy and the others are paraded along, forced
by their chains to take tiny baby steps, flinching under the barrage
of jeers and shouts. The old-timers are shaking the fence, trying
to make the newcomers shit their pants. Some of the new fish shout
back, but mostly they look terrified. Especially Andy.
RED (V.O.)
I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes
on him.
He might'a been important on the outside, but in here he was just
a
little turd in prison grays. Looked like a stiff breeze could
blow him
over. That was my first impression of the man.
SKEET
What say, Red?
RED
Little fella on the end. Definitely. I stake half a pack. Any
takers?
SNOOZE
Rich bet.
RED
C'mon, boys, who's gonna prove me wrong?
(hands go up)
Floyd, Skeet, Joe, Heywood. Four brave souls, ten smokes apiece.
That's it, gentlemen, this window's closed.
Red pockets his notepad. A VOICE comes over the P.A. speakers:
VOICE (amplified)
Return to your cellblocks for evening count.
14 INT -- ADMITTING AREA -- DUSK (1947) 14
The new fish are marched in. Guards unlock the shackles. The
chains drop away, rattling to the stone floor.
HADLEY
Eyes front.
WARDEN SAMUEL NORTON strolls forth, a colorless man in a gray
suit and a church pin in his lapel. He looks like he could piss
ice water. He appraises the newcomers with flinty eyes.
NORTON
This is Mr. Hadley, captain of the guard. I am Mr. Norton, the
warden. You are sinners and scum, that's why they sent you to
me. Rule number one: no blaspheming. I'll not have the Lord's
name taken in vain in my prison. The other rules you'll figure
out as you go along.
Any questions?
CON
When do we eat?
Cued by Norton's glance, Hadley steps up to the con and screams
right in his face:
HADLEY
YOU EAT WHEN WE SAY YOU EAT! YOU PISS WHEN WE SAY YOU PISS! YOU
SHIT WHEN WE SAY YOU SHIT! YOU SLEEP WHEN WE SAY YOU SLEEP! YOU
MAGGOT DICK MOTHERFUCKER!
Hadley rams the tip of his club into the con's belly. The man
falls to his knees, gasping and clutching himself. Hadley takes
his place at Norton's side again. Softly:
NORTON
Any other questions?
(there are none)
I believe in two things. Discipline and the Bible. Here, you'll
receive
both.
(holds up a Bible)
Put your faith in the Lord. Your ass belongs to me. Welcome to
Shawshank.
HADLEY
Off with them clothes! And I didn't say take all day doing it,
did I?
The men shed their clothes. Within seconds, all stand naked.
HADLEY
First man into the shower!
Hadley shoves the FIRST CON into a steel cage open at the front.
TWO GUARDS open up with a fire hose. The con is slammed
against the back of the cage, sputtering and hollering. Seconds
later, the water is cut and the con yanked out.
HADLEY
Delouse that piece of shit! Next man in!
The con gets a huge scoop of white delousing powder thrown all
over him. Gasping and coughing, blinking powder from his eyes,
he gets shoved to a trustee's cage. The TRUSTEE slides a short
stack of items through the slot -- prison clothes and a Bible.
All the men are processed quickly -- a blast of water, powder,
clothes and a Bible...
15 INT -- INFIRMARY -- NIGHT (1947) 15
A naked CON steps before a DOCTOR and gets a cursory exam.
A penlight is shined in his eyes, ears, nose, and throat.
DOCTOR
Bend over.
The con does. A GUARD with a penlight in his teeth spreads his
cheeks, peers up his ass, and nods. Andy is next up. He gets the
same treatment.
16 INT -- PRISON CHAPEL -- NIGHT (1947) 16
CAMERA TRACKS the naked newcomers shivering on hard wooden chairs,
clothes on their laps, Bibles open.
CHAPLAIN (O.S.)
...maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside
the
still waters. He restoreth my soul...
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