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89 INT -- MAIN BUILDING -- STORAGE ROOMS -- DAY (1949) 89
A series of bleak rooms stacked high with unused filing
cabinets, desks, paint supplies, etc. Andy enters. He hears a
FLUTTER OF WINGS. An adult crow lands on a filing cabinet and
struts back and forth, checking him out. Andy smiles.
ANDY
Hey, Jake. Where's Brooks?
Brooks Hatlen pokes his head out of the back room.
BROOKS
Andy! Thought I heard you out here!
ANDY
I've been reassigned to you.
BROOKS
I know, they told me. Ain't that a kick in the ass? Come on in,
I'll give you the dime tour.
90 INT -- SHAWSHANK PRISON LIBRARY -- DAY (1949) 90
Brooks leads Andy into the bleakest back room of all. Rough plank
shelves are lined with books. Brooks' private domain.
BROOKS
Here she is, the Shawshank Prison Library. Along this side, we
got the National Geographics. That side, the Reader's Digest Condensed
books. Bottom shelf there, some Louis L'Amours and Erle Stanley
Gardners. Every night I pile the cart and make my rounds. I write
down the names on this clipboard here. Well, that's it. Easy,
peasy, Japanesey. Any questions?
Andy pauses. Something about this doesn't make any sense.
ANDY
Brooks? How long have you been librarian?
BROOKS
Since 1912. Yuh, over 37 years.
ANDY
In all that time, have you ever had an assistant?
BROOKS
Never needed one. Not much to it, is there?
ANDY
So why now? Why me?
BROOKS
I dunno. Be nice to have some comp'ny down here for a change.
HADLEY (O.S.)
Dufresne!
91 Andy steps back into the outer rooms and finds Hadley with
91
another GUARD, a huge fellow named DEKINS.
HADLEY
That's him. That's the one.
Hadley exits. Dekins approaches Andy ominously. Andy stands his
ground, waiting for whatever comes next. Finally:
DEKINS
I'm Dekins. I been, uh, thinkin' 'bout maybe settin' up some kinda
trust fund for my kids' educations.
Andy covers his surprise. Glances at Brooks. Brooks smiles.
ANDY
I see. Well. Why don't we have a seat and talk it over?
BROOKS
Pull down one'a them desks there.
Andy and Dekins grab a desk standing on end and tilt it to the
floor. They find chairs and settle in. Brooks returns with a tablet
of paper and a pen, slides them before Andy.
ANDY
What did you have in mind? A weekly draw on your pay?
DEKINS
Yuh. I figured just stick it in the bank, but Captain Hadley said
check with you first.
ANDY
He was right. You don't want your money in a bank.
DEKINS
I don't?
ANDY
What's that gonna earn you? Two and a half, three percent a year?
We
can do a lot better than that.
(wets his pen)
So tell me, Mr. Dekins. Where do you want to send your kids?
Harvard? Yale?
92 INT -- MESS HALL -- DAY (1949) 92
FLOYD
He didn't say that!
BROOKS
God is my witness. And Dekins, he just blinks for a second, then
laughs his ass off. Afterward, he actually shook Andy's hand.
HEYWOOD
My ass!
BROOKS
Shook his fuckin' hand. Just about shit myself. All Andy needed
was a
suit and tie, a jiggly little hula girl on his desk, he would'a
been Mister Dufresne, if you please.
RED
Makin' yourself some friends, Andy.
ANDY
I wouldn't say "friends." I'm a convicted murderer who
provides sound financial planning. That's a wonderful pet to have.
RED
Got you out of the laundry, didn't it?
ANDY
Maybe it can do more than that.
(off their looks)
How about expanding the library? Get some new books in there.
HEYWOOD
How you 'spect to do that, "Mr. Dufresne-if-you-please?"
ANDY
Ask the warden for funds.
LAUGHTER all around. Andy blinks at them.
BROOKS
Son, I've had six wardens through here during my tenure, and I
have
learned one great immutable truth of the universe: ain't one of
'em been born whose asshole don't pucker up tight as a snare drum
when you ask for funds.
93 INT -- MAIN BUILDING HALLWAY -- DAY (1949) 93
DOLLYING Norton and Andy up the hall:
NORTON
Not a dime. My budget's stretched thin as it is.
ANDY
I see. Perhaps I could write to the State Senate and request funds
directly from them.
NORTON
Far as them Republican boys in Augusta are concerned, there's
only
three ways to spend the taxpayer's hard-earned when it come to
prisons.
More walls. More bars. More guards.
ANDY
Still, I'd like to try, with your permission. I'll send a letter
a week. They can't ignore me forever.
NORTON
They sure can, but you write your letters if it makes you happy.
I'll even mail 'em for you, how's that?
94 INT -- ANDY'S CELL -- NIGHT (1949) 94
Andy is on his bunk, writing a letter.
RED (V.O.)
So Andy started writing a letter a week, just like he said.
95 INT -- GUARD DESK/NORTON'S OUTER OFFICE -- DAY (1949) 95
Andy pops his head in. The GUARD shakes his head.
RED (V.O.)
And just like Norton said, Andy got no answers. But still he kept
on.
96 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1950) 96
Andy is doing taxes. Mert Entwhistle is seated across from him.
Other off-duty guards are waiting their turn.
RED (V.O.)
The following April, Andy did tax returns for half the guards
at
Shawshank.
97 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY -- ONE YEAR LATER (1951) 97
Tax time again. Even more guards are waiting.
RED (V.O.)
Year after that, he did them all... including the warden's.
98 EXT -- BASEBALL DIAMOND -- DAY (1952) 98
A BATTER in a "Noresby Marauders" baseball uniform
WHACKS the
ball high into left field and races for first.
RED (V.O.)
Year after that, they rescheduled the start of the intramural
season to coincide with tax season...
99 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1952) 99
The Batter sits across from Andy. The line winds out the door.
RED (V.O.)
The guards on the opposing teams all remembered to bring their
W-2's.
ANDY
Moresby Prison issued you that gun, but you actually had to pay
for it?
THE BATTER
Damn right, and the holster too.
ANDY
See, that's all deductible. You get to write that off.
RED (V.O.)
Yes sir, Andy was a regular H&R Block. In fact, he got so
busy at tax time, he was allowed a staff.
ANGLE SHIFTS to reveal Red and Brooks doing filing chores.
ANDY
Say Red, could you hand me a stack of those 1040s?
RED (V.O.)
Got me out of the wood shop a month out of the year, and that
was fine
by me.
100 INT -- GUARD DESK/NORTON'S OUTER OFFICE -- DAY (1953) 100
Andy enters and drops a letter on the outgoing stack.
RED (V.O.)
And still he kept sending those letters...
101 INT -- ANDY'S CELL -- NIGHT (1953) 101
Dark. Andy's in his bunk, polishing a four-inch length of quartz.
It's a beautifully-crafted chess piece in the shape of a horse's
head, poise and nobility captured in gleaming stone.
He puts the knight on a chess board by his bed, adding it to
four pieces already there: a king, a queen, and two bishops. He
turns to Rita. Moonlight casts bars across her face.
102 EXT -- EXERCISE YARD -- DAY (1954) 102
Floyd runs into the yard, scared and winded. He finds Andy and
Red on the bleachers.
FLOYD
Red? Andy? It's Brooks.
103 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1954) 103
Floyd rushes in with Andy and Red at his heels. They find Jigger
and Snooze trying to calm Brooks, who has Heywood in a chokehold
and a knife to his throat. Heywood is terrified.
JIGGER
C'mon, Brooksie, why don't you just calm the fuck down, okay?
BROOKS
Goddamn miserable puke-eatin' sons of whores!
He kicks a table over. Tax files explode through the air.
RED
What the hell's going on?
SNOOZE
You tell me, man. One second he was fine, then out came the knife.
I
better get the guards.
RED
No. We'll handle this. Ain't that right, Brooks? Just settle down
and we'll talk about it, okay?
BROOKS
Nothing left to talk about! It's all talked out! Nothing left
now but to cut his fuckin' throat!
RED
Why? What's Heywood done to you?
BROOKS
That's what they want! It's the price I gotta pay!
Andy steps forward, rivets Brooks with a gaze. Softly:
ANDY
Brooks, you're not going to hurt Heywood, we all know that. Even
Heywood knows it, right Heywood?
HEYWOOD
(nods, terrified) Sure. I know that. Sure.
ANDY
Why? Ask anyone, they'll tell you. Brooks Hatlen is a reasonable
man.
RED
(cuing nods all around)
Yeah, that's right. That's what everybody says.
ANDY
You're not fooling anybody, so just put the damn knife down and
stop
scaring the shit out of people.
BROOKS
But it's the only way they'll let me stay.
Brooks bursts into tears. The storm is over. Heywood staggers
free, gasping for air. Andy takes the knife, passes it to Red.
Brooks dissolves into Andy's arms with great heaving sobs.
ANDY
Take it easy. You'll be all right.
HEYWOOD
Him? What about me? Crazy old fool! Goddamn near slit my throat!
RED
You've had worse from shaving. What'd you do to set him off?
HEYWOOD
Nothin'! Just came in to say fare-thee-well.
(off their looks)
Ain't you heard? His parole came through!
Red and Andy exchange a surprised look. Andy wants to understand.
Red just motions to let it be for now. He puts his arm around
Brooks, who sobs inconsolably. Softly:
RED
Ain't that bad, old hoss. Won't be long till you're squiring
pretty young girls on your arm and telling 'em lies.
104 EXT -- PRISON YARD BLEACHERS -- DUSK (1954) 104
ANDY
I just don't understand what happened in there, that's all.
HEYWOOD
Old man's crazy as a rat in a tin shithouse, is what.
RED
Heywood, enough. Ain't nothing wrong with Brooksie. He's just
institutionalized, that's all.
HEYWOOD
Institutionalized, my ass.
RED
Man's been here fifty years. This place is all he knows. In here,
he's an important man, an educated man. A librarian. Out there,
he's nothing but a used-up old con with arthritis in both hands.
Couldn't even get a library card if he applied. You see what I'm
saying?
FLOYD
Red, I do believe you're talking out of your ass.
RED
Believe what you want. These walls are funny. First you hate 'em,
then
you get used to 'em. After long enough, you get so you depend
on 'em. That's "institutionalized."
JIGGER
Shit. I could never get that way.
ERNIE
(softly)
Say that when you been inside as long as Brooks has.
RED
Goddamn right. They send you here for life, and that's just what
they
take. Part that counts, anyway.
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