DEAD POETS SOCIETY 12 страница

Get in the car. Keating, you stay away

from my son.

CHARLIE

Neil! Neil! Mr. Perry, come on.

KEATING

Don't make it any worse than it is.

Neil and Mr. Perry get into their car and drive away. Keating

stares after them.

CHARLIE

Is it okay if we walk back? Captain?

Charlie motions Todd to follow.

CHARLIE

Knox.

The boys leave and Keating continues to stare after the car, wiping

the falling snow from his face.

INT. MR. PERRY'S STUDY - NIGHT

A photo of Neil standing stiffly with his parents sits on a table

between a glass of alcohol and a half filled ashtray. Mrs. Perry

watches through the window as her husband and son arrive and then

takes a nervous puff on her cigarette before sitting down. Mr.

Perry walks in with Neil close behind him. Neil sits down beside the

desk while Mr. Perry remains standing.

MR. PERRY

We're trying very hard to understand why

it is that you insist on defying us.

Whatever the reason, we're not gonna let

you ruin your life. Tomorrow I'm

withdrawing you from Welton and

enrolling you in Braden Military School.

You're going to Harvard and you're gonna

be a doctor.

NEIL

But that's ten more years. Father,

that's a lifetime!

MR. PERRY

Oh, stop it. Don't be so dramatic. You

make it sound like a prison term. You

don't understand, Neil. You have

opportunities that I never even dreamt

of and I am not going to let you waste

them.

Neil rises to his feet.

NEIL

I've got to tell you what I feel.

Mrs. Perry stands up.

MRS. PERRY

We've been so worried about--

MR. PERRY

What? What? Tell me what you feel. What

is it?

Neil looks to his mother and then back to his father but says

nothing.

MR. PERRY

Is it more of this, this acting

business? Because you can forget that.

What?

NEIL

Nothing.

Neil sits back down dejectedly.

MR. PERRY

Nothing? Well, then, let's go to bed.

Mr. Perry leaves. Mrs. Perry pauses on her way out and kneels

behind Neil.

NEIL

I was good. I was really good.

Mrs. Perry nods slightly.

MRS. PERRY

Go on, get some sleep.

INT. MR. PERRY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Mrs. Perry sits on the side of the bed with her back to her

husband. Mr. Perry removes his robe and slippers before

getting in to bed. Mrs. Perry begins to cry as he turns out

the light.

MR. PERRY

It's all right. It's going to be all

right.

INT. NEIL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Neil's pyjamas, bathrobe, towel, and shaving kit are all neatly

laid out on his bed. Neil touches his pyjamas lightly and then

removes his coat and shirt. He walks over to the windows and

opens them, taking several deep breaths. He places the crown of

twigs on his head and then closes his eyes, slowly letting his head

fall to his chest.

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

A door opens and Neil emerges, slowly walking down the stairs as if

in a trance.

INT. MR. PERRY'S STUDY - NIGHT

Neil holds a key in his hands. He unlocks a drawer in his father's

desk and pulls out a pistol, wrapped in cloth.

INT. MR. PERRY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Mr. Perry jerks up out of bed, startled and breathing fast.

MR. PERRY

What was that?

MRS. PERRY

What?

MR. PERRY

That sound.

MRS. PERRY

What sound? Tom?

Mr. Perry turns on the light and gets up out of bed, putting on his

robe and slippers.

MRS. PERRY

What is it? What's wrong?

Mr. Perry turns on the hallway light and knocks on Neil's door. He opens the door and goes inside.

MR. PERRY

Neil.

Mr. Perry notices the open window.

MRS. PERRY

Tom, what is it? What's wrong? Neil?

Mr. Perry continues to look through the house, continuing downstairs.

MR. PERRY

Neil?

Mr. Perry notices the door to his study is ajar.

MRS. PERRY

I'll look outside. Neil?

Mr. Perry flicks the light on but sees nothing. Then he smells

something. Looking closer, he sees a thin cloud of smoke rising from

behind his desk. As he moves around the desk he sees his gun on the

floor and Neil's outstretched hand.

MR. PERRY

No!

Mr. Perry crouches down by his son.

MR. PERRY

Oh, Neil! Oh, my God!

Mrs. Perry enters the room and sees her son.

MRS. PERRY

Oh! No!

MR. PERRY

Oh, my son!

MRS. PERRY

He's all right.

MR. PERRY

My son! My poor son!

MRS. PERRY

(crying hysterically)

He's all right! He's all right! He's all

right! He's all right! He's all right!

He's all right!

MR. PERRY

Stop it! Stop it! Stop it.

Mr. Perry holds his wife and tries to comfort her.

INT. TODD'S ROOM - NIGHT

Todd is sleeping. Charlie reaches across to wake him. Tears are

running down his face.

CHARLIE

Todd? Todd.

Todd, still half asleep, tries to shrug him off.

TODD

Oh, Charlie.

Todd opens his eyes and sees Charlie's face

TODD

What is it?

Todd looks over to see Pitts, Meeks, and Knox by the door.

CHARLIE

Neil's dead.

EXT. CAMPUS - DAY

It is a snowy, overcast morning. Todd walks through the snow. He

has his coat on over his pyjamas. The other boys follow closely

behind him as he walks down towards the water. He stops and stares

out at the snow-covered surroundings.

TODD

It's so beautiful.

Todd begins to gag and then goes down on his knees, vomiting into

the snow. The other boys huddle around him, hugging him.

CHARLIE

Todd. It's okay, Todd.

PITTS

Calm down.

CHARLIE

It's all right, Todd.

PITTS

Todd, it's okay. It's okay, Todd.

CHARLIE

It's all right. It's alright.

Charlie grabs a handful of snow and wipes Todd's mouth with it.

TODD

He wouldn't-- He wouldn't have done it.

MEEKS

You can't explain it, Todd.

TODD

It was his father!

CHARLIE

No!

TODD

He wouldn't have left us. It's because he-

He wouldn't have. His dad was-- his, his

father did it.

CHARLIE

Todd.

TODD

His father killed him. He made him do it.

MEEKS

You can't explain it, Todd.

Todd pushes himself away from the boys and stumbles down the hill,

slipping and falling in the snow.

MEEKS

Todd!

CHARLIE

Leave him be.

The boys watch as Todd runs down towards the dock by the river,

yelling and crying. He finally seems to regain control of himself

and walks in silence out onto the dock.

INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY

Keating sits by himself at his desk. After a moment he gets up

and walks over to Neil's desk. Opening it, he finds his copy

of " Five Centuries of Verse" and flips through the first few pages.

Sitting down at the desk, he returns to the opening page, reading

the opening verse written there. Keating begins to sob, then closes

the book.

INT. ASSEMBLY HALL - DAY

A church service is going on. The boys have joined in the other

students in a hymn. Charlie is the only one not singing. He stares

off into nothingness.

BOYS

(singing)

All my life

Thy light shall surely follow me

And in God's house forevermore

My dwelling place shall be

Amen.

Mr. Nolan stands at the pulpit, with the rest of the professors

seated behind him.

MR. NOLAN

The death of Neil Perry is a tragedy. He

was a fine student. One of Welton's

best. And he will be missed. We've

contacted each of your parents to

explain the situation. Naturally,

they're all quite concerned. At the

request of Neil's family, I intend to

conduct a thorough inquiry into this

matter. Your complete cooperation is

expected.

INT. CLOAKROOM - DAY

The boys (except Cameron) are sitting about the cluttered room

waiting. Charlie lights a cigarette.

CHARLIE

You told him about this meeting?

PITTS

Twice.

CHARLIE

That's it, guys. We're all fried.

PITTS

How do you mean?

CHARLIE

Cameron's a fink. He's in Nolan's office

right now, finking.

PITTS

About what?

CHARLIE

The club, Pittsie. Think about it. The

board of directors, the trustees and Mr.

Nolan. Do you think for one moment

they're gonna let this thing just blow

over? Schools go down because of things

like this. They need a scapegoat.

The door opens. All the boys except Charlie hurry to put

their cigarettes out and wave the smoke away. A light comes on

and Cameron enters.

CAMERON

What's going on, guys?

CHARLIE

You finked, didn't you, Cameron?

Charlie gets up and approaches Cameron, tossing his cigarette away.

CAMERON

Finked? I didn't know what the hell

you're talking about.

CHARLIE

You told Nolan everything about the club

is what I'm talking about.

CAMERON

Look, in case you hadn't heard, Dalton,

there's something called an honor code

at this school, all right? If a teacher

asks you a question, you tell the truth

or you're expelled.

CHARLIE

You little-

Charlie lunges at Cameron but Knox and Meeks hold him back.

MEEKS

Charlie!

CHARLIE

He's a rat! He's in it up to his eyes,

so he rattled to save himself.

KNOX

Don't touch him, Charlie. You do and

you're out.

CHARLIE

I'm out anyway!

KNOX

You don't know that, not yet.

CAMERON

He's right there, Charlie. And if you

guys are smart, you will do exactly what

I did and cooperate. They're not after

us. We're the victims. Us and Neil.

CHARLIE

What's that mean? Who are they after?

CAMERON

Why, Mr. Keating, of course. The

" Captain" himself. I mean, you guys

didn't really think he could avoid

responsibility, did you?

CHARLIE

Mr. Keating responsible for Neil? Is

that what they're saying?

CAMERON

Well, who else do you think, dumb ass?

The administration? Mr. Perry? Mr.

Keating put us up to all this crap,

didn't he? If he wasn't for Mr. Keating,

Neil would be cozied up in his room

right now, studying his chemistry and

dreaming of being called doctor.

TODD

That is not true, Cameron. You know

that. He didn't put us to anything. Neil

loved acting.

CAMERON

Believe what you want, but I say let

Keating fry. I mean, why ruin our lives?

Charlie lunges at Cameron again and punches him in the face.

Cameron falls to the floor as the boys pull Charlie away. Cameron

lifts a hand to his bloody nose.

CAMERON

You just signed your expulsion papers,

Nuwanda.

Cameron rises to his feet.

CAMERON

And if the rest of you are smart, you'll