Original Script for Noon Day Daemon
By Charles Bolton
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SF URBAN PARK-LATE AFTERNOON
FADE IN:
OVERVIEW OF URBAN PARK:
Wide Aerial shot of San Francisco SOMA neighborhood. Zoom in on Sam sitting on a park bench. He sits erect with a military bearing.
In the foreground there is a basketball court. Sound of dribbling basketball and ball hitting the back board. There are always people playing pickup games on the court. To the side and behind the Basket Ball Court are park benches. The sitting area is divided among various groups. Towards the park fence, the homeless and SRO tenants hang out on the benches and talk or eat and drink. On the left side of the park is a children's playground. Parents sit near the playground to watch their kids.
Sam, a tall man, sits on a park bench in the center of the park where he can see what is going on. He is in good physical condition and sits in an erect position.
Two Police Officers enter the park. One a tall black man and the other, a stocky White man.
OFFICER #1:
Hello, Sam
SAM:
How you doing today, Officer.
OFFICER #1:
Pretty good. Sam, I want you to meet my new partner, Oscar.
Sam nods to Officer Oscar
OFFICER 1:
Sam is a regular, he is here almost every day.
SAM:
Well it beats sitting in a dark hotel lobby all day, watching TV.
DISSOLVE
SRO Lobby. Dark with flickering TV screens. Dim shapes of men sleeping and watching TV.
FADE OUT
OSCAR: (Officer #2)
See you later, Sam.
POLICE OFFICERS walk over to the section of the park where homeless are rolling out their bedrolls for the night and begin checking IDs.
OFFICER 1: (TO HOMELESS GUY 1).
You got ID?
HOMELESS GUY 1:
No my wallet was stolen several nights ago ...where were you guys when I needed you.
OFFICER 1:
Sorry about that. But you will have to get an ID.
HOMELESS GUY 1:
All I want is a safe place to sleep for the night.
OFFICER #1:
You have to get an ID. The parents are worried about their kids playing in the park and
being molested. Go up to Homeless Connect on Ellis street and get a new ID.
HOMELESS GUY 1:
Where were you guys when I waz being robbed? So where am I going to sleep tonight?
OFFICERS move on to checking other new homeless men. Homeless guy 1 wraps up bedroll and backpack and walks out of the park.
The Camera Slowly pushes in on Sam. The Camera starts with a wide shot showing Sam sitting on the park bench. Camera zooms slowly in on Sam's face.
The Camera continues to push in on Sam's face. A brief flash (.5 sec). Then Sam's Face (1sec). A longer flash and picture of bombs exploding on a village from the air. The intercut rate accelerates between Sam's Face and the Bombs. We hear the sounds and laughter of the kids playing in the park playground. At the end of the sequence we see the kids playing intercut with exploding bombs on the village. Towards the end of the sequence, the sounds of the American kids playing are faded down and we hear Vietnamese kids playing and laughing fading up. Tight closeup of Sam's face and tears rolling down his cheeks.
SHOT OF BEAUTIFUL VIETNAMESE VILLAGE.
Camera cuts to shot of a finger pointing to a location on a military map. Dissolve to hand cranking radio generator. Shot of field radio.
RADIO Operator:
The VC Bunker Complex is at coordinates 1048Charlie/ 5796Bravo.
Recommend carpet bombing area to destroy tunnels and entrances. Over.
RADIO VOICE:
Copy that Lone Ranger.
The finger pulls back from the map and the map goes to soft focus.
Dissolve to black ominous B52 bombers against a blue sky.
Cut to Interior shot of Pilots flying plane.
Cut to Interior shot looking down into Bomb Bays as bombs begin to fall.
Cut to sticks of bombs falling from a B52.
Cut to progression of explosions across the village from above.
CAMERA IS ON SAM - CLOSE UP.
Sam's face is contorted into a Mask of Pain. Tears roll down his face.
CHIEF FLYING HORSE:
Sam, man are you ok?
Camera pans up and we see Chief Flying Horse looking down at Sam. Concern on his face.
CHIEF:
You all right man? You having a flash back attack? You ok?
Camera frames both the Chief and Sam in a Silhouette against the late afternoon Sun. The Chief has his hand on Sam's shoulder.
SAM
I am OK. Thanks, man, for looking out for me.
: CHIEF
You ever think about going to “Swords to Plowshares” and talking about your
nightmares. That war was a long time ago, Sam.
SAM:
Won’t do any good. They can’t understand. Chief, I did a terrible thing that day,
I called in an air strike on that village. That is bad Karma.
We killed everyone in the village. even little kids and babies, Chief.
Sound of shouting. Chief and Sam look up to see the two police officers in a confrontation with a homeless man.
OFFICER 1.
You have been arrested for priors. You are a registered Sex Offender.
Under the law you cannot be within 100 yards of a kid’s playground.
Officer looking at handheld computer.
HOMELESS MAN:
How was I supposed to know. I just got here.
I was just looking for a safe place to sleep.
OFFICER OSCAR, (ON HIS RADIO):
We need transport at BVD park on Folsom.
OFFICER 1:
On your knees and put your hands behind your back.
HOMELESS MAN:
Fuck you. I an’t doing your shit. Fuck you.
Oscar and the tall black officer, force the homeless man’s arms behind his back and Officer 1 puts on the cuffs. Mothers in the park stare at the unfolding confrontation and look concerned. Several parents get their children and leave the park.
One mother comes over from the group and speaks to the police officers.
MOTHER:
Thank you, officer, we appreciate your efforts to protect our children.
HOMELESS MAN:
Fuck you, bitch.
Sirens in the distance as Police Wagon comes to pick up the homeless molester.
SAM:
Chief, I am worse than that man. I am a Baby Killer.
Trained by the US Government. And nobody knows. And I did it
and felt nothing.
POV: CHIEF FLYING HORSE
SAM:
October 15, I will never forget that day. Friendly fire they called it.
Someone made a mistake and dropped that shit on us...Napalm.
I lost 24 of my best friends that day. Only 6 of us made it out.
DISSOLVE TO OAKLAND DISCHARGE CENTER.
Camera zooms in on a large sign saying Oakland Discharge Center Exit. We hear chanting “ Baby Killer” and shouting of anti Vietnam slogans. We see shadows of people marching and protesting through the doors. We see a hand holding a hammer and a chisel carving the words BABY KILLER into SAM's tombstone.
FADE OUT.
EXT. PARK. TWO DAYS LATER
FADE IN.
A little Asian girl from the playground brings Sam a flower and smiles.
Girl’s mother is busy talking to another young mother. She looks up and sees her daughter talking to Sam. Mother frowns and moves quickly towards the daughter. The daughter looks over and sees her mother and mouths “NO”.
Camera zooms in on Sam’s face. We see the beginning of a smile as a tear rolls down his cheek.
LITTLE VIETNAMESE GIRL:
Please Mister, do'nt be sad.
And then the little girl turns and runs to her mother.
We sound of hammer hitting chisel on stone fade into the little girl’s laughter.
EXT 3 DAYS LATER EARLY MORNING
Sam is walking up the stairs to the San Francisco public library.
Sam sits in front of a computer typing the words to this story.
I was 18 when they sent me to Viet Nam. They sent me to Kill…..
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Video as shot and edited: https://youtu.be/akq0uZLSgL8
The original script was shortened because there were too many actors required.
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