Monday, February 17, 2014

Blackthorne--Scene Twenty-Three



image borrowed from bing


Blackthorne

Cinemagenic Twenty-Three

Errands

“You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish
yourself if you forget the errand.”--Woodrow T. Wilson.

1(medium reverse shot) Buck crossing the wide dusty street,
the black dog trotting in his shadow.
2(sound cue) guitar & muted coronet.
3(wide shot) the sun is approaching late morning, and it is
brightly baking the buildings; steam is rolling off horse troughs.
4(medium wide shot) Buck stops in front of Wallace’s Store,
putting his hands on his hips.
5(traveling steadicam-shot) through one of the windows--
the store was full of thin raw-boned women in washed-out
calico dresses, wearing plain cotton bonnets, with pods
of their children in over-sized hand-me-down clothes standing
& eying fat jars of tall peppermint sticks, colorful gum drops,
and thick bars of chocolate in dark wrappers.
6(sound cue) banjo strumming & harp plucking.
7(medium close up) Buck shaking his head & smiling, then
patting his big red roan on the neck, 
8(close-up) the roan bobbing its head.
9(close-up) the man smoothing & petting its silken coat, as
the skin shivered some under his gentle touch.
10(medium close-up) the empty saddle, with no sack of
provisions hanging from its pommel.
11(three-shot) the hunter, his horse & dog:
--Buck: well fellas, no vittles yet, so this might be a good
time for me to scrape my face & chop my mane.
12(close-up) Buck scratches behind the dog’s large ears.
13(sound cues) dog softly whining, the horse stamping its
back hoof, flies buzzing over a saloon piano in background.
14(medium close-up) Buck pushing his hat back, stroking his
beard, and staring across the street at the CHINA DOLL.
15(medium wide shot) the front of the saloon, with a lot of
commotion going on inside, with two porch riders, the fat man
& the beanpole, standing watch from their bench.
16(sound cue) soft six-string guitar chords & harmonica.
17(medium close-up) angle on Buck, pulling his hat back down,
his blue eyes in shadow.
18(traveling crane shot) panning the side of the street Buck
was on; the Barber Shop was a couple of blocks down, next
to the tiny Mexican cantina.
19(sound cue) Spanish guitar.
20(medium shot) Buck’s POV, angle on his back
as the porch loafers are now on their feet.
--Buck: fuck it.
21(medium close-up) He jerks out the long-barreled
Sharps from its buffalo hide boot, its sixteen lethal
pounds felt good in his calloused hands. He loosened
the thumb screw at the base of the open sight, & reset
the aperture disc for under a 100 yards; then he put
the rifle to his shoulder and sighted at the two men.
22(zoom into medium close-up) the two loafers on the
saloon porch quickly sitting back down, then shifting
their gaze to a checkerboard set up on a pickle barrel
between them. 
23(close up) Buck’s face, eyes still in shadow:
--that’s it, assholes, pretend you didn’t notice.
24(sound cue) violin & piano.
25(shift to medium wide-shot) the hunter begins walking
toward the Barber Shop, staying out in the street, with
the black dog behind him; a freight wagon moves past
him pulled by a team of chestnut geldings, then a fancy
buggy with a young couple in it, the man wearing a green
suit & matching bowler hat, & several cowpokes with gray-
white dust on their leather chaps & boots.
26(crane shot) slow pan as Buck walks--several people
passing him from up on the boardwalk, but no one
acknowledging him. One young girl pointed at him, but
her mother grabbed her hand & hurried on. No one
asked him if he needed aid, advice, or directions. 
27(hold the traveling shot) as it reveals an alley between
the blocks, and we see two Mexican whores sitting on
boxes & pallets, wearing bright colored blouses and flowing
pleated skirts, smoking long brown cigarettes, and petting
a collie.
28(medium close-up) one of the prostitutes waves at Buck,
blowing blue smoke-ring kisses from her smiling red lips.
29(sound cue) castanets & accordion.
30(medium close-up) Cheewa touching noses with the female
collie, her head & tail down & motionless.
31(return to medium wide-shot) Buck stopping in front of Barnes'
Barber Shop, its thick barber pole freshly painted red & white,
the false front white-washed, the twin windows trimmed in red.
32(medium close-up) Buck opens the front door. 
33(reverse shot) the door swinging open with Buck 
entering the shop.
34(sound cue) two cow bells clanging.
35(two-shot) over Buck’s shoulder, the barber looking
up from reading a newspaper, then quickly rising from
one of his two swivel barber chairs.
36(close-up) Barber:  Wheeeehew! what is that
wonderful smell?
37(close-up) Buck: buffalo blood, beer, & pussy.
38(close-up) Barber: thanks for sharing. 


Glenn Buttkus

Posted over on dVerse Poets OLN133

Would you like to her the author read this Cinemagenic poem to you?

13 comments:

Brian Miller said...

ha. its a dangerous game he plays...poking the fire....might as well get pretty before it all goes down...ha...he's got the attitude.

Grace said...

I am smiling at the ending response to the barber, but the guy got grit & bravado ~

Interesting chapter Glenn, I can image the western scenario very clearly ~

brudberg said...

I think he enjoy being a walking target... love the end.. I would not sit myself with a sharp razor to my neck in a city like this.

Claudia said...

ha - player nature - i wonder how long he manages to stays alive - love all the details glenn - wondering if it would be easier to read if you had stanza breaks every once and a while..just a thought

Mary said...

Hmmm, well it seems those Mexican whores are quite familiar with Buck. Somehow I think his reputation is well known!

Gabriella said...

I have the feeling something nasty is brewing here! It seems that men enjoy a close shave before momentous moments in their lives.

Anonymous said...

what they said above me :)

great quote.

wondering if "the Buck stops here" is coming... :) ~

Alex Dissing said...

I always look forward to reading/seeing your scenes, Glenn.

Beachanny said...

Oh Glenn - I might have to write a poem about how you're a right Ragtime Cowboy Joe.

Anonymous said...

Whoa! Well, you certainly know how to get one's attention--especially there at the end! k.

mrs mediocrity said...

Buck is quite the man in a man's man world... Such vivid pictures you paint, love your descriptions, you really make it all so easy to picture... This one was especially colorful ;-)

kaykuala said...

Buck is quite a guy. It's not easy or one might end up an easy meat with the bawdy ones there. Your treatment in the format is unique. Brilliant shot Glenn!

Hank

Mystic_Mom said...

FINALLY it lets me comment! Sheesh...like reloading shotgun shells one pellet at a time.

Great piece and what a close my friend. These should be in serial form for a magazine!