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Blackthorne
Cinemagenic Fifty-Six
Confrontation
“Confront a corpse at least once. The absolute absence
of life is the most disturbing confrontation you will ever
have.” --David Bowie
1(sound cue) French horn & Indian branch flute.
2(medium close-up) Bronson, still sitting up on his
ornate saddle: I see. Well then, big fellow, if that’s the
straight of it, who might you be?
3(two--shot) over Bronson’s shoulder. Buck: The name
is Buck.
4(close-up) A small look of recognition crossed Bronson’s
face at the mention of Buck.
5(sound cue) acoustic guitar chord.
6(close-up) Buck: Rod Buck--I used to live around here
when I was a kid, before you took up residence. I’m told
my ranch is that place you’ve trying to buy--Antlered Buck.
I came home to fix the place up & raise some horses.
7(two-shot) over Buck’s shoulder. Bronson: Alright then,
you’re the man, and Johnny’s just a hired hand??
8(close-up) Buck: I’d say he’s a lot more than that.
9(close-up) Bronson: Understood--but tell me, were you
figuring on building your herd by starting with some of
my horses?
10(crane shot) up behind Johnny & Buck, angle on the
five intruders, four standing next to their horses, with
Bronson still mounted on his golden steed.
11(reverse crane shot) up & behind the five men facing
Buck & the Eagle and the big black growling dog.
12(medium close-up) Thor, his voice a little high pitched:
So, Honcho, what’s the play?
13(sound cue) piano & snare drum brushing.
14(two-shot) over Thor’s shoulder, Johnny, still calmly
infuriated: This is total bullshit, and you all know it. There
are no brands on any of these strays.
15(three-shot) over Johnny’s shoulder, angle on Thor and
Bronson. Bronson: It’s a sad fact that I’ve got legal claim to
any stray grazing on my dirt--certainly a hell of a lot more
than a couple pokes riding over it.
16(medium close-up) Buck: Can you prove to us that this
land belongs to you? I mean we saw no markers or fences,
nothing to convince us this is not open range.
17(voice-over) angle on Buck’s face. Bronson:
Let’s just say I prefer it that way.
18(tight close-up) Bronson: But anytime you
want to light a shuck over to Silver City, our
county seat, you can verify my claim.
19(sound cue) blues guitar slide & saxophone.
20(two-shot) Buck & Johnny, with Buck chewing
his lower lip his eyes on Thor.
21(medium wide shot) The three wranglers, their
hands free, hovering over their pistols, and Thor
with his fingers cramping, more than ready to whip
out his .38 and shake lead in all directions.
22(sound cue) a raucous cacophony of sudden
overlapping gunshots.
23(medium wide overhead drone shot) Note:
probable flash-forward-- Thor’s right hand was a
blur as he drew his Lightning Colt .38, as two of the
hired hands drew their Colt .45’s and the younger
one drew his Navy Colt .36, as Bronson drew his
fancy Smith & Wessen .38 --countered by Buck’s
right hand filling with his Colt Thunderer .41 and
his left hand drew his sawed-off shot gun, as
Johnny’s throwing knife was mid-air headed for
Thor, soon followed by the deep crack of his
Winchester .30-.30.
24(jump-cuts) Buck and the Eagle are wounded
three times each. Bronson is gut-shot, Thor has
been shot in the face & has a knife buried in his
chest, two of the wranglers are slain, one head
shot, one heart-shot, and the youngest hand is
still standing, unscathed and shocked.
25(sound cue) the crackle & echo of 20 gunshots
executed in ten seconds, thundering across the
empty landscape.
26(two-shot) the actual present moment, Buck:
So what of you think, Johnny?
27(close-up) the Eagle: I say no fucking way!
Chatawa is ours. If it killing they want, they have
stirred up the right rattlesnake nest.
28(close-up) Bronson: So it seems to me, Mr. Buck.
it’s up to you.
Glenn Buttkus
Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub OLN
12 comments:
Good to see you back Glenn. You have been missed.
Oh I have been in suspense how this confrontation will end, and you leave us with yet more suspense... the possibilities are still open. Wonder if there truly is a claim on that land.
Well, at least no one can claim it was a 'shoot first and ask later' situation. But I am wondering at the flash-forward: sounds very interesting - so you are anticipating in slow motion what happens next? Is that what it is? Forgive my ignorance...
Ah, I have missed reading the Black-throne series :D an excellent new addition, Glenn
Stirring up the rattlesnake nest is right ~ That flash forward scenes seem disastrous (maybe dreamlike scenario) ~ Thanks for joining in Glenn ~
My idea ( a bit far out) for the "probable flash forward" scene is a mental projection in all of their minds of what will/might/could occur in the next few seconds. It may or may not happen in the future--a bit artsy, I admit, but then this whole poetic form breaks new ground. For whatever reason, there seems to be no one else out there writing in Cinemagenic, or any similar form. All I can tell you is that it requires quadruple more time to create than most poetry.
It seems you had to be made of steel, constantly proving what you own and protecting it. I would have never slept! Looking forward to the next installment-
Nice setup for the confrontation.
Lovely share!
I have never heard of cinemagenic but I completely believe that it takes quadruple more time to create than most poetry. It seems very complex!
You have a real knack for the Western! I'll admit to never hearig of cinemagenic either -- shall google it. But I do love Buck....always leave us wondering what's next. I think you should work with someone who does portraits and give them your writing and have them paint Buck! :) Do you remember the Marlboro man in the days of all the cigarette commercials on tv? That's kind of how I imagine him! Very very rugged.
C.C. & Lillian: Years ago I created the "Cinemagenic" poetic form. There are a couple poets out there who have tried to marry poetry & cinema--but they did not have the particular chops to make it work as a fully realized form. I wrote BLACKTHORNE as a novel ion 1968--never published it--so it is the guideline for this new saga. Lillian, in 1973, for my birthday, my grandfather, who was an artist, made me a large painting of Rod Buck on his stallion, carrying his Sharps buffalo rifle, with his black dog running alongside him. There is a white buffalo high above him on a knoll to the right, and a majestic bald eagle swooping down from the left. It hangs in my living room. So BLACKTHORNE is a 50-year love affair so far.
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