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Blackthorne
Cinemagenic Seventy-Two
UNBROKEN
“You are the road--show me the way. Light up my
day; no more tears, for I am unbroken.”
--Darren Styles.
1(sound cue) six-string blues slide & French horns.
2(overhead drone shot) the Bronson auction barn
corral, an Appaloosa in the middle kicking up a fuss,
with the rails full of spectators, necks jutted forward
like anxious crows.
3(sound cue) heavy hoofs, stallion screams, sax riff.
4(drone in wide shot, descending)
5(sound cue) bullwhip crack and crowd noise.
6(close-up) Chatawa’s angry eyes.
7(cut to medium wide shot) the stallion on his hind
legs, hopping and snorting, neighing like it was in
the middle of a buffalo stampede, slicing the dusty
air with its front legs. There were two ropes around
his neck, one lashed to a breaking post, and the
other was being dragged around in the dust. One of
Bronson’s hands, a grizzled wrangler, stood behind
the post, the rope around his wrist and waist. A
younger cowboy jumped down into the sawdust and
swept up the end of the loose rope.
8(sound cue) snare drum and coronet.
9(medium close-up) the Appaloosa leaped forward
and the young cowpoke was almost jerked off his feet.
In retribution, the old wrangler lashed his rope even
tighter.
10(medium wide shot) Cash & Thor Bronson were on
the rails near the gate. The auction foreman, Graff,
and Paul Bronson were on the rails to the other side
of the gate.
11(two shot) Cash and the wrangler; Cash yelled out
across the noisy corral: Ryker!
12(close up) Cash: I want that jughead broken today!
I want a women to be able to ride him by sundown.
13(sound cue) crowd laughter & cajoling over clarinet.
14(wide shot) Ryker ordered the youngster to lash his
rope to a second post, and to get a horse blanket. He
rapidly did so, and stood waiting for more instructions.
15(close up) Graff’s red flabby face: Come on, Ryker,
get on that damned plug and show him who’s boss!
16(sound cue) piano & harmonica.
17(medium wide shot) the wrangler told the youngster
to hang on to the breaking rope, taking up the slack,
while he took the horse blanket and walked toward the
stallion.
18(close-up) Chatawa watching him warily.
19(medium close up) Ryker: Easy, big fellow, easy.
20(two-shot) Ryker kept up his soothing banter as he
approached the flecked stud. Chatawa arched his
neck, bobbed his head, and stamped the ground with
a front hoof. The wrangler got within two feet of the
stallion, and stopped.
21(sound cue) harmonica huffing.
22(overhead crane shot) Neither one moved. There
was a long frozen moment while they stared at each
other.
23(two-shot) Ryker reached out to stroke the horse’s
neck. The flesh on the stallion’s neck quivered, as he
pulled his head back.
24(sound cue) French horn, saxophone & coronet
bleating in harmony.
25(wider shot) the stallion leaped forward, pulling
the young cowboy to his knees, raised up on hind
legs again, pawing the air with lethal hooves, backing
Ryker half way across the pen.
26(sound cue) crowd response, cursing & catcalling.
27(medium close-up) Ryker: You damned blockhead!
No more bullshit! It’s time to knock some of craziness
out of you! --his voice an angry growl.
28(two-shot) He whirled around to a sawhorse near
him, and grabbed a short bull whip with multiple tails.
29(sound cue) If you use it on him, I will use it on you!
some one yelled.
30(wide shot) Everyone turned. Johnny Eagle
straddled the gate, watching Ryker like a hawk watches
a rodent. Buck stood just behind him, his big hands on
the gate.
Glenn Buttkus
Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub OLN
12 comments:
You can smell the testosterone here. Palpable. Powerful imagery.
What a scene and the level of detail is such that I can visualize it beautifully..plus all those instruments!!
I love the scenes with horses, Glenn!
This is a great scene Glenn.. that end make me wish that two weeks have passed so I can read the next installment. I have a feeling that there is the stallion will never be whipped to obedience.
Ah yes.i forgot you started this one. I was remembering back to the one in the car.
Nice. A feast for the senses. Your sound effects and music choices always get me.
When my FIL passed away i only reAD westerns for like a year and a half in remembrance of him.
Good stuff GB.
Thanks for bringing the auction noise, horses and conversations to life with music background Glenn ~ Who is the boss really, ha ~
Smiling wide here! I do enjoy reading these scenes. I think it would be wise not to raise that whip or retaliation will be felt. Thanks for posting ;)
A real movie in my head... how did you do that ? Excellent :)
X-man--wow, my first foray into this form was over 5 years ago, called THE RIDE; impressed you remembered it! It was from a short story, only 12 episodes. I am working on page 90 of a 350 page novel with BLACKTHORNE--OVER SEVERAL YEARS NOW; UP TO EPISODE 72.
It looks like a confrontation is coming. I wonder how long it takes to tame a horse.
Love it! Brilliant, as always, Glenn!
Such visceral imagery, Glenn. Fantastic writing.
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