"THE STRANGER"Screenplay by Anthony Veiller(Orson Welles and John Huston uncredited) Adapted byVictor Trivas and Decla DunningStory byVictor TrivasCopyright 1946RKO Radio Radio Pictures, Inc.Shooting Script, 1946
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CHARACTERSWilson Mary Longstreet (Rankin)Dr Charles Rankin/Franz KindlerJudge Adam LongstreetNoah LongstreetKonrad MeinikeDr Jeff LawrenceMr PotterSara1FADE IN DURINGthe distant sound of a groat clock tolling the hour. On awhite field we see the twisted silhouette of a demon. CAMERAmoving down shows this to be cast from a tree from the windowoutside. The curtains, full of moonlight, are blowing in thewind. A beautiful girl is lying in bed (MARY) - her eyes areopen. She is counting the hours as the clock strikes.Something in the sound of it makes her wince with pain. Onthe sound track (filtered) breathing, like the wind itself,over the strange, light music we hear the voice of a man...MAN'S VOICE(RANKIN'S)It's beautiful... It's beautifulthat way... My favorite walk...through the cemetery, over the littlebrook... and then the woods.DISSOLVE TO:2EXT. LONGSTREET HOME - NIGHTThe terrace is bright with moonlight. Slowly the French doorsfrom the living room open and the girl comes out. She isfully dressed. She carries a small package under one arm. CAMERA follows her as she moves across the lawn and offtowards the fields and woods stretching into the distance. Agust of wind blows the door shut with a loud bang.3SCENE - OUT4EXT. THE CEMETERY - NIGHTUnhesitatingly the girl picks her way through the rows oftombstones. Again she hears, woirdly, through the faintcomplaint of the wind, a man's voice.(CONTINUED)
2.4CONTINUED:MAN'S VOICE(RANKIN'S)James Longstreet, 1896-1917. Diedfor his country. Noah Longstreet,1842-1863. Died for his country. William Longstreet, 1713-1794. Diedfor his country...Ahead of her looms the church, its rear door plainly in view.For a moment she hesitates, then continues.5INT. CHURCH - NIGHTIt is full of ghostly shadows and ominous half-tones fromthe moonlight diffused through the stained glass windows. The girl enters the empty church. She moves down the sideaisle and goes across a row of pews and goes down the centeraisle toward the open door leading into the vestibule.6INT. VESTIBULE - NIGHTThe girl, holding her package very carefully, begins to mounttoward the belfry. CAMERA stays on her as she climbs. Shecomes finally to a ladder. One of its rungs is missing. Withher free hand the girl grasps what still stands upright andcontinues on -- up into the belfry.DISSOLVE TO:7TOWN SQUARE - NEW ENGLAND - NIGHTTownspeople are gathering under the moonlight -- men andwomen alike. They carry shotguns, rakes, baseball bats - anykind of hastily gathered weapon of protection. Some are invarious stages of hasty dressing. All are moving toward thechurch.8EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT - NEW ANGLEThe townspeople are converging on the church from alldirections.9EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT - STILL ANOTHER ANGLEA piercing scream is heard.The scream is so high that it is impossible to tell whetherit was uttered by a man or woman. Dimly on the ledge belowthe clock we see, high above us, two figures apparently lockedin a death struggle. It is difficult to see much in theshadows but it looks as though these figures are,respectively, male and female. A huge gasp breathes from thecrowd below as the two figures, seeming to clutch at eachother, teeter and fall toward us through the darkness. CAMERAswoops down with this but we cannot see the figures fall to(CONTINUED)