Snow Falling on Cedars

Screenplay by Ron Bass and Scott Hicks

Based on the novel by David Guterson

May 4, 1998

NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS AND SOME "OMITTED" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR THIS SOFT COPY.

EXT. THE SUSAN MARIE, SHIP CHANNEL BANK - NIGHT

Fog.Penetrated only by sound.The LAPPING of sea at a drifting hull.Tendrils of mist part, revealing...

...a face.Strong and blond and handsome.

We watch CARL HEINE, high on the cross spar of his mast.He has pulled a SHUTTLE of TWINE from his rubber overalls, and is LASHING a LANTERN in the cloud of mist.

INT/EXT THE SUSAN MARIE'S CABIN - NIGHT

A match is struck.CARL lights the wick of a second lantern. The cabin is meticulously neat.A tin COFFEE CUP on the counter's edge.The floor clear of any clutter.Carl glances at his watch.It's 1:07.Then he hears...

...the puttering SOUND of an approaching boat...

EXT. THE SUSAN MARIE, SHIP CHANNEL BANK - NIGHT

...Carl stands on deck with his kerosene lantern and his air horn, watching as another BOAT comes slowly out of the mist. The silhouette of a FISHERMAN.As fragments of fog part, we CLOSE ON the figure's face, to see...

...his eyes.They are Asian.

VISUAL FX TRANSITION TO:

EXT. SHIP CHANNEL BANK - MORNING

An island landscape.Tilt to find our boat bobbing peacefully on placid water.

EXT. THE SUSAN MARIE - MORNING

Silhouetted against the morning sun, two figures slowly reel in the massive net onto the rotating drum.A few salmon slide across the gunnel.Hands methodically pick them out of the net and drop them into the hold.

ANGLE ON the cedar floats stretched across the water.A dark heavy shape in the net draws towards the surface.

One figure leans over to take a closer look.SHERIFF ART MORAN is thin, unimposing, methodical.Only the eyes reflect his disquiet.

Suddenly, a HAND looms from the tangled netting, stiff and grotesque.

MORAN lurches back in shock as the raveling net LIFTS from the water's surface...

...the face of Carl Heine.Turned to the sun.

Moran reels away as his young deputy, ABEL MARTINSON, turns to throw up over the gunnel behind him.

CUT TO:

INT. CORONER'S LAB - DAY

The face of HORACE WHALEY, coroner, gazing down.A shading of regret behind the professional mask.Carl's face is reflected in his glasses.A series of QUICK CUTS...

...Whaley cuts through Carl's weatherproof overalls with large scissors...

...his hand pulls the SHUTTLE of TWINE from Carl's pocket...

...examines the open, empty KNIFE SHEATH at Carl's belt...

...the right palm is turned to reveal a long cut along the mound of the thumb...

...Carl's wrist, its WATCH stopped at 1:47...Whaley removes it, notes the time, and drops it into a manila envelope...

Whaley bends over Carl's body, presses on his solar plexus, watching pink FOAM rise from Carl's mouth and nose.And then.He sees something more.His forceps gently pull back the hair from above Carl's left ear, and...

...Whaley sees something startling.He beckons Moran over.

Reluctantly Moran takes a look.A sharp intake of breath.

Whaley reaches for the instrument tray, and selects a sharp cut-throat razor.

CUT TO:

INT. CORONER'S LAB - DAY

CLOSE ON a DROP of BLOOD as it lands in SLOW MOTION on a white porcelain tray.

VISUAL FX TRANSITION TO:

EXT. SAN PIEDRO ISLAND - DAY

Snow falling on cedars.

The heavens descend softly onto our island.Exquisite, silent, hypnotic.An epic snowfall inspiring awe at our frailness against the limitless scope of nature.As CREDITS BEGIN...

TRANSITION TO:

EXT/INT ISHMAEL'S APARTMENT - DAY

Through a snow covered window we see a pensive, sombre young man in his mid-20's.This is ISHMAEL CHAMBERS, lost in thought as he pulls on his coat.We see its left sleeve pinned up at the elbow of his amputated arm.He tucks his slim satchel under it.

TRANSITION TO:

EXT. STRAWBERRY FIELDS - DAY

...undulating strawberry fields of pure white, untouched and flawless...beyond the fields, against a backdrop of cedar forest, an old PICKUP TRUCK drives carefully through the snow.

Wipers swish slowly to reveal a slender woman of refined beauty.HATSUE MIYAMOTO stares ahead at the snow-clad road, her father HISAO at the wheel beside her.

CUT TO:

EXT. AMITY HARBOR/SAN PIEDRO ISLAND FERRY - DAY

...a view through another windscreen.This time of moving WATER.In the rear-view mirror, a dapper man in his 40's grooms himself carefully.ALVIN HOOKS glances out ahead at...

EXT. AMITY HARBOR - DAY

...the wharves and boats shrouded in snow.

EXT. AMITY HARBOR - DAY

The SAN PIEDRO ISLAND ferry approaches the docks, blanketed as if by volcanic ash.Behind HOOKS' late model Chevy, the deck is crowded with people, a number of other cars, and even a bus.

CUT TO:

EXT. NELS' HOUSE - DAY

A door opens to reveal a pair of dress shoes.Old-style galoshes are pulled over them.

An OLD CAT curls around the feet as a HAND that tells of its owner's age offers it a small treat.

The TIP of an UMBRELLA taps to dislodge some snow and ice from a PLANT POT.The pot CRACKS, scattering earth on the porch.Impatiently, the feet shuffle aside the debris, and start down the steps.

The umbrella UNFURLS to reveal NELS GUDMUNDSSON.He is 79, tall and lean.A little shaky.His body is winding down.

EXT. STREET - DAY

NELS walks carefully down the street, overtaken by kids on sleds, as WHALEY heads past in the other direction.

EXT. STREET/COURTHOUSE - MORNING

A bank of powder snow.A boy falls backwards into frame. Nearby a girl does the same.They swirl their arms and legs. Laughing.Making angels...

Ishmael walks past, over the rise, the town behind him.

Ahead - a public building, cars gathering as best they can, people streaming up snow-laden steps to the entrance, and we FOLLOW...

ISHMAEL, seemingly oblivious to the crowd which jostles him, as he...

...disappears.Into the courthouse.Titles finish.

INT. COURTHOUSE CORRIDOR - DAY

Ishmael heads up the stairs, to the press balcony, away from the throng.He catches a glimpse of a woman sitting alone, out of sight of the crowd.

It's HATSUE, on a wooden bench.Her stare impassive, empty.

PULL BACK to see Ishmael standing alone, in shadow.He stares with fixed intensity at Hatsue, as she gathers her thoughts.A moment of decision.He approaches.

She turns her head only slightly.

Her voice is quiet and firm.There is no anger.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT - DAY

CLOSE on a large SHOVEL as it scoops up a load of COALS.

The coals fly off the shovel into the fierce flames of the boiler-room FURNACE.The DOOR clangs shut.

CUT TO:

INT. COURTROOM - MORNING (TRIAL DAY ONE)

A frosty WINDOW above an ancient steam RADIATOR.A HISS of steam escaping as we pull back to see...

A pair of Asian eyes.We have seen them before.KAZUO MIYAMOTO sits, ramrod straight, motionless, expressionless, as Abel unlocks his handcuffs.The eye of a storm of movement in...

...the assembling COURTROOM.A floor-level packed gallery of buzzing locals, the scent of anticipation.

NELS approaches the defense table, greeting his client Kazuo. He reaches over to shake hands with HOOKS at the prosecution bench.

The JURY BOX.Truck farmers, grocers, fishermen assemble, in sober neckties.A waitress, a secretary, fisher wives in Sunday dresses.PAN UP now to...

...a BALCONY with its bank of wooden pews, and gathering in its front row...

...REPORTERS, cosmopolitan in attire, bearing themselves as jaded dignitaries from the civilized world.Behind them, Ishmael makes his way to a seat.As we PAN their ranks...

Snatches of conversation...

REPORTER #1 How 'bout that jury?What a bunch of yokels.Must make a good ten grand a year.Between 'em.

He laughs.

Ishmael, jots on a pad balanced precariously on his knee, until...

...it falls with a CLATTER of pages.He reaches with his right hand, replaces the pad on his thigh.Ishmael looks down through the balustrades to see...

...Hatsue, entering the courtroom.

The Reporters lean forward to ogle at her.A frisson of interest runs through the assembled crowd.

Ishmael watches HATSUE take her place in the first row of the floor-level gallery.And sensing her presence, Kazuo turns. Their eyes meet.Husband and wife.

Back in the balcony...

REPORTER #1 Have you seen this rag?The guy writes like this trial is the biggest thing that ever happened.You tell me why this is news down in Seattle.

Shows the next guy his newspaper.It's the SAN PIEDRO ISLAND REVIEW.Our ANGLE includes Ishmael, listening.

REPORTER #2 Because he's a Jap.Simple as that.

On this, Ishmael gets up, and moves away.

People rise.Ishmael stands, looking down from the balcony.

CUT TO:

INT/EXT WAREHOUSE/DOCKS - DAY

ANGLE FROM ANOTHER BALCONY:

Ishmael walking through a net warehouse towards the wharf. Purpose in his stride.Up ahead, the Susan Marie is at dock. Moran stands with half a dozen FISHERMEN.

As he arrives, Moran smiles a thin greeting.Not happy to see him.Nor is anyone else.

WILLIAM GJOVAAG, a sunburned gill-netter, grunts to Moran.

There is a pause.

Moran finds his eyes drifting to Ishmael's.Which are right there, waiting.Moran looks away.

EXT. WAREHOUSE/DOCKS - DAY

Ishmael and Moran, walking alone.

No answer.They keep walking.

Ishmael stops.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

Our courtroom silent now, respectful.Court is in session. PAN the back of the courtroom.Twenty-four citizens of Japanese ancestry fill the last row, dressed in their most formal clothes.As one, the Japanese-Americans watch...

...the prosecutor, ALVIN HOOKS.There is a quickness about the eyes, a tendency to sharpness of manner, that he works carefully against...

JUDGE FIELDING, tall and gray, leans on his elbows.His eyelids droop slightly, a deceptive masking of keen attention.

The witness is Sheriff Moran.

Ishmael watching.Thinking on that.

EXT. LAUNCH, SHIP CHANNEL BANK - DAY

Moran's hand on the throttle, powering his launch towards the 'Susan Marie', becalmed in the channel.

EXT. THE SUSAN MARIE - DAY