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Cathy's Not Come Home

Screenplay Version

Section Six

(Final Section)

First Draft

1. The Army Camp. Ext. Night

It is the night of the eviction.

SQUATTERS, POLICE, SECURICOR, JOURNALISTS, SYMPATHISERS and REGIONAL NEWS TEAM are present.

The event is gaining media publicity. Lighting is from the lights of the regional television news team, the very bright torches of the police, not used all the time, possibly headlights of security vehicle, and for some of the interior scenes, candles or oil lamps of the squatters.

(NOTE: The area squatted, as will be clear from previous scenes, is the officers' section of camp, a series of pleasant fifties bungalows with central green.)

The HIGH SHERIFF is seen in head and shoulders shot reading from a piece of paper lit by a powerful torch held by a POLICE OFFICER over his shoulder. He is a distinguished looking man in his fifties or sixties, neatly turned out, wearing a smart grey suit, striped shirt, and the old boys' tie of a minor public school.

There is rather straggly chanting by a SQUATTER of "We shall not be -" We see the singing faces of two CHILDREN joining in, quite enjoying it. "We shall not be -" And the faces of scruffily dressed SYMPATHISERS. "We shall not be moved."

SYMPATHISER:(In anorak which covers most of his face) Seig Heil! Seig Heil! (He makes the gesture)

SECURITY MEN shamble past, slipping in the mud. They wear construction worker type very old clothes, but are trying to march in step since some were in the army.

SECURITY MAN:Come on, lads, try to smarten it up a bit.

They carry jemmies, axes, crowbars, etc. Chaotic feeling, sound of a baby or two crying, people pushing past between us and what we're seeing.

HIGH SHERIFF:Take notice that, under an order granted in the Civil Courts dated November 10, 1992 -

SENIOR POLICE Now come along, you lot. Listen to what the

OFFICER: High Sheriff is saying to you.

HIGH SHERIFF:You are required to vacate the premises known as Loughborough Camp forthwith by the time of 6 p.m. on November 17, 1992.

S POLICE OFFICER:Now come along, show some respect for the High Sheriff of this county.

SYMPATHISER Seig Heil! Seig Heil!

IN ANORAK:

HIGH SHERIFF:I am requesting you to vacate the premises peacefully, but in the event of premises not being vacated by the time mentioned -

His voice is drowned in a new song:

SYMPATHISERS:(sing) Give me my bow of burning gold, give me my arrows of desire, (etc.)

A scuffle has broken out between a SQUATTER and a NATIONAL FRONT SUPPORTER.

POLICE OFFICER:Now come along, break it up lads.

A SQUATTER drives past, skidding in the mud, in an ancient pickup truck. HIGH SHERIFF and OTHERS have to jump out of the way.

YOUNG FEMALE Haven't you got any heart? I've got two babies

SQUATTER: in there. They're crying.

SECURITY:Couldn't care less, mate. I'm only doing my job.

2.Optional Montage Sequence. Ext. and Int., Various Camp Squats. Night

SECURITY MEN forcing open doors with jemmies, smashing windows, in one case where windows have been boarded up, they are tearing tiles off the roof.

3.Joey's Squatted Bungalow. Int. Night

(NOTE: We have not as yet chosen the name of our protagonist so this is a provisional name. The room, as we will have seen in earlier scenes, is fairly empty, but there are a couple of 'New Age' posters stuck to the wall, and a simple table with one proper chair and two or three milk bottle plastic containers as seats.)

There is an oil lamp on the table and the sounds from outside come fainter here. JOEY sits holding her BABY and also there is HELEN and her two CHILDREN. They are holding hands round the table. There is the crash of glass at the back. JOEY shines a torch revealing two SECURITY MEN climbing in through the window.

JOEY:You didn't need to do that! The door was open.

SECURITY I:Come on, Darling.

He picks her up. The BABY starts crying. He carries her out. Behind them SECURITY II half carries, half pushes, HELEN out, still holding on to the hands of her CHILDREN.

4. The Army Camp. Ext. Night

We see them emerge. The television crew lights come on. Cries of 'shame'. 'Jerusalem' still heard sporadically in the background.

UPPER CRUST Aren't you ashamed of what you're doing?

WOMAN:

TV NEWS TEAM DIRECTOR taps TV LIGHTS MAN on the shoulder.

TVNT DIRECTOR:Quick, the High Sheriff.

The LIGHTS MAN redirects lights at HIGH SHERIFF.

TV INTERVIEWER:Hugh Mannersley, you are the High Sheriff of this county, how do you feel about what's going on here?

HIGH SHERIFF:Perfectly reasonable. They've had a full week's notice. Now if you'll ...

He walks out of shot. The land is getting very muddy and there's a slight drizzle.

Everyone, including the High Sheriff, are staggering about in the mud, jerkily, like people with St Vitus dance or marionettes.

DIRECTOR:(To his crew) Now the blonde.

The lights are redirected at JOEY and HELEN. The SECURITY OFFICER has put her down in the slippery mud but holds on to her arm.

JOEY:It's alright. You can let go now.

Sounds of crashes and screams in the background.

INTERVIEWER:(approaching JOEY) We wondered if you'd be so good as to say a few words for television.

JOEY:I'll say a few words.

DIRECTOR:(to his team) Come along. (The team move closer in to JOEY)

Three evicted squatters pass between them - MAN, WOMAN and CHILD, carrying heavy luggage. WOMAN slips, SECURITY steps in to help.

SQUATTER I:Take your hands off my wife, mate!

SECURITY:I was only trying to help her because she was slipping.

When they have passed:

INTERVIEWER:Now, the authorities have made the point that while you have been squatting it this place has deteriorated and got into a considerable mess.

JOEY:Mess - it's the bailiffs who have made the mess. We've been tidying up. We've mended windows. Look at them. We mended all those windows!

INTERVIEWER:They also allege the children are unwashed and dirty.

JOEY:Dirty - who cut off the water? Have you ever tried to wash a child without water? It's easy for the people in houses with water not to be dirty. Look at you. You're beautiful aren't you? Look at you in your poncy suit. Typical man! Yes, we're dirty because we're unwashed. We're not dirty because we're ugly. We're dirty because poverty and homelessness and waterlessness has made us dirty.

INTERVIEWER:The smells are not very savoury.

JOEY:Flush my toilet for me. Piss in my toilet, you creep!

She pushes the interviewer into the mud.

DIRECTOR:(to Cameraman): Are you still running?

CAMERAMAN:You bet! Wouldn't miss this.

The interviewer is struggling, rather theatrically, out of the mud and Joey is thrilled yet appalled at what she's done, while other squatters try to restrain her and others are in fits of laughter.

INTERVIEWER:I was merely quoting the relevant Authority. Now, from your point of view, is there anything you'd like to say to the many people who are highly sympathetic to your suffering.

JOEY:Occupy the houses. Occupy the empty houses!

HER TWO CHILDREN:Mum! Mum!

The television lights swing to reveal Joey's two CHILDREN, who she hasn't seen for some months, running towards her. They are breaking away from the UNCOUTH HIPPY COUPLE who presumably brought them.

JOEY:Kylie! Lindie!

She embraces them. Tears are raining down her face.

JOEY:Oh, Kylie and Lindie. It's so good to see you.

KYLIE:Mum, where've you been? We were trying to find you!

We see LINDIE holding hard onto JOEY's sweater, saying nothing.

DIRECTOR:(to his team) Come on.

The lights switch off. They go in search of someone fresh to interview.

JOEY:Come in and get warm.

She moves towards the bungalow, then sees a policeman standing in front of it.

UNCOUTH HIPPY:Well, our job's over. We got them back to you. We heard you were here. Looks like we were only just in time since you're leaving.

He's perhaps hoping for thanks but JOEY is too involved to even notice him. JOEY veers away from the bungalow and heads away from the crowds and towards the exit.

UNCOUTH HIPPY:(running after them) Here, take this. We bought it for her. (It is a coat for Kylie)

The camera pulls back and we become aware in the moonlight of the huge hills (or desolate countryside) that lie beyond the camp.

5.Army Camp Exit. Ext. Night

Distantly we hear the sounds of the eviction behind us. Our last sight of JOEY, KYLIE, LINDIE and the BABY, the BABY in her arms and the CHILDREN hanging on to her. As they walk towards us it is the romantic image of a mother and her three children on an outing. The baby is silent. The two children are fantastically happy. The mother is weeping because she knows they are bound for nowhere.

Credits over this

They walk past us and we turn to follow them as they walk out of the film.

THE END

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