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ALL SCRIPTS


A DRY WHITE SEASON

       Rewrite by
      EUZHAN PALCY



         May 1987
   Revised First Draft




   FOR EDUCATIONAL
    PURPOSES ONLY

"IN THE WHOLE WORLD
THERE IS NOT A SINGLE
POOR DEVIL WHO IS LYNCHED,
NOT ONE MISERABLE MAN
WHO IS TORTURED IN WHOM
I TOO, I AM NOT MURDERED
AND DEGRADED."

      Aime Cesaire

PRE-TITLE:

FADE IN:
EXT. DAN PIENAAR SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR BOYS - DAY

Dan Pienaar school is a typical Johannesburg Afrikaan
school. The students are mainly from middle-class
families. School athletics are in progress. The stu-
dents, in their smart school uniforms, are cheering
enthusiastically a relay race on the immaculately-kept
sports ground.
GORDON NGUBENE, a 47-years-old African laborer is work-
ing in the school garden. A few feet away is his 15-
years-old son JONATHAN leaning against a wall watching
the games.
BEN DU TOIT, a 50-year-old Afrikaaner history teacher, is
enthusiastically cheering his son JOHAN, a 15-years-old,
who is leading neck-and-neck with another boy in the last
leg of the race. The excitement increases as they
approach the tape. Ben is beside himself, egging his son
with shouts. The young teacher, VIVIERS, standing next
to Ben, is shouting "come on Johan," and slapping the
father on the back.
Johan breasts the tape just ahead of the other boy. The
ground is invaded by boys running to congratulate Johan.
Ben hurries towards his happy but exhausted son; the proud
father pushing his way through the animated boys. As he
reaches Johan he pats him on the back.
                           BEN
             This was your best race.
                           JOHAN
                    (excited)
             I beat him, Papa.

                           BEN
                    (proudly)
             You did son. Come on, shower.

They walk happily towards the school buildings in conver-
sation, Johan being slapped on the back by friends. Ben
stops to talk to Gordon who jumps to his feet.

                         BEN
           I'll be expecting you. There
           isn't much to do, only weeding
           the marigolds and watering the
           lawn and flowers.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         2.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON
             We'll be there, Mr. Ben'sir,
             Jonathan come to help me.
Ben hadn't seen Jonathan.    He turns to him.

                           BEN
             And how's the algebra?   Still
             giving you trouble?
                           JONATHAN
                    (with respect)
             Just a little, Mr. Ben'sir.
                          JOHAN
             Me too.

                           GORDON
                    (straightening himself)
             He's working hard, Mr. Ben'sir,
             and your money will not be
             wasted. Emily and me will always
             thank you.

                           BEN
                    (as he leaves)
             See you both later.
Gordon returns to his work a little distance further. A
group of students are laughing and pushing each other
boisterously. As they near Jonathan, two nudge each
other and giggle. Then, one of them trips Jonathan. He
falls to the ground and jumps up aggressively, about to
attack the boy. Gordon shouts "Jonathan."
The headmaster, MRS. CLOETE, aged 65 years, has observed
the incident, but takes no action.

Jonathan stands panting with rage.       He suddenly strides
away towards the gate in a rage.

                           GORDON
                    (shouting angrily)
             U ya phi?
             (Where are you going?)

Jonathan turns to look at his father and continues to
walk off.
TITLES.

EXT. SOWETO BEER HALL - AFTERNOON
The beer hall is a large complex with a drinking area
with long rows of low benches.
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                      3.

CONTINUED:
Men sit drinking African beer in one-half and one gallon
plastics containers. The place buzzes with noise.
Several people are touting wares for sale.
Suddenly a group of about twenty youths walks into the
drinking area, obviously to cause trouble. The LEADER
starts to address the clients.

                           LEADER
             Your children are starving and you
             are drinking. We demand freedom
             and our fathers are drunk. We ask
             you to boycott these beer halls.
             Revolution and drink don't work
             together!

A large MAN WITH SIDEBURNS, obviously drunk, stands up, a
stick in his hand.
                           MAN WITH SIDEBURNS
             Since when do children talk like
             this to their fathers? They need
             thrashing.

The man and several others advance on the boys. The boys
run into the serving area, close the doors and start
breaking up the place. Two police Land Rovers SCREECH to
a halt outside. The boys run out through a side en-
trance. They are chased by the police who are black.
Jonathan and his best friend Wellington, also 15 years,
are walking towards the beer hall when the boys come
running out chased by the police. It is prudent for
them to run down the street. The boys and police are
bearing down on them. Their escape is cut off by the
apperance of another police Land Rover. Two policemen,
two blacks and two whites join in the capture. Jonathan,
Wellington and about ten of the boys are arrested.
As they are hundled into the vehicle, they protest their
innocence without success and are driven away.

INT. SOWETO POLICE STATION - CHARGE OFFICE - AFTERNOON
The charge office is sparcely furnished with a long bench
along a wall. There is a reception counter with Sgt:
Van Zyl in charge. The boys are lined up against a wall.
The sergeant stands with a tall blond man with a scar on
his chin, CAPTAIN STOLZ.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                       4.

CONTINUED:
The sergeant reads out a name and    looks at Stolz; if he
nods the boy stands aside. After     this ritual, the ones
that Stolz has chosen are marched    to a waiting police van
and driven away. The others are     taken to the cells at
the police station, these include    Jonathan and
Wellington.

EXT. DUTCH REFORM CHURCH - DAY
The MUSIC STOPS. The doors open. The 40 years-old-
minister Bester comes to the door, then stands and greets
his parishioners as they file out of the church.
Amongst them, Ben Du Toit -- his wife, SUSAN, a clean-
cut, immaculate, "toe-the-line" beauty and his son, Johan
-- the blond, blue-eyed, tanned and torsoed fourteen-
year-old every father dreams of. Susan greets friends
and acquaintances, pausing to chat... mostly formalities.
Johan, his eyes on a girl his age. She is with her
father, Mr. Cloete, the headmaster -- she smiles at Johan
from a distance; he waves awkwardly as she drives off
with her parents.
SUZETTE his daughter, sophisticated -- groomed. She
takes her baby from the black nanny waiting in the car,
carries the child to the group chatting with CHRIS, her
husband. She shows it off proudly. Ben is chatting,
concerned, to a WOMAN. She looks drawn and worried.

                           MRS. COETZEE (WOMAN)
             He won't come to church. He lies
             in bed all day, listening to his
             headphones.

                           BEN
             I wondered why he wasn't at
             school. Would it help if I came
             to see him? He's always seemed a
             good kid to me.
                           MRS. COETZEE
             Oh, would you?
                          BEN
             Of course. I'll phone and we can
             fix a time.

Mrs. Coetzee smiles her gratitude.
                           SUSAN
             Ben!   Ben!

She's waving impatiently at him.     He crosses back to her.
Suzette's BABY is HOWLING.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                        5.

CONTINUED:
She rocks it back and forth, holding it at arm's length.
The BABY SCREAMS. The nanny comes forward -- Suzette
hands it over.
                             SUSAN
             Mrs. Coetzee.    She looked worried.

                           BEN
             She's having trouble with her boy.
             He won't come to school.

                           SUSAN
             So you said you'd have a word with
             him?

                             BEN
             Yes!
She smiles and walks him to the car affectionately.
EXT. BEN'S HOUSE - BARBECUE - DAY
The Du Toit family.

Susan is bringing out the salads. Chris, her son-in-law,
is at the barbecue, stinging his eyes. Ben is bouncing
his grandson, little Hennie, in a small, portable pool.
The black nanny sits in attendance in the shade, a towel
at the ready. The good life...
... Suddenly disturbed by... Gordon and Jonathan standing
uncertain at the far side of the garden; Gordon's hat
pressed flat against his chest, Jonathan defiant.

Susan looks up -- as do each in turn -- curious at the
intrusion... then the black nanny -- and finally Ben.
After a moment, Ben walks up to Gordon.

                            BEN
             Gordon!   What are you doing here?

INT. BEN'S KITCHEN - DAY
Six cuts, like six knife gashes, revealed on the blood-
stained buttocks of Gordon's son, who stands in painful,
truculent embarrassment.

Ben is shocked by the severity of the canning.
                           GORDON
             That's not why I'm complaining,
             Mister Ben, sir. If he did wrong,
             I'd beat him myself. But he
             didn't.

                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                           6.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON
             He did nothing and they wouldn't
             listen. They wouldn't believe
             him.
                           BEN
             I'm sorry, Gordon.    But there
             must be a reason.
                           GORDON
             He says he wasn't doing anything
             wrong, Mister Ben, sir. And I
             believe him, I know my son! It's
             an injustice!

                           BEN
             What about the court?    Didn't he
             state his case?
                           GORDON
             What does he know about court?
             Before he knew, it was all over.
                           BEN
             I don't think there is anything we
             can do about it now.
Outside, peering     through the half-opened door, is Johan,
shocked at what     he sees. Ben tapes Jonathan on the head,
he pulls up his     shorts painfully, yet fiercely, anxious
to cover himself     up again.
                           GORDON
             We can get a lawyer to appeal.
                           BEN
             A lawyer? That won't heal
             Jonathan's buttocks.
Susan appears at the door.

                           SUSAN
             Ben!
                           BEN
             I'll be out in a minute.

She nods, ushering Johan away from the door back outside.
                           GORDON
             You don't understand, Mister Ben,
             sir. I don't want him to have a
             police record.
                           (MORE)

                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         7.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON  (CONT'D)
             It will be there for  the rest of
             his life and make it  difficult for
             him to get a job in  the future.
                           BEN
             Don't worry, Gordon. I'm sure
             there'll be no record, it's such
             a minor case. Please don't worry.
Ben calls Johan from the outside.

                           BEN
             Johan, get some iodine from the
             cupboard.

Johan rushes in the house.
                           GORDON
             I'm not worried about the wounds.
             They'll heal in time, Mister Ben,
             sir. It's the wounds here.
                    (slaps his chest)
             I worry about. Injustice... it
             festers.
Johan comes back with a small bottle of medicine.
                           BEN
                    (to Gordon)
             Rub it on the wounds and it will
             help.
EXT. BEN'S GATE - DAY
Ben watches   the black man and his son trudge down the
long drive,   the father's arm on the son's shouldre. At
the foot of   the drive the nose of an exotic Soweto cab
can be seen   waiting... a large butterfly painted on the
hood.

EXT. BEN'S GARDEN - DAY
Ben takes his place at the table.     Susan brings a piece
of boerwors and a mug of beer.

                          SUSAN
             Trouble?
                           BEN
             Jonathan has been caned, by the
             police.
She places the boerwors and the beer before him.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         8.

CONTINUED:
                           SUSAN
             He probably deserved it.

EXT. SOWETO SCHOOL - SOWETO UPRISING - MORNING
School grounds of the Orlando Secondary School. Students
are milling around in high spirits. One group is putting
finishing touches to a banner reading: "no to aparhteid
education."
There are two other banners being carried around the
school yard, followed by the younger children. They
read:
             "No to the Oppressor's language"
             "Bantu education is slave
             education."
A BOY, one of the eldest, aged about 18 years calls for
silence. The STUDENTS immediately obey.
                           STUDENT LEADER (BOY)
             You all know why we are going to
             march.
The crowd shouts:
                           STUDENTS
             'No to Bantu education'
             'No to apartheid'
             'Freedom Now'...
                           STUDENT LEADER
             There must be discipline. We
             start marching from here and we'll
             join up with the others at the
             main road. Please take care of
             the younger ones. Let's go.
The Students start marching led by one of the banners,
singing a freedom song.

Amongst them is Jonathan and Wellington. They are sing-
ing. The march turns round one of the streets.

CROSSROAD

Several groups of students marchers converge to join the
march that has already started, including Jonathan's
group. There are several banners condeming Bantu
education, apartheid, etc.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        9.

CONTINUED:
Examples:    "EQUAL EDUCATION NOW"
             "ONE MAN ONE VOTE"
             "FREE OUT LEADERS"
             "NO TO THE AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE"
There are chants of slogans as they march:

                          STUDENTS
            'If we learn Afrikaans vorster
            must learn Zulu.' 'Bantu
            education! Stinks! Stinks!
            Stinks!' 'Equal education! Now!
            Now! Now!'
They also start singing a freedom song.

FURTHER UP STREET
Three police Jeeps block the route of the march. A
little distance behind are police troops carriers
('hippos'). About six police-dog-handlers in camouflage
uniforms stand across the road waiting for the march to
approach.

As the march gets closer the students' singing increases
in volume.
The Soweto   police COMMANDANT steps forward with a loud-
speaker in   hand.  He confronts the lead of the march. He
signals for   them to stop. The dogs are straining at their
leashes and   their handlers taunt the leading group.
                          COMMANDANT
            Now listen to me, this is an
            illegal demonstration. I order
            you to disperse immediately.

The Students start singing the African national anthem
'Nkosi Sikelele.'
Children of 8, 9, 10 years singing lustily with their
fists clenched as everyone else.
Jonathan and Wellington singing.

Camouflauged police scrambling out of Jeeps with guns and
tear gas grenades. They stand with the rifles pointing
at the marchers. The singing continues.
The Commandant confers with a junior officer who hurries
to the group of policemen and gives them instructions.
The ones carrying tear gas move towards front. The
police start donning gas masks.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                         10.

CONTINUED:
                           COMMANDANT
             This is the last warning.
             Disperse immediately or I will
             take action.
A voice in the crowd shouts "Banutu education..."

The crowd shouts back "Stinks, Stinks, Stinks."
The Commandant gives a hand signal.

Tear gas canisters are thrown into the crowd, the dog-
handlers attack. There is panic with Students running in
all directions, several choking.

Some of the students start throwing stones at the police,
hitting one in the face; he is helped away by a black
policeman.
Without warning, SHOOTING STARTS.
Children drop, wounded; friends trying to help the dying
and seriously wounded, others helped away.

Some boys appear with dustbin lids as protection and they
pelt the police with stones.
The police in the 'hippos' are jumping off and pursuing
Students, some SHOOTING.
Woman grabs two of the running children age about 9/10
and hustles them into house.
Jonathan and Wellington are running with      a group.  In the
distance the sound of an AMBULANCE SIREN.       A Jeep cuts
off their escape, they turn back running      as SHOTS are
FIRED towards them, a little girl drops,      shot in the
back. Jonathan shouts to Wellington who       is ahead of him.
                            JONATHAN
             Wellington!   Wellington!

Wellington looks back, sees Jonathan trying to help the
little girl. He runs back to help. Another girl, aged
about 17 years, is also trying to help.

Two policemen suddenly appear from behind a house, they
are about 18 years old.
The girl straightens up and confronts the two policemen
shouting hysterically.

                            GIRL
             Shoot me!   Come on, shoot me!
             Shoot me!
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                       11.

CONTINUED:
She slumps to the ground crying.

Jonathan, Wellington and the Girl are hustled into a
crowded van amid punches and kicks from the police. The
van drives off leaving the injured Girl on the road,
neighbors run to assist the Girl.

As the van is passing, see a burning car, in the distance
a building on fire; another AMBULANCE SIREN.
                                            CUT TO:

MONTAGE

A) EXT. AFRIKAANER SCHOOL

B) The screams, the laughter of white kids playing at
   their school, massed in conviviality, Johan one.
C) Behind, aboard a mower, motors Gordon, in the blue
   overall of a groundsman, intent in his task.
   OVER this white pacifist content, hear...
   ... GUNSHOTS, SCREAMS, TERROR.
D) EXT. SOWETO - AFTERNOON

   The carnage, the dead, the wounded. The stunned
   bewilderment of blacks and police alike... even the
   latter unnerved by their own brutality.
END MONTAGE.
EXT. JOHANNESBURG SUBURB - LATE AFTERNOON

Soweto train rushing through suburb of Johannesburg.
REVERSE SHOT FROM train.

INT. SOWETO TRAIN CARRIAGE - LATE AFTERNOON
The third-class carriage is crowded with African
commuters returning to Soweto. The passengers represent
all the social and economic strata of Soweto: laborers,
factory workers, domestic servants, clerk secretaries,
the unemployed, etc. In the carriage, Gordon, returning
from work, standing.

A LARGE middle-aged WOMAN is standing in the crowded
aisle at one end of the carriage. She suddenly shouts:
                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                         12.

CONTINUED:
                           LARGE WOMAN
                    (to man in front of
                     her)
             Careful with your bag. Can't you
             see where it's touching?

                           MAN #1
                    (standing half-way
                     down carriage)
             Can I see where it's touching?

                           LARGE WOMAN
             Men of today only like looking.
Laughter in the carriage.    Gordon is also enjoying the
joke.

                           MAN #2
                    (standing by a door)
             It's the electricity.
                           MAN IN KHAKI UNIFORM
             What has electricity to do with
             it?
A few voices also ask same question.
                           MAN #2
             Today with the electricity they
             say:
                    (in an affected
                     voice)
             'Darling let's not switch off
             the light.'
Laughter and voice saying "that's true."

                           WOMAN #1
                    (standing very near
                     Gordon)
             I hope you have electricity with
             those thick glasses of yours.
             With your eyes you couldn't find
             anything.

More laughter.

                           MAN #3
             Tell us, does your wife also wear
             thick glasses?

                           MAN #2
                    (quickly)
             You should know, she's your
             sister.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                       13.
CONTINUED:
There is more laughter.

Suddenly a MAN jumps on his seat waving his arms -- he's
about 40 years old -- in BLUE OVERALLS. He cannot take
it any more.
                            MAN IN BLUE OVERALLS
             Quiet!   Thulani! Thulani!

The noise goes down.
                           MAN IN BLUE OVERALLS
             They are killing our children
             and you are making jokes...
                           VOICE (O.S.)
             They say hundreds of children have
             died and Soweto is burning.
CLOSEUP - GORDON AND WOMAN
talking about the information.
                           SMARTLY-DRESSED MAN
             The white people, they will pay,
             and soon.
                           YOUNG WOMAN
             'They will pay, they will pay.' Since
             when have they been killing us, putting
             us in jails, starving our children to
             death, taking our land? Hundreds of
             years. And what have you men done?
             Only talk, talk, talk. You are not
             men. Sis. (Shit.)
The conversations in the carriage become muted and serious.

The train enters Soweto, there is smoke hanging over sev-
eral parts of the township, and official buildings are on
fire.

Suddenly, the passengers are gripped by the seriousness of
the situation.
There are snatches of conversation such as:

             "That's the superintendent's office
             on fire."
             "I hope the children are home."

             "We have to dodge bullets tonight."
             "Vorster must hang for this."

             "I hope the world hears about this."

                                                      14.

INT. GORDON'S HOUSE - EVENING
Silence.

A small three-room Soweto brick house -- The living room
is modestly furnished.
EMILY, Gordon's 40-year-old wife, is sitting on a narrow
iron bedstead against the wall, clutching her youngest
2-year-old son -- Her mind is preoccupied. Sitting next
to her is a ten-year-old daughter.
Gordon is sitting on a chair at the table with his second
eldest son, Robert -- aged 14 years -- standing by the
side of the table -- sitting on an old easy chair is a
Soweto resident with his 15-year-old DAUGHTER standing
beside him.

                         GORDON
                  (to girl)
           Are you sure it was Jonathan
           they took away?
The girl glances at her father.    He coaxes her to talk.
                         GIRL (DAUGHTER)
           Yes, baba, with Wellington.
INT. SOWETO POLICE STATION - DAY
Black parents, waiting. At the counter with Gordon, a
large black man, STANLEY, a friend -- his big easy smile
is working hard on a white policeman, the station SERGEANT
VAN ZYL, about to run out of patience.
                         STANLEY
           No, no, I understand, Baas, but is
           that all the names? There's no
           other list somewhere?

                         SERGEANT VAN ZYL
           I'm telling you. He's not in
           custody. Have you tried the
           hospital? Have you tried the
           mortuary?
Gordon sucks in his breath audibly.

                         SERGEANT VAN ZYL
           I'm only suggesting the
           possibilities.

                         STANLEY
           But, what about John Voster
           Square?
                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                        15.

CONTINUED:
                           SERGEANT VAN ZYL
             Look, I've tried to help you.

                          STANLEY
             Thank you.

Stanley walks up to a WOMAN.

                           STANLEY
             You're here too, sis Paulina, who
             are you looking for?

                           WOMAN
             They picked up my girl -- 13-year-
             old girl!

                           STANLEY
                    (comforting her)
             We are all searching.
The policeman calls her -- she hurries to the counter.
                                              CUT TO:

INT. BARAGWANATH MORTUARY - DAY
A white-uniformed assistant leads a line of African
parents, reeking of sadness, into a cool room where metal
drawers open from the walls.
Stanley and JULIUS their black lawyer -- the two men seem
to be very well-known, people shake hands with them,
salute them --

Gordon and Emily's sadness is tinged with anger -- they
have dignity, defiance, bowed with grief as they are.

Stanley's large hand is placed gently on Emily's shoulder
as they examine the dead faces before them.
They belong to children, some    in torn, dirty clothes,
others naked, some mutilated,    others whole and seemingly
unharmed, as if asleep, until    the small, neat hole in
temple or chest and the small    crust of blood is brought
to our attention.

A woman behind them starts to scream. They look around
to see her holding onto a drawer, her legs buckling.
Another woman pulls her close to grieve with her. The
assistant approaches them and after a soft exchange he
writes a name on a tag and ties it onto the body. The
woman can't, won't leave her dead child. Her friend has
to pull her away.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                      16.

CONTINUED:
The crowd parts to let them through.    Other women reach
out to touch her.

Gordon looks into the last drawer, Jonathan is not there.
They make their way out past the other parents and a group
of mourning women sitting.

EXT. MORTUARY - DAY
Gordon, Emily and their friends cross to Stanley's great
white elderly Dodge, this "etembalami" with the big butter-
fly. For, amongst other things, he is the owner and
driver of a pirate taxi.
They get in. Stanley pauses -- looks across at a small
red VW Beetle parked nearby, waiting. He shakes his
head -- the VW flashes its lights and drives off.
INT. STANLEY'S TAXI - DAY
Inside they sit in silence... recovering from the ordeal.
Only Emily silently whispers "Thank God, thank God."
After a while...
                          STANLEY
             What now?
                           GORDON
             He is our son... we must find him.
                           JULIUS
             I'll make more inquiries -- John
             Vorster Square -- the special
             branch -- but I don't hold out
             much hope.

                           GORDON
             You're a lawyer, Julius!
                           STANLEY
                    (laughs)
             A black lawyer! Those Boers...
             the bastards'll kick him around
             till they lose him.

                           EMILY
             What about the Baas? If he asks,
             they will give him an answer.

                           GORDON
                    (bitterly)
             When the boy was flogged he didn't
             help. Why should he help him now?

                                                       17.

EXT. BEN'S GARDEN - MORNING
Gordon is at work already -- 8 AM -- mowing the lawn.
He's intense, unsmiling, burdened as he goes about his
task, expertly.
Sounds of BEN and JOHAN LAUGHING coming from inside.

INT. BEN'S DEN - MORNING

Ben and Johan, in robes, their hair still wet from their
showers, having an imaginary boxing match. Johan has
Ben on the ropes, backs him out of the house.

EXT. BEN'S GARDEN
Ben adjusts the sash of his robe and takes the offensive
towards Johan, as he sees Gordon.

                        JOHAN
          Hi, Gordon.
No response.   Ben does a double-take and stops playing.
                        BEN
                 (to Johan)
          Hold it, champ.
He crosses the yard to Gordon, fluffing his hair dry,
Johan follows behind.

                        BEN
          Gordon, you okay?
No response again. Gordon continues to work.     Ben and
Johan exchange puzzled looks.
                        JOHAN
          Isn't this Jonathan's day to help
          you?
                        BEN
          How is he, recovering?

Gordon stops, switches OFF the MACHINE, stands not looking
at Ben.

                        GORDON
          I don't know, Mister Ben, sir --
          the police took him.
                        BEN
          Again?

                        JOHAN
          What for?

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         18.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON
             They arrested many. They even
             deny they've got him. He's
             disappeared...
                           BEN
             Disappeared? He's a child -- why
             didn't you tell me?
Gordon just looks at him, sadly, patiently.

                            BEN
             Okay!   I'll see what I can find
             out.

Ben walks off with Johan as Gordon STARTS the MOWER.

INT. BEN'S STUDY - MORNING
Ben is talking on the phone.
                           BEN
             Our gardener, yes. Probably
             nothing, but he's worried.
INT. LAWYER'S OFFICE - DAY
Sumptuous lawyer's offices, Johannesburg. They're lush-
carpeted. A black woman cleaner is finishing off her
early-morning chores, packing up as white staff are be-
ginning to arrive. They're fresh, shining, attractive
-- whipping the covers off typewriters.
A young black girl, smart, well-groomed, is carrying a
tray of coffee, desk to desk. FOLLOW her as she
approaches her employer's open office door.

We hear his voice -- see him on the phone in the b.g.
                           LEWINSON
             ... And when was this?

He nods, makes notes. He's in shirtsleeves.        At his post
early, ready for action.

                           LEWINSON
             Ngubene -- Jonathan Ngubene.
INT. LEWINSON'S OFFICE - DAY

The coffee girl enters, places a cup on Lewinson's desk,
and retreats.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                          19.

CONTINUED:
                           LEWINSON
             I'll get on to them straight away...
             Not at all -- I think better this
             time of morning -- after lunch,
             man, I'm a zombie.
                    (laughs)
             Sure -- let you know straight away
             -- love to, Susan... Cheers!
                    (puts down phone;
                     presses his intercom)
             Freda! Open an account... Du Toit.
             Benjamin Du Toit... Subject...
             Jonathan Ngubene.
MONTAGE - SEARCH FOR JONATHAN


A) TYPEWRITER
   -- CHATTERING out -- on Lewinson's headed note paper:
             To the Commissioner of Police
             Police Headquarters
             John Vorster Square
             Dear Sir,
             On behalf of our client, Gordon Ngubene,
             we are anxious to discover the whereabouts
             of his son...
B) INT. POLICE HQ. (JOHN VORSTER SQUARE) - INTERROGATION
   ROOM

   Wellington, Jonathan's friend, is sitting alone in
   fear. Through the wall he can hear MOANING -- SCREAMS.
   He closes his eyes tight as if to shut out what he
   is hearing.
C) POLICE TYPEWRITER

   -- CHATTERING out -- on police headquarters note paper:
             To Lewinson & Partners Solicitors

             Dear Sirs,

             With reference to your enquiry concerning
             Jonathan Ngubene, we suggest you take the matter
             up directly with the particular officer in
             charge...

                                                      20.

D) HOSPITAL (JOHANNESBURG)
   Young black nurse carrying bedding -- corridor --
   startled by moaning, screaming figure of black boy,
   being hustled on trolley into private ward. Boy is
   deposited on bed as policeman is posted outside.
E) TYPEWRITER

   -- Lewinson's headed paper:
            ... the whereabouts of Jonathan Ngubene, aged
            15, who was apparently detained by you...

F) 2ND POLICE TYPEWRITER
   -- Second heading:

   The type keys hesitate, tremble, for a considerable
   number of seconds, on and on, as if deliberately de-
   laying or uncertain how to answer.
G) MATRON
   confronted by Gordon and Emily. She shakes her
   head vigorously, denying all knowledge, shows them the
   door.
F) FINALLY:
            Dear Sirs,
            With reference to your enquiry seeking the
            whereabouts of Jonathan Ngubene, we are sorry
            to inform you we have no record of anyone of
            that name...
I) HOSPITAL - WHITE SUPERINTENDENT FACING JULIUS

                           SUPERINTENDENT
             It's preposterous. I would have
             known -- of such a case... I
             mean... in my hospital. You
             people! You're always raking
             up trouble!
J) STANLEY

   At the back of police headquarters, John Vorster Square.
   An elderly black cleaner, emptying garbage, is being
   shown Jonathan's photograph. He looks -- and nods --
   pointing down as meaning the basement.

K) CLOSE ON STANLEY'S FACE
END MONTAGE.

                                                          21.

INT. LEWINSON'S OFFICE - DAY
He is with a client.    He pushes a button on the intercom.

                        LEWINSON
          ... Freda -- I said no calls...
          Oh... Right... put them through.
          Hallo! Yes! How are you?...
          that is correct.

He listens -- his face slowly becoming solemn --
                        LEWINSON
          Very well. Thank you for finally
          letting us know.
He replaces the receiver... looks at it for a long second
... before lifting his eyes to the client.

                           LEWINSON
                    (to client)
          Sorry.
He dials a number.
INT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - STAFF ROOM - DAY
Tea break for the teachers, Ben       among them. He is enjoy-
ing a laugh with his colleagues       -- maybe in Afrikaans --
we should hear the language here       where we need not com-
prehend. An African serves the        tea.
There's a KNOCK -- a monitor comes in and talks to Ben
who follows him outside.
INT. SCHOOL - DAY
Ben at the phone.

                        BEN
          Hello, Dan... No... it's all
          right...

INT. LEWINSON'S OFFICE - DAY
                        LEWINSON
          I'm sorry. They have just
          officially informed me. The boy
          was never in detention. He died
          ... the day of the riots and
          as nobody came to claim the corpse
          he was buried a month ago.

INT. SCHOOL - DAY
Ben at the phone.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                       22.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             Thanks a lot, Dan... I'll tell
             Gordon. 'Bye.
Ben hangs up and stays there... thinking... until the
BELL snaps him out of his thoughts.

EXT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - PLAYING FIELDS - DAY
The playing fields, not of Eton but as good as...

... Cries and whistles rise through the still, warm air
from a game of schoolboy rugby being played below us by
immaculately-fitted teams.

On another part of the field Gordon's lawnmower off to
the side -- two figures pace -- slowly -- one white, one
black --
 A VOICE overlays all this... strange... ironically
African.
                           GORDON
             Mister Ben, sir. If it was me,
             all right. And if it was Emily,
             all right. We are not young. But
             he's out child. My time and your
             time, it's passing. But the time
             of our children is coming. And
             now if they kill our children --
             if we let them -- what is it that
             we lived for?
                           BEN
                    (places a hand on
                     Gordon's shoulder --
                     comforting)
             What can we do, Gordon? You or
             I... We can't change it.
                           GORDON
             That day, Mr. Ben, sir, when they
             whipped Jonathan, you also said we
             can do nothing. But if we had...
             if someone heard what we had to say
             this would not have happened.

                           BEN
             It's a terrible thing, Gordon --
             God knows I'm sorry. But you have
             other children to live for... I'll
             help them too with their schooling.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                          23.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON
                    (interrupting)
             How did he die, Mister Ben, sir?
                           BEN
             I told you, Gordon... He died on
             the day of the riots.

                            GORDON
             That's what  they say. But I got
             to know for  certain. How can I
             have peace?   I must know how my
             son died and  where they buried
             him.

The game on the next pitch finishes with a pierce of the
whistle. The kids run off past Ben and Gordon. Gordon
climbs onto the small lawn mower and STARTS the ENGINE.
                            BEN
             Gordon.   The police -- if they've
             said...
                           GORDON
             I don't care what they say. He is
             my child. God is my witness today:
             I cannot stop before I know what
             happened and where he lies. His
             body belongs to Emily and me.
And drives away -- chugging across the field... leaving
Ben -- helpless -- behind him -- watching.
From his:
OFFICE WINDOW

in the school behind -- a worried headmaster watches.
We hear his voice over.

                           CLOETE (V.O.)
             ... This business of Gordon's son.
             Be careful, Ben. These are not
             normal times -- one has to make
             allowances.

                                                CUT TO:
EXT. CAR PARK

The car park. He and Ben are getting into their cars at
the end of the day.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                    24.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             Don't worry! I'm no crusader.
             I've known Gordon a long time,
             that's all.
                           CLOETE
             I understand -- it's your
             Christian duty to your neighbor.
                           BEN
             Something like that -- yes.

                           CLOETE
             Just don't get too close.
             Teachers must stay out of
             politics. Love to Susan!

And drives off, leaving Ben watching him, shaking his
head at the man's obtuseness.
EXT. NGUBENE HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON
Emily is watering a tiny vegetable plot in the yard, with
a bucket and a pierced tin.
Robert is playing nearby with the youngest child.
Robert sees Gordon walking slowly to their house and says
playfully to the baby:
                           ROBERT
             Look who's coming? It's baba!
Emily turns to look. She immediately realizes that some-
thing is wrong. She drops the tin and walks a few steps
toward the gate.

Gordon sees her and stops.
Emily starts to break down.

                           EMILY
             Oh, no... oh no, Lord.
Gordon hurries to embrace her.

                           EMILY
                    (sobbing and repeating)
             Please don't tell me...

Gordon starts to lead her to the house.

Margaret, Emily's neighbor, comes, hurries, helps her,
comforts her, escorting them to the house.

                                                       25.

EXT. SOWETO MAIN ROAD - DAY
Stanley and Gordon are driving along Soweto main road.

A 10-years-old BOY stops the car.
INT. STANLEY'S CAR - DAY

                        BOY
                 (to Stanley)
          Baba, I heard you're looking for
          Wellington. He's out, Baba.

                         STANLEY
          Where is he?   Where is he?
                        BOY
          He's with some boys at Dube's
          shop.
                        STANLEY
          Thank you very much. You've
          worked like a man.
                 (turning to Gordon)
          Let's go.

Stanley turns the car round and drives off at speed.
EXT. DUBE'S SHOP - DAY
Wellington and a few pals are standing outside the shop
-- they greet Stanley as they see the car -- Stanley
shouts back greeting.
                        STANLEY
          Take it easy, boys. Hey
          Wellington!
Wellington comes to the car.   He's limping, wearing
sunglasses.
As he's approaching the car, Stanley opens the back door
for him.

He enters and removes the glasses.
Stanley notices a deep scar from the forehead to the
cheek.

                        STANLEY
          What happened... Don't tell me...

                        GORDON
          Did they do that to you?
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                        26.

CONTINUED:
Wellington has a nervous arm-twitch... and nods to the
question.

                           GORDON
                    (anxiously)
             I want to know what happened to
             Jonathan.

                           WELLINGTON
             Isn't he out yet?
                    (pause)
             I last saw him weeks ago.
                           STANLEY
             Jonathan is dead.

                           GORDON
             I have to know how he died.
INT. BEN'S DINING ROOM
Sizette and   Chris with the family at dinner. Suzette is
passed the   Rand Daily Mail newspaper by Chris, folded at
an article   headlined: "WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO JONATHAN
NGUBENE?"    by Melanie Bruwer.
                           SUSAN
             Isn't that tragic? Jonathan was
             such a nice boy. Even played with
             my Johan when they were small,
             God.
                           BEN
             And he was such a nice boy, well-
             mannered.
                           SUSAN
             You said he was very bright at
             school.
Chris helps himself to more.     Suzette looks at the paper.

                           SUZETTE
             Well, this kind of journalism
             doesn't help the situation. Look
             at her face? What does she look
             like?
                           CHRIS
             The Rand Daily Mail always
             exaggerates.

                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                       27.

CONTINUED:
She passes the paper to Ben. He looks at Melanie's pic-
ture: she looks 30 years old, long black hair, large
dark eyes with a fierce, unsettling, uncompromising stare,
a small nose and a generous and sensual mouth.
                           BEN
             Looks quite attractive to me.

Chris and Johan laugh.
                           BEN
                    (he surveys the
                     article; then with
                     a serious tone)
             '... Is only the latest in scores
             of black youths who have
             disappeared whilst in police
             custody.'
                           CHRIS
             What does she expect? They're out
             of control. Give then an inch and
             they take a hundred miles. It's
             in their nature. The only
             language they understand is force.
                           JOHAN
             Chris, Jonathan was fifteen, like
             me. Would you use force on me?
                           CHRIS
             You're not a terrorist. If you
             were -- like an increasing number
             of them, you'd deserve it. Look,
             every time you pick up the
             newspaper...

                           BEN
                    (interrupts; focusing
                     on the paper)
             My God, one hundred shot! They
             didn't have to kill them.
                           SUSAN
             This bloody Bruwer woman reports
             one hundred shot, but the radio
             said only twenty and the police
             were attacked first.
                           SUZETTE
             I thought the idea was to give
             them their own areas, banstustans.
             Let them live with their own kind.
             No chance of conflict then.
             Everybody's happy.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                          28.

CONTINUED:
                           JOHAN
             And who would do the work?

                          SUZETTE
             Pardon?

                           JOHAN
             The work, who'd do it?
                           SUSAN
             You for a start. Come on!    Help
             me clear these dishes.
As Johan stands, to clear the table. He turns to his
father with a smile, and shrugs -- an irritated Suzette
joins them.

INT. GORDON'S HOUSE (SOWETO) - NIGHT
The small dark room is crowded. The one oil lamp -- on
the table -- At the table sits Gordon... his glasses on
the end of his nose.
Emily is sitting by the stove.      Robert stands beside her
chair, watching, listening.
The youngsters are sleeping in opposite directions on the
iron bed.

Wellington is sitting beside Gordon at the table. There
is something wild in his manner. He looks everywhere as
if he is scared of being attacked unawares.
The black cleaner from John Vorster Sq. stands near the
table. Gordon is reading aloud from a handwritten
document.

                           GORDON
             'On the second day of our detention
             at John Vorster Square we were
             taken to one of the top floors.
             We were ordered to undress and
             they started to beat us with fists
             and sjamboks. This for a long
             time.'

Wellington nods and gets more paranoid. The black cleaner
puts an understanding hand on his shoulder.
                           GORDON
             'On one day me and Jonathan...'

Gordon pauses... steadies himself... pushes his glasses
up his nose... clears his throat...

                                                 (CONTINUED)

                                                      29.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON
             '... We were asked questions for
             the whole day and night by Capt.
             Stolz and different policemen --
             they never stopped. They tried to
             force us to say we were the
             leaders at our school, that we
             were working for the A.N.C. and
             got money from overseas. Capt.
             Stolz wanted to know the names of
             the students committee and where
             he can find Toni Mtimkulu --
             Everytime they asked question,
             they beat us. It was bad beating.'

Wellington nods again.    Emily closes her eyes to shut out
the image.
                           GORDON
             'We told them we had done nothing
             and didn't know about all the
             things they are asking us; on two
             occasion they put a wet bag over
             my head and I -- couldn't breathe
             -- I thought I was going to die.
             One day I heard Jonathan being
             beaten. He was screaming and
             crying, and then a noise like
             tables and chairs being knocked
             down, and Capt. Stolz shouting
             "you bastard, get up, do you hear
             me?" Ngubene, don't pretend here,
             get up." Then the next day I
             heard he had gone to hospital and
             I never saw him again.'
There's a long silence. Gordon closes his eyes and
struggles with his grief. Emily sobs, Robert looks on
in anger. Then, finally, Gordon offers a pen to
Wellington, who is about to sign the foot of the state-
ment, when...

... Suddenly there   is the sound of a TRUCK APPROACHING.
Wellington rushes   to the front window and peers outside;
then panics, fear   in his eyes, he runs into a bedroom and
jumps through the   window.

Everyone in the room is bewildered.
The front door bursts open. Emily sits impassively look-
ing at the five policemen (two whites and three Africans).

The youngest child startled from his sleep starts to cry.
Emily goes to the bed and picks the child up and returns
to her chair.
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                        30.

CONTINUED:
                           LIEUTENANT VENTER
             Stay right where you are.

He notices the papers on the table and picks them up.        He
looks at them and realizes their importance.

Capt. Stolz walks into the room and surveys the room and
its occupants. Lieutenant Venter hands him the papers.
He goes through them, nodding to himself as he reads
silently. He folds them neatly and puts them into his
inside jacket pocket. He walks up to Gordon.

                           STOLZ
                    (to Gordon)
             On your feet! So, you must be
             Gordon Ngubene?

Gordon doesn't answer.
He turns to the cleaner who automatically stands.
                           STOLZ
             We know each other, don't we?

Calmly, he paces round the room looking around, then when
he reaches the bed where the 10-years-old girl is watch-
ing terrified, he pulls off the blankets, yanks the girl
off the bed by her arm and frantically searches the bed.
The child cries. Robert the brother goes to his sister
and hugs her as he glares at Stolz with anger and hatred.
                           STOLZ
                    (turning to Venter)
             Gert, in daardie kammer.
             (Gert, that room)
                    (turning to the other
                     one)
             Jaimie, in die ander.
             (Jamie, the other room)
                           LIEUTENANT VENTER
             Niks, Kaptein.
             (Nothing, Captain)
                           STOLZ
             Take the bastards away.

The other policeman appears from the other bedrooms empty-
handed. Gordon and the cleaner are roughly handled as
they are handcuffed by the African Security Police.

Over his shoulder Gordon manages to give Emily one last
look, as he's hustled out of the house.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                      31.

CONTINUED:
Emily sits motionless, anger in her face.    She can hear
the sound of the CARS DRIVING AWAY.

Margaret (her neighbor) appears at the door.
INT. BEN'S STUDY - NIGHT

Behind Ben's house, are the servants' quarters attached
to the garage.
Ben has adapted what would have been a maid's room into
his study and the adjoining room into a do-it-yourself
workshop.
The study has photographs of Ben's past as a provincial
rugby player, of his family, school staff and TRECHIKOFF
reproduction.
On a cupboard are trophies of individual sports at
university.
He works off a plain desk on which is a handsome pipe-
rack with several pipes. His indulgence is a comfortable
easy chair.
Ben's study, containing only the figure of Ben. He's
hunched over his desk, looking blankly at the newspaper.
His shirt is unbuttoned, his jacket slung across his
chair. He draws heavily on his pipe, wreathing his
head with smoke in the beam of the single desk light.
He sits in his chair:

Gordon's voice rises in his thoughts.
                           GORDON (V.O.)
             That day, Mister Ben, sir, when
             they whipped Jonathan, you also
             said we can do nothing. God as my
             witness today: I must know what
             happened and where he lies. His
             body belongs to Emily and me.
He mutters -- more a prayer than a curse.

                           BEN
             Jeezus -- Jeezus -- Jeezus Christ.
                           JOHAN
             Good night, Papa!

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         32.

CONTINUED:
Johan is entering, knocking on the half-open door. He's
in his pajamas and dressing gown, ready for bed. Ben
looks up at him. Johan kisses his father who suddenly
clasp his son hard, clinging to him for dear life.
The boy throws his arms around his dad's neck.

                             JOHAN
             Oh, Papa!
Susan appears at the door with a cup of coffee. She's
had a bath -- her hair is wet -- and she's in her
housecoat.
Ben and Johan don't notice her approach.

She watches sympathetically for a moment, then...
                            SUSAN
             Coffee!   Come on, Johan.   Time for
             bed.
Johan pulls back from his father's arms.

                            BEN
             Yes, son.   Go and get some sleep.
The boy nods and leaves.

As Susan rests the cup of coffee on the desk before Ben.
She notices the Rand Daily Mail.
                           SUSAN
             I'm proud of you, Ben... what
             you've done for that family. But
             darling, you shouldn't take these
             things to heart so much. What
             more can you do about it?
                             BEN
             I don't know.    I'm just tired, I
             suppose.
                           SUSAN
                    (stroking his hair
                     gently)
             Come, come to bed.
Her housecoat has fallen open.       He lifts his face to hers
and kisses her.

                           BEN
             I will, in a minute. I'll just put
             the thoughts of Standar Six away.
             They mustn't be lost to posterity.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                      33.

CONTINUED:
She chuckles, satisfied, leaving him.

He picks up his cup and drinks. He thinks again for a
moment. Then he removes a photocopied letter from an
envelope and reads:

                           OFFICE VOICE (V.O.)
             '... Seeking the whereabouts of a
             certain Jonathan Ngubene, regret to
             inform you we have no record of
             anyone of that name...'

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
Afrikaan boys in uniform hunching over their desks
writing... On the blackboard: the date and history test:

     What year did the first white man arrive in South
        Africa?
     When was the Battle of Blood River?
     Who was the Zulu chief who was defeated at the battle
        of Isanadlawana?
     Who was the president of the first Afrikander
        Republic?
     Give the route of the Voortrekkers from the cape?
Ben walks through the aisles and from time to time oppor-
tunities to glance at the window at Gordon's motionless
tractor sitting in the field.
He turns back   and notices a boy focusing on the ceiling.
His pen in his   mouth, trying desperately to find the
answers. Ben    has a smile, then crosses to him, bends down
and strikes a   similar pose.
The class breaks up into laughter.

                           BEN
                    (slapping the student's
                     back)
             All right, time up! Hand in your
             test.
Moans from the students.

EXT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - VERANDA - DAY

Ben appears on the other side of the veranda. He is in
Cloete's company -- the little big man... grey hair...
65 years old. The headmaster.

They stop in before Ben's colleague, Vivier, passing,
shakes hands with him. A woman arrives and waits. Cloete
says something to Ben, then laughs.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                       34.

CONTINUED:
Ben smiles and Cloete goes into the office.

The woman approaches Ben... talks to him... they both turn
back to see...
... Emily standing there, a soaking headscarf tied native-
style around her head.

Ben thanks the woman and crosses the yard.
                           BEN
             What's happened, Emily?
                           EMILY
                    (calmly)
             I'm sorry, Baas... but it's
             Gordon.
EXT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - DAY
... Stanley is waiting in his car.     His sunglasses on his
nose...
... The SCHOOL BELL RINGS to give the end of the tea inter-
val. Ben walks out with Emily to Stanley's car. Stanley
gets out, they stare at each other. Finally Stanley
breaks the silence.
                           STANLEY
                    (putting out his hand)
             How's it? I'm Stanley! I heard
             about you!
Ben feels a little uncomfortable.
                           EMILY
             This is Stanley Makhaya... He
             helps us all the time.
Stanley opens the door to Emily.

                           BEN
             Don't worry too much, Emily, I'm
             sure Gordon will be home in a few
             days.

Stanley slaps the door with a big laugh.     He gets into the
car and drives away.
CLOSE ON BEN

perplexed.

                                                      35.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - JOHN VORSTER SQUARE - DAY
Gordon stands facing the wall, his arm raised.    He has
wetted his trousers.

Captain Stolz is pacing behind him. Lieutenant Venter,
sitting on the edge of the desk, is smoking.

                        STOLZ
          Come on, Kaffir, talk!
                        GORDON
          Please, I've done nothing.   All I
          tried to do was to find...
Stolz interrupts him with a blow to his face.    As Gordon
drops his hands, the officer shouts to him.

                        LIEUTENANT VENTER
          Up with those bloody arms!
                        STOLZ
          We don't like gramophone records
          here! Now who has been giving
          you informations?

Gordon doesn't answer.
The Lieutenant walks slowly to him, calmly removes his
fag-end of cigarette from his lips and stubs it on
Gordon's neck.
                        LIEUTENANT VENTER
                 (very calmly)
          Why don't you answer the Captain,
          han?
He walks back to his place.

Captain Stolz opens the door and shouts:
                          STOLZ
          Johannes!    The bag!

Gordon has a look of terror.
Immediately a black security policeman walks in with a
bag.

                         STOLZ
          All right.

Johannes goes to wet the bag in a bucket in a corner.

Lieutenant Venter grabs Gordon, throws him onto a chair
and handcuffs his hands behind the chair.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                          36.

CONTINUED:
Stolz is supervising.

The Lieutenant places the wet bag over Gordon's head and
ties it.
Gordon starts groaning and wriggling.

                                                CUT TO:
INT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS (JOHN VORSTER SQUARE) - DAY

Under the gaze of a uniformed POLICEMAN in a bulletproof
glass cage, Ben fills in a slip, then hands it to the
Policeman, who then makes a phone call.

Whilst waiting, Ben notices a video surveillance camera.

Just then, a 20-year-old African girl, Afro-style hair,
is brought in held on both sides by two white policemen.
She is taken into a lift.
Ben watches them enter the lift and follows the progress
of lift to the 10th floor.
The Policeman stamps the slip and gives it to Ben.
                           POLICEMAN
             Somebody will meet you on second
             floor.
Ben enters a lift.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM (JOHN VORSTER SQUARE) - DAY
Gordon's still sitting on the chair, slumped -- Johannes
removes the handcuffs as the Lieutenant removes the wet
bag.
Gordon is breathing heavily and semi-conscious.

Suddenly Captain Stolz punches him heavily on the face.
Gordon drops on the floor with blood gushing from his nose
and mouth. Captain Stolz grabs him by his collar.

                           STOLZ
                    (hysterically)
             Come on you bloody black bastard.
             Who has been telling you lies?

The PHONE RINGS.    Stolz drops Gordon and walks to answer.

                           STOLZ
                    (calmly)
             I'll be down immediately, Colonel.
                                              CUT TO:

                                                      37.

INT. VILJOEN'S OFFICE - DAY
Behind the large desk, Colonel VILJEON replaces the tele-
phone receiver; there is a KNOCK on the door -- and a young
policeman ushers in Ben. Colonel Viljoen stands and ex-
tends a hand.
                        VILJOEN
          Come in, Mr. Du Toit, come in.
          How do you do?
They shake.   He's a large, friendly man, ruddy face, gray
crew cut.

                        BEN
          Nice to meet you, Colonel Viljoen.

                        VILJOEN
          I used to watch you play for the
          Transvaal. You were one of the
          great wing forwards.
                        BEN
                 (grinning)
          Long time ago.

There's a KNOCK on the door.
                        VILJOEN
          Come in.

The door opens revealing Captain Stolz.
                        VILJOEN
          Captain Stolz, Mr. Du Toit.

Captain Stolz nods correctly, unsmiling, comfortably
dressed, English-style. He shakes hands with Ben. Then
walks toward the window and stands there.

As he's watching Ben, he begins to clean out his pipe with
a silver penknife;

                        VILJOEN
                 (to Ben)
          Do sit down.

Ben sinks into a low leather chair before the desk.    Be-
hind him he can feel Stolz's eyes.
Viljoen peers through his half-moons at the letter in
front of him. The pipe scraping continues behind Ben's
ear.

                        VILJOEN
          All right now, Gordon Ngubene.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         38.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             Well... to put it simply, Colonel...

                           VILJOEN
                    (smiling)
             I'm always grateful for that.

                           BEN
             I thought there might have been
             some kind of misunderstanding I
             could help straighten out.

                          VILJOEN
             Like what?

                           BEN
             I know him, Colonel. He works
             at my school. He's done work for
             me too.
                           VILJOEN
             And you feel you know him enough
             to vouch for him.

                           BEN
             Yes, after so many years... 10
             years. Gordon's not the type to
             get himself in trouble. He's an
             honest, hard-working, church-
             going man.
                           VILJOEN
             Ha! You'd be surprised how many
             honest, decent, church-going men
             we come across during a working
             day.

He leans back comfortably in his chair.
                           VILJOEN
             It's routine, Mr. Du Toit -- a
             routine enquiry. Cleaning up
             these townships we must leave no
             stone unturned.

                           BEN
             I appreciate that -- but Gordon
             would never...
                           VILJOEN
                    (interrupting)
             Not an easy task either -- the
             press screaming blue murder --
             especially the English.
                           (MORE)
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         39.

CONTINUED:
                           VILJOEN (CONT'D)
             And they'll be the first to squeal
             if the Reds took over, make no
             mistake. Rushing back overseas
             clutching their bloody British
             passports. Have you any idea what
             will happen here if we don't
             follow every lead? We have a
             duty -- obligation. You have your
             job -- we have ours.

Ben hastens to reassure him.
He looks directly at Ben, frank, open, trustworthy.

                           BEN
             Colonel -- believe me, I'm with
             you all the way. But in this
             case -- I'm sure that in your
             worthy pursuit of the guilty you
             have, unwittingly, involved the
             innocent. After all, we're all
             human. We all make mistakes
             sometimes.
Viljoen laughs again.
                           VILJOEN
             We are indeed, Mr. Du Toit -- we
             are indeed. Though there's many
             who might need persuading as to
             that fact.
Then... authority.
                           VILJOEN
             Mr. Du Toit. While you're here,
             would you mind if I asked you a
             few questions about Ngubene?
                           BEN
                    (genuinely)
             Colonel, I'd welcome it.
                          VILJOEN
             Good!

There's another pause. The Colonel takes out a fountain
pen -- unscrews it -- and arranges a sheet before him
before speaking.

                           VILJOEN
             Shall we start with his son?
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        40.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             Jonathan.

                           VILJOEN
             The eldest.

                            BEN
             Yes.   He died some time ago.
Viljoen doesn't react.

                           VILJOEN
             What do you know about Gordon's
             activities since Jonathan's death?

The noise stops behind.

                           BEN
             Nothing, Colonel.
                           VILJOEN
             Did Gordon ever discuss the death
             with you?

                           BEN
             Of course he did -- he was upset.
The Colonel pauses.

                           VILJOEN
             But he accepted the truth?
                           BEN
             He is a religious man... in the
             end he would have resigned himself
             to it.

                          VILJOEN
             Would have? You mean he didn't?
             Was he angry? Rebellious?

                           BEN
             Come on, Colonel! If one of your
             kids died...
                    (nods to family picture
                     on desk)
             ... and nobody would tell you how
             it happened or where his body is
             buried, wouldn't you be upset?

                           STOLZ
             We told him how his son died, Mr.
             Du Toit.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                        41.

CONTINUED:
Ben turns back, surprised.

                           VILJOEN
             You have a son, Mr. Du Toit?
The Colonel looks up at him... the first sign of steel in
his eyes... then back to the papers.

The noise starts again behind Ben.
                           VILJOEN
             Does he burn and destroy --
             everything he can lay his hands
             on?... No -- and neither does
             mine. That's what I can't
             understand... after everything
             the government does for them.
                    (looks straight at Ben)
             Think about it, Mr. Du Toit.
             We're for you, not against you.
                           BEN
                    (irritably)
             I've never doubted it, Colonel.
             It's you who appear to be doubting
             me. These questions.   You're
             making me feel like a criminal.
There's a moment's pause -- then a burst of laughter.
                           VILJOEN
             I'm sorry, Mr. Du Toit... I'm
             sorry. It's force of habit. Once
             a policeman, always a policeman,
             eh?
More laughter -- Ben joins in.    Viljoen stands, signalling
an end to the meeting.
EXT. BEN'S CAR - DAY

Johan is sitting, waiting, in the parked car... the RADIO
ON. He's bored.
INT. COLONEL'S OFFICE

                           VILJOEN
             ... As soon as we're satisfied
             he's innocent, he will be released.
             We know what we're doing, Mr. Du
             Toit. You want your wife and that
             boy of yours to sleep safe tonight,
             don't you?
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                           42.

CONTINUED:
Ben nods, smiles, makes for the door, turns.

                           BEN
             One last favor, Colonel?
                            VILJOEN
             Fire away!

                           BEN
             Gordon's wife -- she's very
             worried. May she bring him some
             food and a change of clothes while
             he's still here?
                             VILJOEN
             No problem!    Thank you for your
             help...
                             BEN
             Thank you.    I'll rely on you, then.
                           VILJOEN
             Will you find your way out?

                           BEN
             I think so. And thanks.    I feel
             much happier now.
                           VILJOEN
             Good! And give my regards to
             your father-in-law -- tell him
             we'll have a drink sometime --
             maybe go to a game.

                            BEN
             I will.   Goodbye.

And the door shuts behind him.
There's silence for a moment... Viljoen staring at the
closed door -- Stolz looks expectantly at him.

                           VILJOEN
                    (pointing up)
             Is the little bird singing yet?

                           STOLZ
             I'm working on it.
                            VILJOEN
             Good.

Stolz leaves, shutting the door behind him.
                                                 CUT TO:

                                                      43.

EXT. JON VORSTER SQUARE
Ben opening his car. Johan is sitting in the front seat.
As Ben gets into the car, he glances at the John Vorster
Square building.
INT. BEN'S CAR - DAY

Ben is motoring through and out of Johannesburg.    Johan
is silent beside him, impatient.
                        BEN
          I talked to them. Gordon will be
          released soon. The colonel was
          very understanding.
                        JOHAN
          Did you see Gordon?

Ben suddenly realizes that he didn't ask to see Gordon.
                        BEN
                 (embarrassed)
          No.
                        JOHAN
          Did they say anything about
          Jonathan?
                        BEN
          No, but... Johan, he is dead. We
          can't do anything for him. Don't
          mention this visit to your mother.
          Okay?
INT. DU TOIT KITCHEN - NIGHT
Suzette and Susan in the kitchen arranging the dessert
tray. The kitchen is surprisingly neat. LAUGHTER is
coming from the dining room.
                        SUZETTE
          What extra-mural interest?

                        SUSAN
          Champion of political detainees!

Ben comes in to open extra bottles of wine, hears Susan's
line.
                        SUZETTE
                 (laughing, turns to
                  Ben)
          Is that right, Papa?
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                      44.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             That's right, Suzette. But, only
             one detainee: 'Gordon!'
                             SUZETTE
             Our Gordon?

                             BEN
             That's right.
                           SUZETTE
                    (disbelieving)
             My God. What on earth for?
Susan leaves the kitchen without a word, with the dessert
plates on the tray to the dining room.

INT. DU TOIT HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Susan reaches VIVIERS and the minister DOMINEE BESTER,
with their dessert plates. The candles have burned down
amid the detritus of dinner: glasses disarranged and
dirty, the cloth spotted with food and wine and ashes.
In addition to Viviers, dateless, and Bester and his
wife, the school's headmaster, Cloete and his wife.
INT. DU TOIT HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Ben hastily uncorking a bottle of wine while talking to
Suzette.
                           SUZETTE
             It must be a mistake, Papa.

                           BEN
             Of course it is. I went down
             there, told them. They're looking
             into it.
                           SUZETTE
             Went down where?

                           BEN
             John Vorster Square.

Suzette giggles, amazed.

                           SUZETTE
             You old devil you. Does Ma know?

                          BEN
             No. And you're not going to tell
             her.
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         45.

CONTINUED:
A pause.   She looks at him.

                           SUZETTE
             Be careful. I don't want my
             favorite Papa in trouble, Gordon
             or no Gordon.

She ruffles his hair, smiles, kisses him.       They go back
into the dining room.
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

                            BEN
             More wine?   Viviers?

                           VIVIERS
             Not for me, Oom Ben. I'm drunk
             enough.
                            BEN
             Mrs. Cloete?
                            MRS. CLOETE
             Please!
Ben serves her.
Susan passes to fetch milk jug and sugar basin from the
chine cupboard.
                           MRS. CLOETE
                    (to Mrs. Bester)
             Oh, I saw those sheets you liked,
             Sally, on sale at Bloom's.
                           MRS. BESTER
             Will you be free on Wednesday
             afternoon? I have one or two
             other things to buy.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

Susan enters the kitchen. As she is about to place the
jug and basin on the table next to the tray with cups of
the same set, there is a knock at the door.

                           SUSAN
                    (turning to the door)
             Come in.

The door opens and Stanley steps in.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         46.

CONTINUED:
                           SUSAN
                    (surprised)
             Who are you? What do you want?
                                               CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Ben and guests hear Susan.
Ben jumps up, hurries to the door.    Viviers starts to
follow.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

Ben stops at the door, sees Stanley, turns to Viviers.

                           BEN
             It's all right.
Viviers returns to his seat as Ben shuts the door behind
him.
                           BEN
             Oh, it's you... hum... Stanley,
             isn't it?
                    (to Susan)
             That's all right, darling.

Ben leads Stanley out of the kitchen, closing the door
behind him.
CLOSE ON SUSAN

intrigued.
INT. LEWINSON'S HOME - NIGHT

Lewinson is at the phone, behind him his wife, too, is
entertaining guests for dinner.

                           LEWINSON
             A Friday night, man! I'm no
             doctor, I'm not on standby all the
             bloody time. Can't they wait 'til
             Monday?

INT. BEN'S STUDY - NIGHT
                           BEN
             Dan! I'm standing here with
             Gordon's clothing in my hand.
             It's bloodstained...
                           (MORE)

                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                         47.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN (CONT'D)
             There are broken teeth in the
             pocket. Monday may be too late!
                    (pause)
             The lawyer has been banned.

Stanley is waiting, his great hand on his hips, the other
one on Emily's shoulder. She is sitting on a chair.
Obviously, Stanley doesn't expect a positive response.
INT. LEWINSON HOME - NIGHT

                           LEWINSON
                    (interested)
             Do you mean Julius Nqakula?
                    (pause)
             Too bad, he's a good lawyer. Why
             are you getting so involved, Ben?
INT. BEN'S STUDY - NIGHT
                           BEN
             I'm just trying to help Gordon.
             ... You represented many cases,
             tell me, does this happen often?
                    (pause)
             But Gordon's not political.
                    (pause)
             Okay, Dan, I'm sorry for
             disturbing your weekend.
Ben replaces the phone.    Turns to Emily and Stanley.
                           BEN
             He agrees to see you tomorrow and
             will apply to the supreme court
             for an interdict to stop any
             assaults on Gordon. And, we'll
             find out what's going on.
                           STANLEY
             You're all right, Lanie.
Ben can just hear Emily's soft voice.

                           EMILY
             Thank you, Baas.
                           STANLEY
             Come on, sisi. Tomorrow it'll all
             be first-class again.

                                                        48.

INT. DU TOIT LOUNGE - NIGHT
Laughter again. Ben has rejoined the party in the
lounge. The women are together talking, laughing and the
men on their own.
                        SUSAN
          More coffee, anyone?

General assent.
                        CLOETE
          The security police don't arrest
          people for nothing, Ben. Leave
          it alone.
                        BEN
          They could make a mistake.

                        CLOETE
          Blacks lead double lives. One
          you see and one you don't. These
          people surprise you all the time.
                        VIVIERS
                 (joking)
          That's what I like about them.
                        BEN
          We're not concerned with 'blacks.'
          We're talking about GORDON. A
          good man and very loyal.
                        SUSAN
                 (serving coffee to
                  Cloete)
          And a hard worker too.
                        CLOETE
          A hard worker? I had to get rid
          of him.
Susan doesn't react.   She leaves to join the womens'
group.
                         BEN
          What?

                        CLOETE
          I fired him a few days before he
          was arrested for staying away from
          work for days. And for the sake
          of the school I say good riddance.

                        BEN
          What do you mean 'good riddance'?

                                             (CONTINUED)
                                                       49.

CONTINUED:

                           CLOETE
             I have a responsibility for the
             children. These are troubled
             times, Ben, we can't trust the
             natives any more.
                           BESTER
             You have to be extra careful about
             any influences, Oom Ben. Even
             their churches are breeding
             grounds for all sorts of evil
             ideas.

                           BEN
             Gordon's not subversive and
             definitely not a Communist.

                           CLOETE
             Then he's got nothing to worry
             about!
                           VIVIERS
             Except his three teeth. Our
             government mustn't allow such
             things to happen. After all, it's
             a Christian government.
                    (turning to Bester)
             What do you say, Dominee?
Bester doesn't answer.

                           BEN
                    (irritably)
             I'm not talking about the
             government! I believe in our
             government, damn it...
His sharp tone surprises everybody.    He quiets.

                        BEN
          ... Look, I know the police often
          know more than we do. I'm not
          questioning that. I'm as loyal as
          the next man. But I do know
          Gordon Ngubene... there is
          something wrong.

There's a moment's embarrassed silence, broken by Suzette's
entrance with a tray of glasses and a bottle of brandy.
                           SUZETTE
                    (putting the tray in
                     front of Ben)
             Anything else, Papa?
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                      50.

CONTINUED:
Ben starts pouring, and offers the first glass to Bester.

                           BEN
             Dominee?
Bester shakes his hand.

                           BESTER
             Nee Dankie.
Ben hands the glass to Viviers.

Immediately Viviers raises his glass and laughingly says:
                           VIVIERS
             Oom, Ben, may your problems be
             small ones!
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM (JOHN VORSTER SQUARE) - DAY
Gordon is undoing his trousers.
Venter roughly drops the trousers and pushing him to the
floor.
He handcuffs him while Johannes pulls off the trousers
and underpants, and manacles his ankles.
Johannes fetches a rod.
Venter goes to a cupboard, pulls out two electric wires
with electrodes attachments and places them on the desk.
All the preparation is done with practiced efficiency.
From the adjoining room there are angry shouts of a
woman.

Venter and Johannes place the rod between Gordon's elbow-
joints and the back of his knees. The door opens.
Gordon has a look of terror on his face.

                           CAPTAIN STOLZ (O.S.)
             Sorry I'm late.

Captain Stolz enters carrying a thickish file under his
arms, goes straight to the desk and sits down.
                           CAPTAIN STOLZ
             Johnannes, the table.

Johannes moves the table in line with the desk.
Lieutenant Venter and Johannes lift the trussed Gordon
and the ends of the rod between the desk and table.
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                          51.

CONTINUED:
                           LIEUTENANT VENTER
             You're a heavy shitface. Too much
             mealie porridge!
Captain Stolz holds Gordon by the head and swings him like
a pendulum.

                           STOLZ
             How do you feel today?   Ready to
             fly?

Very calmly Captain Stolz pulls out some papers from the
file.
                           STOLZ
                    (pointing one sheet
                     of paper)
             Yes, Mister Ngubene, we know about
             this Wellington... and...
                    (pointing another
                     affidavit)
             ... We know about him... and him
             ... Now, we want the names of the
             others. And today you're going
             to tell us.
The WOMAN in the next room SHOUTING louder than before --
that one is a real and tough activist --

                           STOLZ
                    (to himself)
             Bloody woman.
                    (to Johannes)
             Water!
As Johannes is fetching the bucket of water.        Venter goes
to the cupboard and stays there.

                           LIEUTENANT VENTER
             'Samson' is ready, Captain, shall
             I switch him on?

Johannes empties the bucket over Gordon.     Stolz attaches
the terminal to Gordon's earlobes.

                            STOLZ
                     (to Venter)
             Okay.   Gert!
Gordon is given a short burst of electric shock.

                            GORDON
                     (reacts)
             Hai!

                                                 (CONTINUED)

                                                         52.

CONTINUED:
                           STOLZ
             That was a small taste of 'Samson.'
             We have a whole day...
A knock at the door.

                          STOLZ
             ... Kom!
A black policeman in uniform.       JOHNSON SEROKE, enters
with a letter in his hand.

                           STOLZ
             What do you want?

                           SEROKE
             A letter for you, Captain.
Stolz goes to take the letter and turns to place it on
his desk. He notices Seroke still standing.
                           STOLZ
             What are you bloody-well waiting
             for?
                           SEROKE
             No reply, Captain?
                           STOLZ
             Get out of here.
Seroke leaves.
                           STOLZ
                    (to Gordon)
             Now about these affidavits who
             told you to collect them? The
             A.N.C.? Who recruited you?
Gordon mumbles something.

                          STOLZ
             What?
He bends forward to hear, and Gordon's swollen, puffy
eyes hold his gaze.

                           GORDON
             I don't know anything about the
             A.N.C.

                           STOLZ
             You've had your chance.    Now
             you're going to shit.
                           (MORE)
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        53.

CONTINUED:
                           STOLZ (CONT'D)
                    (to lieutenant in
                     Afrikaans)
             Reg gert. (Okay, Gert)
Gordon suddenly shakes violently and shouts repeatedly.

                             GORDON
             Hai!   Hai!   Hai!
INT. DUTCH REFORM CHURCH - MORNING

Dominee Bester is preaching from the pulpit.
                           BESTER
             God created the whole human race
             so that they could occupy the
             entire earth. He decreed how
             long each nation should flourish,
             and what the boundaries of each
             territory should be. Our task is
             to preserve that creative diversity.
Behind him, in his deacon's black tails, Ben listens with
clasped hands. On the opposite side, another man is lis-
tening, standing in the love of his family, Cloete.
                           BESTER
             Brothers and sisters, like our
             forebears, the Voortrekkers, who
             trekked into the wilderness
             preserve the Afrikanere way of
             life given to them by God. Today,
             we also live in times of great
             danger. Let not fear overcome
             you! Cling to the ways of justice
             and truth preserved by our leaders.
             So shall God be honored...
BEN'S POV

The faces    of his friends scattered among the pews, Suzette
and Susan    listening intently, Johan beside her visibly
bored, his    eyes wandering to the Cloete's daughter at
the end of    the pew.

                           BESTER
             ... So shall the Afrikaner people
             flourish.

The organ plays the opening notes to a hymn, the congre-
gation rises and sings.

                                                      54.

INT. BEN'S GARAGE - DAY
Ben's garage/workshop -- the door is open. Ben and Johan
are together building a strong desk for Johan.

The RADIO offers MUSIC to keep them company.   Susan is
confronting Ben.

                        SUSAN
          Why didn't you tell me you'd been
          down to John Vorster Square?
                        BEN
          What difference would it have
          made?
                        SUSAN
          I'm your wife, damn it!

She turns the RADIO DOWN, irritably.
                        BEN
          I didn't want to upset you.
                        SUSAN
          Upset me? It upsets me when you
          share your bloody secrets with a
          child!
Johan is embarrassed. Ben glances at him. Johan shrugs
and shakes his head "not me." Ben planes on.
                        SUSAN
          Ben! Ben! Look at me for God
          sakes!
                 (turns to Johan)
          Johan uit met jou!
Johan leaves.

                        BEN
                 (posing down the
                  plane)
          Now what?
                        SUSAN
          We have a good life. We may not
          have everything we might have had
          if...
                        BEN
                 (interrupts)
          ... If I'd been more ambitious.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         55.

CONTINUED:
                           SUSAN
                    (looking at him)
             Ben, what's happening?
                    (pause)
             Sometimes it seems to me I don't
             know you.

Ben looks at her. Her tone is panic, urgent. She looks
afraid. He crosses over to her, takes her in his arms.
                           BEN
             What's happening -- it's something
             I've never had to face -- deal
             with -- before.

                           SUSAN
             He's the gardener for God's sake,
             not one of the family.
                           BEN
             Be patient with me... When Gordon
             is free you'll have me all to
             yourself again... promise.

                             SUSAN
                      (nuzzling into his
                       chest)
             Ben.    We're growing old.

                          BEN
             Nonsense. One's as old as he
             feels. I feel young and very
             attractive. I can still do my
             duty.
She smiles up at him, chuckles, and then they kiss.

Johan interrupts.
                            JOHAN
             Papa.

                           SUSAN
                    (smiling indulgently at
                     Johan's interruption)
             _______________________________

                           JOHAN
             Stanley's here, Papa.

Johan leaves.

                           SUSAN
             Oh, bloody hell!

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        56.

CONTINUED:
Susan exclaims in angry frustration and flees.

Stanley appears at the garage door.     He stands.
                           STANLEY
             Gordon's dead.

                          BEN
             What?
The news leaves Ben speechless.      Stanley continues in
flat, emotionless tones.
                           STANLEY
             The bastards say he committed
             suicide... hanged himself.

Ben, recovering from the shock.
                           BEN
             Suicide... is that what they told
             Emily -- poor woman...
                           STANLEY
             They didn't tell her. She heard
             it on the radio like the rest of
             us. I contacted Lewinson
             immediately. He then rung the
             police to ask why Emily wasn't
             informed. Would you believe it,
             they said they were sorry, and they
             didn't know where to contact her.
Ben walks slowly out of the garage in deep thoughts --
Stanley follows him.

EXT. GARAGE - DAY
                           BEN
                    (almost to himself)
             God! I never thought Gordon could
             commit suicide.
                           STANLEY
             Did you understand me? I said,
             they said he committed suicide.
                           BEN
             How do we know?

                           STANLEY
             Gordon wasn't a coward.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                         57.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             Yes, but...

                           STANLEY
                    (interrupts aggressively)
             What do you mean 'but'? What
             about Timol who they said had
             jumped from a top-floor window?
             What about Ngudle? What about
             Mosala? Joyi? Malele? They all
             died in that John Vorster Square.
             All suicide, eh?
Ben stares at him. There is something like a strange
silence between them. Ben is confused and Stanley is
staring at him. Ben breaks this embarrassing mood.

                           BEN
             Anything I can do to help?
                           STANLEY
             He's got brothers.
                           BEN
                    (surprised)
             Brothers?
                           STANLEY
             I'm his brother, man, we all are!
             We'll take care of everything.
                    (with pride)
             That's the African way.
                           BEN
             Stanley, I'd like to see Gordon.
                           STANLEY
             Don't look for trouble, man. You
             know there are riots all over
             Soweto. You're out of it. Why
             don't you stay out?

                           BEN
             Don't you understand?   I've got to go.

                           STANLEY
                    (with a mischievous
                     smile)
             You got to go? Of course, Lanie... the
             last farewell. But we have to be careful.

INT. STANLEY'S CAR - DAY
Stanley drives sportingly as he talks to Ben, seated in
the back.
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                       58.
CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
             We expected it.

                           BEN
             How can you talk like that!?
                           STANLEY
             A guy gets picked up by the S.B...
             he's part of history, man.
                           BEN
             You mean you had no hope, you
             didn't believe he'd be released?
                           STANLEY
             Hope's a white word, Lanie... It's
             not hope we need.

There's silence for a moment.
                           BEN
             Well, thank God Emily has you to
             lean on, Stanley.
                           STANLEY
             Emily is like my sister... We go
             back many years.
                           BEN
             Do you belong to the xhosa tribe too?
                           STANLEY
             I am an African. That's all!
                    (looking through the
                     rear mirror)
             Comprende?
                           BEN
             I am an African too!
Stanley turns abruptly.

                          STANLEY
             What?
                           BEN
             I was fourteen before I wore shoes
             -- except for church... I grew up
             on a plaas miles from any town...
             watching sheep and...
                           STANLEY
                    (interrupts)
             Bullshit! Next you'll have me
             believing we grew up in the same
             country, same laws, same freedom,
             same everything!
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                      59.

CONTINUED:
He laughs.

EXT. SOWETO BORDER - DAY
                           STANLEY
                    (like a tour guide)
             We are now about to leave the
             white jungle and entering the land
             of love and glory.
The car approaches a huge perimeter notice:

"YOU ARE NOW ENTERING SOWETO TOWNSHIP.    NO PERSON WITHOUT
THE NECESSARY PERMIT IS ALLOWED..."

Ben is driven into a different world; children playing in
dirty streets, in wrecks of cars, open spaces devoid of
vegetables, smoke from large rubbish dumps, burnt-out
skeletons of buses, beer halls and buildings. Clusters
of policemen in battle dress patrolling in the distance.
                           BEN
             So this is Soweto.

                           STANLEY
                    (like an actor, with
                     big expansive gesture)
             Land of love and glory, Lanie!
                    (turning suddenly
                     to Ben)
             But watch out for the police and
             army. They're patrolling all the
             time.

The car follows an isolated broken stretch of tarred road
hill cluttered with rusty tins, cardboard containers,
bottles.

EXT. FUNERAL PARLOR - DAY
A group of young children playing under the blinding sun
in a muddy ditch, notice the big painted butterfly on the
hood of Stanley's car.
They wave and scream at Stanley in their language and he
screams back at them.

Two little girls start running, heading toward the car.
Stanley notices the red VW parked in a corner. He man-
euvers and parks his car nearby.

                           STANLEY
                    (opening door)
             Hurry up, Lanie.

                                                    60.

BEN'S POV
A modern funeral parlor with its name painted on the side:
"MOROKA FUNERAL DIRECTOR (PTY) LTD."

BACK TO SCENE
Stanley notices the two little girls with dusty smiling
faces, standing there waiting for him.

                           STANLEY
                    (checking his pants'
                     pockets)
             No sweets today. I'm sorry,
             babies.
The children give Stanley a coy disbelieving look as they
watch him go with the "white man."

CHILDREN'S POV
On the doorstep of the funeral parlor: Stanley and Ben
run into a young woman coming out with a shoulder bag
and a camera.
The young woman and Stanley exchange a quick, friendly
greeting -- it's MELANIE BRUWER, the Rand Daily reporter
-- and keep moving.
BACK TO SCENE

Ben turns back for a moment. Her face seems familiar to
him. He would like to talk to her, but there is no time.
Stanley is already inside.
INT. FUNERAL PARLOR - DAY
Ben and Stanley follow the proprietor who is expensively-
dressed in a dark suit. Gordon's coffin stands as one of
many in the room.
Inside the casket, brass fittings, white satin, lies
Gordon, incongruous, ludicrous in a black Sunday suit.
His hands are crossed on his chest like the claws of a
bird and his face, barely recognizable, is gray, the left
side distorted, blackish purple.

There are rough stitches of the postmortem across his
skull and a scar on his lips.
Stanley speaks in an African language to the undertaker.
The man opens Gordon's shirt and reveals the bruised and
battered chest.

                                           (CONTINUED)
                                                     61.

CONTINUED:

Stanley observes Ben who looks at the wounds with horror.

Then another command from Stanley and the undertaker
opens the shirt to the waist. Ben's ashen. Stanley
thanks the man and turns to leave. Ben remains a minute.
He shuts his eyes tightly. Now he saw it. Now he must
believe it. He must accept that this battered corpse is
Gordon.
As he follows Stanley, he thanks the undertaker.

EXT. FUNERAL PARLOR - DAY

Outside the "sunlight," the children's laughter and
Stanley, hands in pockets, waiting for Ben by the car.

The same two little girls approach Stanley who gives them
some coins -- they run off happily.
Ben is coming outside blinking in the glaring sunlight.
Stanley glares at Ben, who is pale, shaken and silent.
They get into the car in silence.
                        STANLEY
                 (turning to Ben)
          'The living close the eyes of the
          dead. The dead open the eyes of
          the living.'

Stanley starts the car.
                        BEN
          Please, take me to Emily.

Stanley looks at him.
                        STANLEY
          Look, we'd took one hell of a
          chance to get here, let's not push
          it.
                        BEN
          I really have to see her, Stanley.
Stanley drives off.

                        STANLEY
                 (determined; looking
                  through rearview
                   mirror)
          I said don't push it. I have to
          keep you alive. What's more the
          house is full of mourners.
                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                          62.

CONTINUED:
They drive in silence... then:

                           STANLEY
             What are your thoughts now?
                           BEN
             What do you mean?

                           STANLEY
                    (aggressively)
             Come on. I know you came to see
             the body. What do you think now?
                           BEN
                    (exposed)
             I... I cannot think.   I'm
             confused.
                           STANLEY
             You either believe what you saw
             or maybe you still prefer the
             government version.
                           BEN
             For Christ sake, just get off my
             back, Stanley.
                            STANLEY
             Okay.   It was a simple question.
Stanley turns his RADIO ON and BANTU MUSIC invades the
car as it speeds away in a cloud of dust.
EXT. WHITE SUBURB STREET - LATE AFTERNOON
The big brassy Dodge is threading its way through the
leafy calm of the white suburb.

The "Bantu" MUSIC is STILL PLAYING on the radio under
Stanley's animated conversation with Ben.

                           STANLEY
             You know, Lanie, when you run a
             taxi, especially a pirate taxi
             like me, you have eyes and ears
             everywhere. Even when a policeman
             farts in his bed you know. People
             want a reference book, a permit to
             stay in Soweto, a house, anything,
             we taxi drivers know the routes.
             I'll tell you something...

A news bulletin in African language interrupts the music.
Stanley listens.

                                                 (CONTINUED)

                                                          63.

CONTINUED:
                          STANLEY
             Shit!

                          BEN
             What?

                           STANLEY
             Dr. Hassiem has been picked up.
                          BEN
             Who's he?

Stanley silently pulls up along the curb and comes to
rest at Ben's gate.

EXT. BEN'S HOUSE - ENTRANCE - LATE EVENING

                           STANLEY
             Dr. Hassiem is the doctor we got
             to represent Emily at Gordon's
             autopsy. We wanted the truth.
Ben suddenly realizes the significances.

                           BEN
             He would have testified.   Bloody
             hell!
                           STANLEY
             A smart move by your Boer
             brothers. They have silenced
             Hassiem.
                           BEN
             His report has to be important.
             We can only use what we have.
             Therefore, Lewinson must get a
             very good advocate.
                    (pause)
             If only we could get   hold of this
             Hassiem's report.

                           STANLEY
             What's the use? It's one big game
             and we blacks are merely
             spectators. Hey Lanie, can one be
             a spectator as he's being kicked
             around?
He laughs.

                                                 (CONTINUED)

                                                        64.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             It's not a question of being
             spectators. The courts are
             impartial, the law is what
             matters.

                           STANLEY
                    (quite seriously)
             That's what you all say. I have
             to move man. Your neighbors!
             Now, be careful. They will put
             their marks on you!
                           BEN
             Who?

Stanley takes an empty cigarette packet from his pocket,
he writes on it.
                           STANLEY
             You'll find out!
                    (handing the packet
                     to Ben)
             In case you need me. Don't give
             your name -- just say 'Lanie'
             phoned -- right?
Ben gets out of the car.

                           BEN
             Now tomorrow at ten...
                           STANLEY
                    (interrupting)
             Sharp! At our smart liberal
             friend's office, yeh!

                           BEN
             Good night.
Stanley drives vigorously away.

Ben walks slowly and thoughtfully towards his house.         He
notices Susan watching him through the window.

He slumps on a chair on the veranda as Susan comes out of
the house followed by Johan -- they both stand slightly
worried at his moroseness.
                           BEN
             I went to Soweto and saw Gordon's
             body. They have lied to me, my
             own people -- they killed him! I
             saw the body.

                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                   65.

CONTINUED:
Johan looks horrified.

                           SUSAN
             Ben, you're not a doctor. His
             death was announced officially.
             They wouldn't say anything unless
             they were certain of their facts.

                           BEN
                    (more animated)
             Facts? There's a doctor who
             participated at the autopsy.   A
             Doctor Hassiem and he...
                           SUSAN
                    (interrupts)
             You mean the Indian doctor who's
             been arrested?
                           JOHAN
             It was in the five o'clock news,
             Papa.
                           BEN
             That's him, he represented Emily
             at the autopsy.
                           SUSAN
                    (suddenly desperate)
             Ben, I'm sorry about Gordon's
             death, but please for all our
             sakes, forget about this whole
             thing. Let's get back to a normal
             life.
                           BEN
             Can I have a drink?

                          JOHAN
             A brandy?

                           BEN
             You always know what I need.
Johan hurries into the house.

                           SUSAN
                    (pleading)
             Please, Ben, I'm frightened.

She turns and walks into the house, leaving Ben.

                                                    66.

EXT. SOWETO CEMETERY - MORNING
The large Soweto cemetery has scores of graves ready for
burials. The chief mourners, Emily, Robert, his sister,
Margaret, four relatives and Stanley are standing on
either side of the PRIEST. Gordon's coffin is in the
grave; several wreaths are on the side of the grave.

There are about fifteen hundred mourners, and half are
youths. There are several local reporters and overseas
television reporters.
The police are in attendance in large numbers at the edge
of the crowd, some in battle dress and some with dogs.
                        PRIEST
          Before I conclude, I have to say
          we are tired of making this
          journey every day, sometimes twice
          in one day, burying our children,
          and those, like our departed
          brother, Ngubene who were merely
          seeking the truth; and those who
          have been denounced by traitors
          amongst us; and those who have
          been brutally killed for no
          reason, yes I shall say it, by the
          police. Let those who rule this
          land of ours listen to the word
          of God; let them listen to our
          peaceful and just demands; let
          them be humble and go down on
          their knees and seek forgiveness,
          then listen to God.
The crowd roars:   "Amanda!   Amanda!"
The Priest starts a short hymn and the crowd joins in.

At the end of the hymn.
                        PRIEST
          We will have a few words from Mr.
          Pilani our father and leader.
The crowd starts singing a freedom song with arms raised.
The funeral has now become a political demonstration.

Mr. Pilani, who is a dignified, educated 70-years-old,
walks slowly and waits beside the chief mourners. He
is handed a loudspeaker.

                                          (CONTINUED)

                                                         67.

CONTINUED:
A SENIOR POLICE OFFICER threads his way through the
crowd, a loud hailer in his hand. As he reaches the
grave he turns. The crowd is quiet. He says something
to the Priest then addresses the crowd.
                           SENIOR OFFICER
             The funeral is over. I order
             everyone to go home. This is not
             a political rally. I repeat,
             disperse.

As though by signal the police start attacking the
mourners with truncheons and dogs. There is pandemon-
ium, women screaming, people falling into graves or
covering in them.

The Priest and Stanley lead Emily and the family away
in the opposite direction.
The press and television are recording the scene. The
police start throwing tear gas canisters. There is no
confrontation, the crowd is fleeing in all directions.
One television cameraman is purposely pushed into a grave
by a very young policeman, his round recordist is pulled
up into the adjourning grave by the connecting cord.
Melanie stands on a tombstone watching and making notes.
INT. BEN'S LOUNGE - NIGHT
Ben, Susan watching the main evening news bulletin on TV.
On the screen a sequence of rioting.

                           COMMENTARY (V.O.)
             Despite repeated warnings young
             blacks attacked the police with
             rocks and petrol bombs. Five
             policemen were injured.
Susan briefly glances at Ben.

                           COMMENTARY (V.O.)
             Several arrests were made. One
             youth was killed and five wounded.

Follows the newscaster and then reports:
                           NEWSCASTER (V.O.)
             This morning there was a serious
             disturbance at the funeral of
             Gordon Ngubene.
Susan leaves the room.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         68.

CONTINUED:
                           NEWSCASTER
             The detainee who committed suicide
             by hanging himself at John Vorster
             Square. An overseas television
             cameraman broke an arm during the
             disturbance. It's been reported
             that several people had been
             killed by a car-bomb in Belfast
             Northern Island...
Ben turns OFF the TV and stays in his thoughts.

EXT. JOHANNESBURG - STREET - AFTERNOON
Stanley and Ben are driving in the outskirts of
Johannesburg.

EXT. APPROACHES OF SOWETO - AFTERNOON
Stanley drives seemingly alone at very high speeds, which
he maintains through the streets of Soweto... using his
horn to scatter people out of his way, to the anger and
indulgence of others.

The CAR SCREECHES to a halt outside Emily's house.
Stanley gets out of the car and greets the startled
neighbors... and acknowledges the friendly shouts of
children.

Stanley looks around, then goes back to the car, opens
the back door, leans and says something. Suddenly, to
everyone's astonishment, Ben crawls out of the car;
Stanley hustles him into Emily's house.

Stanley waves at the people, a sign of assurance, then
closes the door behind him.

INT. EMILY'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
Ben stands awkwardly for a moment, taking in the room and
the people in it. He then walks over to Emily who is
standing at the table. He goes to shake her hand.
                           BEN
             How are you, Emily?

                           EMILY
             Well, thank you, Mr. Ben, sir.
             Eh, that's father Masonwane, our
             priest, and that's Margaret from
             next door.

Ben nods at them.    Stanley sits himself down.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         69.

CONTINUED:
                            STANLEY
                    (raising his hand in
                      greeting)
             Mfundisi...
             (priest)
             ... Sisi!
             (sister)

                           EMILY
                    (to Ben)
             Please sit down. Take this chair,
             the other one is broken.
                           BEN
                    (apologetically)
             I didn't mean to disturb you.
             I've come to talk to you.
                           EMILY
                    (as she sits on the
                     broken chair)
             Yes, it's good. What I want to
             know is why did they kill him. He
             didn't do them nothing. You know,
             Mr. Ben, sir, I washed his whole
             body for he was my husband. And
             I know a man who killed himself,
             he doesn't look like that.

                           MARGARET
             Master, you must understand she's
             still raw inside.
                          BEN
             I'm sure.
Robert walks in, looks at Ben and walks into his bedroom
to fetch something, then as he's about to go out:
                           EMILY
             Robert, where are you manners
             today? Don't you greet visitors?
Robert stops momentarily and looks at Ben with hostility
and hurries out of the room banging the door.

                           EMILY
             I'm sorry for his rudeness.
                           PRIEST
                    (to Ben)
             You have to understand what's
             happening to our children today,
             they're like wasps when you burn
             their nest.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         70.

CONTINUED:
                           MARGARET
             That's right. Our children are
             saying 'that's enough!' Things
             have to change in this country.
             They accuse us of being cowards.

                           BEN
             Emily, I have really come to
             assure you that I will do all I
             can to help you find out what
             really happened to Jonathan and
             your husband -- we cannot bring
             them back to life, but we can make
             sure that this sort of thing won't
             ever happen again.

                           PRIEST
             You mean well, sir, but it's
             better to forgive. If we keep the
             pain alive then hate and
             bitterness will remain with us.
                           BEN
             The air must be cleared.   So we
             can breathe again.
                           PRIEST
             The air can only be cleared if we
             forget about yesterday's thunder.
                           EMILY
             Mr. Ben is right. It's not that I
             want to go on with this thing
             because it's a bad thing that
             Jonathan died, that Gordon died
             that's hard enough to bear, but
             I can forgive it. But they
             covered Gordon's name with dirt
             and we must clean it up, else
             he'll never have peace in his
             grave.

                           STANLEY
                    (to Ben)
             You must understand for us,
             suicide is a coward's way out, how
             do they say, it's a 'cop out.'
                           BEN
             Gordon wasn't a coward and we'll
             prove that. We have a very good
             advocate for the inquest. His
             name is De Villiers. I have
             confidence in him and the truth
             will come out.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         71.

CONTINUED:
                           EMILY
             The truth must be known. They
             killed my husband who wouldn't
             hurt a fly and they killed
             Jonathan who was only a child...

                           PRIEST
             Those people who did it are sinful
             people who don't know what they're
             doing.

                          STANLEY
             He! Mfundisi, what are you saying
             now? You mean...

                           PRIEST
             We must help them. That's the
             only way. They need our help, not
             hate, but love.
                           PRIEST
             I pity them and I ask the Lord to
             help me so I can learn to love
             them.
                           STANLEY
             If that's what you preach in your
             church you will soon be starving.

                           EMILY
             They covered his name with dirt.
                           PRIEST
             Aren't you afraid sis Emily?
                           EMILY
             No. In the end one grows tired of
             being afraid.
                          STANLEY
             Amen!

Ben has been listening to the discussion with interest,
this being the first time he has heard Africans talking
seriously about their problems.

                           BEN
             Emily, Stanley and I will do all
             we can. As I said we have a good
             advocate. Everyone involved with
             Gordon's death will be questioned
             and all that's known regarding
             what happened in John Vorster
             Square will come out.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         72.

CONTINUED:
                           MARGARET
             How can anything come out of that
             John Vorster Square? Who there
             will say: 'Yes, we killed the
             boy and Gordon?'

                           BEN
             Lawyers ask questions.
                           MARGARET
             And don't policemen lie?

                           EMILY
             Thank you, Mr. Ben, sir for what
             you're doing.

                           BEN
                    (standing)
             I'm pleased I came.
                           STANLEY
                    (to Ben as he goes to
                     the door)
             Wait, let me check the situation.
He opens the door and walks out.
EXT. EMILY'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON

A small group of youngsters are there, hands thrust into
their pockets, hanging around in a stony silence.
Robert is standing by the door.

Stanley calls one of them and talks to him -- the boys
look around and say something.

As Stanley goes back to the door, passing Robert, he
ruffles his hair.
                           STANLEY
                    (to Robert)
             Take it easy.
                    (then to Ben)
             It's okey, dokey, but hurry.

Ben hurries out of the room.       The children stare at him.
                           BEN
                    (as they go to the
                     car)
             Do I...
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         73.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
                    (interrupts)
             Yes, on the floor man.
Stanley opens the back door for Ben.     Who crouches on
the floor.

Some of the boys snicker and one bursts out laughing.
As Stanley gets into the car he shouts at them:

                          STANLEY
             Okay. Kids, time to go home.   Be
             careful.

                           BOY
                    (shouting back)
             Sure 'bra' Stanley. Take it easy.
Stanley drives off at speed.
EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF SOWETO - LATE AFTERNOON
Stanley is driving, they have left Soweto.       Ben still on
the floor.
                           BEN
             Are we still in Soweto?

                           STANLEY
             Why don't you look for yourself?
Ben rises and sees that they're at least a mile out.       He
is not amused.
                           BEN
                    (sitting up)
             What the hell are you playing at?
                           STANLEY
                    (as he bursts into
                     loud laugh)
             Precautions, Lanie.
                           BEN
                    (exposing)
             Don't call me Lanie!   What does
             that mean anyway?
                           STANLEY
                    (still laughing)
             You will not understand, Lanie.
They drive off.

                                                      74.

INT. BEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Susan and Ben are in bed.    Susan is in Ben's arms, she is
relaxed and loving.

Ben talks quietly and calmly.
                        BEN
          I think I am without awareness.
          I have always cared about people,
          call it a social conscience. But
          my visit to Gordon's house made me
          experience another dimension of
          human conditions.
                        SUSAN
          The poverty, ja...

                        BEN
          No, I expected that. But
          listening to them talk made me
          realize that I did not know the
          blacks. Now I question my
          attitudes, my concerns as Ben, and
          complacence as a white person.

                        SUSAN
          Ben, I know your anxiety about the
          inquest. All will be cleared up,
          in a legal way, and you'll be back
          to your normal self. Now let's
          turn off the lights.
Susan kisses Ben tenderly.
INT. COURT ROOM - FIRST DAY OF INQUEST - DAY
The inquest of Gordon Ngubene... conducted by MAGISTRATE
KLOPPER. In the witness box is DR. JANSEN, the state
pathologist, giving evidence. Advocate DE VILLIERS is
cross examining.
                        DE VILLIERS
          Dr. Jansen, you are a state
          pathologist of many years
          standing and I have no doubt a
          well-qualified pathologist.
          Could you now please tell us
          what caused the death of the
          deceased?
                        DR. JANSEN
          I found that death had been caused
          by the application of force to
          the neck, consistent with
          hanging.

                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                         75.

CONTINUED:
There's a vigorous reaction to this around the court,
which gives us a chance to discover the crowd:

In the white section of the public gallery are Ben and
about eight other whites.

The black section is filled to capacity with a few stand-
ing. In the front row is sitting Stanley next to
Margaret. At the entrance, a white policeman.
In the press section are several reporters; amongst them
Melanie Bruwer the Rand Daily Mail reporter.
Colonel Viljoen and several policemen are sitting around
the court.

                           DE VILLIERS
             You are sure about the hanging?
             This pressure on the neck, could
             it also have been exerted in other
             ways?
                           DR. JANSEN
             It could, but it is not for me
             to speculate.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Of course not, Doctor. The list
             of injuries found on the body was
             horrifyingly long; bruises,
             swellings, abrasions, broken rib,
             lacerations, etc. How long before
             death do you estimate he received
             these injuries?
                           DR. JANSEN
             I couldn't say exactly.

                          DE VILLIERS
             Roughly.

                           DR. JANSEN
             Some were fourteen to twenty days
             old, others three to four days and
             others even more recent.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Even more recent. I see. I
             understand you had a Dr. Hassiem
             present at the autopsy.

                           DR. JANSEN
             That's correct.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                          76.

CONTINUED:
                           DE VILLIERS
             There were two reports, ours and
             his. Did they tally?
                            DR. JANSEN
             Yes, it was.   In most respects.

ON Stanley listening.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Isn't it normal practice to have
             one report? Why did Dr. Hassiem
             decide to draw up a separate
             report? If he really co-signed
             yours.

                           DR. JANSEN
             That's for him to answer!
                           DE VILLIERS
             I would very much like to, Dr.
             Jansen, but he's been detained --
             you know of course that he
             represented the Ngubene family.
             Thank you.
There's a murmur around the court... Ben looks across at
Viljoen who returns his gaze -- smiling.

                                                CUT TO:
DR. HERZOG
the police physician, giving evidence.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Dr. Herzog, did you examine the
             deceased?
                           DR. HERZOG
             Yes, one day Captain Stolz called
             me in. The man had toothache.
                           DE VILLIERS
                    (aggressive)
             That's all?

                           DR. HERZOG
                    (uncomfortable)
             As far as I could tell -- yes.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         77.

CONTINUED:
                           DE VILIERS
             You didn't examine him thoroughly?

                           DR. HERZOG
             Why should I? The man was
             perfectly healthy, just
             complaining of toothache. I
             extracted three decayed teeth, and
             gave him aspirin for the pain...
             that's all.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Did the captain or anyone else
             assist you during the examination?

                           DR. HERZOG
                    (hesitates)
             I... I cannot remember.
                           DE VILLIERS
                    (more aggressive and
                     accusing)
             Dr. Herzog, tell us. Have you
             been intimidated by the Security
             Police or did you deliberately
             cooperate with them in playing
             their disgusting little game of
             hide-and-seek?

                           LOUW
                    (jumping up from his
                     seat)
             I protest, Your Worship.

                           MAGISTRATE
             Advocate De Villiers, will you
             refrain from insinuations?

                           DE VILLIERS
             Thank you, Doctor Herzog... I'm
             sure Gordon Ngubene was extremely
             grateful!
Herzog's face is impassive.

ON crowd reacting.

                           MAGISTRATE
             Advocate Louw?

During the hubbub De Villiers and the state advocate
trade places. The courtroom is quiet.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                    78.

CONTINUED:
                           LOUW
             Thank you, Your Worship. I'd
             like to call Captain Stolz.
There's a buzz from the spectators as Captain Stolz walks
up to the witness stand. He's given a Bible.

ON Ben -- watches him.
CLOSEUP - STOLZ

In witness box, swearing in Afrikaans.
                           LOUW
             You're a police officer stationed
             at John Vorster Square?

                           STOLZ
             That's right, Your Worship.
                           LOUW
             You arrested Gordon Ngubene.
             Could you describe what happened?

                           STOLZ
             Acting on information we had
             received, I went to the house of
             the deceased, accompanied by
             Lieutenant Venter, Lieutenant
             Botha, and three native members
             of the security force. This was
             about 10 P.M. I informed Ngubene
             that he was under arrest under
             Article 6 of the Terrorism Act.
             He then became violent and resisted
             arrest. A certain force had to be
             applied to restrain him.

ON Stanley listening.
ON Ben listening.

                           STOLZ
             We found several incriminating
             documents. These pointed to his
             involvement with the A.N.C. and
             activities endangering the
             security of the state.

                                                     79.

ON Ben looking at Stolz, and shaking his head, bewildered.
                       LOUW
         Was the deceased ever assaulted to
         your knowledge?
                       STOLZ
         Never. He was always treated with
         courtesy and correctness. But,
         one time we had cause to use force
         against him. It was the day before
         his death. The deceased suddenly
         showed signs of aggression. He
         tried to jump through the open
         window of my office. He was
         acting like a mad man. It took
         six of my men to restrain him,
         and he had to be manacled hand
         and foot, for his own safety.
         But once he calmed down, he was
         ready to make a statement about
         his activities. The next morning
         we found him dead in his cell.
                       MAGISTRATE
         Is the statement in evidence?
                       LOUW
         No, Your Worship. It can't be
         disclosed in court without
         damaging our investigation, but
         I would like to offer into
         evidence a suicide note written
         by the deceased.
Louw, taking it from his file on the table.
Stanley and Margaret listening.

                       LOUW
         'Dear Captain. I prefer to die
         rather than betray any more of
         my friends. Amandla! Gordon
         Ngubene.'
He hands it to the court clerk.   There's uproar at this.

                       LOUW
         Thank you, Your Worship.
                       MAGISTRATE
         Advocate De Villiers?

                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                       80.

CONTINUED:
Ben is disgusted. He looks about the court, as if seeking
allies. His eyes meet Melanie's -- just for a second
there's recognition -- then he returns to De Villiers.
Advocate De Villiers cross-examining Captain Stolz.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Thank you, Your Worship. Captain
             Stolz, you said you treated the
             deceased always with courtesy and
             correctness, then how do you
             account for the injuries found on
             the body?
                           STOLZ
             Sometimes detainees deliberately
             injure themselves for propaganda
             purposes.
The gallery screams its objections. Stanley leans forward
and grins across the partition at Ben. The Magistrate
warns the crowd. Finally the gallery quiets down.
                           DE VILLIERS
             You say he tried to jump out of
             the open window... Are there no
             bars to prevent such an act?
                           STOLZ
             They had been removed for repair.
                           DE VILLIERS
             And why did he wish to jump out?
             Because you were torturing him?
                           STOLZ
             He wasn't tortured.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Perhaps it was the toothache then.

No reaction from Stolz.
                           DE VILLIERS
             You said you seized incriminating
             documents at the deceased's home;
             can you produce them to see how
             subversive he was?
                           LOUW
                    (to Magistrate)
             Those documents cannot be
             introduced as evidence, Your
             Worship, in view of the fact that
             state security is involved.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                      81.

CONTINUED:
The Magistrate makes a note.


                           DE VILLIERS
             I put it to you, Captain -- that
             the only subversive activities
             the deceased had been involved in
             were his efforts to establish
             what happened to his son,
             Jonathan, allegedly shot during
             a riot, although several witnesses
             are prepared to testify that he
             died in detention one month later.
                           LOUW
                    (jumping up)
             I protest...
                           DE VILLIERS
             This would support my case that an
             innocent man has died in your hands
             under highly questionable
             circumstances.

                           LOUW
             If it please Your Worship... this
             unwarranted slur on the integrity
             of the special branch is
             unacceptable... and based, I may
             say, on allegations which are in
             any case irrelevant to the present
             inquest.
                          MAGISTRATE
             I agree.
                           DE VILLIERS
                    (turning on Louw)
             If the police are really interested
             in retaining an unsullied
             reputation, they should not object
             to the real facts being presented.
             Thank you, Captain.
                           LOUW
             The real facts are being presented
             -- as the following affadivits
             prove. They are all by detainees
             -- who testify that they had all
             seen the deceased intermittently
             from the time of his detention --
             to the time of his death -- and on
             all occasions he was in good
             health.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                          82.

CONTINUED:
As the documents are passed to the Magistrate, they are
scorned by De Villiers. Imperviously he requests:

                           DE VILLIERS
             I trust the signatories of these
             ... documents... are available to
             corroborate their evidence in
             person.
STRAIGHT ON ARCHIBALD CHIGORIMBO

Detainee in the witness box.    He swears in Zulu.
De Villiers holds his signed affidavit.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Mr. Archibald, when did you first
             meet Gordon Ngubene?
                           ARCHIBALD
                    (looking at black
                     crowd, then to De
                     Villiers)
             I never saw Gordon Ngubene.
A sudden stillness in the court.
ON Ben.

ON Stanley.
ON Melanie.
ON Louw.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Are you saying that you didn't
             sign this statement?
                           ARCHIBALD
             ... I never met Mr. Ngubene...
             they forced me to sign. Captain
             Stolz, he hit me many times with
             a rubber hose... he said he would
             kill me 'less I signed... this...
             this is what he did to me.

He pulls up his shirt -- his back is covered in bruises.
The crowd cannot restrain itself any longer.     Ben is
aghast by what he sees.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Thank you, Mr. Archibald.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                         83.

CONTINUED:
                           MAGISTRATE
             Advocate Louw?

                           LOUW
                    (uncomfortable)
             No thank you, Your Worship.

As Archibald leaves the witness stand, held by a special
branch officer, he raises his fist in salute and shouts
to the crowd: "AMANDLA." The crowd responds: "Ngawethu."

Ben looks at Archibald. He is very impressed by this
strength in the prisoner's eyes.
An officer   of the court shouts at the crowd: "silte in
die koort"   (silence in court) -- bailiffs collar a few of
the loudest   protesters and pull them with brutality
out of the   courtroom.
                           DE VILLIERS
                    (to town, wearily)
             May we put up the second
             signatory?

Louw confers hurriedly with the prosecution officers, then
turns back to the court.
                           LOUW
             Your Worship -- the other three
             signatories cannot appear for
             reasons of state security.
He sits down, bland, examining his papers.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Your Worship, I'd like to recall
             Captain Stolz.

As Captain Stolz returns to the stand he crosses Archibald
being handcuffed by the S.B. officer.

Ben watches him passing by the detainee, straight, im-
passive without a look to him.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Captain, you're still under oath
             -- you took Archibald's statement.
             Was it voluntary? I'm sure you'll
             say it was, then how did he come
             by the injuries on his back?

                           STOLZ
             He fell down the stairs a few
             days ago.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         84.

CONTINUED:
                           DE VILLIERS
             Fell down the stairs. You should
             do something about those stairs,
             Captain, so many people fall on
             them. Thank you.

The crowd laughs.

                           STOLZ
                    (to the Magistrate)
             Your Worship, may I be excused? I
             have to escort detainee Archibal
             back to John Vorster Square.
                           MAGISTRATE
             You may, Captain, and thank you.
                    (to the crowd)
             I think this's a good moment to
             adjourn -- we'll reconvene at two
             thirty.
EXT. COURTROOM - DAY
Emily, Margaret, Stanley and a man, are sitting outside
the court eating fish and chips.
There are various Africans sitting around for their lunch
break.

                                               CUT TO:
INT. CAFE NEAR COURT - DAY
Ben and Dan Lewinson having a light lunch in a nearby
cafe.
                           BEN
                    (buoyant)
             De Villiers is making mincemeat
             of them.

                           LEWINSON
             He's very good. His cross-
             examination has got them rattled.

                           BEN
             It's obvious to anybody! The
             evidence is clear!
                    (pause)
             Did you see Archibal's back? He
             didn't have to tell the truth.

Dan Lewinson's dry laugh catches in his throat.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                          85.

CONTINUED:
                           LEWINSON
             That's what Stolz is saying to
             him right now in his torture room.
                                                CUT TO:

INT. COURTROOM - AFTERNOON

Advocate De Villiers and a dignified Emily in the witness
stand.

                           EMILY
             Captain Stolz lied. My husband
             never fight the police when he
             was arrested. They were rough
             with him, pushing him and
             threatening.
                           DE VILLIERS
             When your husband's clothes were
             given to you, in what condition
             were they?
                           EMILY
             There was blood on them and in
             the back pocket I found three
             broken teeth.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Now Mrs. Ngubene, you have seen
             the note that's said to have been
             written by your husband. Do you
             recognize the writing?

                           EMILY
                    (firmly)
             That's not how my husband writes.
                    (strongly)
             He never wrote that letter, they
             lie.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Thank you, Mrs. Ngubene.
                             MAGISTRATE
             Advocte Louw?

He shakes his head.
                           EMILY
                    (facing the
                     Magistrate and in
                     firm voice)
             They killed my husband and son.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         86.

CONTINUED:
ON Ben, satisfied.

                           MAGISTRATE
                    (to a policeman next
                     to Viljoen)
             Will you take the woman out?

                           DE VILLIERS
             I'd like to call my last witness.
             Grace Nkosi.

Grace's name is called. She is an attractive 20-years-
old girl. As she passes by Ben, he watches her with
concern; her face looks familiar. Of course he remembers
having seen her at John Vorster Square the first time he
went there to meet the colonel. GRACE NKOSI is the
African girl the two security officers were lifted to the
ten flour. He recognizes her.
Grace Nkosi in the witness stand.
She swears in Xhosa.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Were you ever detained?
                           GRACE
             Yes sir, at John Vorster Square.

                             DE VILLIERS
             For how long?
                             GRACE
             Six months.
                           DE VILLIERS
             Can you tell us what happened to
             you during that time?
                           GRACE
             I was interrogated by many special
             policemen, but mainly Captain Stolz
             and the one they call Venter. As
             they were searching somebody I
             know, they wanted me to tell them
             where that person was hidden. As
             I refuse to cooperate they beat me
             with a sjambok. After some time
             I fell and they kicked me in the
             face and stomach.

ON Ben obviously shocked.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                       87.

CONTINUED:
                           GRACE
             I spot blood and they try to make
             me lick it. Then Captain Stolz
             threw a wet towel and started
             twisting it around my neck...
                    (she illustrates)
             ... until I lost consciousness.
             They did this several time and
             the last one Captain Stolz said
             'come on meid, speak up, or do
             you want to die like Gordon
             Ngubene?' A few days later I was
             released.
ON Melanie taking notes.

                           DE VILLIERS
             Thank you, Miss Grace. That's
             all, Your Worship.
                           LOUW
                    (rising and looking
                     at Grace for some
                     seconds)
             You made that up. Say you made it
             up.
                           GRACE
             It's the truth. I have nothing
             more to say.
Louw sits down.
                           MAGISTRATE
             We shall adjourn until tomorrow
             morning. I'll hear the arguments
             and give the verdict.

The crowd stands and starts to leave the courtroom.
                                              DISSOLVE TO:

INT. COURTROOM - MORNING (SECOND DAY)
A silent black crowd; Emily, Margaret, Stanley anxiously
awaiting the verdict. Today the public gallery is more
crowded than before.
                           MAGISTRATE
             I wish to thank both advocates for
             conducting this case without
             rancour and in the best traditions
             of the South African legal
             profession.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                       88.

CONTINUED:
ON Ben's face.    ON Dan Lewinson's face.   ON Viljoen and
Stolz's faces.

                           MAGISTRATE
             I have listened to all the
             evidence and the arguments. To
             begin with I have to say that
             there was no conclusive evidence
             offered to prove beyond doubt that
             members of the Security Police had
             been guilty of assault or any
             irregular conduct on the deceased.
             There were indications that
             Ngubene was aggressive and on more
             than one occasion had to be
             restrained with force. There was
             sufficient evidence to conclude
             that death had been caused by a
             trauma following pressure applied
             to the neck, consistent with
             hanging. Consequently, I find
             that Gordon Ngubene committed
             suicide by hanging himself and
             that on available evidence his
             death cannot be attributed to any
             act or omission or amounting to
             a criminal offense on the part of
             any person.

                                             CUT TO:
Viljoen and Stolz smiling, shaking hands with Advocate
Louw in congratulations.

                                             CUT TO:
INT. FOYER OF COURTROOM - DAY

The predominantly black crowd obviously dissatisfied with
the verdict, discussing it as it moves slowly towards the
main entrance.

In the crowd Stanley, Margaret and Emily controlled,
dignified but obviously pained.

                                             CUT TO:

BEN
totally depressed, walking up to Emily.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                       89.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
                    (to Ben over noise
                     of the discussion)
             Don't worry, man. There's another
             day!

Ben leans towards Emily.

                           BEN
             I'm sorry, Emily.

Several press photographers are taking pictures osten-
sibly of Emily the widow.
Stanley gently guides Emily out of the building.

Ben, who is following, is besieged by the insistent
reporters, shouting:
                           REPORTERS
             'Mister Du Toit, how do you know
             Mrs. Ngubene?' 'Mister Du Toit, can
             you answer, is it true, he was a
             terrorist?'
Ben tries to get through.
                           REPORTERS
             Mister Du Toit, what do you think
             of the verdict? Do you believe
             the police?
Melanie appears, grabs Ben and pushes him away through
them.
                           REPORTER
             Hang on, Melanie, I'm coming with
             you.
                           MELANIE
                    (shouts back)
             Fuck off.
The press is still pursuing them.

As Ben and Melanie reach Melanie's car:

                           BEN
             My car is over there.

                           MELANIE
                    (opening the car)
             Never mind your car. Let's get
             away from these vultures.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                            90.

CONTINUED:
They get into the car and as they drive away, Melanie
introduces herself.

                           MELANIE
             By the way, I'm Melanie Bruwer.

                           BEN
             Obviously of the Rand Daily Mail.
             I read your article about
             Jonathan.

                           MELANIE
             Ten out of ten, Mr. Du Toit.      I
             know about you too.

                           BEN
                    (uncomfortable)
             You do?
Melanie smiles.
                           MELANIE
             We have a mutual friend.    One
             Stanley.
                           BEN
             I remember. The mortuary in
             Soweto...
                    (pause)
             ... The ambiguous Stanley.
                           MELANIE
             Stanley? No. Just careful. A
             big black rough uncut diamond.
             Don't be fooled by his happy-go-
             lucky attitude. There's much more
             to him.

                           BEN
             He couldn't have given you a
             glowing report of me.
                    (suddenly aggressive)
             I'm sorry, but where are we going?
                           MELANIE
             I thought a cooling drink at my
             house.
                           BEN
                    (on the defensive)
             Mrs. Bruwer, I'm not...

                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         91.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
                    (interrupts)
             I promise you. I'm not after an
             interview or anything like that.
She smiles.

                           BEN
             I really must go home.
                           MELANIE
             Please, Mr. Du Toit, and you'll
             meet my darling father.
She smiles again.    A disarming smile.

EXT. MELANIE'S HOME - DAY
Melanie drives into the yard. The house is an old
Colonial style house amidst flowers, bushes and trees, a
controlled wild garden.
A figure is bent over a beehive. A large brimmed old hat
with a net hides his head and features.
Melanie stops the car in the driveway.
                           MELANIE
                    (pointing from the
                     car)
             There he is by the eucalyptus
             tree, on the left. That's old
             Bruwer.

They get out of the car and walk towards him.
                           BEN
             How long have you lived here?
                           MELANIE
             Oh, about twenty-one years.   I
             love this house.
                           BRUWER
                    (without looking up)
             Is that you, Melanie?

                           MELANIE
             Of course, Dad. I want you to
             meet a friend.

                           BRUWER
             Does anyone have a friend
             nowadays?

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         92.

CONTINUED:
He straightens up and throws the net over his head and
studies Ben. MR. BRUWER is seventy years old; an
interesting face with a goatee beard.
                           MELANIE
             Mr. Du toit, Dad.

                           BRUWER
             Do you like bees?
                           BEN
                    (smiling)
             I have nothing against them.
                           MELANIE
                    (to Ben)
             Be careful, I can see philosophy
             coming.
                           BRUWER
             You shut up.
                    (to Ben)
             Let me tell you about bees, and
             for that matter ants: a bee has
             a completely altruistic sense of
             purpose -- based on the common
             good. A course from which he
             cannot be deflected. Greed,
             ambition, they mean nothing to
             him. He lives solely to serve
             his fellow bee.
                           MELANIE
             What about individuality, Dad?
                           BRUWER
             There's the rub, my girl. There's
             the rub. One of these days I'll
             ask the bees. I'm sure they have
             the answer. Now, you two run
             along!

He replaces his net and continues with the hive.
                             MELANIE
             A drink, Dad?

                           BRUWER
             I've been peeing too much this
             morning.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                               93.

      CONTINUED:
                                 MELANIE
                          (as they walk toward
                           the house)
                   That's my Daddy.
       Melanie and Ben enter the house.

       INT. MELANIE'S LIVING ROOM - DAY
       The Bruwer living room is a profusion of piles of papers,
       of books on shelves, on tables, on the floor, paintings
       -- records, African sculptures.
       On the floor tangled lengths of flex leading from a
       record player to two voluminous speakers.

       A settee, a chess set. The furniture is old and well-
       used, dominated by a large leather club chair -- two
       big cats sleeping on it. It's civilized pandemonium.
                                 MELANIE
                          (gesturing to the
                           room)
                   Now you see in what environment I
was spawned.
      Ben looks at the shelves and smiles.
                                 MELANIE
                   Please sit down, on that chair.
                          (pointing to club
                           chair)
                   That's Dad's. Drink?

                                    BEN
                   Please.   A...

                                 MELANIE
                          (interrupts, mischievous)
                   A brandy?

                                 BEN
                          (looking at her
                           surprised, then
                           smiling)
                   No thanks, a beer will be fine.

       Melanie goes into the kitchen leaving Ben. He cannot
       forget what he heard and what he saw in the court!

       She returns barefooted, with two beer mugs, and hands one
       to Ben.
                                                      (CONTINUED)

                                                         94.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
             The mugs are the few things that
             Dad brought from Germany. He
             studied philosophy in Tubingen
             and Berlin before the last war.

                           BEN
             I thought they were German?
Melanie sits, her legs propped up on the settee, hugging
her knees.

                           MELANIE
             Mr. Du Toit, tell...

                           BEN
                    (interrupts)
             Please, call me Ben.
                           MELANIE
             All right, Ben, tell me, why are
             you so depressed? You really
             expect a different verdict?

                           BEN
                    (disgruntled)
             Why do you ask? Can you understand
             it?

                           MELANIE
             Of course I understand it. What
             could they have. I'm not cynical.
             I'm only trying to be realistic.

                           BEN
             Tell me, Miss Bruwer...

                           MELANIE
             Ben and Melanie, that's fair.
                           BEN
             Tell me, do you believe in the
             notion of justice?
                           MELANIE
                    (lighting a cigarette)
             I'll never stop believing. But in
             this country I've learned it's
             pointless to look for it in
             certain situations.

                           BEN
             What use is a system if justice
             does not apply to all situations?

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         95.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
             Exactly. And you cannot fight
             for justice unless you know
             injustice very well. You've got
             to know your enemy first.

                           BEN
             That's a tall order: 'know
             injustice... know the enemy.'
             it seems I have a long haul
             ahead of me.

                           MELANIE
             Not at all, Ben. You have already
             taken the first steps.
                    (pause)
             Welcome to South Africa!
She smiles.
INT. BEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Susan is sitting at the dressing table. She is applying
cleansing cream to her face. She is relaxed. Ben is
getting ready for bed.
                           SUSAN
             Did you enjoy the 'bobotie?' When
             I heard the verdict on the news I
             knew you'd be upset.
                    (softer)
             I wanted to make you something
             special.

                           BEN
                    (thoughtful)
             Thank you, darling.

A pause.     Susan starts to remove the cream.
                           SUSAN
             I'm glad it's all over. You take
             things to heart too much.
Ben comes and stands behind Susan -- looking at her through
the mirror.

                           BEN
                    (trying to keep control
                     of himself)
             They killed Gordon -- first they
             kill Jonathan, and then him. How
             can they get away with it?
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         96.

CONTINUED:
                           SUSAN
                    (soothingly)
             Now come on, Ben. Gordon's death
             upset me, too. But the Magistrate
             had all the facts. He must know
             what he's doing, he's had years of
             experience. The case has run its
             course, and nobody can do anything
             more about it! It's all over and
             done with.

                           BEN
                    (looking at her)
             I'm not so sure about that, Susan!

Susan swivels around and faces Ben.

                           SUSAN
             I'm damned well sure! It's over,
             Ben! You better get that into
             your head.
Ben just stares at her with seething anger.       She stands up
and starts being hysterical.
                           SUSAN
             A teacher, always a bloody teacher.
             You never moved yourself for us.
             But for the blacks, oh yes. Whose
             side are you on, Ben? And I'm sick
             and tired of those natives coming
             here. Why don't you bloody well
             go and live in Soweto?

Ben strides out of the room.
                           SUSAN
                    (following and shouting)
             Now where are you going?
                           BEN
                    (without looking)
             Soweto!
Then shuts the door behind him.

Susan stands stupefied.    There's the sound of the SPARE
ROOM DOOR.
INT. SPARE ROOM - NIGHT

Ben is standing in the middle of the room, in the dark.
On the wall behind him is a young Suzette's picture.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                            97.

CONTINUED:
After a few seconds, Ben moves slowly to the bed and sits
on it still in deep thought.

SLOW MOVE TO a:
CLOSEUP ON BEN

And:
                                                FADE OUT.
FADE IN:

INT. NEWSPAPER AND CONFECTIONARY SHOP - MORNING
It's a Saturday morning.

A shopping center in a white suburb.      Ben goes into a
newspaper shop.
There are two children buying sweets and a woman leaving.
The PROPRIETOR is an Afrikaner in his middle age.
                           BEN
             More meneer Van de Merwe.
             (Morning Mister Van de Merwe.)
                           PROPRIETOR
                    (in offhand manner)
             More meneer du Toit.

                           BEN
             Our boys gave the Eastern province
             a thrashing.
                          PROPRIETOR
             Yes.
Ben realizes that the man is not his usual conversational
self.
                           BEN
             Is anything wrong?

                          PROPRIETOR
             No.

Ben goes to pick up an Afrikaans newspaper and the Rand
Daily Mail.
                           BEN
                    (walking up to counter)
             And a packet of tobacco and pipe
             cleaners.
The man gets them and takes a note from Ben and gives him
his change. By then a man is waiting.
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                        98.
CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             See you tomorrow.

As he walks out the other man turns around to watch him.
EXT. STREET - MORNING

Ben walks    out of the shop. The newspaper under his arm.
A group of    three middle-aged women turn to look at him.
Ben didn't    see them. A little further on, he meets Mrs.
Coetzee.     He tries to greet her but she walks straight by.

Further on, he notices two men obviously talking about
him. Then a couple of boys on bikes snigger as they
pass him. He begins to wonder what's it all about, and
spontaneously checks his clothes.

EXT. BEN'S HOUSE - VERANDA - MORNING
Susan and Suzette sit there. Suzette's holding a news-
paper -- the Ossewa -- Susan's thoughtful, her face is red
and discomposed -- obviously she had cried. The PHONE
RINGS but they deliberately ignore it.
Ben appears with the newspapers under his arm, sees
Suzette's sports car and hurries to join them.
Suzette doesn't even give him a chance to kiss her.
                           SUZETTE
                    (jumping up and showing
                     the cover of Ossewa)
             Now, Papa, this is going too
             far! How could you?

                           BEN
                    (surprised)
             How's that, Suzette?

Ben takes the newspaper and looks at the cover. A picture
of himself and Emily outside the courtroom. The two faces
are close together with the notes:

             "EMILY NGUBENE, wife of native who
             died in detention, comforted by a
             friend of family, Mr. BEN DU TOIT."

And in parenthesis "see page two."
He throws the Ossewa on a chair and checks into the Rand
Daily Mail. Inside there is a long article with Emily's
picture, titled "the Face of Grief."

Ben folds up the newspapers, and shakes his head. He
suddenly realizes why the people reacted like that outside.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                         99.

CONTINUED:
                           SUZETTE
             You didn't stop to think of the family.
             Poor mother, how can she face anyone?
             And tomorrow is Sunday!
                             BEN
             Now listen...

Johan steps into the veranda.
                           JOHAN
             What's everybody yelling about?
                           SUZETTE
             You listen, Papa, just tell me, why?

Recognizing his father in the photo, Johan has picked up
the newspaper from the chair.
                           BEN
             Do you really think I specially
             arranged for the photographers to
             take that picture? And what's
             more it's distorted.
                           SUZETTE
             What's distorted about it? Your
             face is practically touching that
             meid's face, like you were about
             to kiss her.
                           BEN
                    (disgruntled)
             Suzette, pull yourself together!
                           SUZETTE
             Today the whole country has seen that
             photograph. We, your children, are
             going to suffer. At this very moment
             Chris is negotiating with the Provincial
             Council. Would you like to see them
             cancel it? You have no feeling, Papa!
                           BEN
                    (shocked)
             Suzette!

She leaves in rage.
                           JOHAN
                    (conciliating)
             What's Papa done, anyway? If
             something happened to him,
             wouldn't you be upset?

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                       100.

CONTINUED:
                           SUSAN
                    (standing up)
             Not enough, Johan, to throw myself
             into the garden boy's arms.
                           BEN
             That goes without saying.

                           JOHAN
                    (trying to joke)
             There must be easier ways of
             getting your name in the paper.
Before she can stop herself, Susan slaps him across the
face, although not hard. Johan leaves without a word.
She clutches her hand, shocked at having it against him.

The PHONE starts to RING.    Susan runs out sobbing.
Ben looks at her then walks into the living room to pick
up the phone.
INT. BEN'S LIVING ROOM - MORNING

                           BEN
                    (into phone)
             Who?... I don't know you and have
             nothing to say to you... No thank
             you for your advice!
He puts the phone down.    The PHONE RINGS again.   Ben picks
it up and waits.
                           BEN
             It's you, Viviers... I appreciate
             it... of course... Not yet... Any
             thank you. Tot siens.

He replaces the receiver and is about to light his pipe
when the PHONE RINGS again.

                           BEN
             Morning, Mr. Cloete...   I'd like
             to say...
                    (impatiently)
             ... Mr. Cloete, may I ask what on
             earth has the picture to do with
             politics?... I'm sorry Mr. Cloete,
             I have to go.

He replaces the telephone and walks out of the house.
The PHONE KEEPS RINGING.

                                                       101.

EXT. BESTER'S FARM - COUNTRY - DAY
The farm is a typical transvaal farm covering thousands of
acres.  In the distance there's a range of mountains.
Several cattle are grazing, herded by a poorly-clad African
and his son, aged 8 years.
Bester and Ben are leaning on the wooden fence of the
cattle kraal with calves penned in.

                         BESTER
           Everything was examined in depth
           in court.

                         BEN
           Did you read the papers, Dominee?
           Were you happy with what came to
           light? And is it the Magistrate's
           work to pretend that the facts
           which came to light didn't exist?
                         BESTER
           Was it really facts, Ben?
Just then the African "HERDBOY" walks up to them taking
off his lattered greasy hat.
                          BESTER
           Ja?   What is it Tom?
                         TOM (HERDBOY)
           Does the Baas want me to bring the
           bull now?
                           BESTER
           Later, Tom.
                           TOM (HERDBOY)
           Dankie, Baas.

Tom hurries away.
                         BESTER
           I bought a bull last week.
                         BEN
           I know, Gordon. What they said about
           him, that he was plotting against
           the government -- is a downright
           lie. He was only doing what I
           would have done as a father;
           searching for his son.

                         BESTER
           No one but God can see what's in
           our hearts.
                         (MORE)
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                  102.

CONTINUED:
                           BESTER (CONT'D)
             Isn't it presumptuous to pretend
             we can speak for someone else?
                           BEN
             Have you no faith in your fellow
             men, Dominee? Don't you love your
             neighbor?
                           BESTER
                    (confronting Ben)
             Wait a minute, instead of
             criticizing blindly, don't you
             think we have reason to be proud
             of the judiciary we have?  suppose
             this had been Russia; what do you
             think would have happened then?
                           BEN
             What's the use of reaching a
             court when a handful of people
             have all the power to decide what
             is going to be said in that court
             and by whom? The one man they
             allowed to speak for himself, that
             young Archibald Chigorimbo, didn't
             he immediately deny everything
             they forced him to say in his
             statement? And the girl who
             spoke of her own torture?

                   CUSTOMER PAGE 99 MISSING


                           BEN
             That did not refer to our
             situation in this South Africa.
             Do you know what I believe in,
             Dominee, that once in one's life,
             just once, one should have enough
             faith in something to risk
             everything for it.
                           BESTER
             One can gain the world and still
             lose one's soul. Tea must be
             ready.
Bester and Ben walk towards the house still in
conversation.

                                                     103.

INT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - MORNING
The staff is having coffee during morning break in the
staff room. The room has several easy chairs, a table with
the morning newspapers on it. The walls have pictures of
South African scenes.
There are several conversations in Afrikaans.   This is the
first morning since the photograph.

Ben walks into the staff room. The conversations stop.
Everyone looks at him with hostility. The teachers all
place their cups on the table and quietly file out of
the room.
Ben pours himself a cup of coffee; as he takes his first
sip, Cloete looks in, sees him. He walks in.

                       CLOETE
         I hope you don't mind us talking
         here.
                       BEN
         I don't mind, Mr. Cloete.
                       CLOETE
         I'll come to the point. You can't
         imagine how shocked I was by that
         scandalous photograph in the
         Ossewa.

                       BEN
         The woman lost her husband, she
         was shattered with grief.
                       CLOETE
         A Kaffir woman, Du Toit.
                       BEN
                (angrily)
         I can't see that it makes any
         difference.

                       CLOETE
         Have you gone color blind then?
         And what about the apartheid laws?
         Our first responsibility as
         teachers is the reputation of the
         school, the pupils entrusted to
         us. We have to be an example to
         them in and out of this school
         yard.

Ben looks at him calmly.
                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                       104.

CONTINUED:
                           CLOETE
             I thought I had warned you about
             involving yourself with Kaffirs.
             Obviously you didn't heed my
             advice.  That's all I have to say
             for now.

Cloete walks out of the room.
Viviers hurries into the room, he is late for his
coffee.

                           VIVIERS
             'Morning, Oom Ben.

                            BEN
                    (acknowledging
                      greeting)
             Viviers.
                           VIVIERS
                    (pouring coffee)
             Private coffee with Cloete?

Ben picks up the copy of the Ossewa with the photograph
and shows it to Viviers.
EXT. MELANIE'S HOME - DAY

Ben stops the car in the Bruwer driveway. From the
driving seat he searches the garden for Bruwer.
He walks up to the front door and knocks, but there's no
reply. He goes 'round to the back and finds the old man
on his knees weeding his vegetable garden.
                           BEN
             Good afternoon, Professor.
                           BRUWER
                    (looking up)
             Melanie isn't home. You are...
                           BEN
             Ben Du Toit. You have a nice
             vegetable garden.

                           BRUWER
             You mean the area or the produce?

                            BEN
             Both.   What plants are these?
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                      105.

CONTINUED:
                           BRUWER
             What's the world coming to? It's
             herbs, can't you see? Thyme
             there, oregano over there, feunel
             next to the tomatoes, sage here
             and rosemary somewhere. Poor
             plants, they re not in their ideal
             soil or climate. Next time, I'll
             bring some soil from the mountain
             of Zeus. Perhaps the old man's
             holiness will do the trick.

He throws down the small weeding-fork.
                           BRUWER
             Come, you are just the person to
             sample my greengage wine. I don't
             suppose you've ever tasted it?
             I'm sure I'm the only person in
             the country making greengage wine.
He leads Ben to the two old chairs by the back wall. He
enters the kitchen and returns with a bottle of greengage
wine and two glasses.
                           BRUWER
                    (as he pours)
             The first bottle this year, and
             you don't have to tell me if you
             like it or not. Tell me, did you
             ever study philosophy?
                            BEN
             Not really.   I've read a few
             books.
                           BRUWER
                    (taking a sip)
             Not bad, in fact quite good. Now
             where was I... Oh, I was going to
             say after decades of philosophy, I
             find myself being forced back to
             the earth. Do you know, Ben, we're
             all living in the spell of
             abstractions. Hitler, apartheid,
             the great American dream, the lot?

                           BEN
             What about Jesus?

                           BRUWER
             Misunderstood.
                           (MORE)
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                      106.

CONTINUED:
                           BRUWER (CONT'D)
                    (referring to the
                     wine)
             You don't have to finish it.
                           BEN
                    (lying)
             It's quite nice.
                           BRUWER
             Melanie has told me a little about
             you. It's not an easy road you
             have chosen.
                           BEN
             I feel I have no choice.

Bruwer farts loudly, Ben is taken aback, but the
Professor continues.
                           BRUWER
             Of course you have a choice.
             Damn it. One always has a choice.
             Only thank God you made the choice
             you did. But all I want to say
             is, keep your eyes open, young
             man.
                           BEN
             That's encouraging.
                           BRUWER
             We are both Boers, Ben. We know
             how hard our people worked to get
             a toehold on this land; it was a
             good life. Now look at the mess.
             It's all systems and no God!
             Sooner or later people start
             believing in their way of life as
             an absolute: unmutable,
             fundamental, a precondition. Saw
             it, with my own eyes in Germany,
             a nation running after an idea.
             Sieg heil, sieg heil. I left
             there thirty years ago because I
             couldn't take it any longer. And
             now I see it happening in my own
             country, step by step.
             Terrifyingly predictable. This
             sickness of the great abstraction.

He farts and sips his greengage wine.
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         107.

CONTINUED:
Ben is so fascinated by the old man's conversation he
didn't react. He is learning form his old Afrikaner.

                           BEN
             What you say is very interesting
             and important.

                           BRUWER
             Take for example the way the
             government is handling the
             electorate; like a bloody donkey.
             Carrot in front and kick at the
             backside. The carrot is
             apartheid, Dogma. The kick is
             quite simply, fear. Black peril,
             red peril, whatever name you want
             to give it.
                    (pause)
             Fear can be a wonderful ally, Ben.
             I talk too much, I always do with
             younger people, they don't fall
             asleep to me.
                           BEN
                    (laughs)
             We Afrikaners have to stop to turn
             a blind eye and look around us and
             at ourselves.

                           BRUWER
             You are right. We still have
             time. History should teach us
             about those who regarded
             themselves as the chosen people.
                           BEN
                    (standing up
                     comforted)
             Professor Bruwer, may I say I have
             needed to hear somebody say some
             of the things you said. I still
             have hope for our country.
                           BRUWER
             If you lose that you have lost
             everything. I'll get back to the
             earth.
                           BEN
                    (shaking hands)
             Thank you.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                      108.

CONTINUED:
                           BRUWER
             I'll tell that hot-head daughter
             of mine that you came to see her.
Ben takes his leave.

INT. LEWINSON'S OFFICE - DAY

Ben and Dan Lewinson are sitting opposite, cups of
coffee in front of them.

                           BEN
             There is absolutely no doubt that
             they were killed in custody.
             Those responsible must be
             punished, whoever they are, or
             whatever their rank.
                           LEWINSON
             The problem is laying our hands on
             them.
                           BEN
             Tell me, Dan, we lost at the
             inquest, what next?
                           LEWINSON
             The family can file a civil claim.

                           BEN
             What does that entail?
                           LEWINSON
             To put it briefly, it means we
             have to have witnesses, affidavits
             and any information relating to
             the arrest and death of Gordon.
             We also need similar information
             on Jonathan. You see Ben, for
             example, Stolz figures in both
             cases. That's one link at least.

                           BEN
             I know what I have to do.

EXT. ROADSIDE CAFE - AFTERNOON

It's lunch time and the working population of Jo'burg
has paused for lunch. Ben and Melanie are sitting at a
table outside. The cafe is on the outskirts of a very
affluent part of Johannesburg.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         109.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
             I didn't think you would want to
             have anything to do with me after
             that crap in the Ossewa.
                            BEN
             Why?   You didn't write it.

                           MELANIE
             I'm a journalist, perhaps tarred
             with the same brush.

                             BEN
             No.

                           MELANIE
             So what happened? I can imagine.
             The family, the dominee,
             colleagues, neighbors...
                           BEN
             A distorted photograph and a few
             poisoned words and meneer Du Toit
             is a leper. That's why I called
             on you the other day, I needed to
             talk to somebody rational.
                           MELANIE
             Thanks for the compliment. But
             remember, you're an Afrikaner,
             you're one of them. In their eyes
             they regard you as the worst kind
             of traitor.

                           BEN
             You are an Afrikaner too, and your
             articles, in a liberal English
             paper?
                           MELANIE
             My mother was a foreigner, I'm not
             pure, wragte Afrikaner. They
             don't expect the same loyalty from
             me that they demand from you.

                           BEN
             What kind of loyalty? Blind
             loyalty. Until the deaths of
             Jonathan and Gordon, I gave all
             the loyalty I could give, laager
             loyalty. You know, Melanie, we
             Afrikaners have always lived in
             our laager, we have not seen
             what's beyond the mountains.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         110.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
             Has it ever occurred to you that
             the Volk may be scared to leave the
             laager? That's the downfall of
             this country. So, where do you go
             from here?

                            BEN
             We carry on.   There has to be
             justice.

                            MELANIE
             Justice.
                           BEN
             We lost at the inquest, so we
             pursue them in a civil action.    I
             consulted the attorney Dan
             Lewinson.
                           MELANIE
             We know each other well.


               CUSTOMER PAGE #'S 107 - 110 MISSING


                           STOLZ
             Mr. Du Toit, if you knew what
             we're working with every day of
             our lives, and what we're up
             against, you would understand
             why we have to be so thorough.
                           BEN
             However you go about it.

                           STOLZ
             I can understand you're upset
             about having your house searched
             ... but...
                           BEN
             I wasn't thinking about myself.

                           STOLZ
             What are you talking about then,
             Mr. Du Toit?

                           BEN
             My thoughts, Captain, I'm sure,
             are an open book to you.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                           111.

CONTINUED:
Stolz picks up a book of Picasso's Peace Paintings,
starts leafing through it carefully, scrutinizing each
page.
He puts the Picasso book carefully back in the place he
took it from.

                           STOLZ
             An interesting book -- Picasso --
             Not one I'm familiar with.

                           BEN
             Not on your list of banned books,
             Captain?

Stolz doesn't react...

                                                CUT TO:

INT. BEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY
The search continues in the living room.        Susan is
standing pale, rigid, shocked.
                           STOLZ
             Mr. Du Toit. If you're keeping
             anything from us, we can turn this
             whole house upside down if we want
             to. We have all the time in the
             world.
                           SUSAN
                    (throwing Ben a
                     warning daggers
                     look)
             I'm afraid I don't understand.

Nothing from Stolz.
One of the men starts to roll up the carpet to look under
it.
Susan has to move out of his way.

                           BEN
                    (gently to Susan)
             Why don't you go upstairs?
                           STOLZ
             I'm afraid she has to stay where
             we can see her -- in case she
             wanted to warn someone.
                           SUSAN
             My father's an M.P.!   Warn who?

                                                         112.

CONTINUED:
EXT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - DAY

All four tires of Ben's car have been slashed to ribbons.
INT. BEN'S GARAGE - DAY

Ben and Johan are there.

Ben takes a file from under a toolbox and measures it
carefully against the drawer base. Then, he selects a
piece of wood approximately the size of the drawer and
tries it for size.
We should be in no doubt that's he's constructing a
hiding place.

INT. BEN'S KITCHEN - AFTERNOON
Susan is preparing a roast. There's music from a trans-
istor RADIO. Susan is startled by a voice, her father's
(Ben's FATHER-IN-LAW). She turns OFF, the RADIO.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             Roast beef, I hope it's like your
             mother's.
                            SUSAN
                     (happy)
             Papa!
He is aged about 70 years, thick set. She rushes to him
and he hugs her tightly and practically lifts her off the
floor. She kisses him.

                             SUSAN
             Where's Mama?

She disentangles herself and goes to the living room as
excited as a child, the mother is standing by two cases,
smiling.

Susan hugs her.
                             SUSAN
             Mama!

She holds her mother at arm's length inspecting her.
                           SUSAN
             The perfume and a new hairstyle.

                           MOTHER
             Your father insisted that I don't
             disgrace you.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                          113.

CONTINUED:
                           SUSAN
                    (hugging her again)
             I expected you a little later.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             She insisted we start early.
             Where is Ben?

                           JOHAN
                    (walking in with golf
                     club bag)
             In the study. I'll get him.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             Have you put on weight, Susan?

                           SUSAN
             Please don't say that, Papa.
Ben walks in.
                            BEN
             Sorry.   Didn't hear you arrive.

He shakes hands with Father-In-Law.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             How are you, Ben?

                           BEN
             Fine.
He goes to MOTHER-IN-LAW.        He kisses her on the cheek.

                           BEN
             And how are you, Ma?

                           MOTHER-IN-LAW (MOTHER)
             Well, Ben, still have trouble with
             my feet.

                           BEN
             Why doesn't everyone sit down?
                           SUSAN
             I'll prepare some tea.     I baked a
             cake.
She goes to the kitchen.

EXT. LOCAL GOLF COURSE - SUNSET

Ben and Father-In-Law are having a drink after a round of
golf, outside the club house.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         114.

CONTINUED:
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             I'm getting tired of the trek to
             Cape Town and then back to
             Pretoria. If I had my way,
             Parliament and government would
             be in the same city. There's
             nothing wrong with Pretoria.

                           BEN
             I thought you'd prefer Cape Town;
             the sea and Table Mountain.

                             FATHER-IN-LAW
             That's for   holidays. Anyway, Ben,
             one of the   reasons for this visit
             was that I   wanted to have a
             discussion   with you.
                            BEN
             What about?
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             It's that photograph in the
             papers. Ben, a thing like that
             could be an embarrassment for
             someone who is a member of
             Parliament. It's a grievous day
             when one's family's behavior
             comes between him and his duty
             to the fatherland.
                           BEN
             Are you blaming me for trying to
             help those people?
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             I've been doing that all my life,
             be they black or white. But no
             member of our family has been seen
             with a Kaffir woman before, Ben.

Father signals the African waiter for more drinks.
                           BEN
             I am glad you mentioned it, Father.
             Because I'd like to discuss the
             whole thing with you. First,
             there's the matter of Gordon
             Ngubene himself.

                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             What about him? I thought the
             case was closed.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                                  115.

         CONTINUED:
                                    BEN
                      The inquest didn't clear up half
                      of what happened.
                                    FATHER-IN-LAW
                      Oh, really?

                                    BEN
                      We have no irrefutable evidence
                      yet, but we have enough to
                      indicate that something serious is
                      being covered up.
                                    FATHER-IN-LAW
                      You're jumping to conclusions,
                      Ben.

                                    BEN
                      I know what I'm talking about.
         The black waiter places the drinks on the table.
                                    FATHER-IN-LAW
                      All right, Ben, I'm listening.
                      Perhaps I can use my influence.
                      But you'll have to convince me
first.
                                    BEN
                      If they have really nothing to
                      hide, why is the special branch
                      going out of its way to intimidate
                      me.

                                    FATHER-IN-LAW
                             (practically choking)
                      What's this about special branch?

                                    BEN
                      They raided the house; they are
                      tapping my phone, and I have been
                      threatened by one of the officers.
                                    FATHER-IN-LAW
                      I'm sorry, Ben, I'd rather not
                      have anything to do with this sort
                      of thing.
                                    BEN
                      Why?

                                    FATHER-IN-LAW
                      If the special branch are involved
                      they must have good reasons.

                                                         (CONTINUED)

                                                         116.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             It's exactly what I said, Father,
             when Jonathan first got into
             trouble. Of course, they have
             good reasons: hushing up how
             Gordon died and how his son died!

                           FATHER-IN-LAW
                    (angry)
             Ben, how could you side with the
             enemies of your people?

                           BEN
             You mean you're prepared to sit
             back and allow an injustice to be
             done.

                           FATHER-IN-LAW
                    (his face grows
                     purple)
             It's you, Ben, who talk about
             injustice? A man who teaches
             history at school? Did you forget
             what our people have suffered
             under the English oppressors?
             Now that we have at along last
             come to power in our own land.
                           BEN
             Now we're free to do to others
             what they used to do to us. What
             will you do if you were a black
             man in this country today, Father?

                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             Don't you realize what the
             government is doing for the blacks?
             It's a slow process, Ben. One of
             these days the whole bloody lot of
             them will be free and independent
             in their own parts of the land, the
             bantoustans -- what can be more
             just than that? But they're not
             ready yet.

The waiter returns -- Father-in-law pays the bill, and as
he rises to leave, he puts a paternal arm on Ben's
shoulder.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             We have nothing to be ashamed of
             before the eyes of the world, my
             boy.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        117.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
                    (standing, his golf
                     bag in his hand)
             We don't? I'm not sure we're
             going to survive.

They walk away.

                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             Don't underestimate us, Ben.    Our
             power of survival. We are
             Afrikaners!
EXT. STREET CORNER - EVENING

Stanley is parked in a street corner in the last     white
suburb on the way to Soweto. Ben pulls up in his      car
behind Stanley's. He walks over to Stanley's car      and
enters the back. Stanley smiles as he points at      his
watch.
                             STANLEY
             African time.

                             BEN
             I'm sorry.
They drive off towards Soweto.

                           STANLEY
             Doesn't matter, Lanie -- as long
             we are on time for the revolution.
                           BEN
             The special branch searched my
             house four days ago.

                           STANLEY
             The S.B. searches your house?
                    (chuckles)
             Did they take anything?

                           BEN
             A few journals, letters -- nothing
             much. Just wanted to scare me,
             that's all.

                           STANLEY
             Don't be so sure. They may think
             you're onto something big.

                           BEN
             They're not that stupid.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                       118.

CONTINUED:
Stanley laughs.

                           STANLEY
             'Lanie' -- don't you believe it --
             nothing's as stupid as the old S.B.
             If they decide it's a bomb they're
             looking for, you can shove a turd
             in their face and they'll swear
             to God it's a bomb.
He laughs... making Ben smile.

A pause.
                             STANLEY
             And did they?

                             BEN
             What?
                             STANLEY
             Scare you?
                            BEN
             No.   They tried too hard.
Stanley laughs again.
                           STANLEY
             Hallelujah!
                    (offers his huge
                     hand)
             Shake, man. Join the club.

Ben accepts the handshake.
                                             CUT TO:

INT. BEN'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Susan sitting on an armchair, sewing. She is aware of a
car stopping opposite the house. Then several young
voices shout:
     "Kaffir lover"
     "Kaffer boetie"
     "Red Communist"
The car drives off at speed.

Susan sits petrified.

                                             CUT TO:

                                                         119.

INT. STANLEY'S CAR - NIGHT
Ben and Stanley driving in Soweto.

It's a different city by night. The dark seems to soften
the violence of the confrontation, hiding the details
which, by day, assault and insult the eyes. There are
several GUNSHOTS in the distance. The only light comes
from the small, square windows of the innumerable houses.

                        STANLEY
          Did you hear that, Lanie?     More
          kids dying?

Ben says nothing.
Further on there's a group of people outside a house.        As
they pass they hear HYMN SINGING from the house.

                        BEN
          What's happening?   What's the
          singing?
                        STANLEY
          A wake for a child; eight months
          old. She was sleeping and they
          threw tear gas into it.
They drive on.
                                               CUT TO:
INT. EMILY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Ben, Stanley and Emily are sitting    'round the table. Ben
has pulled the lamp closer to read    one of two notes from
Gordon -- one is written on ruled    paper, the other a
square of toilet paper. The notes     have been smuggled out
of John Vorster Square.

                        GORDON (V.O.)
                 (shakily)
          'My dear wife, you must not worry
          about me. I miss you and the
          children. You must look after
          them in the fear of the Lord. I'm
          hungry, and I don't know what they
          want from me. But I think I'll
          be home some day. I think
          about...'
They are interrupted by a KNOCK at the door. Emily
snatches the notes and stuffs them into her bosom.
Everyone is tense as Emily slowly walks up to the door.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                         120.

CONTINUED:
She opens it and   a man with a hat and dressed as a min-
ister walks in.    Before anyone can say anything, Stanley
bursts out in a   loud laugh. The man is slightly built,
aged 40 years.    He is JULIUS NQAKULA.
                           STANLEY
             On your knees, everyone, prayers
             time.
Ben is perplexed.    Emily closes the door and locks it.

                           STANLEY
             Hey man, you should have been a
             mfundisi holiness oozer...

                           JULIUS
                    (removing this hat)
             Okay, Stanley. It's stupid, but
             one is forced to do these things.
He walks up to Ben and offers him his hand.
                           JULIUS
             I'm Julius Nqakula... I'm banned
             and also under house arrest.
             That's why I have this ridiculous
             garb on.
                             BEN
             I understand.
                           STANLEY
             He's one of the most solid
             lawyers we have; they've
             immobilized him, that's the right
             word isn't it?

He laughs.
                           BEN
             Stanley has told me about you. I
             appreciate the risk you are taking
             by coming here to meet me. I was
             reading the notes Gordon smuggled
             out of John Vorster Square...

                           JULIUS
             May I have a glance at them?
Emily produces the notes. Julius takes them. He starts
reading the toilet paper, which is harder to read.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         121.

CONTINUED:
                           GORDON (V.O.)
                    (speaking with great
                     difficulty)
             'My dear wife. I am still in these
             conditions... worse... and too
             much pain. They don't want to
             believe me. You must try to help
             me. They won't stop. You must
             care for the children. I don't
             know anymore if I will come home
             alive. They're very --
                    (a word mumbled)
             -- but God will provide. I love
             you and I miss you very much. Try
             to help me because...'

The voice breaks off.
                           JULIUS
                    (to Emily)
             When did you get the letters?
                           EMILY
                    (uncomfortable)
             The first one two days after they
             took him away. And the other one
             came later.
                           BEN
             But, Emily, why didn't you tell me
             long ago?
                           EMILY
             I had given my word to the man
             -- who brought them to me --
                           BEN
             Emily, I have to meet the man.
                           EMILY
             He said he didn't want anybody to
             know who he is. I cannot make
             trouble for him in his work.
                           BEN
             He has to be persuaded.   He is very
             important to us.
                           EMILY
                    (to Julius)
             You as a lawyer will understand.
                           (MORE)
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                      122.

CONTINUED:
                           EMILY (CONT'D)
             We intend starting a civil suit
             against the police, to do that it
             is necessary to have as many
             affidavits as we can from people
             who have any information about
             Gordon since he was arrested.
             And this man is vital and so is
             the Indian doctor.
                           JULIUS
             You mean Dr. Hassiem. How are you
             going to do that? You know of
             course that he is detained.

                           BEN
             I know, with luck they may release
             him.
                          JULIUS
             With luck.
                           BEN
             But, Emily, this man is important,
             please try to tell him we will
             protect his identity. No one will
             know. Nothing will be done without
             his approval. I only want to talk
             to him.
                           JULIUS
             Why don't you leave it to Stanley
             and I? What do you say, Stanley?

                          STANLEY
             Sure.

                           BEN
             May I call you Julius, I'm not
             very good with some African names.

                           STANLEY
                    (laughs)
             Nqakula, that's a hell of a name.

                           JULIUS
             Please call me Julius.
                           BEN
             This case must be reopened and we
             must win. We have to dig up
             everything. We need your
             cooperation, Julius.
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         123.

CONTINUED:
                           JULIUS
             Where do I start? Don't forget
             my restrictions.
                           STANLEY
             They did not ban you so you could
             sit on your backside and have a
             Soweto holiday.
                           BEN
             You could help with the affidavits.
             Lewinson the lawyer has stressed
             their importance.
                           JULIUS
             We know each other. He's a good
             lawyer for this kind of case. Of
             course I'll do what I can. My
             commitment forces me.
                            BEN
             I'm glad.
                             JULIUS
             How   are you planning to safeguard
             the   documents? Stanley told me
             you   have already had a said by
             the   S.B.

                           BEN
             I wouldn't worry.    I have a secure
             place.
                           STANLEY
             Let's hope so.
                           EMILY
             I'll make some tea.
                           STANLEY
             Not for me, Sis -- too strong for
             me. No whisky?
                           EMILY
             In my house? You know better
             than that, Stanley.

                           STANLEY
             Tea then...
                    (turning to Julius)
             ... and God forgive me --

                                               CUT TO:

                                                      124.

INT. BEN'S GARAGE - EVENING
Ben is standing by the workbench, the new drawer he and
Johan built for the toolbox, open before him.

He's rereading Gordon's letters to Emily.
Sound of approaching FOOTSTEPS. Ben quickly puts the
letters into the drawer and shuts it.

Susan appears at the door -- she looks ten years older.
                        SUSAN
          Ben, it's Johan. You'd better
          come.
INT. BEN'S KITCHEN - EVENING

Johan sits, Ben crouched before him.   The boy's shirt is
torn, his eyes swollen, his lip cut.   He looks at the
floor. Susan hovers.
                        SUSAN
          He won't tell me why it happened
Ben holds his son's arms, gently.
                         BEN
          Johan.   Was it because of me?
He doesn't answer for a moment.   Then he nods.
                        SUSAN
          You see! It's gone too far, Ben.
          You've got to stop it...

                        JOHAN
                 (shouting at his
                  mother)
          I don't care! It doesn't hurt me!
Susan stares at him, at Ben, turns abruptly, walks out of
the room. Johan looks at his father.

                        JOHAN
          It was my friends, Dad. They're
          so stupid... They won't listen.
          They don't even want to know what
          you're trying to do.
He's crying.

                        BEN
          Are you sure you know?
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                      125.

CONTINUED:
                              JOHAN
             Yes.   I know.

                           BEN
             Does it worry you?

Johan looks at his father through his tears.

                           JOHAN
             Don't stop, Dad. You mustn't
             give up now!

Ben hugs his son.
MONTAGE

The Gordon Ngubene name-cleaning team on the move.


A)   BEN
     in a phone box dialing a number.
B)   PHONE
     RINGING, RINGING, on a desk full of scattered
     files and papers. By the phone a photograph of a six-
     year-old Indian girl.

C)   CLOSE ON NURSE
     Sound of the PHONE, a young nurse's frightened face as
     she remembers peering in at a young boy, struggling
     and moaning... Policemen closing the door...
D)   CLOSE ON

     her hand signing the affidavit and handing
     it to a man's hand.
E)   CLOSE ON

     Ben in the phone box hanging up the phone
     with rage.

F)   CLOSE ON

     a young black man's face listening to Julius's
     voice:

                           JULIUS (V.O.)
             ... And on the morning of the
             autopsy, as I was cleaning the
             mortuary, Captain Stolz gave me a
             bundle of Ngubene's and ordered
             me to burn them.

                                             (CONTINUED)


                                                       126.

CONTINUED:
     The young man nods.

G)   BEN
     having a look on the two affidavits before hiding
     them into the drawer of the stool box.

SHOTS.     Three!    Loud, sharp, terrifying.
INT. BEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE EVENING

The WINDOW, a    LAMP and a MIRROR SHATTER -- Susan screams,
standing, her    hands -- clamped over her ears -- eyes
tight shut --    hysterical -- the TELEVISION CHATTERS on
an Afrikaans'    play.

Ben bursts in, holds her tight, as she screams into his
chest.
                           SUSAN
                    (hysterical)
             Call the police, Ben, call the police!
Johan's voice comes from his room.
                              JOHAN (O.S.)
             Papa!    Papa!
                           BEN
                    (calling)
             It's okay, son... we're all right.
             Everything's okay!
                           JOHAN (O.S.)
             What's happened?
                           BEN
                    (shouting)
             It's okay, stay there, please!!
Gently, he leads Susan who is sobbing now, out of the
room.
INT. KITCHEN - LATE EVENING

                           SUSAN
                    (in disbelief)
             My God. They were trying to kill us.
She's seated at the kitchen table. Ben has poured her a
brandy which she cups in her hands.

                           BEN
             They were trying to scare us, that's
             all.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                         127.

CONTINUED:
Her fear turns into anger.

                           SUSAN
                    (screaming)
             Oh, is that all... What the hell
             more do you want to happen...
             we're ordinary people for God's
             sake -- and you've pitched us into
             this -- this nightmare. I can't
             take any more, Ben... I can't take
             any more!!

She drops her head and sobs.
Ben sits beside her, and takes her hands to comfort her.

Susan puts her head on his shoulder.
                           SUSAN
                    (in a quiet pleading
                     voice)
             Please, Ben, stop. Just stop...
             please.

Ben is obviously moved.
He squeezes her hands, then takes her in his arms.
INT. VILJOEN'S OFFICE - DAY
The colonel, amiable, cool, behind his desk. A dishev-
elled Ben, pitched angrily forward in his chair.
                           VILJOEN
             Now you must be exaggerating,
             Mr. Du Toit.

                           BEN
             My house has been searched. My
             phone is tapped. My mail is
             opened. And last night three
             shots were fired through my window
             -- close to killing my wife.
Viljoen reacts.

                           VILJOEN
             Mr. Du Toit, if shots were fired
             into your premises, we will
             investigate.

                           BEN
             All I want to know, Colonel, is
             why don't you leave me in peace?

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                      128.

CONTINUED:
                           VILJOEN
             Now wait, wait a minute, Mr. Du
             Toit, you're not trying to blame
             me?
                           BEN
             Tell me, Colonel, why is it so
             important to you people to stop
             my enquiries about Gordon Ngubene?
                           VILJOEN
             Is that what you are doing?
                    (he pauses)
             Well, now. If you possess any
             information that may be of use to
             us, I trust you won't hesitate to
             discuss it with me.
He leans forward towards Ben, his tone darkening.
                           VILJOEN
             Because if there are facts you are
             deliberately hiding from us, Mr.
             Du Toit -- If you give us reason
             to believe that you may be
             involved in activities that may be
             dangerous to both yourself and us
             -- then I can foresee some
             problems.
                           BEN
             Is that a threat, Colonel?
                           VILJOEN
                    (smiling and sitting
                     back)
             Let's call it a warning. A
             friendly warning. For God's sake,
             open your eyes, Mr. Du Toit!
             Don't you see you're being used!

                           BEN
                    (sarcastically)
             By the Communists, I suppose.

Ben gets up to go.    The colonel doesn't rise to see him
out.
                           BEN
             Goodbye, Colonel.
                    (at the door,
                     turning back)
             I'm sure.
He leaves.    The colonel immediately picks up the phone.

                                                      129.

EXT. BEN'S KITCHEN - EARLY MORNING
A 40-year-old African woman walks up to Ben's kitchen
door. She knocks.

Ben opens the door in pyjamas and dressing-gown.    She
hands him a note and leaves.

Ben reads the note and goes back into the house.

EXT. STREET IN VREDEDORP - MORNING
Vrededorp is a colored section of Johannesburg. It's
rundown area vacated by whites. There are children play-
ing in the street. Some unemployed men are sitting on
old chairs outside a doorway; a vendor is serving two
women from his milk churn.

Ben drives into the street   searching for an address. He
stops outside a house. As    he gets out of the car the
children and everyone stop   to look at him with interest.
He walks up to a door and   knocks.
A COLORED WOMAN appears as the door opens.    She is young
and obviously educated.

                          COLORED WOMAN
          Mr. Du Toit?
Ben nods, hesitatingly.

                        COLORED WOMAN
          Please, come in.
Ben walks into the living/dining room. It's a    very tidy
room with a three piece sitting room suite, a   sideboard
with a clock on it. At one end of the room is    the dining
area. The floor is linoleum and covered with    a rug in
the middle.

Stanley is lounging on a settee, beer in hand. On the
chair next to him a black man in a brown striped suit,
drinks orange squash. Thirtyish, pleasant face but very
tense. He rises as Ben walks in.
                        STANLEY
                 (rising and shaking
                  hands with Ben)
          How's it? No trouble finding this
          place? You met Sadie. She's one
          of us.

Ben nods to her.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                           130.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
             And this is Johnson Seroke.    The
             man of the letters.
                           BEN
                    (nodding in greeting)
             Johnson.

                           SADIE (COLORED WOMAN)
             Please sit down, Mr. Du Toit. A
             beer, tea or orange squash?

                           BEN
             A beer would be nice.

Sadie goes to a cupboard and brings out a bottle of beer
and a glass. She opens the beer and hands it to Ben.
She disappears into the bedroom with a curtain at the
door.
                           STANLEY
             You know they call this place
             Vrededorp, but we baptize it
             Malay Camp. Your first time in
             Malay Camp, Lanie?
                           BEN
             I've driven through here many
             times.
                           STANLEY
             The main road, eh?
                          BEN
                   (smiling)
             Ja.

The woman re-enters.
                           SADIE
             You'll excuse me. Stanley, you
             know what to do with the key.
                           STANLEY
             Sure, Sadie. And thank you. Can
             I help myself to another beer?

                           SADIE
             You know it is. Goodbye, Mr. Du
             Toit, and you, be careful.

To the Seroke.
                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         131.

CONTINUED:
                           SEROKE
                    (trying to smile)
             Okay, Sadie.
Sadie leaves.

                           STANLEY
             That woman can die for you. We
             mustn't be long, Johnson has to
             be back on duty.

                           BEN
             Alright, let's get on with it.
             Stanley tells me, you work at
             John Vorster Square.

                           SEROKE
             I had no choice, they transferred
             me there.
                           BEN
             Yet you smuggled out letters to
             Emily?

                           SEROKE
                    (pulling the fingers
                     of his left hand one
                     by one cracking the
                     joints over and over)
             What do you do if a man asks you,
             and he's in trouble?
                           STANLEY
             If they find out he'd be in very
             big trouble.
                           BEN
             I know that. Tell me, what do you
             know about Gordon?
                            SEROKE
             Very little.
                           BEN
             You did talk to him from time to
             time?

                           SEROKE
             He gave me the letters.

                           BEN
             When was the last time you saw
             him?
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         132.

CONTINUED:
                           SEROKE
             Just before he died.

                           BEN
             Did you attend any of the
             interrogations?

                           SEROKE
             No. I'm not a member of the
             Special Branch. But once I had to
             deliver a letter to Capt. Stolz,
             Gordon was there.
                           BEN
                    (concerned)
             How were they interrogating him?

Seroke hesitates and looks at Stanley.
                            STANLEY
             It's okay.   Tell him what you told
             me.
                            BEN
                     (anxious)
             What?
                           SEROKE
             They were using the pole.
                           BEN
             The pole, what's that?
                           STANLEY
                    (demonstrating)
             They handcuff you and manacle your
             feet then they put a pole between
             your arms and the back of your
             knees. Then you're like a chicken
             ready for the oven. They hang you
             between two tables. Then they do
             what they like with you. The S.B.
             call it the aeroplane.
Ben is horrified.

                          BEN
             I see. Who were in that room?
             Stolz...

                           SEROKE
             Lieutenant Venter and a black S.B.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                       133.

CONTINUED:
                             BEN
             You are sure?

                             STANLEY
             He's sure.

                           BEN
                    (to himself)
             It's very interesting. When was
             the last time you saw him?

                           SEROKE
                    (nervous)
             I saw them take the body away to
             the cells. He was limp.

                           BEN
             You did! Johnson, why do you stay
             with the police? You don't really
             belong there.
                          SEROKE
             It's a job. And how can I go
             away? I love my family.
He jumps up and faces Ben with a look of anger and panic.
                           SEROKE
             They must never know I told you
             anything. Right?
                             BEN
             I understand.    I promise.

                           STANLEY
             This is strictly between the
             three of us. Don't worry, man.

Seroke shakes hands with them as he's leaving.
                           STANLEY
                    (slapping his back)
             Take it easy.
Stanley goes to the cupboard for another beer.

                           STANLEY (O.S.)
             A beer, Lanie?
                           BEN
                    (shouting)
             No, thank you. You know, Stanley,
             after what happened the other
             night I was about to give this
             whole thing up.
                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                       134.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
                    (intrigued)
             What happened, man?
                           BEN
             My wife nearly got killed. Three
             shots were fired into the house.
             What right have I to expose my
             family to harassment and actual
             physical danger? That's what I
             asked myself.

                           STANLEY
             Three bloody shots and you crawl
             on your hands and knees to people
             like Stolz, and say 'I give up.'
             What is the beginning for you is a
             version of what we suffer all our
             bloody life. Shit, I thought you
             had more guts than this, man!
                           BEN
             I didn't say I'm giving up.

                           STANLEY
             But you thought about it.
                           BEN
             Johnson has revived my
             determination.
                           STANLEY
             It's a hell of a time, Lanie, but
             we'll survive. You and me. I
             tell you!
                           BEN
             You think we may still win in the
             end, Stanley?
                           STANLEY
             Of course not, Lanie -- but we
             needn't lose either -- what
             matters is to stick around.

Ben nods.

                           STANLEY
             By the way, man, I'm off on a trip
             -- Botswana -- thought I'd tell
             you in case you get worried.

                           BEN
             Why are you going there?

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                       135.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
             Business. Tell you next week.
             Now for the bad news I've been
             saving to the last.
                          BEN
             What?

                           STANLEY
             Julius has been arrested. He
             broke his banning order and
             visited his sister. You know what
             that means? At least a year's
             imprisonment.

                           BEN
             A year in jail just for visiting
             his sister?
                           STANLEY
             That's the chance he took. And
             he'll be the last to complain.
                           BEN
             Don't you think the real reason
             for this arrest was that they
             found out he was helping us?
                           STANLEY
             So what? Lanie, you're not
             getting guilt complexes now, are
             you? That's a luxury only
             liberals can afford. Julius will
             be back, man. All refreshed by a
             spell in the deep-freeze.
                           BEN
             How can we shrug off a man we've
             been working with?
                           STANLEY
             Who said we're shrugging him off?
             Best way of remembering a man,
             Lanie, is to carry on fighting.

INT. BEN'S STUDY - DAY

Ben's study is in chaos.
The books have been plucked from the shelves and the
contents of his drawers emptied on the floor.

Ben standing in the middle of the room surveying the
vandalism.

                                                    136.

INT. BRUWER KITCHEN - AFTERNOON
This is a medium-sized kitchen with two doors leading
from it, one to the dining room and the other to the
living room. It has not changed since it was furnished
twenty years ago, the only modern appliances being the
electric stove and a modern mixer on the working table.

Ben is leaning against the wall next to the door leading
to the living room, drinking coffee.
Melanie, bare-feet, her long black hair tied up in a
ribbon, is washing up. She looks younger and fragile
with this hair-style.
                        BEN
                 (smiling)
          What about you?

                       MELANIE
          What?
                        BEN
          I mean not married...
                        MELANIE
          And living in this chaos with my
          eccentric father? I love him and
          we get on perfectly. We have
          been together since I was a year
          old. My mother could not adapt
          to South Africa. She went back
          to London and we've never heard
          from her since.
                        BEN
          Being a professor and bringing up
          a child, how did he manage that?

                        MELANIE
          Dorothy, dear Dorothy, she was a
          fantastic mother. In fact she had
          two families, me and her three
          children in Alexandra township.
                        BEN
          And this little girl grew up to be
          a tough journalist. Why a
          journalist?
                        MELANIE
                 (laughs)
          Sometimes I ask myself the same
          question.
She leans against the sink and picks up her mug of
coffee.
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                       137.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
             Alright. I'll tell you. I was
             brought up in a sheltered way, not
             that Dad was possessive, not
             openly anyway. I think he'd just
             seen enough of the mess the world
             was in, to want to protect me as
             much as he could. Then, I went
             to university. I don't know what
             you'll think... being a teacher.

Pause.
                           BEN
             About what?

                           MELANIE
             Then I married my ex-teacher.
                            BEN
             Oh.   He must have been young.
                           MELANIE
             Fifteen years difference. He too
             protected me like Dad. Then one
             day I visited Dorothy in Alexandra
             and saw her home and the appalling
             conditions in that township. I
             was shocked, Ben, and ashamed.
                           BEN
             Go on.
Melanie pours him another mug of coffee and starts to
wipe up.
                           MELANIE
             That made me think that I was a
             parasite, something white and
             maggot-like... just a thing... a
             sweet and ineffectual thing. I
             felt more and more claustrophobic.
             Poor Brian, who loved and pampered
             me. Had no idea what was
             happening. I left him for a whole
             year and we divorced.

                           BEN
             And then you became a journalist?

Melanie goes to the living room, as she passes Ben she
touches his arm and continues talking.
                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                           138.

      CONTINUED:
                                 MELANIE (O.S.)
                   I thought it would force me, or
                   help me, to expose myself. To
                   force me to see and to take
                   notice of what was happening
                   around me.

                                  BEN
                   Did it work?
      She returns to the kitchen with a cigarette.

                               MELANIE
                 I wish I could give you a straight
                 answer. What did help me was my
wanderings in Africa.

                                 BEN
                   How did you manage that on a
                   South African passport? We South
                   Africans are white devils in
                   Africa.
                                 MELANIE
                   My mother was English, remember?
                   So I get a British passport. It
                   comes in handy even for the paper.
                                 BEN
                   You really are your father's
                   daughter!
                                 MELANIE
                   I wonder what he's doing right
                   now. Most likely standing on a
                   rock, looking through his old
                   binoculars at springbok or a lion
                   or whatever.
      One of the two large CATS approaches them, tail in the
      air, and goes to Melanie, drubbing against her legs,
      PURRING luxuriously. She picks it up into her arms.
                                 BEN
                   How often does he go on these trips
                   to the veldt?

                                 MELANIE
                   It depends --
                          (approaching Ben with
                           cat)
                   -- Bonjour, Ben. I'm Porto and my
                   friend is Bello!
      Ben smiles and starts to caress Porto in Melanie's arms.

                                                     139.

EXT. SOWETO - EMILY'S HOUSE - MID-MORNING
Parked outside the house is a municipality truck already
half-laden with Emily's furniture and possessions. Four
Africans in khaki overalls are loading the truck -- super-
vising the eviction of Emily are a white Soweto official,
Captain Stolz and Lt. Venter. In the b.g., a hundred yards
away is a "hippo" with black and white armed policemen.
Behind the truck are two police Land Rovers.

Emily is sitting outside on one of her chairs as neighbors
walk up to her to comfort her and say their goodbyes. Her
daughter is carrying the youngest child and standing next
to Emily -- several children are watching. A woman in
the crowd starts singing a freedom song: "UMZIMA
LOMTHWALO" ("THIS BURDEN IS HEAVY"). The song is taken up
by the other women.

Venter tries to stop them and disperse them. Stolz
signals to him to leave them alone. One of the Africans
then walks up to her for the chair. She refuses to get
off the chair. The man looks at the white official as
though to ask "what do I do." The official looks at
Stolz. Venter walks up to Emily and, about to pull her
off the chair.

                        EMILY
          Don't you touch me!
Venter pulls back. The women start to ululate. Emily
rises majestically, takes the youngest in her arms and
walks slowly to the truck followed by her daughter.
People cluster around her, singing with rage and shaking
her hand. Stolz observes the scene, impassive.
                          WOMAN (V.O.)
          Come back!    Buya!
                         CROWD
                  (shouts)
          Buya!   Buya!
Emily and the children are helped onto the back of the
truck which drives away preceded by the police "hippo" and
escorted from the rear by the Land Rovers. The crowd
continues singing.

EXT. STREET - MORNING

Ben is leaving his home. This is a Saturday morning. Two
men are sitting in a car a few yards from the entrance to
the house. Ben doesn't pay attention to them. When he
is about twenty yards past, one of the men, Jaimie -- who
was present when Gordon was arrested -- gets out of the
car and follows Ben. Ben stops at a corner for a car and
again the FOOTSTEPS stop.

                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                     140.

CONTINUED:
He turns furtively and sees the man, stopped, turning his
head. Ben decides to turn the corner, and listens to the
FOOTSTEPS. The man is still following. Ben then decides
to turn right back to have a good look at the man. They
pass each other and Ben takes a good look at him and turns
back onto the streets to the local shops. The man decides
not to follow.

INT. BEN'S STUDY - NIGHT
Ben and Stanley sit. Ben on his desk. Stanley in an
armchair with a drink. They look perplexed.
                           STANLEY
                    (irritated)
             She's a widow, man. That's what
             happens in Soweto when a woman
             loses her man. They throw her out
             of the house and out of the city.
                           BEN
                    (disgusted)
             Zululand! The whole thing smells
             of being an excuse to send her
             hundreds of miles from the case.
             And how will they live there?...
                           STANLEY
             Shit! I was about to find her a
             place, but I had to go to look
             for Robert.
                           BEN
             So, that's why you went to
             Botswana for.
                           STANLEY
             Sis Emily asked me but it was no
             use. His mind was made up. He
             was going to join Wellington in
             Zambia.

                           BEN
             Couldn't you stop him?   He's a
             little boy, Stanley!

Stanley gulps down his whisky and stands up.
                           STANLEY
                    (focusing Ben in the
                     eyes)
             He'll be back in a few years.     And
             he won't be throwing stones!
Then, puts the empty glass on the desk.

                                                          141.

INT./EXT. STANLEY'S HOUSE - EVENING
Stanley peers through the curtains: he sees a car parked
outside the house. In it Jaimie and another S.B. They
are watching the house. Stanley quietly opens the door
and walks outside.
EXT. STANLEY'S HOUSE - EVENING

Stanley walks past his car and approaches the policeman.
                          STANLEY
                   (using his usual
                    humor)
            Good evening. I'd like to invite
            you into my humble home, but it's
            full of terrorists.

The two policemen get out of their car, obviously angry.
                          JAIMIE
                   (pointing at Stanley's
                    car)
            Open the boot! You cheeky bastard!
                          STANLEY
            Okay, with pleasure.
They search and find nothing.
                          JAIMIE
            Open the door and remove the seat.
Stanley executes the order. Jaimie and the OTHER POLICE-
MAN peer in, their eyes sweeping the car.

                          OTHER POLICEMAN
            Now, your pass, bliksem.

Stanley   produces his passbook and hands it to the Police-
man who   inspects the pages laboriously, then throws the
book to   the ground. Stanley doesn't pick it up and just
watches   the man.

                          JAIMIE
            You watch your bloody step!     Right?

They return to their car and drive off. Stanley looks at
them thoughtfully, then picks up his book.
EXT. DAN PIENAAR SCHOOL - MORNING

All the students are in classes. Cloete walks        out of a
classroom and sees Capt. Stolz walking towards       the build-
ing. Cloete stops to wait for him. They shake         hands and
walk to Cloete's office talking affably. They        enter
office.

                                                     142.

INT. BEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Ben and Susan in bed, asleep. The PHONE RINGS... waking
them both. Ben answers. There's no one there. He puts
it down. The RINGING STARTS AGAIN. Ben puts the re-
ceiver down.
                        SUSAN
                 (calmly)
          Ben, please stop whilst there's
          time. Please, Ben.
                        BEN
                 (focusing on ceiling)
          It's impossible to stop now, Susan.
          I believe I'm right in what I'm
          doing. If I stop now I'll go mad.

                        SUSAN
                 (despaired)
          Whatever the price you pay for it?
                        BEN
                 (painfully)
          I have got to.

Susan shuts her eyes tight and turns her back on him to
hide her tears.
                                            DISSOLVE TO:

INT. CLOETE'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON
It's a functional office. Picture of the South African
president (1976) John Vorster, on the wall. Various staff
pictures... Ben, summoned by Cloete, sits.
                        CLOETE
          Think of your heritage, man. My
          God -- think of your wife, your
          family, friends, neighbors.
          What's going to happened to them --
          all of us -- if we can't depend on
          our own kind? We're
          educationalists -- teachers. We
          are building for the future.

                        BEN
          Without simple justice we don't
          deserve a future.
                        CLOETE
          We're Boers, man -- Afrikaners.
          We are your nation. What's justice
          for us is justice -- period!
                        (MORE)

                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                       143.

CONTINUED:
                           CLOETE (CONT'D)
             Traitors like you are threatening
             centuries of Afrikaner sacrifice.
                           BEN
             That last remark was slanderous --
             I'm simply being faithful to the
             truth.
                           CLOETE
             Slanderous? My God, man, you
             slander a whole people.
He walks silently through the office then continues.

                           CLOETE
             You have given me no alternative.
             I have to abide by the regulations
             of the Department of Education --
             so I have made my report.
             And there will have to be a formal
             inquiry. But until such time...
                           BEN
                    (rising)
             It won't be necessary, Mr. Cloete.
             I'll send you my resignation.
                           CLOETE
             Thank you for making things much
             easier.
Ben stares at him for a moment, then turns to leave.    As
he reaches the door, Cloete says:
                           CLOETE
             And it would be better if Johan
             left too.
Ben turns to stare at him, amazed.

                           BEN
             Are you serious?
                           CLOETE
             He's a Kaffir-lover too, isn't
             he?
The color drains from Ben's face. Then he steps forward,
slaps Cloete thunderously across the face, hurling him
back into his chair, and strides out, leaving the door
ajar.

                                                    144.

EXT. SCHOOL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON
It's the end of the school day. The yard is practically
deserted. Only Viviers waiting for Ben under the veranda.

Ben appears.
                        VIVIERS
          Oom Ben, I was waiting for you.
          I have something interesting to
          tell you.
                        BEN
                 (striding on towards
                  his car)
          Later, Viviers.

                        VIVIERS
                 (keeping up)
          But, Oom Ben, it's about the
          S.B. they came to question me.
          Before they started questioning
          me I told them they were wasting
          their time.
Ben doesn't react.
                        VIVIERS
          They asked if I was cooperating
          with you. What I knew about the
          A.N.C. Can you imagine that! They
          then said: 'Mr. Viviers you come
          from a good Afrikaans family and
          it's important that you realize
          that communists are looking for
          people like you and before you
          know where you are they're using
          you! And, Oom Ben...

                        BEN
                 (reaching the car;
                  interrupting him)
          I'm sorry, Viviers. I never
          wanted you to get involved.
                 (getting into his
                  car)
          I have just resigned.

                        VIVIERS
                 (amazed)
          What...?

Ben drives away.

                                                     145.

INT. BEN'S DINING ROOM - AFTERNOON
Christmas day lunch. Assembled around the table are
Ben's Father-in-law, his wife Helen, Suzette and Chris,
her husband, Johan, Ben and Susan. They're all wearing
paper hats from Christmas crackers. On the table is a
large piece of roast lamb, ox tongue, a large turkey and
assorted vegetables.

Ben is at the head of the table adjacent to the door lead-
ing to the kitchen, the Father-in-law is sitting by his
side facing the door.

Ben is in the middle of carving the turkey, plates are
being passed to him.
                       JOHAN
         Was last year's turkey as big as
         this, Papa?
                       BEN
         About the same size.
                       SUZETTE
         Do you remember the turkey I had
         for Easter? You said it was as
         big as a baby ostrich, Papa.
                       BEN
         I don't remember that, Suzette.

                       FATHER-IN-LAW
         You know, Johan, when I was a boy
         in the Karoo, we used to fry
         ostrich eggs. You know how big
         they are?
                       JOHAN
                (laughing)
         As big as this table.
                       BEN
                (to Father-in-law)
         I think he deserves the parson's
         nose for that remark.
They laugh. Susan laughs. She does her best to compose.
Suddenly... a KNOCK at the outside kitchen door. As Ben
turns towards the door it opens and...
INT. BEN'S KITCHEN - AFTERNOON

... Stanley erupts into the kitchen like a great black
bull in white suit and white shoes. A scarlet tie is
matched by a huge handkerchief hanging from his pocket.
He is a little drunk.

                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                        146.

CONTINUED:
                          STANLEY
                   (obviously surprised
                    by this family
                    scene)
             Oh!
                    (then grinning and
                     laughing thunderously)
             Merry Christmas, everyone!
There's deadly quiet -- not even the clink of a spoon --
as the Du Toits look on aghast.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Ben rises and goes to Stanley
who spots him.

                           STANLEY
             'Lanie'... compliments of the
             season, old mate.
                            BEN
             Stanley.   What are you doing here?
Before Stanley answers, the Father-in-law gets up from his
chair and goes to the kitchen.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             Who's this Kaffir, Ben?
                           STANLEY
                    (shocked)
             Why don't you tell the Boer who
             this Kaffir is?
                           BEN
             Shut up, Stanley.
                    (to Father-in-law)
             That's all right. I'll...

                           FATHER-IN-LAW
                    (quivering with rage)
             A Kaffir calling me a Boer?

Chris hurries into the kitchen ready for a fight.
                           CHRIS
             Ben, did you hear that?   Call the
             police, Ben!
                           BEN
                    (to Father-in-law)
             Please, go to the table.
                    (to Stanley)
             Stanley, wait outside.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                         147.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
                    (fuming)
             Who are these people, anyway?
                           BEN
             Stanley, this is still my house.

                           CHRIS
             Let me throw him out.
Ben steps between them and pushes Chris back into the
dining room.
                           STANLEY
                    (laughing)
             Let him try, leave him, Lanie.

                           BEN
                    (to Father-in-law)
             Please leave me with him.   I'll
             explain everything later.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
             Nothing has changed in this house.
             Mother, let's go!
He strides into the dining room.
INT. DINING ROOM - AFTERNOON
Susan sits   with her eyes tight shut -- trying to shut out
the horror   of it all. As the Father-in-law goes into
the living   room, he pulls back his wife's chair and helps
her to her   feet.
                           FATHER-IN-LAW
                    (to his wife)
             Let's leave this house. I've been
             sworn at by a Kaffir and Ben
             protects him.

                             SUZETTE
                      (following)
             Chris!

Chris follows. Susan also. From the living room, she
calls Johan who is left alone at the table, perplexed.
Johan goes to his mother.
There's a general rush for the door and, without warning,
the room is empty. Only the TIN ANGELS TINKLE merrily
around their candles.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                    148.

INT. KITCHEN - AFTERNOON
                        STANLEY
                 (with cascading
                  laughter)
          Lanie! Ever in your fucking life
          seen such a stampede, hah?

                        BEN
                 (furious)
          Maybe you think it's funny,
          Stanley, but I don't. Do you
          realize what you've done?
                 (he sighs deeply)
          Come into the dining room.
Stanley follows Ben slowly, swaying.

                        STANLEY
                 (chuckling)
          Jeez, who was that old cunt with
          the potbelly and black suit, looks
          like an undertaker?
INT. DINING-ROOM - AFTERNOON

Ben sits on his chair.
                        BEN
          My father-in-law.
                 (deliberately)
          M.P.
                        STANLEY
                 (sitting beside Ben)
          You joking!
                 (he laughs)
          Shit! I fucked it all up for you.
          Sorry, man.

He laughs again.   Ben cannot take it anymore.
                        BEN
          Now pull yourself together,
          Stanley. It's not funny at all!
          What's the matter with you today?
          You're drunk and making an idiot
          of yourself. Say what you've come
          to say. Otherwise, go to hell!
Stanley's laughter changes into a broad grin. He sur-
veys the table and takes a bit of turkey from a plate
and starts to eat it quietly.

                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                            149.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
                    (after a pause)
             Right. Dead right. Put the
             Kaffir in his place.
Ben grabs him by the shoulders and starts to shake him.

                           BEN
             Bloody hell! Stanley, what's
             wrong with you?

Stanley shoves Ben off, and glares at him, bloodshot eyes
breathing heavily.
                           STANLEY
             Emily is dead.

Ben stares at him in stunned disbelief.
                            BEN
             Emily dead?   How?   When?
Stanley doesn't answer - he cries.

Ben grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him.
                           BEN
             What happened, Stanley?      Oh, my
             God. Please tell me.
                           STANLEY
                    (between two sobs)
             A broken heart. All they said.

Ben's hand still on Stanley's shoulder, he sits slowly
beside him, shaken, his face ravaged by the news.

                           BEN
             God.
Through the window, he sees Suzette and Chris carrying
suitcases, back down the path to his in-laws' car;
Father-In-Law shepherding his wife and an ashen, dazed
Susan, helping them into the car.

As they leave see Johan leaning against the dining room
door, watching his father and Stanley.
INT. BRUWER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATE EVENING

A very tense Ben is sitting on Professor Bruwer's chair.
Melanie is curled up on the old settee.
                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        150.

CONTINUED:
                           MELANIE
             They don't know what you've got
             and you're a danger to them. I
             know there's a point of no return,
             but with our system, one has to
             plot the route with care.

                           BEN
             That's the main reason for coming
             here tonight. Melanie, I need
             your help. Without Emily, we can't
             pursue our civil suit. The only
             thing left open to us is to expose
             them through the press, and the
             media here and abroad.

                           MELANIE
             And your safety also, Ben, lies in
             the press.
                    (pause)
             That way the world will know the
             brutality and power of our
             security services; here questions
             can be asked in Parliament. And
             the white public can appreciate
             the implications of the fascist
             laws of this country.
                           BEN
             You know, Melanie, I'm discovering
             that the enemy is not in Soweto.
             The enemy is ourselves. Our
             bigotry, our laws, our system. We
             have our own fight and it's just
             beginning.
                           MELANIE
             We better win before the blacks
             have won.
Ben and Melanie laugh.

                           BEN
             Now, before going to the press, I
             have to have all the documents. I
             must have two vital affidavits;
             Dr. Hassiem's, he's detained and
             Jonathan's friend, Wellington has
             fled to Zambia.

                           MELANIE
             Zambia? I'm going to Rhodesia...
             I can go to Zambia.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                           151.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
                    (surprised)
             Could you?
                           MELANIE
             And I can use my British passport.
             I know my way around Lusaka.

                           BEN
             That would be very useful.

Melanie jumps off the settee.
                           MELANIE
             This calls for a drink.    Gin and
             tonic?

                           BEN
             Please.
As Melanie walks away, Ben looks at her with admiration
and tenderness... her dress swinging around her legs...
her bare feet soundless on the floor... the quiet grace
of her movement.
On the way to the kitchen to get the drinks, Melanie goes
to the record player. There's a record already on the
turntable.

Suddenly as if rising from a dream, Ben murmurs:
                            BEN
             Melanie.   Be careful.

                           MELANIE
                    (as she plays the
                     record and
                     flippantly)
             Of course, Ben.
She goes into the kitchen.

As Melanie hums to herself to     the BLUES MUSIC, in the
kitchen, Ben walks over to the     window and furtively
glances out, to assure himself     that nobody is watching.
He takes then a book on a pile     next to the settee and
pages slowly through it.
Melanie returns with two glasses, still in her happy
mood. She places Ben's glass on the side table next to
the settee, takes the book from him and makes him sit
down.
                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        152.

CONTINUED:
                          MELANIE
             Cheers!

Ben raises his glass and touches it with hers.
                           BEN
             Do be careful. I wouldn't want
             you hurt.
She reaches for his hand.

                           MELANIE
                    (with gentleness)
             Don't worry.

                           BEN
             And hurry back.
A new track starts on the RECORD.
                           MELANIE
                    (excited)
             That's my favorite, Ben.

Jumping up and taking Ben's glass and placing it on the
side table, she pulls him to his feet.
                           BEN
             I can't dance.
                           MELANIE
             Rugger player?
They laugh as they start to dance to the slow BLUES
MUSIC. The laughing subsides as they hold each other
closer. The dancing starts to lose the beat of the
music. They look into each other's eyes and Ben envel-
ops her tenderly in his arms hugging her as close as
possible against him.
They stop dancing.     Ben kisses her.   A long, warm and
tender kiss.
INT. MELANIE'S BEDROOM

Ben and Melanie in bed.

He is kissing her and fondling her passionately. During
the love play, Ben reaches for the lightswitch of the
bedside lamp, and knocks it over. They make love.

                                                      153.

INT. LOCAL SUPERMARKET - MORNING
Ben is shopping at the local supermarket. He    is pushing
a trolley. As he places some groceries into    his trolley,
he notices a man standing near the check-out   counters.
The man is similar built as Jamie and similar   hairstyle.
He's reading a newspaper, his face concealed.

Ben drops the package he was inspecting, back on the
shelf and pushes his trolley towards the man to try and
see his face.
The man moves away. Ben follows him and has decided to
confront him. Man picks up a pack of ham.
Ben is about to remonstrate with him.

                       BEN
         Listen, you...
Just then a LADY and her daughter hurry to the man, push-
ing a trolley. Man turns to look at Ben.
                       WOMAN
         Darling, put that down, it's not
         good for your cholesterol.
                       BEN
                (to the man)
         I'm sorry, my mistake.

He pushes his trolley away embarrassed.
EXT. SUZETTE'S HOUSE - SWIMMING POOL - DAY
The immaculate blue of the pool. Johan hurls himself out
of the water, flops down at the side.
Suzette and Ben nearby, sitting in the sun.

Pieter at the barbecue, sizzling thick steaks.
A servant in white uniform soundlessly laying the table
on the patio behind him.
The nanny with the baby in the shade.

                       BEN
         -- How's she doing?
                       SUZETTE
         Better... She's waiting for you to
         ask her to come home.

                       BEN
         I doubt it.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                          154.

CONTINUED:
She turns to Ben, squinting in the sun.

                           SUZETTE
             Papa, I don't want to interfere...
                           BEN
             Then don't.

A pause.
                           SUZETTE
             I know this is going to sound
             strange coming from me... I mean
             I haven't exactly been supportive
             for the past months... I can't say
             I agree with what you've done but
             I respect you for what you are...
ON Johan listening.
                           SUZETTE
             I'm just... destroyed by what's
             happening to us as a family.

                           BEN
             Suzette...
                           SUZETTE
                    (interrupts, squeezing
                     his arm.)
             Please, Papa, for Mom's sake...
             For all of our sakes... Let's
             try and patch it up.

Ben smiles sadly at her... Suzette understands.        Johan
looks at them.

                                                MIX TO:
EXT. SUZETTE'S HOUSE - LATER

Ben and Johan in the car.        Suzette leans in through the
driver's window.
                           SUZETTE
             Let me know if there's anything I
             can do to help.
                            BEN
             Thanks.   I'm glad you understand.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         155.

CONTINUED:
                           SUZETTE
             I don't want to worry about you.
             That search, this vandalism, those
             shots... they're really after the
             evidence you've been accumulating
             ... Can I look after them for you,
             Papa?

Ben smiles.
                           BEN
             You don't have to worry.   They'll
             never find them.
                           SUZETTE
                    (smiling)
             Where on earth do you keep them?
ON Johan looking at Suzette then at Ben with concern.
EXT. INDIAN TOWNSHIP - DAY
Ben has parked his car in a street corner of the upmarket
section of the Asian township. He peers around him, then
walks away.
Ben knocks at a door.
The door is opened cautiously by DR. HASSIEM, a tall,
handsome Indian, aged 35 years. His clothes are casual
but expensive. His six-year-old daughter, large dark
eyes, is clinging to his leg. We recognize the little
girl of the photograph near the telephone, from earlier.

                           BEN
             Dr. Hassiem? I'm Ben Du Toit.
             I'm a friend of Gordon Ngubene's...

                           DR. HASSIEM
                    (raising his hands)
             The inquest is over, Mr. Du Toit.

                           BEN
             Not for me, Doctor. I've got to
             know what happened to Gordon.

Dr. Hassiem looks shaky, nervous.
                           DR. HASSIEM
             I only came home yesterday. After
             three months in detention and now
             I'm banned and confined to the
             house. There's nothing I can do
             for you.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                         156.

CONTINUED:
The little girl still clinging to his leg, watching Ben.

                           BEN
             I know it may be painful to you,
             Doctor, but I need to talk to you.

                           DR. HASSIEM
             How can I be sure you weren't
             actually sent by them?
                           BEN
             Ask Emily. Doctor, we are in the
             process of filing a civil claim.
             And your help is vital.

Hassiem gives Ben a long look.    He picks up his daughter
and opens the door fully.
                          DR. HASSIEM
             Come in.
Ben walks into the large living room, tastefully
furnished.

                          DR. HASSIEM
             Sit down.
Ben is still looking 'round at the opulence.       He sits in
a chair.
                           BEN
             Thank you for inviting me in.
                           DR. HASSIEM
                    (the little girl on
                     his knees)
             What do you want to know?

                           BEN
             Just one thing, Doctor. Why did
             you sign the State Pathologist's
             report on the autopsy if you drew
             up your own report as well?
                           DR. HASSIEM
                    (disconcerted)
             What makes you think I signed Dr.
             Jansen's report.
                           BEN
             The report produced in court had
             both your signatures on it.
                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        157.

CONTINUED:
                            DR. HASSIEM
             Impossible.

                           BEN
             What did you write in your report?

                           DR. HASSIEM
             Dr. Jansen and I didn't disagree
             on the facts. After all we
             examined the same body in the same
             time. But just on the
             interpretation. For example, if
             Gordon, had really been hanged,
             the marks on his throat would have
             been concentrated on the front.
                    (he touches his
                     larynx)
             But in this case, the bruises
             were more obvious on the sides.
Pause.   Ben nods, silent.
                           DR. HASSIEM
             Something else really upset me,
             perhaps it isn't important.
                            BEN
             What was it?

Dr. Hassiem puts down his daughter.
                           DR. HASSIEM
                    (leaning forward)
             You see, through a misunderstanding
             I arrived at the morgue too early
             for the autopsy. There wasn't a
             soul around except a young African
             attendant. When I told him I'd
             come for the autopsy, he let me in.
             The body was on the table dressed.
             I noticed blood on the clothes.

                            BEN
             And then?

                           DR. HASSIEM
             As I examined the clothes more
             closely, a police-officer came in
             and said I wasn't allowed in the
             morgue before Dr. Jansen arrived.
             When I returned with Dr. Jansen,
             half an hour later, the body was
             naked.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                           158.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
                    (excited)
             Doctor, we've already got the
             African attendant's affidavit. He
             testified that Capt. Stolz ordered
             him to burn the clothes.
                    (pause)
             Did you mention what you said in
             your report?
                            DR. HASSIEM
             Of course.   I found it most odd.
                           BEN
             Doctor Hassiem would you be
             prepared to put that in writing?

Dr. Hassiem thinks it over for a while then:
                           DR. HASSIEM
             Please excuse me for a minute.
Ben watches him leave the room, the little girl following
him. He gets up from the chair, walks to the window,
glances through it, then steps to look at some family
photographs on the mantlepiece. Amongst them a photograph
of Dr. Hassiem before "Big Ben." Dr. Hassiem returns
with a file, the daughter still following.

                           DR. HASSIEM
                    (opening the file)
             This is my report. I only have
             one copy.

                           BEN
                    (astounded)
             You have a copy of the report?

Hassiem grins.
                           DR. HASSIEM
             I know how to hide things from the
             S.B., Mr. Du Toit.
Ben congratulates him by a deep laughter.

                                                 CUT TO:
INT. HASSIEM'S OFFICE - DAY

Ben and Dr. Hassiem working as a team, tape the type-
written sheets of the report among a Rand Daily Mail
newspaper pages at the back.
                                                 (CONTINUED)

                                                        159.

CONTINUED:
On Dr. Hassiem's desk we recognize next to the phone, the
little girl's photograph.

                           DR. HASSIEM
             I hope you have as secure a place
             as I have.

                           BEN
                    (with an accomplice
                     smile)
             I think so.

INT. BUILDING IN CONSTRUCTION - LATE AFTERNOON
A multi-storied building half-built. Stanley standing on
the fourth floor watching Ben's arrival.

Ben searches for Stanley who draws Ben's attention;
beckons him up. Ben indicates they meet halfway.
He joins Stanley who's sitting on a pile of bricks.
                           STANLEY
                    (with expansive
                     gesture)
             Take a pew, man.
                           BEN
                    (sitting and
                     excited)
             We have it, Stanley!
                           STANLEY
             Have what?
                           BEN
             Hassiem's report. You know what
             that means, Stanley? Melanie
             arrives in two days. We'll have
             all the evidence. Everything is
             in place. We'll get them yet,
             especially Stolz.
                           STANLEY
             That's fantastic, man.

Stanley produces from his jacket pocket a newspaper --
Rand Daily Mail. He opens it on a certain page with the
picture of an African in police uniform, and hands it to
Ben.

                            BEN
                     (shocked)
             God!   It's Johnson Seroke.

                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                         160.

CONTINUED:
                           STANLEY
             Late at night. A knock on the
             door. He opened and five shots,
             point-blank range. Face, chest,
             stomach.

                           BEN
                    (reading)
             'A police spokesman when questioned
             said: "It's not the first time that
             a black member of the police has
             lost his life in the service of
             his country, fighting terrorism."
                    (folding paper in
                     disgust)
             Bloody bastards! They killed him.
             Stolz must have thought he knew
             too much.
                           STANLEY
             What's the score? The nurse is
             detained; the mortuary attendant
             has disappeared; the police van
             driver who brought Jonathan to
             hospital is detained. Julius is
             in jail, and now Johnson dead.
                           BEN
             Who's next on their secret list,
             I wonder? How much longer must
             the list grow of those who pay the
             price of our efforts to clear
             Gordon's name.

                           STANLEY
             Hey! Are you going soft, Lanie?
             We must keep going even more so
             now. And for every bloke who's
             going to die of bloody natural
             causes in their hands. And for
             our children's future.

                           BEN
             I know. If I can no longer
             believe that right is on my side,
             if I can no longer believe in
             imperative to go on, what will
             become of me, Stanley?
Ben looks at Johnson's picture again and shakes his head.

INT. BEN'S STUDY - DAY
A 8x10 black and white photograph on Ben's desk.

                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        161.

CONTINUED:
On the photograph a naked man and a girl on a bed and a
bedside lamp on its side. The man is Ben and the girl
is Melanie.
Stolz in sports jacket, standing next to the desk is
speaking... patronizing.

                           STOLZ
             We're all made of flesh and
             blood, Mr. Du Toit -- we've all
             got our flaws. And if a man likes
             to sample the grass on the other
             side of the fence, well, that's
             his own business. But it would
             be unpleasant if people found out
             about it, especially if he's a
             teacher.
                           BEN
             You mean, if I cooperate, if I
             stop digging, embarrassing you,
             threatening you... these
             photographs will disappear.

                           STOLZ
             Let's just say I may be able to
             use my influence to make sure that
             a private indiscretion isn't used
             against you.
                           BEN
             Suppose I refuse?
Stolz looks past Ben.
                           STOLZ
             Is this your son?

Ben whirls around to see Johan at the door. He shoots,
puts himself between the photograph and his son obviously
surprised to find Capt. Stolz there.

                           BEN
             Johan, leave us alone, please.

Johan walks away.

                           STOLZ
             Don't you think this business
             has gone long enough?

Ben, struggling to maintain his composure.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                           162.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
             That's for you people to decide.
             Isn't it? I won't be blackmailed,
             Captain -- not even by you.
                           STOLZ
             Mind if I smoke?

Ben answers by a gesture.
                           STOLZ
                    (after lighting his
                     cigarette)
             Now be honest. Has all the
             evidence you've been collecting
             in connection with Gordon Ngubene
             brought you closer to the truth
             you are looking for?
                           BEN
             Yes, I think so and there's more
             to come.
A pause.
                           STOLZ
             I really hoped we could talk
             man-to-man.

                           BEN
             It's not possible, Captain.    Not
             between you and me.
                           STOLZ
             It's high time, Mr. Du Toit, we
             allowed the dead to rest in peace.
             I'm offering you a chance.

                           BEN
             You mean my very last chance?

                           STOLZ
             One never knows. It may not be
             important to you, but we have to
             survive.

                           BEN
             If we can only survive through
             murder and torture, then we have
             forfeited our right to exist.

Slowly and deliberately Stolz stubs out his cigarette
in the ashtray.
                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                      163.

CONTINUED:
                           STOLZ
             Is that your final answer?

                           BEN
             Before you go. I'll tell this,
             Captain. I have a pretty good
             idea of what I will eventually
             uncover. I mean the truth.
             And I won't allow anyone or
             anything to come between me and
             that truth.

Ben walks up to the door to see him out. There's no
response from Stolz. He calmly takes a small card out of
his pocket and rests it on Ben's desk.

                           STOLZ
             Here's my card -- my private line.
             If you should change your mind...
             Let's say before the end of the
             week?
                           BEN
             Goodbye, Captain, and don't forgt
             the photograph.
Stolz picks up the photograph and puts it into his
briefcase.

                           STOLZ
                    (leaving)
             Be careful, Mr. Du Toit. There
             are people who can make things
             very difficult for you.
                           BEN
             They are wasting their time. They
             just can't hurt me anymore. I
             trust you'll give them the message,
             Captain.

He walks out. Ben follows him 'round the garage and
watches him get into his car and drive away.
Johan joins his father.

                           JOHAN
                    (mischievous)
             A brandy, Papa?

                           BEN
                    (smiling back, ruffling
                     his hair)
             A gin and tonic would be fine.

                                                      164.

INT. JAN SMUTS AIRPORT - DAY
Ben and Johan are standing in the public enclosure on the
top floor of the airport building. Ben is unshaved, he
looks tired, but happy. There is the usual bustle of
airport staff for the steps and luggage, two-thirds of
the staff being black.

Passengers emerge from the plane Melanie amongst them.
Some waving to friends and relatives on the public en-
closure. Melanie stops momentarily and looks up at the
enclosure. She sees Ben and Johan and waves at them.
They wave back and Ben indicates they'll be waiting for
her below. She walks off as they happily await her after
the ususal formalities.
INT. JAN SMUTS AIRPORT - DAY

Ben and Johan are waiting outside the arrivals exit.
Several passengers stream out, some being met. Eventually
there is a trickle of passengers. An INDIAN WOMAN is one
of the last to come out. Ben approaches her.
                        BEN
          Excuse me, I'm waiting for a lady
          with a red dress. Are there still,
          many people to come?
                        INDIAN WOMAN
          I did see her. She was ahead of
          me. Maybe she's still in there.
                       BEN
          Thank you.
Just then an OFFICIAL walks out of the door.   Ben hurries
to him.
                       BEN
          Excuse me.
                        OFFICIAL
          Can I help you?

                        BEN
          I'm waiting for a passenger, Miss
          Bruwer. She's taking a rather
          long time to be cleared.

                        OFFICIAL
          What did you say her name was?

                        BEN
          Melanie Bruwer.
                        OFFICIAL
          I'll go and check.
                                            (CONTINUED)

                                                       165.

CONTINUED:
The Official hurries back.

                           JOHAN
             Is there any other exit, Papa?
                           BEN
             No. They have to collect their
             luggage and pass through customs.
                           JOHAN
                    (joking)
             Maybe she can't find her bag.
                           BEN
                    (smilng back)
             That's possble.

Just then Stolz appears through the door. He slowly
walks up to Ben and Johan. Ben becomes apprehensive.
                           STOLZ
             Afternoon, Meneer Du Toit.   Johan,
             isn't it?

Ruffling his hair; Johan pulling away and glaring at him.
                           BEN
             What now, Captain?

                           STOLZ
             Word came to me that you were
             asking after your very good friend,
             Miss Bruwer. You know, subersives
             come in all guises and can be
             very resourceful. Now let's take
             your friend, she has been using
             her privilege as a journalist to
             endanger the security of this
             country. But you know something
             else? She has been secretly
             holding a British passport. A
             South African passport and a
             British pasport. Now you tell me,
             where is her patriotism? Her
             allegiance? The minister telexed
             to the immigration officers here
             declaring her an undesirable
             immigrant. So she is being put
             on the first available plane to
             London. This must be heart-
             breaking for you. Good afternoon,
             Meneer Du Toit, Johan.
Stolz walks back.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                         166.

CONTINUED:
                           BEN
                    (quietly)
             Let's go home, Johan.
                           JOHAN
             I don't understand, Papa...

                           BEN
                    (striding)
             I'll explain later.

They hurry out of the building in silence.
EXT. BEN'S HOUSE - DAY

Ben and Johan arriving at the house. An unsympathetic
small crowd is there waiting... They react, murmuring
in Afrikaans, watching them with hostility as Ben and
Johan get out of the car and discover the chaos. The
wreckage. The garage and Ben's study have been bombed.
Johan leaves Ben and rushes to the house. The crowd
starts to disperse.
The entire    tools cupboard has been methodically ripped
apart and    the contents strewn on the garage floor.
Everything    is half-burnt... charred... Ben has sunk onto
the stool    in total defeat. There's silence.
Then Johan appears at the door. He hands Ben a large
envelope -- in it, the file with all the papers. Ben looks
up at Johan.
                           JOHAN
                    (very proud)
             I took it out. Hide it in my
             secret place.

Ben grabs his son, hugs him and holds on for dear life.
                           BEN
             Thank you, son. You did a man's
             job.
                                               CUT TO:

INT. BEN'S STUDY - DAY

Ben is sitting at the kitchen table.
                                               (CONTINUED)

                                                       167.

CONTINUED:
Before him, scattered on the table: the affidavits he
collected, the Hassiem report, cuttings of articles by
Melanie in the Rand Daily Mail about Jonathan, newspaper
pictures of Gordon, of Seroke, of himself with Emily, the
half-burnt "peace painting" of Picasso, half-burnt photo
of Ben with Suzette, a staff photograph, Ben amongst it,
and a charred trophy.

Ben starts putting material relevent to his inquiries
into a large brown envelope.

Johan enters kitchen with a large envelope and hands it
to his father.
                           JOHAN
             Somebody has dropped it through the
             door.
                          BEN
             Thank you.
                           JOHAN
                    (leaving)
             I'm nearly ready, Papa.
Ben examines the unstamped envelope with his address,
with curiosity then opens it.
The contents is Wellington's affidavit.
                           BEN
                    (happy)
             Wellington's affidavit!

He looks inside the envelope, expecting a personal note.
There's none.

                           BEN
                    (to himself)
             Good old Melanie!

                                             CUT TO:
INT. JOHAN'S BEDROOM - DAY

Johan is packing his sport kit and few clothes into a
bag.
                                             CUT TO:

EXT. BEN'S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY

Ben and Johan are walking towards the entrance, Johan
wheeling his bike. Ben hugs his son.

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                         168.

CONTINUED:
Johan gets on the bike and rides out.

                                             CUT TO:
INT. BEN'S KITCHEN - DAY

Ben is pouring coffee. He looks tired and tensed. The
PHONE RINGS in the living room. He hurries to answer it.
Who knows, could be Melanie from the airport!
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

Ben picks up the phone.    A menacing male voice says:
                           MALE (V.O.)
             Meneer du Toit, tonight we're
             coming to kill you.
Ben replaces the receiver obviously shaken.     He becomes
aware of FOOTSTEPS approaching the kitchen.     Ben is
terrified.
A KNOCK at the door and the door swings open:     it's
Stanley.
                           STANLEY
                    (anxious)
             What's happened, man?

                           BEN
                    (obviously still
                     scared)
             It's you. It was a bomb.

                           STANLEY
             And the papers?

                           BEN
             Don't worry. Safe. Thanks to
             Johan. Incidentally, I have
             Wellington's affidavit. Melanie
             found him. She's being deported.
             The official reason is that she
             possessed a British passport. I
             don't know how she managed to
             smuggle the envelope to me.

                           STANLEY
             Man, it's all happening!

Stanley walks out, glances at the devastated study. He
reenters the kitchen and slams on a chair. He takes a
packet of "Lucky Strike" from his pocket and offers it
to Ben

                                             (CONTINUED)

                                                     169.

CONTINUED:
                             STANLEY
             Like a joint?

                             BEN
             No, thanks.

Stanley lights a cigarette and surveys the table. He
picks up the half-burnt Picasso book, gives it a brief
glance, and tosses it back on the table and starts to
chuckle.

                           BEN
                    (surprised)
             What's so funny?

                           STANLEY
                    (still chuckling)
             They drop the bomb on you!
Ben walks up to him puts his hand on his shoulder.
There's an understanding trace of a smile on his face.
INT. CAFE - DAY

Ben sitting in a cafe smoking his pipe.   A waiter serves
him a glass of beer, for which he pays.
                                           CUT TO:

EXT. JOHANNESBURG STREET - DAY
It's raining. Stanley driving in the rain on the same
road as Johan.

                                           CUT TO:
EXT. CAFE - PASSENGERS' POV FROM PARKED CAR - DAY

Suzette's sports car pulls up outside the cafe where Ben
is waiting.

                                           CUT TO:
INT. CAFE - DAY

Ben rises as Suzette joins him at his table.   They kiss
and she sits opposite him.
                           BEN
                    (looking at her
                     straight in
                     the eyes)
             How are you, Suzette?
                                           (CONTINUED)

                                                        170.

CONTINUED:
                           SUZETTE
                    (in a soft voice)
             Okay, Papa.
                           BEN
             Would you like a drink?

                           SUZETTE
             No, thanks.
Without taking his eyes off her, he takes a brown envelope
from a chair and pushes it slowly towards the uncomfor-
table Suzette.
She picks up the envelope.

                           SUZETTE
                    (rising)
             I have to go, Papa.
                           BEN
                    (looking out)
             I know.

Suzette awkwardly kisses him on the cheek.
                           BEN
             Look after them.

Suzette looks at him for a moment and hurries to her car.
As Suzette leaves, Ben turns back into the room, his
eyes glassy with tears.
                                              CUT TO:
EXT. STREET CAFE - DAY

Suzette gets into her car and drives off. The parked
car follows. The two cars turn at the next corner.
EXT. QUIET STREET

The two cars approach following each other. As the second
car overtakes, he draws Suzette's attention with his HORN
and signals her to pull up.

As she gets out of her car holding the brown envelope,
Capt. Stolz gets out of the other side.
Suzette walks over to the passenger:      Colonel Viljoen.

                           VILJOEN
                    (smiling)
             I see you got the goodies.

                                              (CONTINUED)

                                                           171.

CONTINUED:
                           SUZETTE
                    (happily)
             I was on my way to your office,
             Colonel.
                           STOLZ
             We thought we'd save you the
             trouble, Mrs. Klopper.
She hands Viljoen the envelope.

                           SUZETTE
             Here it is, Colonel.
                           VILJOEN
             Thank you. This country needs
             more people like you.
                           SUZETTE
             I must hurry, Colonel.   Goodbye.
She drives off.
                                                 CUT TO:
INT. CAPTAIN STOLZ'S CAR - DAY
Stolz gets into the car as Colonel Viljoen starts open-
ing the brown envelope.
                           VILJOEN
             Now let's see what we've got.
                                                 CUT TO:
EXT. RAND DAILY MAIL BUILDING - DAY

Stanley is parked near the building. He's drumming on
the steering wheel to the rhythm of AFRICAN MUSIC from
his car RADIO.

                                                 CUT TO:
INT. STOLZ'S CAR - DAY

Viljoen has just finished opening the brown envelope.
He pulls out the half-burnt Picasso book and Captain
Stolz's card which he gave to Ben. On the card is
written:

                   "APARTHEID MUST GO"
                    TOT SIENS
                    (goodbye)
                                                 (CONTINUED)

                                                          172.

CONTINUED:
                            Ben Du Toit

                            VILJOEN
             The bastard!
                                                CUT TO:

EXT. RAND DAILY MAIL BUILDING - DAY
Johan hurries out of the building and is about to get on
his bike. His attention is drawn by Stanley's familiar
HOOTER.
Johan turns, sees Stanley, and with a grin makes thumbs-
up sign which happy Stanley returns with his large thumb.
Johan cycles away followed by Stanley.

                                                CUT TO:
INT. CAFE - DAY
Ben looks at his watch. He goes to the cash desk and
pays. He walks slowly out of the cafe. Stands at the
door to find his car keys; the rain has emptied the
street. Ben turns up his collar and waits for a break
in the traffic.
                                                CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - DAY
Captain Stolz alone in the car.        He drives around the
corner into the cafe street.

Just then, Ben is hurrying across the road to his car.
Captain Stolz sees him, accelerates and hits Ben, hurling
him high into the air. And speeds away.
People rush to Ben's side... crowd quietly gathers.

FREEZE FRAME and...
                                      SLOW DISSOLVE TO BLACK:


Dry White Season, A



Writers :   Euzhan Palcy
Genres :   Drama  Thriller


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