Original subtitles

RUSTLING

FOOTSTEPS ON CONCRETE

RUSTLING

RUSTLING

THEY HARMONISE: # Sanctus

# Sanctus

# Sanctus

# Dominus Deus

# Sabaoth

# Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis. #

RADIO STATIC HISSES

INDISTINCT VOICES IN STATIC

SIMON: December 15th. Holiday is declared.

Parents pull pupils away until only Jack and I are left.

He did not talk to me until supper,

but then made a fine joke about bread and butter pudding.

I tried not to play grateful as I laughed.

He talked of plans,

how we were going to make this the best of Christmases.

I said little.

I was called to the office after, for a phone from home.

Mother wanted to speak before they left for Switzerland.

She said Father was tired and would speak to me in the new year.

She sounded not her best.

THEY LAUGH

I increasingly believe that bathing

is the only sensible thing to do on this island.

Until what?

Why should we be the only grown-ups?

I say eat, sleep and bathe.

You don't mean that.

I could mean that.

I SHOULD mean that.

I don't like those clouds.

It rains here. You may have noticed.

I'm not worried about rain.

I'm worried about a storm.

A storm is coming!

Mind my specs!

If I get water on the glass, I've got to get out and clean it.

It was funny. Only if you're in the mood for funny.

I've got a pain in my brain.

Ralph, don't... Ralph!

Stop it!

There was a big storm.

The biggest Simon Camborne had ever known.

He found it quite exciting.

He put on his galoshes and his rain hat and his mack

and went out in it.

And he was amazed at what he saw.

The whole of his garden was a pond,

and full of fish.

He was frightened for a moment,

but then fish swam up to him, smiled, and said...

.."Isn't it lovely here?"

LAUGHTER

And Simon felt good.

But then Simon Camborne saw a problem.

His garden gate had orange toads sitting all over it.

A problem I'll tell you about tomorrow.

ALL PROTEST

I will, I will, I will, I promise.

Now, has everyone been to the toilet?

BOYS: Yes. Percival, have you?

I've forgotten my telephone number. Buriton 623... Percival?

Yes, I went to the toilet.

Thank you.

All right, a bit of quiet now. Now, remember, if you can't sleep,

doesn't mean the boy next to you can't. So try not to disturb them.

Unless you need the loo. Unless you need the loo.

BOYS GIGGLE

HE SIGHS

SIMON: Why has he got my name?

RALPH: Who? The boy Piggy's been telling stories about.

Oh, I think Piggy's just working his way through

everyone in the register. A different story for each, you know?

Does he know how it ends?

I don't know. I think he just makes it up as he goes along.

He has an enormous facility.

Did you mean it? What you said about doing less?

Cos we've got the second shelter to secure, signal fire to keep going...

Jack's camp's not worrying about anything like that.

My father took me into his study one day.

My mother was there. She was in tears.

She had a bruise just there.

He asked me to tell him who I preferred - him or her.

I took a moment

and I told them I couldn't decide who I preferred.

It's a hard... It's not that hard.

I loved her, and I hated him.

But I didn't say that.

Instead, I said I couldn't decide.

I was a coward.

My father told me that we're all cowards, at least some of the time.

He pulled her up by the hair and he said, "Do you hear that?

"Even your precious boy doesn't love you properly."

And walked away and slammed the door, and she looked at me,

and then shouted and went after him, begging him for something.

My point... The point is...

..I'm a coward.

And I know that Jack is one, too.

And he'd hate me for telling you that, but he is,

and you're not, Ralph. You don't know that.

And we all, all the little 'uns, need you. I need you.

I don't understand you and Jack.

We were alone a lot in the long vacs.

We were friendly when no-one else was there.

Then the others would come back and he'd drop me like a stone.

I never minded.

He is nicer than people know.

But...there is...something.

SHOUTING

What? What? We've seen it! We saw the beast!

We were up at the signal fire.

There's a beast on this island.

FLIES BUZZ

FLIES BUZZ LOUDLY

HE HOOTS

HE HOOTS

HOOTING REPEATS

Jack!

Jack! They're coming.

Why are you holding a leaf?

It was Piggy's idea.

THEY LAUGH

We wanted to show you that we come to parley.

What do you wish to parley about?

The beast. There's been a sighting.

The fire was bright. We'd just made it up. The fire.

We laid more sticks on... Keeping to Piggy's schedule.

BOTH: For the signal. Then we saw the eyes.

Teeth. Claws. Halfway between maybe a gorilla and a lion,

but like neither of them. We ran as fast as we could.

Bashed into things. It followed us.

Did it do that? No! That was a bush.

You definitely saw it? The beast?

You aren't pulling our legs?

BOTH: We saw it.

I believe them.

Yes. I believe them, too.

So the question is whether to retreat or attack.

Where are you retreating to, Captain? Another island?

Have you seen another island, Maurice? I thought I did once,

but it was just a fly in my eye.

The beast has never come down here.

If we stay here, united... What, and be cramped in?

How should we get our food, Roger?

Maybe the pigs would come to us if we asked nicely.

LAUGHTER

It's time to hunt. The hunters will go. We've weapons.

Those spears are only made of wood.

You're frightened for us. How sweet.

I just don't see what good attacking a beast with matchsticks will do.

So you agree with your pig? You say we wait the beast out?

Did I say that? Yes. I just think we need to think!

Tally ho! Onward, Christian soldiers!

And the little 'uns, Jack? Think of them.

If we go, and the beast comes down... Sucks to the little 'uns.

Stop! Everyone's shouting.

We should hold a proper meeting with the conch. Sucks to the conch!

We know who ought to say things.

What good has Simon ever done talking? Or Bill?

It's time some people leave deciding things to the rest of us.

That was cruel.

He's choir.

He should have come to me.

Besides, I'm bored of worrying about being cruel.

Time to get waxy. Adieu!

You're not thinking this through. Where can it be?

Where can it live that we haven't seen?

Thank you, Ralph. You've given us our starting point.

The only place we haven't been. Do you remember, Maurice?

The tail-end part of the island, where the rocks are all piled up.

Yes, I know it.

You have realised the worst thing about the beast

being on the mountain is that the signal fire's out?

It's our duty to relight the fire.

Or are you done with the rescue idea?

Then we all go.

Then all of us big 'uns go.

We all have to kill the beast.

Good.

CHOIR VOCALISES

# Everywhere we go! #

No.

Not with them.

You can see why this is the only bit of the island left unexplored.

HE BREATHES UNSTEADILY

I'm chief.

I'll go. Stay here.

Stay hidden.

Wait for me.

Do you think any of this is about finding the beast?

WIND WHISTLES

ROCKS CRUMBLE UNDERFOOT

ROCKS FALL BEHIND

I'm the head hunter.

I couldn't let you do it on your own.

HE BREATHES UNSTEADILY

HE BREATHES UNSTEADILY

BOYS CLAP AND CHEER

HE BREATHES RAGGEDLY

WIND WHISTLES

LOUD CHEERING

Yes, Jack!

Yes! Yes, Jack!

Well, there's no beast here.

No, but what a wizard place for a fort.

You're welcome to it. I'm never visiting.

Once here, who'd need to leave?

There's no fresh water. What's that, then?

WATER TRICKLES

You could put a coconut shell there, filling all the time.

There are no coconuts! Nor is there fruit, and nor pigs.

We'd have to travel for food.

We'll go back and climb the mountain. Maurice was wrong.

Better to start where the twins first saw it.

Pity you didn't try there first. It was closer to camp.

You want me to reprimand Maurice?

HE SCOFFS

I don't think it was Maurice's idea.

You play brave, Chief.

But you're as scared as they come, really. Aren't you?

And you're not as hardened as you'd like us to think.

And who told you that?

INSECTS BUZZ, BIRDS CALL

SIMON: December 18th.

We've decided to call the large oak in Pilgrim Court

the Tree of Destiny.

Jack has a plan to remap the whole of the grounds.

The next week is to be Genesis, our Genesis,

and we will rename and rebirth everything inside the grounds

as if it is newly hatched.

He had us both stand on the hill behind the cathedral and shout,

"Let there be light!" He looked tremendous,

his yellow hair shining like the sun itself.

He said, "We are as gods, because if we are not gods,

"then how else will the world be made?"

PIGGY: This is stupid. We don't know where we're going.

ROGER: You're just fat and unfit.

Why are we stopping?

We were here before. I remember.

If you cut through... You remember the pig run?

Went on for miles. Find them

and we'll find a route all the way to the signal fire.

RALPH: Do we know where we're going?

We're following Jack.

Pig runs. Pig runs!

BOYS WHOOP AND SHOUT

CHOIR VOCALISES

Jack! The sun's getting low.

We're all tired. We're looking for the beast.

Looking needs light. I'm hungry.

If we leave now, we can get back to camp before dark.

We'll sleep, and then tomorrow we can climb. It's a good idea.

If you're frightened, of course we can turn back.

Do you have to make everything into a compet...? Let him go.

Your Simon says to let me go.

Your pig gives you a reason to turn back.

Your decision.

King Ralph.

A smaller group will move faster. The rest should return to camp.

Good. We need volunteers.

Thank you.

Come on, Fatty. You're not fast enough.

The little 'uns will need you back at camp. They will.

We played rugger together. You know I can do it.

You promise you won't faint?

Five seems a good number.

Give it back.

Give what back?

I can't even remember what I wrote.

It's the saddest story I ever read.

That's what you wrote.

You're tired.

If you don't want to go on, I'll go up by myself.

I'll be with you, Jack.

Me too. I'm not tired.

Do they do anything you ask? Don't yours?

Simon. You're a good dog.

You'd follow Ralph anywhere, wouldn't you?

Go on, then. The three of you, go.

Fight the beast.

You see? You don't want to do this without me.

Ralph, we don't need to.

Now you're my dog.

Ralph...

Good idea.

Can you see anything?

There was no rock there. Am I right?

WIND BLOWS

WIND GUSTS

CONCH TRUMPETS

Jack, don't scare people.

Don't scare people?! They've a right to be scared.

CONCH TRUMPETS

I've called this meeting... There is no meeting. I've got the conch!

You hate the conch.

First, you all need to know... we've seen the beast.

We were only a few feet away.

It sat up and looked at us.

Will you be quiet?! This is important, and I have the conch!

We don't know what this beast does.

We don't even know what it is.

It comes from the sea. Hunting.

Maybe the beast is... Yes. It's hunting.

That's what it's doing. The beast is a hunter

and there's only one thing to do with hunters.

Hunt back. Kill or be killed. ALL CHEER

Says the man who ran faster than anyone.

So Ralph thinks all my hunters are no good.

What? I never said that. You liar!

Ralph thinks all my hunters are cowards!

Run-away cowards! Jack, will you let me speak?

Ralph is Piggy. He says things like Piggy

because Piggy tells him what to say.

LAUGHTER

Would you elect Piggy as your leader?

No. Of course not.

All this talk, talk, talk. Who wanted it? Who called this meeting?

Ralph oughtn't be your chief! Do you hear?!

You already have your own camp. Give me the conch.

BOYS SHOUT

HE COUGHS

There's only one person who can protect you from the beast,

and it isn't your chief.

Come on!

We never should have come!

# Everywhere we go ALL: Everywhere we go

# People always ask us People always ask us

# Who we are Who we are

# Where we come from Where we come from... #

QUIET RUSTLING

CROAKING

"December 26th.

"Jack remains ill.

"I'm reading him Huckleberry Finn.

"There was a part where I started doing funny voices,

"and Jack really laughed, so I kept at it.

"They've said to keep him cool,

"but then he complains about feeling cold,

"so I put the blankets on him. I'd rather he be comfortable.

"I have taken to leaving my curtains drawn

"so that if he needs me, I can be there for him.

"He does not need much,

"just a comforting word if he is frightened.

"Last night he accidentally called me Mother

"and we both laughed like drains.

"I lay with him until he slept."

Where would you be if you were not here?

In a cottage on the edge of Dartmoor.

My father worked the boats in Plymouth.

A cottage? Sounds nice.

About the size of Simon's gatehouse, I imagine.

We did have a gatehouse.

When it snowed, we had to work darn hard,

make sure we wouldn't get snowed in.

Father and I would be out there till late

clearing and salting the paths. But then once we'd done that,

we'd have cornflakes with sugar and cream in front of the fire.

Cornflakes with sugar and cream?

HE SIGHS

What I'd give for that.

I think that's where I'd be.

Where would you, Simon?

I know where I'd be.

Behind the counter in the sweet shop helping your auntie?

Whilst helping yourself to a few of the fizzy snakes

and strawberry bootlaces. Chocolate wheels. Sherbet flying saucers.

PIGGY LAUGHS

Go on, then, Simon.

I think, all told...

..if I could be anywhere...

..I'd choose here.

I've been happy here.

You'll get back to the, um... The cottage.

You'll get back to where you came from.

Got a ship in your pocket?

HE LAUGHS

SHOUTING

The conch!

HE SHOUTS

SHOUTING CONTINUES

HE SHOUTS

HE HOWLS

Listen to me, all of you.

You're thieves, vagabonds.

Pathetic creatures.

Tonight we're having a feast.

We've killed a pig, and we've got the fire to cook it with.

You can come and eat with us.

BOTH: The Chief has spoken!

Does that mean you're keeping a signal fire going?

Does stealing our fire

mean that you're taking responsibility for a beach signal

now we can't go up the mountain? Jack!

Jack! Ralph.

You're batty, Simon.

Where is everyone?

Perhaps they're lying in the shelter.

No.

The lake, then. Or the toilet.

Where's Samneric? Jack's party.

Why did you have to say that?

Why should we know and he not?

Let them go. I don't care.

What if we were to...? It's a trap.

It's meat.

You hate him. Yeah, but I don't hate meat.

We don't have to do anything else except take and eat.

That's how we get stronger.

Bullies only have control if you give them control.

I think bad things will happen.

But you're batty, and Ralph's chief.

What do you think, Chief?

I think...

I think...

I think I wish I knew what makes things break-up like they do.

They just... They just...do. Sorry.

Do you mind if I ask Nickie?

Who's Nickie? Me.

I'm Nickie.

That's my name.

I don't know, really, Ralph.

I expect it's him.

Jack? Jack.

And is he everything? Is he all of it? No.

Look, we just got to go on, Ralph, that's all.

That's what grown-ups do.

DISTANT YELLING AND WHOOPING

ALL CHANT

SHOUTING

PIG SIZZLES

CHANTING CONTINUES

We want to say thank you! ALL: Thank you!

For the gift of this pig. ALL: Thank you!

This fierce fire! Thank you!

This succulent meat. ALL: Thank you!

That is so good to eat! ALL: Thank you!

SHOUTING

We want to say thank you! Thank you!

Ralph, would you like first flesh?

As Mother says, always feed the guests first.

And your mother was quite the lady.

BOYS LAUGH

Wa-ooo! ALL: Wa-ooo!

BOY: Come on!

LAUGHTER

CHEERING

Kill the beast!

Yeah, come on! Kill the beast!

SHOUTING

Pig is good.

THUNDER RUMBLES

One, two, three, four, five...

THUNDER CRASHES

FLIES BUZZ

WHISPERING VOICE: You are a silly little boy.

Just an ignorant, silly little boy.

You'd better run off and play with the others.

They already think you're batty.

You don't want Ralph to think you're more batty, do you?

Aren't you afraid of me?

I'm the Beast.

No! You're just a pig's head on a stick.

The pig was good!

CHEERING

There will be more pig for those who join my tribe.

Who will join my tribe and have fun?

CHEERING

I'm chief!

You're hunters. That was your job.

We've decided to not be frightened of the beast.

We've decided we're strong enough to kill it!

CHEERING

Who will join my tribe and not be afraid?

CHEERING

Who will join my tribe and not be afraid?

CHEERING

Kill the beast!

ALL: Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

FLIES BUZZ

WHISPERING VOICE: Ignorant.

So ignorant.

All of you.

Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill.

You knew. Stop!

But you didn't make them listen,

because you're weak.

THUNDER CRACKS Run along now, Simon Camborne.

Run!

BOYS SHOUT

Whoo!

A storm is coming!

Are you happy with your shelter, Jack? Whoo!

This is a bad camp.

This is a bad camp for bad people!

Do our dance!

Dance!

WHOOPING

MALE CHOIR: # Hallelujah

# Hallelu... Ha! ..jah... #

Ha!

Ha! # Hallelujah, hallelu... #

Ha! Ha-ha! # ..jah... #

Ha!

Ha-ha! Ha!

Ha! Ha-ha!

# Hallelujah, hallelujah... #

HE PANTS

THUNDER CRASHES

HE SHOUTS AND WHOOPS

Ha-ha!

CHANTING CONTINUES

CHOIR CONTINUES FAINTLY

MUTED CHEERING

INDISTINCT SHOUTING

ALL: Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

HE PANTS

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast!

HE PANTS

There! There!

ALL: Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood! Kill the beast!

No! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood!

CHANTING AND SHOUTING

MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH

DISTANT CONVERSATION

HE BREATHES UNSTEADILY

SIMON: January 4th.

Lent term begins tomorrow,

so slowly, children will return to where they should be.

Jack was kind at breakfast,

but by lunch he was readying himself for the arrival of the others.

I asked him to meet me at the Tree of Destiny,

and he said he did not know which tree I talked of.

I tried to show little response.

Maurice was the first of his platoon to appear.

He had cake from his cook,

which the two shared whilst talking loudly of the adventures

of Maurice's Christmas.

I sat close enough to listen

and then returned to the dorm alone.

CHOIR HARMONISES: # Sanctus

# Sanctus

# Sanctus

# Dominus Deus Sabaoth

# Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

# Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua

# Hosanna in excelsis. #

RADIO STATIC HISSES

INDISTINCT VOICES IN STATIC