TITANIC: AFTERMATH
Chapter Two
EXT. STEERAGE - BOTTOM OF STAIRCASE - ALMOST
4 PM
Cal strides onto the deck with a forced sense
of purposefulness, his mind distracted by his recent disturbing experiences.
THIRD CLASS STEWARD
You won't find any of your people back here,
sir. It's all steerage.
Cal searches for ROSE, but inadvertently passes
her up. The CARPATHIA'S ENGINES SHUT OFF. Everyone freezes, muted by fright.
People fear the Carpathia has struck ice. The steward circulates around to calm
the passengers.
THIRD CLASS STEWARD
The engines are off for the service upstairs.
No reason to worry...
Cal pulls himself together and walks on
inside.
INT. STEERAGE DINING SALOON - DAY
Cal's eyes scan the crowded, dismal room. He
sees a doctor bandaging a man's feet at a makeshift first-aid station and a
score of women, but no sign of Rose. An Italian woman sobs hysterically,
banging her fists on the table.
ITALIAN WOMAN
Bambino! Bambino! Bambino!
An Italian steward presents her with a baby.
She holds it close, but continues to sob, and holds up two fingers...two
children.
The ship's ENGINES START UP again, noisily,
arousing a sense of panic in Cal. He hears the MOAN OF BENDING STEEL (Titanic's
first funnel careening toward the water). Cal takes a quick breath, and
desperately continues searching.
INT. STEERAGE - DAY
Cal questions SECOND PURSER BARNETT in a
nightmarish room that is packed full of destitute people.
CAL
(slowly, impatiently) No, it's Rose DeWitt
Bukater.
Barnett nods "no", after checking
his list of names. Cal continues on. He witnesses misery everywhere. He gasps
at the sight of the body of the Italian woman's second baby, thawing on a hot
press next to him. He turns away in horror.
The barrier Cal has kept between himself and
reality begins to crumble, as he hurries out of the room. In the background,
the shadowy images of the FABRIZIO DE ROSSI and TOMMY RYAN stare accusingly at
Cal.
INT. STEERAGE - WOMEN'S DORMITORY - DAY
In his haste, Cal trips over a woman who lies
on the floor. He breaks his fall by leaning on a woman crouched next to her.
This woman rises and turns around to scold him. It is MOLLY BROWN.
MOLLY
Hey, watch where you're going! What's the
matter with ya?!
Molly is surprised to see Cal. Soon, her face
betrays her true opinion of him, that stepping on others is something Cal would
do. Cal senses this, but swallows his pride.
CAL
Why, Mrs. Brown! What are you doing down
here?
Molly musters up a diplomatic demeanor.
MOLLY
Well, we've formed a committee to aid the
destitute. I'm making a list--
CAL
Please tell me...have you seen Rose anywhere
on this ship?
Molly is unsure of Cal's motivations, but is
sympathetic with his plight.
MOLLY
No, Cal, I haven't. Some of the crew were
taking names. Did you check with them?
CAL
Yes. Thank you.
Cal nods, and quickly turns and moves off.
EXT. STEERAGE DECK - DUSK
Cal wearily finds an empty corner where he
can snatch a moment of solitude. Darkness descends with unrelenting certainty,
enshrouding and entombing his hopes for the day. His emotions flood in, as he
realizes he will probably never see Rose again.
INT. FIRST CLASS SMOKING ROOM - NEAR DOORWAY
- EVENING
CAL (VO)
By evening, many survivors had given up ever
finding their loved ones. As they searched for someone to blame for their
misery, they became the judge and jury for everyone else around them. Questions
arose as to who was deserving to live and who should have died. I felt that
every nuance of a man's behavior was met with unparalleled severity.
Cal peers into the room. ALFRED NOURY (20)
lies nearby on a stack of blankets, which are intended for all of Titanic's
victims. Three young women enter the room. One whips out a blanket from under
Noury in disgust, tossing him onto the floor.
WOMAN WITH BLANKET
And to think such as you were saved!
Applause erupts around the room, as Noury
makes a hasty exit. Cal disappears from the doorway.
INT. HALLWAY - FIRST CLASS
Widows eye Cal as he proceeds down the hall.
Cal remembers yelling "I HOPE YOU ENJOY
YOUR TIME TOGETHER" at Jack and Rose, gun in hand.
CAL (VO)
But as time went along, I found it more
difficult to justify my behavior on Titanic.
EXT. FIRST CLASS - AT DUSK
Wearing an ill-fitting second-hand dress,
Ruth stares wistfully out to sea. She has abandoned her vigil for Rose, but
still nurtures one meager thread of hope. Cal approaches.
CAL (VO)
But I could not ponder this now. I had a sad
duty to perform, one that could be delayed no longer.
Ruth turns and glances intently toward Cal,
but soon sees that Rose is not with him.
CAL
Ruth...I put her in a boat, but she jumped
out. She went to be with him.
Devastated, Ruth collapses into a fit of
tears. Cal initially hesitates, then holds her, though he doesn't let her see
him cry.
CAL
It's still possible I've missed her. I will
make another search first thing tomorrow morning.
They both know it is probably hopeless.
INT. - CABIN - FIRST CLASS - DAY
Cal dresses himself in clothes donated by the
Carpathia's passengers. No matter what he does, his shirt cuffs droop far out
from underneath the sleeves of his annoyingly small jacket. He has also woken
up with a bad cold. He mutters to himself self-righteously.
INT. HALLWAY - FIRST CLASS - DAY
Cal makes his way down a hallway that is
jammed with people, and overhears their conversations as he goes.
CAL (VO)
Tales of heroism and villainy began to
circulate about the dismal ship. One could never tell which were accurate and
which were exaggerated, or were outright fabrications.
WOMAN 1
But I heard Captain Smith shot himself.
WOMAN 2
Oh, no! He saved a baby from drowning and
then swam away into the night.
CAL (VO)
Of the survivors, Mrs. Brown was everyone's
favorite heroine.
ELSIE BOWERMAN (22) and her mother, EDITH
CHIBNALL, discuss their experience on their lifeboat.
EDITH CHIBNALL
It's a good thing Mrs. Brown put that petty
tyrant in his place.
ELSIE BOWERMAN
We might have all frozen to death.
EXT. MOLLY'S LIFEBOAT (NUMBER 6) - DAWN
(FLASHBACK)
Lifeboat 6, lashed together with lifeboat 16,
drifts aimlessly at QUARTERMASTER HITCHENS' inept command. The Carpathia picks
up other survivors in the distance. Molly hands a nearby stoker an oar, and
motions to a man in pajamas in lifeboat 16 to cut the two boats apart. The
other women in the boat nod approvingly.
Hitchens arises with a howl of protest, and
advances toward Molly. Molly meets his gaze and raises him one degree of
scariness.
MOLLY
One more step and I'll throw YOU overboard!
Grab the oars, girls!
The women gladly pick up the oars. Hitchens
knows not to call her bluff, and backs down.
EXT. CARPATHIA FIRST CLASS - DAY (END
FLASHBACK)
Cal listens intently as he works his way by
three Carpathia passengers engrossed in conversation.
CAL (VO)
Of course, the greatest heroes were the dead.
MAN 1
...then he remained on deck to the last.
MAN 2
Poor J.J.
MAN 3
Did you hear Ismay survived?
MAN 1
He built that ship! That scoundrel should
have been the last one in a lifeboat!
MAN 2
Where's that vermin hiding, anyway?
CAL (VO)
And Bruce Ismay was everyone's favorite
villain. Yet, one could be vilified simply by acting in a way that was
completely natural and human, like the people who saved their pet dogs, or
those who simply acted in bad taste.
The DUFF-GORDONS and 10 other people of their
lifeboat prepare to get their photograph taken by DOCTOR MCGHEE on Carpathia's
foredeck. They make a farcical display, some of them dressed up in their
lifebelts for the picture.
DOCTOR MCGHEE
Now, smile everyone!
Onlookers recoil in disgust. Cal takes heed
as he passes by.
CAL (VO)
I hoped to God that stories would not
circulate about me, for, indeed, my tale would be regarded as most infamous.
Cal slips past COLONEL ARCHIBALD GRACIE, who
interviews a lady for the book he will later publish.
CAL (VO)
I felt drawn back to the lower decks. If Rose
were here, this is where I would find her...but I also returned to escape the
scrutiny of my acquaintances in first class...
EXT. STEERAGE DECK - DAY
CAL (VO)
I soon realized that I maintained this futile
quest as an attempt to blot out the horrid recollections which were haunting me
mercilessly.
The purposefulness of Cal's stride wanes, and
he pauses by the railing. He stiffens as he confronts the cold truth as
reflected in the unmerciful, icy water below.
CAL (VO)
Yet, there was nowhere I could run, not on
this small ship... not anywhere in the world. At times, I felt as though I were
trapped in purgatory...or worse. The guilt came in waves at first, then later
became my constant companion.
EXT. TITANIC'S DECK AT COLLAPSIBLE A - NIGHT
(FLASHBACK)
Cal boards his lifeboat, amid rapidly
accelerating panic.
CAL (VO)
When the Titanic sank, I was amongst the last
to be saved. I had secured my position in the one of the last two remaining
lifeboats by pushing forward through the crowd with a small girl, claiming to
be her father.
EXT. COLLAPSIBLE A - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
CAL (VO)
But I soon forgot the child who had afforded
me passage.
Cal hands the little girl, BETSY, to a woman.
CAL (VO)
The boat soon floated off deck as the ship
sank. There was then a mad scramble on the part of the people in the water to board
the meager vessel.
A wave washes everyone out of the boat,
except for Cal, who hangs onto one of the first funnel's support cables. The
woman who was holding Betsy grabs hold of the boat after tumbling out, and
Betsy remains clinging to her neck for dear life.
Collapsible A washes up along deck. People
scurry alongside it, hip deep in water. The woman hands Betsy to a man in the
boat. She loses her grip on the boat and is carried away by the water. She
becomes one of Titanic's unsung heroes.
Cal pushes swimmers back with an oar as they
attempt to board the boat from the water.
CAL
Get back! You'll swamp us!
CAL (VO)
Yet I was the only member of our boat who
raised a hand against these desperate people. I remember, in particular, one
man whom I struck with an oar.
Consumed by panic, Cal furiously slams an oar
down upon BJORN GUNDERSEN, as he tries to board the boat. Cal lifts the oar
again.
Cal sees his victim desperately grip the side
of the boat, his face contorted in agony and despair. Cal comes down with the
oar, more heavily this time.
Bjorn falls backward, dazed, and stops
struggling. A hideous crimson shadow emerges from the dark water, as blood
gushes from a wound on his head.
Cal gazes at his victim in horror. OLAUS
GUNDERSEN calls to his stricken cousin from the boat, but it is too late.
OLAUS
Bjorn!
Olaus seizes Cal, wrestles him to the bottom
of the boat, and rips the oar out of his hands. The boat is half full of water,
and Cal is momentarily immersed. It is like a false baptism. Olaus pulls Cal up
to a standing position. Gundersen's eyes pierce Cal's with a murderous gleam.
His expression then turns to one of horror, with the realization of the reality
of his cousin's death. He shakes uncontrollably with emotion.
Cal momentarily comes to his senses as he
sees the effect of his actions reflected in Olaus' eyes. He is shocked by his
own behavior.
The boat tips precariously underneath them.
Gundersen is distracted, and releases Cal, as he falls backwards. Panic renews
its grip upon Cal.
CAL
Row, you bastards!
EXT. COLLAPSIBLE B - NIGHT - AFTER TITANIC
SANK (FLASHBACK)
Twenty-eight frozen men stand, sit and kneel
in various contorted positions. Most are from the crew. Gracie is terrified of
them.
CAL (VO)
The only lifeboat that departed after mine
was an overturned collapsible onto which a few men pulled themselves out of the
water, including one of my acquaintances, Colonel Archibald Gracie. He found
places for others in lifeboats and assisted in their launching, making no
effort to save himself.
Gracie's hair is frozen to his head. He
shivers miserably as he mutters the Lord's Prayer with the others.
CAL (VO)
There were men on his boat who raised oars
against others attempting to board, and Gracie was frightened by these coarse
ruffians. Such behavior was beyond the reasoning of so noble a gentleman.
EXT. COLLAPSIBLE A - NIGHT - (FLASHBACK)
Cal and others stand up to their knees in
water in the partially swamped boat, as others struggle to climb on board.
CAL (VO)
While others watched the sinking from a
distance, I was in the thick of it. After the ship went down, only blackness
remained...and the screams of 1500 people all around me. Most of the doomed
souls were passengers from steerage or men from second cabin, or were of the
crew who had served us. I had never much considered these people before, but
seeing hundreds of them dying all around me equipped me with an entirely new
perspective.
EXT. SAME - LATER (FLASHBACK)
CAL (VO)
After we were a safe distance away, we had
nothing to do but wait for their silence.
A call rises above the dull moaning,
appealing to the surrounding lifeboats to "SAVE ONE LIFE!"
Though this plea rips at their hearts, they
can only stand, shivering and dazed. The boat's occupants keep their eyes to
themselves, as everyone stews in a poisonous mixture of horror and remorse that
is uniquely their own.
A badly frozen man leans on RICHARD NORRIS
WILLIAMS' shoulder. Williams (21) thinks of his father, whose death he has just
witnessed. He glances up at Cal. The water that drips from Cal's hair freezes
midstream.
Nearly frozen, Olaus Gundersen musters all of
his self-control not to jump at Cal and kill him. He resorts to prayer to find
his strength.
CAL (VO)
The night took a terrible toll on my
companions.
The man leaning on Williams' shoulder falls
dead into the water.
CAL (VO)
It wasn't as bad for me as I was not fully
immersed in the icy water for any length of time. I'd clawed my way into an
advantageous position, as I was always proud of doing. Yet, I was feeling
increasingly ashamed of my behavior that night.
EXT. CARPATHIA STEERAGE DECK - DAY (END
FLASHBACKS)
Cal remembers he is there to look for Rose,
not to think about himself.
CAL (VO)
And then there was Rose. As the realization
that Rose would never be found overcame me, I began to feel strangely alone. I
had assumed that I would soon have a wife, a family, but this was not to be. I
had no brothers or sisters. My mother died years ago, and my father was in poor
health. There was to be no fresh new beginning, just the hideous shadows of the
past.
Cal turns to move on, but halts when he spots
a woman whose hair resembles Rose's chestnut-colored tresses. With a rush of
hope, he leaps toward her and clutches her arm. SHEILA O'CONNELL (22) hopes to
see her husband, but both are soon deeply disappointed. She shakes her head
sadly, and speaks in a lyrical Irish accent.
SHEILA
I'm sorry, sir.
CAL
Excuse me.
Cal retreats back to the railing. He hangs
his head down, ready to weep, but soon feels something tugging on his pants
leg.
Cal glances down to see a tearful little
BETSY. She has wandered off to look for her mother, and has gotten lost. Betsy
recognizes Cal, and clings to him desperately.
BETSY
I can't find my Mummy!
Cal regards her awkwardly. He looks around,
and decides to pick her up. He is thinking about appearances, but there is
more.
CAL
There, there. We'll find your Mummy.
He pats her on the back, as he did on the
lifeboat, but more sincerely this time.
INT. SECOND CLASS DINING ROOM - DAY
Cal carries Betsy around the room. They've
developed some mutual affection. In the background, a mischievous RUTH BECKER,
tired of all the misery, sneaks a sugar lump from one of the tables.
CAL (VO)
The child provided a new diversion for me,
and became my companion for the remainder of the day. We searched the ship, but
her mother was nowhere to be found. I recognized that she'd had a hand in
saving my life, and that I had a gentleman's obligation to ensure her welfare.
Indeed, it seemed I WAS all she had in the world.
Yet, he feels more than obligation. He realizes,
on some level, that she is all he has as well.