Happy. Birthday. Walter. Hill.
The first script excerpt I ever read was from Cinefantastique’s ALIEN issue, which contained the most thorough comparison of Dan O’Bannon/Ron Shusset’s original script with the Walter Hill/David Giler revisions. Hill’s influential staccato style made me think screenwriting could be very cool…Thank You.
A red stain.
Then a smear of blood blossoms on his chest.
The fabric of his shirt is ripped apart.
A small head the size of a man’s fist pushes out.
The crew shouts in panic.
Leap back from the table.
The cat spits, bolts away.
The tiny head lunges forward.
Comes spurting out of Kane’s chest trailing a thick body.
Splatters fluids and blood in its wake.
Lands in the middle of the dishes and food.
Wriggles away while the crew scatters.
Then the Alien being disappears from sight.
Kane lies slumped in his chair.
Very dead.
A huge hole in his chest.
The dishes are scattered.
Food covered with blood.
January 18, 2013 at 11:12 pm
Wow. Love it. Now I’ve GOTTA read the whole Cinefantastique article! Thanks!
January 19, 2013 at 12:26 pm
it’s a whole issue devoted to ALIEN with great interviews and insights…
January 22, 2013 at 9:14 am
Let’s hope that “Bullet to the Head” gives the great director a chance to make one or two real-deal Walter Hill films before he retires. When I say real-deal Hill, I’m talking “Hard Times,” “The Driver,” “The Warriors,” “The Long Riders,” “Sothern Comfort” — the first five. Those were the days…
In the meantime, it would be nice to see Hill’s long, un-butchered cut of “The Geronimo Wars” (that was his preferred title; “Geronimo: An American Legend” is the crap title forced on him by the studio.)