Ahhh, how come I never could finish this screenplay? Tell me what you think of the start.
INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - DAWN
RIVKAH, 20, is lying naked under the covers, fast asleep.
DANIEL, 28, is fully dressed, quietly putting his shoes
on, sitting at the foot of the bed.
Once they are tied, he gazes back down at Rivkah, who is
smiling in her sleep. He gets up, puts his coat on, and
walks out of the door, being careful not to close it. She
continues to sleep soundly.
DANIEL (V.O.)
I know what you're thinking: I'm a
monster, leaving this sweet girl
without so much as a goodbye.
Maybe you're right. Then again,
what do you know? I never wanted
any of this, all I wanted was a
lousy published novel.
CUT TO:
INT. MANFRED SACHS' OFFICE - DAY
MANFRED SACHS, 50, sits behind his mahogany desk smiling
at Daniel, who sits across from him, holding a lengthy
contract in his hand, reading it.
MANFRED
Want some coffee, Danny?
DANIEL
It's Daniel, not Danny.
MANFRED
Scone?
(beat)
You want anything?
DANIEL
How about a real book deal?
MANFRED
Now, Danny.
DANIEL
Daniel.
MANFRED
This is great work, wonderful
exposure for you.
DANIEL
It's a rewrite on the Torah,
Manny. The Hebrew bible!
MANFRED
You're a Jew.
DANIEL
Yeah, but I haven't been to Sunday
school since the eighty-four
Olympics.
MANFRED
Jews have Sunday school?
DANIEL
We have school on Sunday.
MANFRED
Look, Daniel. The Jewish
Publishers' Group is paying good
money for you to write anything
you want about the Torah, to try
and reach the younger generation.
Just take the money and be
creative with it.
DANIEL
You really think it will get me
exposure?
MANFRED
The bible's not a best-seller for
nothing.
Daniel looks at Manny, defeated.
CUT TO:
EXT. KLEIN'S JEWISH BOOKS - DAY
Daniel walks down the street with a small notebook in
hand, checking every address on the buildings seeing if
he is in the right place. He finally finds the bookstore
and takes a moment to look it over.
DANIEL (V.O.)
How did I let Manny just talk me
into that? Me, the Daniel Harr,
award winning author, revamping
the Torah. I needed to do some
research, and that's when it all
started.
He walks inside.
CUT TO:
INT. KLEIN'S JEWISH BOOKS - DAY
The shop is small but with high ceilings, on which were
shelves that reached all the way to the top full of
books.
In a back corner, a ladder reaches to the top of the
bookcases. Moshe is at the top of the ladder reshelving
books, while
