Int. Orca pilot house - night

 

BRODY

What the hell?

 

HOOPER

It's a whale out there.

 

There's a brief, eerie pause. Quint breaks the silence by

muttering into song, which he slowly swells.

 

QUINT

(singing)

Show me the way to go home... I'm

tired and I want to go to bed. I had

a little drink about an hour ago,

and it went right to my head.

(etc.)

 

Gradually, Hooper and Brody join in, and the pilothouse

becomes a warm cozy place.

 

EXT. OCEAN

 

The Orca and its song in the night. In the foreground, the

barrel and strobe light flash up into view, and behind them,

the big dorsal fin surfaces, and glides ominously towards

the ship.

 

INT. PILOT HOUSE

 

The song is continuing, and we hear the barest hint of a

scraping sound from the hull deep beneath the men. Quint's

eyes abruptly narrow as his sensitive ears are the first to

hear the abrasion of his ship. Things vibrate on the shelves.

 

Quint stops singing, Hooper and Brody continue a duet. The

scraping repeats, and Hooper now senses it. He drops out of

the song, leaving Brody singing solo.

 

QUINT

(quietly, to Hooper)

Start the engines.

 

As Brody hears this and is about to stop singing, the boat

is suddenly bumped from below, and the gentle scraping turns

to a violent assault somewhere on the understructure of the

vessel. Water bubbles up into the hold. Brody starts, and

looks at the radio. He is about to move towards it when

Quint's urgent instructions stop him.

 

QUINT

He's busting the shaft! Start the

pump!

 

BRODY

Where...?

 

QUINT

The bilge pumps. There --

 

He leaves Brody in the pilot house, and runs onto the deck,

grabbing his M-1 rifle as he goes. Brody hits a switch and

we hear the pumps starting.

 

ANGLE ON THE ORCA

 

Hooper is on the flybridge, starting the engines, but the

diesels sound wrong.

 

QUINT

Cut the engines!

 

Hooper does.

 

HOOPER

Rudder bearings?

 

The boat is assaulted again. Quint fires over the stern,

emptying a clip into the water.

 

QUINT

(to Brody)

Get up forward! Watch for him!

 

Brody moves cautiously up to the bow.

 

QUINT

Keep your eyes open, Mr. Hooper!

 

Hooper stands ready on the bridge, Quint pacing the stern

deck.

 

QUINT

Nobody sleeps! Nobody.

 

He jams a fresh clip into the M-1. The men scan the seas

around them. Quint resumes their song, louder this time,

more defiant.

 

QUINT

(sings)

Show me the way to go home... I'm

tired and I want to go to bed.

(etc.)

 

Hooper and Brody join in from their respective positions.

 

EXT. OCEAN, WIDE ON THE ORCA

 

The men in place, singing, the water sparkling towards the

horizon, the stars twinkling above. The sound of a distant

whale in distant counterpoint.

 

EXT. THE ORCA - DAWN

 

Brody is at the wheel on the flying bridge, while Hooper and

Quint have a hatch up on the stern, and are working together

to repair the damaged rudder controls torn loose by the shark.

Hooper is bucking the steel rod, while Quint is hammering

away at the joint, trying to drive a new pin.

 

The engine is idling. Bits of iron clutter the deck, along

with a few rough, outsized tools and greasy rags and gaskets.

 

QUINT

More left rudder! More! Left hand

down now, Chief.

 

Brody tries to comply.

 

HOOPER

(shifting his grip)

Lemme get a better angle on it. Now.

 

Quint hammers again.

 

QUINT

He's bent the housing. You can hear

it.

 

And we can. The Orca's diesels are no longer smooth. Brody

suddenly sees something, and points.

 

BRODY'S POINT OF VIEW - THE WATER

 

The barrel is surfaced directly ahead of them, just off the

port side. They are drifting up to it.

 

BRODY

The barrel!

 

The strobe light winks at them. Quint holds up a hand:

"Quiet!"

 

Everything stops as they watch the barrel coming slowly up

on them.

 

QUINT

It's him.

 

He takes a killing lance from the rack. Hooper gets a

boathook.

 

QUINT

He's under the keg. Careful --

 

Hooper leans out gingerly, snagging the barrel with the hook.

 

It bobs lightly in the water, an innocent bystander. Hooper

shifts his pole, takes hold of the rope, poling it in.

 

QUINT

(suspicious)

Easy -- just want to goose him up.

The minute he runs, drop it or you'll

lose your hands.

 

Hooper gets the line and starts hauling it up. No resistance.

 

It comes easily over the transom into a coil on the deck.

He and Quint exchange looks.

 

QUINT

Here -- gimme. I don't see what he's

been doin'.

 

WATER - ANGLE

 

Both men are draped over the side, their chins almost touching

the water on the aft side. From the opposite starboard

direction, fully unfastened from the barrel, comes the Great

White. First the fin, then the conical nose and the upper

border of wide, grinning teeth. It knifes through the water

in absolute silence, propelling itself with tremendous speed

toward the unsuspecting men.

 

CLOSE - BRODY

 

His instincts shine -- as does his newly-acquired sense of

direction.

 

BRODY

(top of his lungs)

Shark! Starboard!

 

CLOSE - HOOPER AND QUINT

 

They turn just in time, and a long spine-stretch saves them

from instant decapitation. The Great White passes the transom,

the harpoon still in its side and trailing five feet of chewed-

off cable. It rolls on its side and looks at them as it

passes.

 

Past the stern the huge tail lashes out, ripping the rope

out of Quint's hands, shearing a huge swath through the paint,

peeling it off like a plane, taking one of the bronze letters

out of "Orca." The shark begins an arc to sea, its fin cutting

the water, and starts circling the boat. Quint notices his

cut hand, palm bleeding, realizing how close he came to losing

it.

 

QUINT

(to Hooper)

Haul in that rope -- it'll foul us!

(then to Brody on the

bridge)

Start the engine!

 

The diesels start with a terrible grinding.

 

QUINT

Easy! It'll tear right out!

 

HOOPER

(hauling)

The shaft is giving.

 

Hooper slams the hatch, kicks the tools to one side, clearing

the deck for action once again.

 

BRODY

(on bridge)

That's it! Radio in for help!

 

QUINT

Shut up! Just pump her out!

 

BRODY

(coming down off the

bridge)

Yeah, Captain, as soon as I make a

call.

 

Brody heads for the radio in the pilot house.

 

QUINT - CLOSE

 

A perfectly terrible look comes over him. He raises up and

starts after Brody. Brody disappears into the cabin. Quint

pauses outside and sees: