Eyes of Fire (1983) - full transcript

Who are you?

Where are your mothers and fathers?

And whai are you doing here?

What happened to you?

Magic.

It was magic...

We almost died in that valley.

What valley'?

Where the devil witch lives.

Leah saved us.

Leah?



Who is Leah?

The Queen of the Forest.

Look, here you are hundreds

...and hundreds of miles
from your home.

This is French territory.

You should not be here.

And there are no adults.

We found you under
very unusual circumstances.

You talk of witches...

which I do not believe.

Now, I want you to start
at the beginning...

...and tell me the truth.

We were living in Dalton's Ferry,
on the Allegheny River.

My father was away trapping
the time that it started.



He was away a lot, my father.

I guess my mother got tired
of waiting for him to come home.

so she moved in with Will Smythe
and Leah and brought me with her.

And everyone in town,
knew that Will Smythe...

...was in that cabin
with more than one woman.

The trouble staned as soon
as we moved in.

They're coming!

I tell you they're coming!

Indeed?

And who is it that'll be coming, Calvin?

Andrew...

Rachel, the whole nasty bunch!

And what have we done?

Not a damn thing!

I know, Elloise!

Bui they're coming!

Well, it's none of their bloody
business!

Fanny, Fanny, get up!

I'm up.

It's all right, Leah, it's alright,

Get dressed. Get dressed, Leah.

Oh on, not this!

Now, Leah...

Help me, Calvin!

Help me! Grab her, Calvin!

Hold her!

Mamma, what are they going to do?

Please! Let her be!

Let her be? Like that?

I don't know what they'll do, Will!

Neither do I.

Will.

Mamma!

Clothe that woman.

You do it!

Give me that rope!

I knew it was coming.

Momma and the new preacher
making longing eyes...

...and meeting in dark places.

It was a sin we'd all be paying
for soon enough

...a thousand times over.

If only my father had been there,
and stopped it all.

We brought you here to preach!

As a preacher and a school master,
not as a sinning adulterer!

Seal the house and burn it!

Jule!

Jule!

Jule!

Jule!

Jule!

They has a trial!

They burned Will's house!

Jule.

- They're going to hang him.
- Let them.

- Margaret, you don't understand!
- Stay out of it, Jule! It's a mistake!

Don't get mixed up in his troubles!

Jule! What about the others?

We have to live here!

What about Marion?

Jule!

Jule!

Pappa.

Momma,

...always worrying about Mr. Will,
gave me big worries.

Stop fighting!

Move her around to the other side.

Let's get it over with.

What are you bringing us here for?

Andrew!

Don't false mouth me, Elloise.

You know what you've done.

And you, Will Smythe,
are guilty of polygamy and adultery.

It's not true.
He's not, married to her...

As repersentatives of the king of England
and as Christian, soldiers, pause...

- He brought her hers.
- ...and my husband left me.

A lie and you know it.

Marion's in the woods trapping to keep
a roof over you head.

You even pulled your daughter
in with you.

And that one!

A child of the lord?

God's special gift?

Speaker of the tongues
of the Hebrew Apostles?

She's bewitched!

She's a woman of the devil,
and you're his lusting brother!

Do it!

Will! No! No!

Drop those guns!

Anybody moves,
I'll shoot him for certain!

Keep it on him' Sister.

They say he was blessed.

I never saw anyone so lucky as him.

His guardian angel was always there,

...no matter what sort of rude business
he got himself into.

No one even looked that
surprised when the rope broke.

Like they knew it was impossible
to defeat him.

They just staried at him,
waiting to see what he would do.

Friends...

My friends, I'd be lying
if I said you weren't good people.

I knew that the moment
I stepped off the ferry.

Everyone helping with Leah.

Rechel, you brought us all
our meals that first week.

Dalton's Ferry is a good town.

I even thought it might be
the promised land.

The sad truth is that all you good people
won't be coming with me,

With us, with us to a real
promised land!

I wish you could all come with me,
with us...

And I'm sorry, so sorry
that we are forced to appropriate...

Uh, take the towns generous providings.

But the Lord giveth
and the Lord taketh away.

I'm sure you've heard it said before,
because it's true.

The diety moves in mysterious ways...

and a man does as he is forced to do.

Come on, Fanny, hurry!

Jewell!

Momma and the others locked
everybody in town in the Smokehouse,

and took everything they wanted
and loaded it on the town's terry boat.

We stole that, too.

It's not a problem of the haves!

It's a problem of you wanting
to bring too much!

- No, it's a problem of...
- We don't have the room!

Way in heavens name are
we bringing all these ducks?

Mr. Will said we'd start our
own settlement in the promised land.

He said it we just floated
down the river, it would find us.

Momma said it was true.

And Mr. Jewell
and Mr. Calvin believed him.

I guess because
Mr. Will was nice to them

...passing out the compliments
and such as that.

But they didn't know where we
were going...

...or what would happen to us.

We passed through the mountains
and into New France

Shawnee Indian territory.

That didn't bother anyone either.

Mr. Calvin brought Sister
that was his wife's name

and Meg' that was their grandaughier.

Calvin just sai in his rocker all day.

He was the firsi to die.

It was Margaret that brought Cathleen.

She was their daughter.

My mother was a different person,

spending all of her time lusting
with Mr. Will.

It was like, she was the child now
and I was the mother.

And my father, I kept wondering
if he would come after me.

But I didn't even know that
he was yet alive.

And no one knew where we were.

Where's the ferry?

It's gone!

They stole it!

Who stole ii!

The new preacher and your wife!

Yes, your wife went with him
and they took your daughter!

Smythe will get his
without anyone's help.

I know that much.

So, what are you going to do, Marion?

Eat this squirrel.

But then what are you going to do?

Go to sleep.

Holy band to the promised land.

Brandish the sword, praise the Lord.

Brave folock, solid as a rock,
reaching out,

spreading the gospel,

spreading the bonny Laws of Moses.

Thou shalt not--no other Gods,
forget those graven images...

She's crazier than a rat
in a brandy keg.

God...

Take not the Lord in vain,
sit on the Sabbath...

Honor the mommas and the poppas,

No steaiing,

stop that killing and keep your
mind off of your neighbor...

Well, if you knew
what happened to her...

What?

It's a miracle she even mumble.

What happened to her?

When she was just a wee thing,
they came to her house,

sound familiar?

And brought her mother out into
the street and burned her

as a witch and little Leah
watched it all.

How do you know all that?

I save her.

Itried to save her mother too, but...

...it was too late.

And he called his name Gershom
for he said,

I have been a stranger
in a strange land.

Calvin!

Don't worry, we're safe,

No French or Shawnee saw us land.

This is as old trick.

And the reason it's an old trick
is because it works.

They'll keep following the ferry
and Calvin.

In heaven we'll meet again,
dear friend.

In heaven, we'll meet again.

Do you really think it'll fool them?

Of course it will.

History, Elloise.

Now take your lessons from history!

We'd gotten away from the river
as fast as we could,

but you could here us for miles'
such as we were,

slipping and thrashing along,
and Sister bellowing over Calvin.

Mr. Will was cenain we weren't
being followed,

but he was a poor tool for
to be guiding us through the woods.

You heard those shouts.

They found us!

I saw as Indian!

Where?

Where are they?

She didn't see anything!

I did too!

They're here!

There!

Come on, children!

Get up! Lets' go! Run!

Hurry up! Get Sister!

How many of them be?

I don't know.

Oh Lord, there's more over there!
It's a bad bit for us.

Fie. We haven't yet to start

Quit yanking about and don't miss.

Marion!

Not the Indians!

Don't shoot the Indians!

Da!

Don't cry.

Marion!

Thank God! No better place of time!

Are you all right, darling?

I'm all right, I'm all right now,

What did you tell those Indians, Marion?

What were you laughing about?

What kind of funny joking
were you passing about out there?

Oh nothing to wag on about,

Oh come on, Marion.

What was you saying?

Well, I asked him hovv his wife was.

But what was itio make him laugh. Huh?

He asked me how my wife was.

So I told him.

I'm no longeryour wife,

The Shawnee will be back.

Of that, you can be certain.

Look, surely we can.

No! Don't!

Where'd you get those?

Aye, it's good luck, honey.

Some son of taboo.

The feathers are a clear sign.

Keep away.

If you don't, the trail
will disappear behind you.

The Indians are pernickety.

They won't be following
us into this valley.

If the Indians won't be
going there' then...

...maybe we shouldn't be either.

There's not likely to be anyone
down there.

Up here, we've got Shawnee.

This is their land.

We're intruders.

- Shawnee?
- Yes.

Stay close to Jewell.

Get into that valley as fast
as you can.

I'll see whai they're up to.

What in the world?

Okay, Leah, follow me.

Look!

Cabins!

Leave you, did they?

Calm down.

You're alright. Come 0n.

Come on.

Trappers' camp?

Trappers don't clear fields.

The Indians?

Will they be following us?

Well what son of business
was they up to then?

They was laughing.

Jewell, are they coming?

We thank you, Oh Lord,

for delivering us
from the savage intidels,

And again, we pray.

That tree...

those Teathers...

The trail disappears behind you?

It's a devil tree.

Some Indians believe
that the devil isn't some dark angle...

who lives down below.

They look on it as a natural thing,
as natural as a brook, or a tree.

Their devil is born of earth,

part natur, thriving on the evil
pan of lite.

Every thing that's good
has an evil side.

To live and breed,
the mantis has to kill the fly.

The hawk has to kill the sparrow.

I killed this rabbit
and I'm going to eat it.

I'm happy.

But the rabbit's dead.

Some believe that every time
innocent blood is spilled,

it sinks into the ground
and joins in particular spots...

with the blood of other victims
that died before it until,

finally, the souls of the slaughtered
creatures gather together...

...into one breathing spirit, a devil

...that captures the living
and commands their shadows.

And it's not just the Indians'
you know.

A lot of people believe
that son of thing.

People carry on about ghosts,
banshees, leprechans.

That tree says that this valley
is where the lost blood gathers.

It's the home of the devil.

If you believe.

What is it?

What is it?

What is it?

And no Indians, Marion?

We thought that no one
would be in the valley.

Now we knew we Weren't alone.

Will Smythe said that since
no one was hun,

the visitors must have been friendly,

and Da was wrong to chase them off.

Mr. Will said that now it was our
turn to reach out to them.

So he and Mr. Jewell hung gifls
where they'd be sure to find them.

Yes, yes, it's iure.

They're savages.

But they're also a noble people.

And, with a little help,
they could become Christians.

But how can the Indians learn
if there's no one to teach?

Now, as long as we're trapped
here anyway...

If they're Indians.

They're certainly different than
any I've ever seen.

This valley shouldn'i be lived in,
but is in.

And by some very strange one's at that.

And these cabins here...

It's a melancholy lancy
that they lelt it all.

Yes, well I'll handle the Indians.

The Shawnee won't come into
this little valley.

That means they're afraid
of the ones that are down here.

There's got to be a reason.

Now his is a Way of violence.

I have a better way. A way of giving.

The Shawnee are still up there.

They want to make
sure that nobody comes out.

When they leave, we leave.

We can't ceave Momma.

You don't have a choice.

I can't undo the queerness of it, Fanny.

He's got such a hold on them.

Why?

Talk to her, Da.

Talk to her sweet.

Last time out I decided that
when I got back...

I'd perhaps be calling in my traps for
a different way of doing things...

Marion, don't be telling me this.

Not now.

Elloise, how can you be casting
about with a man like that?

Don't think I haven't put
thoughts on it.

You.

You were all rocky and rough
and unpromising.

I was your anchor,

Stuck on the bottom
and not to be going no where...

...while you floated around
on the surface.

But for him, I'm on top;

I'm the sail.

Just a cheery warning, Elloise.

You stay here with that English
slytoot and your whole kith...

...and Kim's gonna be
on the underside of the eanh.

We found it hiding in the woods.
It's persent.

Yes, children, it is a present,

It's a gifl from the Indians.

They have given up this precious
girl to the Lord's kingdom.

We must babtize her at once!

What do you think, Leah?

Will Smyther knew the valle...

...was where he wanted
to be when he first saw the cabins.

We were safe from the Shawnee,

and the hard work had already
been done by somebody else.

Finding the title Indian girl
was all the excuse he needed.

He and Momma and Mr. Jewell
set about fixing up the cabins...

...and making the valley theirs.

Our garden is our backone.

Our livlihood.

Plant with care.

Think fertility.

Caress each seed.

Love it

Remember that every seed
has a spirit in it.

It was right there!

It was right there!

It took my bonnet!

- It was there!
- Sister, we were all here.

Nothing happened, do you understand?

- You're scaring the children!
- It was there! There!

It's in French.

"We are two men and five women,

...here to the east of the King's wide
river where as God knows...

we have buried those
whose heads are covered with blood.

Ave Maria save us from evil.

The devil lives in the trees.

Jesus rest the departed souls
of Rene and Maria Arceneux.

The rest is just names...

It happened right here.

These cabins.

- The people must have..
- It might have happened here.

It doesn't concern us.

Aye, but it's os...

It doesn't concern us.

We don't know where it happened
or if it happened.

Are we having any problems? No.

So what if someone died here?

Have the Indians hurt us?

No.

Instead, they gave us a little girl.

Come away then.

Chances are your wife
and daughter will wind up dead.

I ain't a linsey-woolsey pigrunner
no more, Marion.

I'm Mr. Jewell Buchannon.

Jewell...

Fanny. We go at dawn.

Fanny?

Where is she?

What?

Fanny, dammit.

She was with you.

Where is she?

We don't have her, Dalton.

That's the truth.

Fanny!

But what happened?

And what was she doing in the woods?

I don't know.

What did the Indians?

I already told you.

And they just disappeared.

That's right.

They just disappeared.

They Vanished.

Fanny was just laying there
for a long, long time.

And Mr. Dalton was trying
to ponder it through.

Leah was getting stranger
and stranger.

She was trying to figure things too,

and I think she was getting a lot
funher along with it than Mr. Dalton.

What's gotten into you?

You used to be God's angle.

Do you forget that you'd
have burned if it wasn't for me?

Leah was a magic lady.

She said the people who
built the cabins were now captives...

...of the devil-witch.

She said the devil-watch wanted
to make captives of us too.

Leah said she was going
to have to get strong,

find the witch, and kill her.

Leah smelt like bushes now,
but she was good to us.

She was ourfriend, and I loved her.

Goddamn them!

Mr. Will got angry when the witch's
captive stole his box of books.

That's when he and Poppa built
the Stockade to keep them out.

He said that the Indians stealing
his books was inexcusable.

The cow still gave milk.

Poppa said she was long
past freshening.

Mr. Will said this was God's proof.

He didn't know nothing.

The cow was a friend of Leah's.

Fanny stayed asleep.

The cabin began to smell, too

like something old and Wei.

And I knew-Fanny was slipping
away from us.

Have you forgotten about
the rest of us?

Jewell and I built the walls alone.

The cabin began to shake
all the time...

...because something was trying
to gel to Fanny.

But Leah wouldn't let it in,
and I think Mr. Dalton knew that.

She was a fairy, Leah was.

An Irish fairy,

She could make the flowers laugh.

Laugh out loud.

And that's why she told Mr. Dalton...

...that the secret,
was sleeping in the trees.

Get out!

Get out of here!

I don't care what happened to her
when she was a little girl!

You keep her out of here!

I was lying in the cabin,

I heard a kind of racket, outside.

The Indian girl was covered
with some sort of sticky paste,

and Leah was trying to catch ger.

Help!

Help me! Da!

And then I saw Leah.

And then I was you.

Nightshade?

Thai would be simple, wouldn't it?

She was sick.

Now she's well.

Let's not create phantoms.

Goddamn barbarians.

How did they get in?

Goddamn good question.

You people just let them
walk right in?

The bloody cretins.

The best minds of Europe.

Goddamn!

Goddamn!

Goddamn!

Meg...

Meg...

Meg...

Meg...

But little Meg is gone now, Marion.

You can't be leaving now.

After this, you're on your own.

We should all be looking for her,

Da can't do it all by himself!

The Lord can.

Meg!

Meg's dead!

She's right here!

Don't get it near me!

Sister, be careful what you're saying!

Keep her away from me!

Meg's dead!

- The Indians must have found her.
- Meg's dead!

Meg's dead!

Take your little girl, you Goddamned
monkey, and slop shrieking!

Sister,

It's alright.

It's just little Meg. It alright.

Sister.

I saw it.

And l'vd never been
so afraid in my life.

I don't suppose
I ever believed in magic.

But call it what you will,
if you've got any sense at all,

I'm begging you.

Come with me.

What is this?

Who'd be putting that dress on her?

I did.

You mean you weni into house,

rummaged through my things,

and stole my daughter's dress?

Don't you have any regard
for a young child's feelings?

I don't want her wearing
Cathleen's dresses!

Keep oui of my life!

You're a witch!

And you're the devil!

What?

She made me go in the woods!

Now you hush!

She did, Mom, she did!

I heard you from outside
talking about me.

Be quiet!

Oh, no. The devil's not out there.

It's in here.

Davil!

Judas.

But what determined us to dettle here?

Jewell!

You're getting close to sacrilege.

But if you yourself had heard
him talking..

Dalton's trying to destroy you!

That's what they all want.

You've got to be careful.

Don't let your guard down again.

You're a Christian soldier.

Witches.

Leah.

They're everywhere.

God has left us.

You know about devils, don't you?

Well, when we were burning
Leah's mother...

I had to keep lighting the fire,
because it kept going out.

Leah put it out.

Leah is a witch!

Now you're weak.

No one can help you.

Listen!

Sister!

They'll kill me in there.

Sister, no!

Leah!

Oh mighty Lord God hear your
children in this moment of peril...

Da!

I beseech you to our aid in this grave
moment of out lives...

...and deliver us from the evil of those
who do not respond to our...

"invitation unto your kingom...

Christain soldiers whose only
purpose is to spread...

...thy gospel to the earth corners
of the eahh...

Allow us to continue this path.

Smite thine enemies and ours,

Oh Lord to whom we pray in this,
our darkest hour.

Keep the pot boiling.

- You, who's just murdered a child!
- Momma wantd to come,

but she knew she couldn't dereri
Mr. Jewell.

And he couldn't go nowhere.

We took little Meg with us,

but Cathleen had to stay
with her folks.

Da promised he's be back
for them when Meg and I were safe.

What was ii, Poppa? Back there.

Cold eyes in a hot fire.

What?

Cold eyes in a hot fire.

The eyes of animals around a campfire.

At night, when they shine.

That tree!

I was here...

Fanny, It's all right...

Fanny?

He was gone.

And there was no place else
we could go.

It got hot afler he died, and still,

like the valley was holding it's breath,
waiting to see what happened.

We waited too, for Mr. Jewell,
to gel better or die.

No one knew where Leah had gone,

and without her Smyihe was nothing.

Momma wept for Da.

She blamed herself.

And Smythe.

She told him be must not have had God
in his pocket after all.

And that set him to brooding
and vaporing sadly.

Don't worry, my child.

It'll be alright

Smythe there says I ain't
gonna be dying.

How's he know that?

How do you know that, Smythe?

I wish I knew what was going
to happen to me.

Da said it was like,
cold eyes in a hot fire...

...the eyes of animals around
a campfire in the night.

Animals might know
what a tire was,

but they would't know
how it was made,

...and a smart creature would
be satisfied knowing that it he got...

...close he hot warm
and if he got too close he hot burnt.

But some can't leave the fire alone.

They get to thinking they're bigger
than it is and before...

...long they're dancing in the middle
of it 'til there's nothing left...

but those cold eyes melting
in the hot flame.

No!

It's not my fault.

Jewell!

Where's Leah?

You're not leaving.

I know you better than that.

That would be ridiculous.

I rid the valley of them once,

We don't even know where Leah is.

This is our home.

Where we live.

I can do it again.

I have to.

I did it before.

No,

No, no I'm afraid.

I can't let you do it...

You might get hurt...

We can't run away from our problems.

Ma..ma..ma..marion.

Where are you?

Mario...

wake up, they're getting away...

I led them here.

I lead them right to.

Those, they left me.

I can see again.

Alone...

abandoned...

far away...

far away...

...the crop of some vestigian fairy.

Do you see anything?

No!

Ma..marion..pull her out of the tree...

Don't let her change herself...

If you let her go, she's hot you...

That's what she's waiting
for pull her out...

...pull her out so I can help you!

She wanis the, chileren...

Pull her out!

It's them.

They're here.

Oh no.

Pull her out before it's too late!

Snap her neck...

Fanny!

Get in!

No! I want to!

Get in!

Give the power to me!

En fin libre.

I don't know how long
we were in there.

We couldn't get out.

We couldn't tell if it was day
or night.

It was about a week before
you found us.

What are we going to do with you.

This story...

It's true.

All right, It's true. Fine.

Show us this valley.

We'll go there ourselves.

Have a look where is it?

I don't know.

She doesn't know.

But it's there.

That's right.

- Up river.
- Yes.

A little valley.

Yes!

Look. You must stop telling
me fairy tales.

If English or Irish setters
are on Frech soil,

I want to know where.

Where and how many.

- Are there soldiers?
- Don't worry my child.

It'll be alright

l must know if you are truly alone.

We're not alone.

You, take then away...