Kino: The Puppet Play*

Scene 1**

Jack Palance*** walks into a bar. He finds the cosiest spot, sits down, orders a beer, reads a book.

Jack Palance says: ****

Scene 2

(Flashback)

A traveling salesman (Kino) comes home early and walks into the bedroom. The traveling salesman (Kino) quits his job and quits his marriage.

Scene 3

(Still flashing back)

A traveling salesman (Kino) calls his aunt and rents her coffee shop. He turns it into  a jazz bar (also called Kino).

Scene 4

(Back to the present)

A cat walks into a bar (Kino) and makes herself at home.

Scene 5

A weird chick walks into a bar (Kino). She is with her creepy boyfriend.

(Note for director: she’ll come back later and bang the traveling salesman (Kino).)

Scene 6

Two thugs walk into a bar (Kino). Jack Palance throws them out. (Jack Palance shows great power (shades of Shane?).)

Scene 7

A wife walks into a bar (Kino). She divorces the traveling salesman publican (Kino). Then she confuses him by apologizing. 

Scene 8

The weird chick walks into the bar (Kino) without her boyfriend and bangs the traveling salesman (Kino).

Scene 9

The cat stops walking into a bar (Kino).

Scene 10

Three snakes slither by a bar (Kino). 

(Dramatic license: In the book, scenes 9 & 10 are the same scene. The same paragraph actually.)

Scene 11

Jack Palance walks into a bar (Kino). Tells the traveling salesman (Kino) that something is wrong. Tells him (Kino) to be out of town by sundown.

Scene 12

A traveling salesman (Kino) goes on a journey into darkness. (A quest for you Campbell fans.) He is confronted by The Telltale Heart.

Scene 13

A traveling salesman (Kino) hooks up with a sleek twenty-year-old hooker and lives happily ever after leading a life completely abandoned to passion and jazz.

(I had to add this last part. Murakami didn’t have time to finish the story so I had to tie up some loose ends.)

* You might notice that it says Puppet Play. No matter. Also works as a movie script, anime script, manga script, video game script, whatever.

** You might also notice that there are no acts, only scenes. Acts have become too controversial lately, so I left them out. If acts are required, read Aristotle or McKee -- somebody like that.

*** Not really Jack Palance. The name is just there to let you know the type. If you are into photo realism, or cinema verite, or whatever it’s called, you might want a Japanese Jack Palance. Maybe the guy who plays the truck driver in the noodle movie.

**** You might again also notice that there is no dialog. That’s because it’s all in the short story. Just copy it from that. Available at the public library or Amazon.