Script Analysis: “First Cow” — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: First Cow (2019). You may download the script here.

Screenplay written by Kelly Reichardt and Jon Raymond, based on Raymond’s novel.

Plot summary: A skilled cook has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two collaborate on a successful business.

First Cow
Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
by Laura Bolton
GoIntoTheStory.com

Pg. 1–3: SAUVIE ISLAND/ COLLINS BEACH. Morning and TERRY throws a stick to the dog (BRUNO). They discover a human skull. JORDAN and TAKUKA find them. Dig up two skeletons laying side-by-side, holding hands. Who were these men?

PG. 3–10: WOODS NEAR CAMP — CIRCA 1820. OTIS “COOKIE” FIGOWITZ hunts for mushrooms. At camp, scattered around are FIVE LOOKING-ROUGH MEN drinking. Clyde Trapper 3 antagonizes Cookie. The trappers fight.

Cookie’s boots are no good. In the woods, while gathering, Cookie finds KING-LU, hiding from Russian men. Cookie gives him a dry biscuit, a piece of jerky, a jug of water in a blanket. Cookie hides King-Lu.

Pg. 10–12: COOKIE’S TENT. Morning. King-Lu’s gone. Outside the tent, Clyde Trapper 3 speaks to a RUSSIAN TRAPPER. Clyde Trapper 3 announces there’s a murderer in the woods to stay close for everyone to move out. Cookie takes in the new situation.

Pg. 12–14: WOODS BETWEEN CAMPS. Cookie walks at the back of the party. King-Lu hides on the sled. They are heading towards the Fort, where the company is buying pelts and there’s beer. Cookie helps King-Lu by covering his exposed foot with a blanket.

Pg. 14: RIVERSIDE CAMP. King-Lu escapes from under the blanket. The trappers want food. Cookie goes fishing and catches salmon. King-Lu swims across the river.

Pg. 14–16: SHIP IN THE FOG- TWO WEEKS LATER. A Cow on a ferry boat piloted by a SWARTHY SAILOR MAN floats and is brought on land. THOMAS claims the Cow. DESMOND, a Multnomah man, watches, maybe never having seen one before. Thomas leads the Cow over the Beach towards the mesquite trees.

Pg. 16–8: WOODS NEAR FORT. Cookie puts on a new pair of boots. He walks past a bloody knife on the ground. Cookie spots a body. Cookie passes ERIC, a trapper heading in the opposite direction holding a pig he has stolen. JAMES PARSON’s carrying this week’s supplies back to his shop. The trading Fort is a cluster of wooden shacks. A few INDIANS, RUSSIANS, BRITONS and FRENCHMEN barter back and forth. Cookie walks among the men and women, lonely. He passes TWO MEN. One man says his boots look like Jean-Paul Baptiste’s boots. Cookie walks to the edge of “town.”

Pg. 18–25: WOODS NEAR FORT. Cookie, counts his money and decides to follow a little girl into the Fort’s walls. He waits while she comes out of the saloon, and he goes into the saloon. The Sailor and Floyd argue about the Cow which belongs to the Chief Factor. Now we know who owns it.

A BIG, TOUGH-LOOKING MAN (William) walks into the saloon with his baby. PAT has noted the new arrival and can’t keep his mouth shut. William and Pat have an altercation, and William asks Cookie to watch the baby.

King-Lu is in the bar. Presently shorne in fine Frontier regalia, King-Lu is now free after the Russians have left the country. Cookie’s trappers all left. King-Lu invites Cookie over to his place to drink a bottle. Cookie says yes.

Pg. 25–26: TOWN NEAR FORT. Cookie and King-Lu walk. King-Lu explains the opportunity he sees here. They check King-Lu’s traps along the way. They walk on, arrive at the next trap, and Cookie picks up a squashed squirrel by its tail. King-Lu suggests that they can be ready for history and make it on their terms. Cookie likes the sound of that.

Pg. 27–28: KING LU’S HUTCH. They do domestic chores. Cookie King-Lu Cookie about himself.

P. 28–31: MONTAGE OF DAYS.

Cookie and King-Lu gather nuts.

Cookie fills his basket.

King-Lu explains how the value of something can change. He experiences racism that limits his business abilities.

Another day. Cookie’s belongings mix with King-Lu’s. King-Lu would like a farm.

Another day. Cookie washes clothing and dishes in the river. Cookie would like to open a hotel someday. Or a bakery.

MONTAGE ENDS.

Pg. 31–33: KING LU’S HUTCH. King-Lu naps. In the woods near the Chief’s Factor’s house, Cookie sees the Cow. Back at King-Lu’s, Cookie would like some of the milk from the Cow for cookies or scones. King-Lu asks questions about the Cow and has an idea. Cookie shakes his head, no. King-Lu shakes his head, yes.

Pg. 33–34: WOODS NEAR CHIEF FACTOR’S HOUSE. Cookie and King-Lu sneak through the woods. King-Lu keeps an eye on things while Cookie milks the Cow. They retreat to the forest.

Pg. 34–36: KING-LU’S HUTCH. King-Lu tries a biscuit. they eat. The next batch they will take to the market. Cookie says it sounds dangerous. King-Lu says so is anything worth doing.

Pg. 36–38: EDGE OF TOWN/PARSON’S SHACK. King-Lu and Cookie carry the biscuits to the market and lay them out on a blanket. Trappers show up and buy biscuits — Lloyd with Thomas in tow. A bidding war ensues.

At the edge of town, the little girl walks in the city’s centre carrying a whole bucket of beer. James Parsons keeps a sharp eye on Cookie and King-Lu as they walk home talking and laughing. They recount the day’s victory.

Pg. 38: TREE NEAR COW MEADOW. King-Lu sits in position in the branches of the tree. Cookie milks with a milking stool.

Pg. 39: FORT. Best Oily Cakes East of Canton. They make the cakes on site. The trappers wonder what’s in the cakes because they taste like something their mothers made. King-Lu will not divulge the secret ingredient, and the cakes go quickly.

Pg. 39–41: KING-LU’S HUTCH. King-Lu puts their cash in a tree. Later, they enjoy an afternoon of leisure.

Pg. 41–43: FORT. The next day, they arrive at their spot. Lloyd asks Cookie to hold one for the Chief Factor and smacks Thomas on the back of his head. The CHIEF FACTOR eats and loves the cake. Cookie was a baker in Boston.

Pg. 43–44: THE WOODS NEAR THE CHIEF FACTOR’S HOUSE. Milking the Cow. They seem to have enough money collected to go to San Francisco. King-Lu pressures Cookie to milk more this time. A dog starts barking. Cookie gets nervous.

Pg. 44–46: FORT. A blot of batter fried in oil. Cookie flips it. He hands it to the Chief Factor, who asks them to make a clafoutis cake. Cookie says sure. The Chief Factor says Saturday then.

Pg. 46–47: WOODS NEAR KING-LU’S HUTCH. Cookie mixes the ingredients of a clafoutis in a bowl. King-Lu acknowledges it’s a dangerous game they’re playing. The Chief Factor will taste the milk in there eventually. Cookie suggests that some people can’t imagine being stolen from; they’re too strong. Cookie wants to charge twenty, King-Lu twenty-five.

Pg. 47–52: CHIEF FACTOR’ S HOUSE. A stiff party. An American CAPTAIN (ne Ulysses Welt), a prominent Multnomah leader, TOTILLICUM; and his wife, ILLICHE, in a combination of the local and foreign dress. The Chief Factor and his wife, CELESTE, a native woman. They talk about crime and punishment. The Chief Factor believes in harsh punishment.

Cookie and King Lou arrive. The Chief Factor explains to Cookie about his Cow. We know The Chief Factor knows it doesn’t produce enough milk. The Cow is friendly towards Cookie and lows softly. The Captain exclaims that she seems to have affection for Cookie. The Captain is amused. Cookie becomes self-conscious and stops petting the Cow.

Pg. 52–53: KING LU’S HUTCH. Cookie and King-Lu drink and discuss the Chief Factor. King-Lu thinks they stay to sell a little longer and make their way south. Cookie drinks, reluctantly agreeing that this is only the time before the beginning.

Pg. 53–60: CHIEF FACTOR’S HOUSE. The Chief Factor’s servant gets out of bed to look for the cat while Cookie milks the Cow and King-Lu sits in the tree. King-Lu warns Cookie and falls out of the tree, alarming the Servant, who wakes up Lloyd. Cookie and King-Lu hide, then run when a gunshot is fired. The Captain and Chief Factor find the milking stool and put it together that it’s Cookie.

Cookie and King-Lu flee. King-Lu jumps into the river. Cookie hides and waits for the men to leave. When they do, Cookie goes in the other direction. The forest is dark, and Cookie hikes, fearful. He falls down a narrow ravine and hits his head on a rock.

Pg. 61: COTTAGE. Cookie awakens. An OLDER COUPLE comes into view: a man sits in a rocking chair smoking a pipe, and the woman heats a poultice on the stove. The room darkens; Cookie’s out again.

Pg. 61: COTTAGE. Cookie again opens his eyes and sees a couple hovering over him. They appear Hawaiian and try to get Cookie to drink. He’s thirsty. Cookie asks where he is. The woman says no one will find you here and refuses to tell him who they are.

Pg. 62–63: COTTAGE. Cookie awakens, and he’s alone. He looks around to focus. He can see the older man outside a window, and he’s doing Tai Chi. The older woman is at the stove. Cookie says he needs to find King-Lu.

Pg. 63–69: WOODS/RIVERSIDE. King-Lu sees an abandoned canoe. A Multnomah man, CHONACHONA, emerges from the brush. King-Lu gives him his buttons on his jacket as a trade for taking him downriver. Chonachona doesn’t talk to him. In the distance, there’s another canoe. The ROWER in the canoe raises a hand in greeting.

They pull up next to the other canoe. It’s a young Multnomah man, WATUTUM, with a cargo of acorns. Watutum says a mile upriver, a woman was asking about Chonachona. He thinks that maybe he should say hello. King-Lu is angry and in disbelief. He has paid for him to take him downstream. Chonachona says that he will. The canoes beach. Go to shore. King-Lu grudgingly waits. TWO WOMEN dry salmon on the shore. Another woman does the elaborate task of making an acorn polenta.

As Multnomah men go ashore, they call greetings to the women. From the canoe, King-Lu watches as his ride goes over and strikes up a conversation with the younger woman STIZA. She doesn’t seem interested. Frustrated, King-Lu gets out of the canoe and waits on the shore. King-Lu paces on the beach, watching Coalpo talk to Stiza.

Stiza’s friend tells Chonachona the young woman he was trying to impress would like King-Lu’s buttons. Chonachona tells King-Lu that he will take him down the river if he gets the buttons again, this time to give to Stiza. The canoe skims along the water.

Pg. 70: COTTAGE. Cookie rises. Head throbs. A couple sleeps, and he creeps outside. Afraid, Cookie can’t force himself to go any further. He turns defeated and stumbles back into the cottage. Inside the cabin, he looks at the woman as she rises to tend the fire; her face is the skeleton of a cow. Cookie’s petrified.

Pg. 71–73: WOODS NEAR KING-LU’S HUTCH. King-Lu creeps through the brush. He stops at the Cottonwood tree. He gets something to stand on to retrieve the money sack from the hole. He hears something. He jumps down and takes away the round of wood. Just-in-time, he goes away and hides in the bush.

Company soldiers led by Lloyd are marching in his direction and enter King-Lu’s abode. Lloyd goes and pisses on the cottonwood tree; the money bag hangs over his head. At last, they disappear. King-Lu stays hiding. Finally, he approaches the hutch and goes inside. King-Lu uses a fire poker to fetch the money bag. He calls out, and no one answers, and he wanders into the woods.

Pg. 73: THE COTTAGE. Cookie awakens. The old couple is gone. It has the feel of a place that has been deserted for a long time. Cookie creeps away into the woods. He’s leaving for good.

Pg. 74: RIVER. Thomas sits on a log in the woods near a stream. He watches Cookie, who is across the creek. Cookie gets up and goes back into the woods. Thomas watches him go.

Cookie climbs to the forest and drifts close to the cow meadow. Through the trees, he can see the cows around guarded by a new small fence. The Cow raises her head from chewing; she looks at Cookie then back to the grass. Cookie keeps moving.

Pg. 75: KING-LU’S HUTCH. Cookie goes inside. Is he dreaming?

Pg. 73–78. KING-LU’s HUTCH. Cookie surveys the damage. He is reunited with King-Lu, who holds the sack of money. Their happiness is overflowing.

In the woods, they walk. They make a plan to go downstream. Cookie is having trouble keeping up with King-Lu. Cookie is obviously in need of rest, and they don’t have much time.

King-Lu tells him to lie down on the needles and that he will keep first watch.

King-Lu listens to the bird song. Weighing his options, (he could take off with the money), King-Lu has the money back on the ground like a pillow and lies beside Cookie. They hold hands. King-Lu closes his eyes. In a minute, he’s asleep — an owl calls.

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

To download a PDF of the breakdown , go here.

Kudos to Laura Bolton for doing the scene-by-scene breakdown.

To see 100+ screenplay scene-by-scene breakdowns, go here.