The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Storyboard of Parts I - IV

It is an ancient mariner And he stoppeth one of three.

Long shot of a church.

Wedding guest walks into the frame.

Guests walk further into the frame.

Enter mariner.

“Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!”

Guest turns around.

“There was a ship”

OTS of the wedding guest.

He holds him with his glittering eye – The wedding-guest stood still, And listens like a three-years’ child: The mariner hath his will.

“The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the lighthouse top.

Close up of guest’s stunned face.

Close up of mariner’s magnetic gaze.

And now the storm-blast came, and he Was tyrannous and strong; He struck with his o’ertaking wings, And chased us south along.

Ship enters prow first as it is tossed by the sea.

With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow Top angle view.

Tilt up as the ship is rocked by the storm.

The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And southward aye we fled.

Listen, stranger! Mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold: And ice mast-high came floating by, As green as emerald.

Long shot as ship slowly exits the frame.

Close up of ice as the ship slowly enters the frame.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen: Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken – The ice was all between.

It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound!

Long shot of ship very slowly struggling to move through the ice.

Cut to crew and mid-shot of the young mariner.

More people walk into the frame.

At length did cross an albatross, Thorough the fog it came; Low angle.

Albatross flies into the frame.

As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in God’s name.

It ate the food it ne’er had eat, And round and round it flew.

Track left along with the albatross.

The bird flies round and round.

The ice did split with a thunder-fit; The helmsman steered us through!

And a good south wind sprung up behind; The albatross did follow, And every day, for food or play, Came to the mariners’ hollo!

Long shot of ice cracking open.

Ship moves and exits the frame.

Long shot of ice.

Ship exits behind the iceberg.

In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine;

Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmered the white moon-shine.

Long shot of sailors playing with the albatross.

Mid-shot of mariner entering the frame.

Cut to mid-shot of sailors.

A whizz passes across the frame.

Close up of albatross falling to the ground.

Sailors bend down and examine it. Turn around.

And with my crossbow, I shot the albatross.

Close up of mariner’s face.

All in a hot and copper sky, The bloody sun, at noon, Right up above the mast did stand, No bigger than the moon.

Sailors walk away leaving the dead albatross and mariner alone.

Slow zoom out from mid-long to long shot.

Ship slowly moves.

All averred, I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

Then all averred, I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

Pan right as the crew discusses the killing of the albatross.

And I had done an hellish thing, And it would work ‘em woe: Mid-shot of the mariner looking sullen.

Down dropped the breeze, the sails dropped down, ‘Twas sad as sad could be; Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion; Long shot of the ship.

Everything is absolutely still.

As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.

And every tongue, through utter drought, Was withered at the root;

Close up of bottle as a hand enters the frame trying to reach for it.

Mariner scrambles towards the bottle.

We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot.

The very deeps did rot: O Christ!

That ever this should be!

Close up of thirsty mariner.

Mid-shot of mariner.

He gets up and walks to the edge of the ship.

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea.

About, about, in reel and rout The death-fires danced at night; Extreme long shot of ship.

Slimy creatures move around.

And some in dreams assured were Of the spirit that plagued us so; Nine fathom deep he had followed us Fast track in from under the sea to the bottom of the ship, like something is moving towards it.

From the land of mist and snow.

Long shot of ship.

Ghost of the albatross rises up and falls on the it.

Ah! wel-a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young!

Top angle.

Sailors run away and exit the frame.

Mariner walks back only a bit and turns around.

Mid-long shot of the entire crew.

Instead of the cross, the albatross...

Close up of mariner’s face being slammed down.

Zoom out to the rest of the crew removing the cross from his neck.

Long shot of crew.

They slowly disperse and exit the frame.

Mariner’s back is then visible.

... about my neck was hung.

Low angle.

Mariner staggers and collapses on the floor.

A weary time! A weary time!

How glazed each weary eye, When looking westward, I beheld A something in the sky.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!

And still it neared and neared: As if it dodged a water sprite, It plunged and tacked and veered.

Mid-shot of mariner slowly getting up and walking out.

Extreme long shot of another ship coming towards the mariner’s ship.

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could nor laugh nor wail; I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,

And cried, A sail! a sail!

Close-up of mariner biting his arm.

He turns to his left.

Cut to mariner’s mid-shot as he shouts for help.

Agape they heard me call: Gramercy! they for joy did grin, And all at once their breath drew in, As they were drinking all.

The western wave was all aflame.

Almost upon the western wave When that strange shape drove suddenly Betwixt us and the sun.

Crew slowly get up, hopeful.

Long shot of the other ship.

Alas!

How fast she nears and nears!

Are those her sails that glance in the sun, Like restless gossameres?

And straight the sun was flecked with bars, Are those her ribs through which the sun Did peer, as through a grate?

Slow zoom out from mid-shot of mariner looking doubtful.

Other sailors enter the frame.

Low angle.

Close up of the ship’s mast.

Without a breeze, without a tide, She steadies with upright keel!

The naked hulk alongside came, And the twain were casting dice; ‘The game is done! I’ve won! I’ve won!’

Quoth she, and whistles thrice.

Extreme long shot of mariner’s ship.

The other ship enters the frame from left.

Low angle from inside the other ship.

The left hand reveals the dice and there is a voice of a woman saying, ‘The game is done! I’ve won! I’ve won!’ and three whistles.

Is that woman all her crew?

Her lips were red, her looks were free, Her locks were yellow as gold: Her skin was as white as leprosy,

Top angle, long shot of both the ships passing each other.

OTS of mariner looking at the two mysterious figures in the ship.

Is that a Death? and are there two?

Is Death that woman’s mate?

Slow track along with the movement of the ship.

Mid-long shot of the two people.

The nightmare Life-in-Death was she Slow track along with the movement of the ship.

Mid-shot of the two people as they reveal themselves.

Who thicks man’s blood with cold.

The sun’s rim dips; the stars rush out: At one stride comes the dark;

Extreme close up of the frightened mariner zooming out to close up.

Mariner stays stunned as night falls.

Slowly turns around to see the rest of the crew.

One after one, by the star-dogged moon, Too quick for groan or sigh, Each turned his face with ghastly pang, And cursed me with his eye.

With heavy thump, a lifeless lump, They dropped down one by one.

The cold sweat melted from their limbs, Nor rot nor reek did they: The look with which they looked on me Had never passed away.

Crew glares at the mariner and one by one they collapse to the floor.

Low angle.

Mariner walks towards the camera from left to right.

Stops with the close up of his feet and turns around to look back.

I looked upon the rotting sea, And drew my eyes away; I looked upon the rotting deck, And there the dead men lay.

Their souls did from their bodies fly – They fled to bliss or woe!

And every soul, it passed me by, Like the whizz of my crossbow!�

Man with the lantern is the last to die.

The souls of the sailors rise from their bodies.

Zoom out from close up of mariner to his mid-shot.

Souls whizz past him as he tries to dodge them.

“I fear thee, ancient mariner!

I fear thy skinny hand!

And thou art long, and lank, and brown, As is the ribbed sea-sand.

I fear thee and thy glittering eye, And thy skinny hand, so brown.” –

“Fear not, fear not, thou wedding-guest!

This body dropped not down.

Close up of wedding guest as he walks a few steps back in fright.

Close up of the old mariner with glittering eyes.

Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse, And yet I could not die.

And a thousand thousand slimy things Lived on; and so did I.

Beyond the shadow of the ship, I watched the water snakes: They moved in tracks of shining white

Mid-shot of the mariner as he leans over to look down at the sea.

Mariner’s POV of the sea, the slimy creatures and his reflection.

O happy living things! No tongue Their beauty might declare: A spring of love gushed from my heart, And I blessed them unaware: Close up of mariner putting his hands together in prayer.

The selfsame moment I could pray; And from my neck so free The albatross fell off, and sank Like lead into the sea.

Low angle.

Mid-long shot of albatross falling into the sea.

End.