Scripts: Vertigo (12/Sep/1957) - part 6
INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT)
Outside the terrace darkness is falling, and the lights of
the city have come on. In Midge's apartment the lights are
on and soft music comes from the radio (possibly "progressive
jazz" of the gentle George Shearing kind). Midge is painting
at a standing easel; She has a palette; obviously she is
painting in oils. We cannot see what she is painting; the
canvas on stretchers has its back to us. Its size is about
thirty by forty inches. Whatever it is, it seems to please
her: she pauses in her work, picks up a highball from a table
nearby, drinks and stares at the painting and giggles a little
to herself than applies a few more daubs. Now she hears the
outside gate slam. She puts down the brush and the drink,
moves the easel a bit so that the canvas cannot be seen from
the front door, picks up a water tumbler that contains a
small nosegay, and hurries out to the kitchen with it. The
door to the apartment slams.
SCOTTIE
(Calling)
Midge?
Midge hurries out of the kitchen.
MIDGE
Hi, Johnny! Did you get my message?
She immediately goes to the small sideboard or table on which
are bottles, glasses, and ice, and mixes him a highball.
Scottie is at ease. He drops his hat on a chair near the
door and wanders into the room.
SCOTTIE
I did. Since when do you go about
slipping notes under men's doors?
MIDGE
Since I stopped being able to get
them on the phone. For a man who has
nothing to do, you're certainly a
busy little bee. Where do you go,
these days?
SCOTTIE
Just wander.
MIDGE
Where?
SCOTTIE
Around.
MIDGE
Oh?
She hands him the drink. He takes a long pull at it as she
watches him.
SCOTTIE
Mm. Better.
MIDGE
Did you need it?
SCOTTIE
Yeah.
MIDGE
Oh?
She crosses the room to get her own drink, giving a flick of
a glance at the canvas as she goes. Scottie watches her,
slightly amused, knowing that her curiosity is working like
mad.
SCOTTIE
What was this desperate urge to see
me?
MIDGE
All I said in the note was: "Where
are you?" That doesn't sound desperate
to me.
SCOTTIE
Well, I detected an undercurrent.
MIDGE
I just thought if I gave you a drink
and fed you some dinner, you'd be so
grateful you'd take me to a movie.
SCOTTIE
Fair enough. What'll we talk about
at dinner?
MIDGE
Oh... this and that.
SCOTTIE
What I've been doing?
MIDGE
If you want to. Naturally, we won't
talk about anything you don't want
to talk about.
SCOTTIE
Naturally.
Pause.
MIDGE
(Innocently)
What have you been doing?
SCOTTIE
(With small grin)
Wandering.
He takes another long pull and wanders over and sweetens the
drink. Midge moves a little to block his view of the easel
and canvas.
SCOTTIE
What have you been doing?
He wanders back into the room.
MIDGE
Oh, I'm having a wonderful time!
I've gone back to my first love...
painting.
SCOTTIE
Good. I've always said you were
wasting your time in the underwear
department.
MIDGE
Well, it's a living. But I'm excited
about this.
SCOTTIE
What is it, a still life?
MIDGE
No, not exactly. Want to see?
Scottie moves toward the easel and Midge backs away, so that
as he comes around to face the canvas she in beyond him, in
back of him. As he moves toward the easel:
MIDGE
As a matter of fact, I thought I
might give it to you.
SCOTTIE
(smiling, surprised)
Oh?
And now he comes around to face the easel and stops to look.
Beyond him Midge's face has a great smile of anticipation.
And now we see what he sees. The CAMERA RESTS on the lower
half of the canvas and we see the folds of the blue and gold
gown, and the two hands, one holding the nosegay. The CAMERA
PANS UP to reveal that it is a hasty but quite creditable
copy of the "Portrait of Carlotta", half size, but there is
one difference. The face is Midge's face.
INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT)
Scottie staring at the portrait. Beyond him, Midge smiling
with anticipation. Scottie's face is drained and
expressionless, and a deep look of sadness and regret comes
into his eyes.
Pause.
SCOTTIE
(Softly)
Not funny, Midge.
Midge's smile fades. She is puzzled and surprised. Scottie
puts down his drink gently and without looking at her, starts
for the door.
MIDGE
Johnny!
Scottie takes his hat from the chair and moves on to the
door. Midge, completely taken aback, starts for him.
MIDGE
But Johnny, I thought you would --
She breaks off as he turns his head to look at her. He's not
at all angry, but disturbed inside and sorry it happened.
SCOTTIE
(Nicely)
We'll make that movie some other
night, huh?
And he goes out the door and closes it behind him.
MIDGE
(Desperately apologetic)
But Johnny...!!!
And she stares at the door with a "Well-I'll-be-damned"
expression. And now, abruptly, she gets angry at herself.
MIDGE
Ah, no!!
She turns away and moves toward the canvas
MIDGE
Oh! Marjorie Wood!! You fool!!
She stops before the canvas and stares at her face in the
portrait. And all her anger at herself comes out in one great
blast of scorn.
MIDGE
(At the portrait)
OH!!!!!
And she picks up a brush and with three vicious daubs paints
a moustache and a beard on her image. Then she throws the
brush out the window.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. UNION SQUARE - (NIGHT)
It is about 3 a.m. The Square is deserted -- perhaps an odd
taxi or car drives by. We see Scottie, a solitary figure,
walking. By his attitude, head down, hands thrust into his
pockets, we see that he is lost in thought wrestling with
his problem.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (EARLY DAWN)
Scottie is in the easy chair facing the fire asleep. His tie
is loosened, his shirt is open at the neck. It is clear that
he fell asleep while sitting there thinking of Madeleine,
and slept through the night. The fire is almost out. Through
the window we can barely distinguish Coit Tower in the
beginning of a grey dawn. The doorbell begins to ring
instantly. There is a knocking on the door. Scottie awakens
sharply, gathers himself together, hurries to the door and
opens it. Madeleine stands there, looking shaken and white
and frightened. She is wearing a black suede jacket and black
slacks. Behind her, fingers of mist swirl in the lightening
day. She stands there staring at him pleadingly.
SCOTTIE
What's the matter?... What time is
it?... Madeleine, what's happened?
He draws her in and closes the door and leads her into the
room.
MADELEINE
(Barely)
I should have phoned... but I wanted
to see you... be with you...
SCOTTIE
Why? What's happened?
MADELEINE
I had the dream. The dream came back
again...
She is trembling, and he holds her closely.
SCOTTIE
It's all right. You're all right,
I'll get you some brandy.
He breaks away to a small cupboard nearby.
MADELEINE
(Sharply)
No, don't go away!
SCOTTIE
Only this far.
He gets out a bottle of brandy and a small glass and uncorks
the bottle and pours the brandy as he comes back to her.
SCOTTIE
Here. Straight down, it's medicine.
She takes a sip and puts the glass away.
SCOTTIE
Where's your husband?
MADELEINE
I didn't wake him. I don't want him
to know...
She is still shaking.
SCOTTIE
Here, now, it's going to be all right.
Here.
He gently pushes her down in the easy chair, turns swiftly
and kicks up the fire and throws some wood on. He pulls the
low stool up before her, sits on it, and takes her hands.
SCOTTIE
It was a dream, you're awake, you're
all right, now. Can you tell me?
MADELEINE
It was the tower again... and the
bell, and the old Spanish village...
SCOTTIE
Yes --
MADELEINE
But clear... so very clear... for
the first time... all of it...
SCOTTIE
Tell me.
MADELEINE
There was a village square, a green
with trees... and an old whitewashed
Spanish church with a cloister.
Across the green: a big, grey, wooden
house with a porch and shutters and
a balcony above... a small garden,
and next to it, a livery stable...
with old carriages lined up inside.
Scottie has been listening intently with growing awareness,
and now as she mentions the livery stable, his eyes glow
with the excitement of recognition.
SCOTTIE
Go on.
MADELEINE
At the end of the green there was a
whitewashed stone house with a lovely
pepper tree at the corner --
SCOTTIE
(Finishing it)
-- and an old wooden hotel of the
old California days, and a saloon...
dark... low-ceilinged... with hanging
oil lamps.
MADELEINE
Yes?! But --
SCOTTIE
(Gently)
It's all there. It's no dream.
Pause, as she stares at him, puzzled, anxious.
SCOTTIE
You've been there before. You've
seen it.
MADELEINE
No, never!
SCOTTIE
Madeleine, a hundred miles south of
San Francisco there's an old Spanish
Mission, Mission San Juan Bautista.
It's been preserved exactly as it
was a hundred years ago as a museum.
Now, think hard, darling. You've
been there before. You've seen it!
MADELEINE
(Frightened)
No, never! I've never been there!
Scottie, what is it? I've never been
there!
Long pause as they stare at each other, he desperately trying
to think it through, shes moved and frightened. He rises and
moves away, anxious and shaken.
SCOTTIE
(To himself)
Carlotta...
He shakes his head angrily, fighting the idea. Madeleine
watches him anxiously.
SCOTTIE
What was it he said? She came from
somewhere south of the city... some
say a mission settlement...
He turns on Madeleine almost desperately.
SCOTTIE
Madeleine, think hard!!
She shakes her head frantically, hopelessly, close to tears.
Pause.
SCOTTIE
(Quietly)
Go on with your dream. What was it
that frightened you?
MADELEINE
I stood alone on the green, searching
for something, and I started to walk
to the church. But then the darkness
closed in, I was alone in the dark,
being pulled into darkness, and I
fought to wake up...
She looks at him, frightened again by the memory. He goes to
her reassuringly.
SCOTTIE
You're going to be all right now,
Madeleine. I've got something to
work on now. I'm going to take you
there -- to the Mission -- this
afternoon. And when you see it, you'll
remember when you saw it before, and
that will finish your dream and
destroy it. I promise. You'll be
free.
She looks up at him and tries to smile.
SCOTTIE
All right?
She nods.
SCOTTIE
I'll take you home. If your husband
is awake, say you couldn't sleep and
went out for some air. And come back
to me about noon. Come along.
He raises her to her feet. She smiles up at him gratefully.
MADELEINE
No, I'll go alone. I'm all right.
They stand there for a moment, looking at each other.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY SOUTH OF SAY FRANCISCO - (DAY)
Tall trees line the road on both sides and arch across to
meet high above, forming a long shadowy tunnel shot through
with streamers of sunlight. We are as though in the front
seat, of a car, traveling fast, looking up and ahead to the
distant end of the tunnel, and the trees flash by.
EXT. THE HIGHWAY - (DAY)
Another angle to show the green Jaguar traveling along the
road through the tunnel of trees.
INT. THE JAGUAR - (DAY)
Madeleine and Scottie; he is at the wheel, staring straight
ahead, lost in thought. Madeleine, now smartly-dressed in
her grey suit, is staring up at the tunnel of trees. Scottie
glances at her. She smiles at him timidly.
EXT. THE HIGHWAY - (DAY)
SHOOTING down the road toward the end of the tunnel of trees,
and the Jaguar moving away fast. It sets clear of the trees
and into daylight.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE HIGHWAY: A ROAD JUNCTION - (DAY)
Side angle SHOT of the Jaguar as it turns off onto a side
road. The CAMERA PANS the car, then loses it as it goes out
of the SHOT, and HOLDS on a road sign that reads:
MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA 3 MILES
EXT. MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (DAY)
We are looking along the cloisters, down the long corridor
of arches. In the foreground a small sign a standard reads:
EL CAMINO REAL
MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA FOUNDED
JUNE 24, 1797
The music of the Mission theme, mingled with Carlotta's theme,
begins to drift in, an evocation of the past; a sighing that
grows end seem to have behind it the echo of lost voices
calling. The CAMERA MOVES AND EASES AROUND A BIT to look
through the arches across the green toward the open side and
the valley and the hills beyond. A lone nun is crossing the
green to the church. A clock strikes the half hour. The CAMERA
PANS to look at the large wooden two-story house on the far
side of the green, then the little garden, then the Plaza
Livery Stable, and the road alongside. The Jaguar stands
there empty. The CAMERA CONTINUES TO PAN along the whitewashed
stone Castro House, sees the pepper tree, MOVES along the
Plaza Hotel, and comes to REST SHOOTING at the saloon that
forms the far corner of the hotel. Three tourists exit from
the entrance of the hotel, get into their car. The car moves
toward the CAMERA, and goes past, and out of the SHOT. The
CAMERA DOLLIES IN to the front door of the saloon. Over the
door is a sign: PLAZA HOTEL BAR ROOM.
On either side of the door are posters proclaiming rewards
for the apprehension of bandits who have held up Wells Fargo
Express Wagons. The CAMERA SHOOTS THROUGH the open door.
INT. PLAZA HOTEL BAR ROOM - (DAY)
Empty, silent; old pool tables in the foreground, the bar in
the background. As the CAMERA SCANS the room:
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. PLAZA HOTEL FRONT PARLOR - (DAY)
It too is silent and deserted. In the far wall, a fireplace,
with an old clock on the mantel. In one corner, small old
organ, with a hymnal open on the rack; in the other corner,
a Victorian sofa. The flowered rug is faded, the furniture
is shabby.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PLAZA HOTEL - (DAY)
Looking toward the lovely pepper tree and the whitewashed
stone Castro Rouse, and the tall eucalyptus tree beyond. The
CAMERA PANS SLOWLY past the empty Jaguar and come to REST on
the dark opening of the Livery Stable and MOVES SLOWLY toward
it.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LIVERY STABLE - (DAY)
...continue to part 7
