Scripts: Rear Window (final draft, 01/Dec/1953) - part 4
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Jeff, listening to the composer. His head turns as Lisa's
voice comes over:
LISA
(Emerging from kitchen)
Where's that music coming from?
THE CAMERA QUICKLY PULL BACK as Jeff swings his chair around.
Lisa is emerging from the kitchen, carrying the serving dish
of their lobster thermidor.
JEFF
Oh... some songwriter. In the studio
apartment. Lives alone. Probably had
an unhappy marriage.
LISA
(Putting down the food)
I think it's enchanting.
She pulls up a chair and seats herself at the card table. We
now observe that two small lit candles adorn the table, and
the rest of the room lights are out.
LISA
Almost as if it were being written
especially for us.
JEFF
(Pleasantly)
No wonder he's having so much trouble
with it.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
A faint shade of disappointment is seen on Lisa's face; but
she quickly recovers and looks down at the table.
LISA
Well, at least you can't say the
dinner isn't right.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff looks at her soberly.
JEFF
Lisa, it's perfect
(Looks down at the
food, without enthusiasm)
As always.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
The brightness drains from Lisa's face, and she lowers her
eyes slowly toward the table.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
Lisa slowly helping Jeff to lobster from the main dish.
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
Shooting over Jeff's shoulder we see beyond him the divan-
bed upon which Lisa is stretched out. There is one light
burning, behind Lisa's head. A fierce discussion is in
progress. Lisa gesticulates with her hands, body and legs.
LISA
There can't be that much difference
between people and the way they live!
We all eat, talk, drink, laugh, sleep,
wear clothes --
Jeff raises both his hands.
JEFF
Well now, look --
Lisa draws back one leg, and points a finger challengingly.
LISA
If you're saying all this just because
you don't want to tell me the truth,
because you're hiding something from
me, then maybe I can understand --
JEFF
There's nothing I'm hiding. It's
just that --
LISA
(Won't let him break in)
It doesn't make sense to me. What's
so different about it here from over
there, or any place you go, that one
person couldn't live in both places
just as easily?
JEFF
Some people can. Now if you'll let
me explain --
LISA
(Ignores him)
What is it but traveling from one
place to another, taking pictures?
It's just like being a tourist on an
endless vacation.
JEFF
All right. That's your opinion. You're
entitled to it, but --
LISA
It's ridiculous for you to say that
it can only be done by a special,
private little group of anointed
people.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Jeff begin to get desperate.
JEFF
I made a simple, but true statement
and I'll back it up, if you'll just
shut up for a minute!
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
Lisa, stretched out on the divan. She looks at him for a
moment without speaking. Then:
LISA
If your opinion is as rude as your
manner, I'm not sure I want to hear
it.
We see Jeff's hand coming to the foreground with a restraining
gesture.
JEFF
(Soothing her)
Lisa, simmer down -- will you?
LISA
(Something starts her up again)
You can't fit in here -- I can't fit
in there. According to you, people
should be born, live an die on the
same --
JEFF
(Loud, sharp)
Lisa! Shut up!
Lisa turns on her side, and stares into the room, angrily.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
After a moment of silence, Jeff says earnestly:
JEFF
Did you ever eat fish heads and rice?
LISA
Of course not.
JEFF
You might have to, if you went with
me. Ever try to keep warm in a C-54,
at fifteen thousand feet, at twenty
below zero?
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Lisa, still looking out into the room, and without turning,
says:
LISA
Oh, I do that all the time. Whenever
I have a few minutes after lunch.
JEFF
Ever get shot at, run over, sandbagged
at night because people got
unfavorable publicity from your
camera?
She doesn't answer, obviously annoyed at the unnecessary
questions.
JEFF
Those high heels would be a lot of
use in the jungle -- and those nylons
and six-ounce lingerie --
LISA
(Quickly)
Three.
JEFF
Well, they'd be very stylish in
Finland -- just before you froze to
death. Begin to get the idea?
She turns at last, and looks across at him.
LISA
If there's one thing I know, it's
how to wear the proper clothes.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
SHOOTING OVER LISA'S SHOULDER, and down her body, with Jeff
in the chair beyond. Jeff says, as if remembering some old
experience:
JEFF
Huh? Try and find a raincoat in
Brazil. Even when it isn't raining
(Squints at her)
Lisa, on this job you carry one
suitcase. Your home is the available
transportation. You sleep rarely,
bathe even less, and sometime the
food you even look at when they were
alive!
LISA
Jeff, you don't have to be
deliberately repulsive just to impress
me I'm wrong.
JEFF
If anything, I'm making it sound
good.
(A thoughtful pause)
Let's face it, Lisa... you aren't
made for that kind of a life. Few
people are.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Lisa realizes she is getting nowhere.
LISA
You're too stubborn to argue with.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff, getting angry.
JEFF
I'm not stubborn! I'm truthful!
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Lisa, with sarcasm.
LISA
I know. A lesser man would have told
me it was one long holiday -- and I
would have awakened to a rude
disillusionment.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff is definitely angry.
JEFF
Now if you want to get vicious, I'd
be very happy to accommodate you!
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Lisa starts to rise from the divan, THE CAMERA PANNING UP.
She moves away from THE CAMERA into the center of the room,
as she says:
LISA
(Wearily)
No. I don't particularly want that.
(She turns, faces him)
So that's it. You won't stay here --
I can't go with you.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff looks across at her with some concern.
JEFF
It would be the wrong thing.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
Lisa, from Jeff's viewpoint.
LISA
You don't think either one of us
could ever change?
JEFF
Right now, it doesn't seem so.
Lisa begins to move around the room assembling her possessions
preparatory to leaving. She puts a comb, and other effects,
into a handbag. She gets her stole.
All this as she talks.
LISA
(Simply)
I'm in love with you. I don't care
what you do for a living. Somehow I
would just like to be part of it.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Jeff starts to say something then thinks better of it, and
remains silent.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
Lisa pauses in the act of gathering her things together.
LISA
And it's deflating to find out that
the only way I can be part of it --
is to take out a subscription to
your magazine. I guess I'm not the
girl I thought I was.
JEFF
There's nothing wrong with you, Lisa.
You have the town in the palm of
your hand.
LISA
(Looks at Jeff)
Not quite -- it seems.
(Tosses a stole over
her shoulder)
Goodbye, Jeff.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
JEFF
You mean "goodnight."
LISA
I mean what I said.
Jeff's eyes follow her up the steps toward the door. He calls
out to her, impulsively, as we HEAR the SOUND of the door
opening.
JEFF
Lisa!
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT
Lisa turns in the half-opened door.
JEFF
Can't we just sort of keep things
status quo?
LISA
Without any future?
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI LONG SHOT
Jeff tries to be pleasant, and offhand.
JEFF
Well -- when'll I see you again?
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Lisa, standing in the open doorway.
LISA
Not for a long time. Not, at least
until --
(She begins smiling)
-- tomorrow night.
Continues smiling as she close the door softly behind her.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
The pleasantness on Jeff's face slowly melts into baffled
discouragement. He reaches for a nearby phone picks up the
receiver, dials. It buzzes on filter.
Receiver up on filter.
GUNNISON
(Filter)
Hello.
JEFF
Gunnison?
GUNNISON
Yeah. Is that you, Jeff?
JEFF
It's me.
GUNNISON
Something wrong?
JEFF
The word is "everything." Now what
time does my plane leave Tuesday?
GUNNISON
(Unhappy)
Jeff --
JEFF
(Won't give him time
to argue)
I don't care where it goes -- just
as long as I'm on it.
GUNNISON
(Wearily, after pause)
Okay. Indo-China. Tuesday. We'll
pick you up.
JEFF
That's more like it. Goodnight, old
buddy.
GUNNISON
Yeah.
Jeff hangs up, looks up to the door through which Lisa left.
He's not particularly happy.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Jeff returns to the window. He lights a cigarette and smokes
it peacefully, as he contemplates the neighborhood.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT
The CAMERA slowly sweeps over the various apartments with an
odd window lit here and there. In the distant street there
is still some traffic passing, with one or two pedestrians
going by. THE CAMERA completes its sweep, and starts to move
back again. Somewhere a dog howls. The PANNING CAMERA comes
to a sudden halt.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff smiles a little, but as the howl continues, his
expressions sobers. His eyes begin to scan the neighborhood,
as if looking for the source. He fails to find it, and sits
there, puzzled and disturbed. The scene, and the sound of
the dog:
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Jeff's chair is turned facing the window so that we see the
darkened room behind him. There is just one side light
burning, which illuminates the side of his face.
His head nods sleepily as he dozes. He opens his eyes and
looks out, as a slight sound of rain starts.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - LONG SHOT
From his viewpoint we see the first few drops of rain starting
to fall. It is sort, gentle rain, not a downpour. There are
still some windows lit in the neighborhood. The apartment
house corridors all have small night lights burning.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff wakens a little more fully as his attentions is drawn
to:
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
The couple who sleep on the fire escape. The increasing rain
cause them to hastily gather their things to retreat inside.
The man, hurriedly untying the alarm clock from the railing
of the fire escape, lets it slip through his fingers. As if
falls to the garden below, the CAMERA FANS SWIFTLY down with
it. When the clock hits the ground, the alarm goes off sending
a shrill sound through the neighborhood.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff smiles at the incident, and then lowers his eyes slightly
as something else catches his attention.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
Coming out of his apartment into the corridor on the floor
below is the salesman with the nagging wife. The shades are
drawn in his apartment, but a light burns dimly behind them.
The salesman carries a large aluminum suitcase -- the same
one we saw him with earlier in the day. The sound of the
alarm startles him. He turns toward the window a moment
listening. Then reassured that is is nothing important, he
turns and moves down the corridor.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff is puzzled. He looks down a moment in thought. Then he
darts his eyes and swings them toward the left.
He looks steadily toward the distant street corner.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT
The street corner, lighted by a lamp, is deserted. A moment
later, the salesman, still carrying the suitcase, moves
diagonally across the corner, head down against the rain.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
Jeff looks wonderingly at this nocturnal activity. Then he
looks down at his wristwatch.
INSERT
Jeff's watch reads 1:55.
QUICK FADE OUT:
QUICK FADE IN:
INSERT
The watch now reads 2:35.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
More puzzled, allows his eyes to travel from the street to
the apartment corridor.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
The salesman is see coming down the corridor to his apartment,
still carrying the aluminum case. He quickly enters his
apartment door in a business-like manner.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff starts to assume a thoughtful air, when he is startled
by a light which falls across his face from the right. He
looks toward the light.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
The light comes from the song-writer's apartment. His door
is open, and he is hanging onto the door frame, his hand
still on the light switch. He surveys his apartment. He
appears rather drunk. He comes into the apartment, closes
the door behind him, and sways a little. He wears a hat,
pushed back on his forehead, and no raincoat. His clothes
are quite wet. He might have even fallen.
He looks disgustedly at the piano, then lurches toward it.
There is no doubt now as the state of his drunkenness. At
the piano he viciously sweeps all the note paper off the
music stand. This seems to give him some satisfaction, but
he loses his balance, twists sideways, and fall into a nearby
chair. He remains there, bleary-eyed and a little sick.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP
What he has observed seems to give Jeff an idea. He moves
his wheelchair backward and to the left alongside the side
board. Awkwardly, with his left hand, he reaches up for a
bottle of whiskey. He cradles the bottle in his lap, and
reaches for a tumbler. He then wheels back to the window,
and pours himself a good, long drink. He lifts up the glass,
starts to drink, but something happening beyond his window
startles him and he stops in the middle of his drink, his
eyes a little wider then usual.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT
The salesman is again leaving his apartment with his aluminum
suitcase.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff's eyes travel down to the street.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT
A brief moment or two. Then the salesman, carrying his
aluminum case, crosses the street.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff's face is expressionless. He just stares.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff's head is nodding and dozing again. The side light from
the song-writer's apartment is no longer on his face. Jeff's
eyes open, then his head comes up quickly, trying to clear
the sleep from his mind, as he remembers the object of his
vigilance.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT
The salesman's apartment shows the shades drawn and a dim
light burning behind them. The CAMERA PANS to the empty
corridor.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff's eyes turn sharply in the direction of the street.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT
The street is deserted. At the right hand side of the screen
a light goes on. THE CAMERA PANS OVER and we see that Miss
Torso has returned from her date. She is wearing a three-
quarter length coat over her evening dress. She is inside,
with the door two-thirds closed, but she leans out to kiss
someone goodnight. Then it takes some coaxing to get the
door completely closed.
She turns the key in the lock. She listens a moment then
comes to the center of the room. She takes her coat off and
drapes it over chair. She removes the screen in front of the
ice box, then opens the ice box.
She searches it for something to eat; finds a big piece of
pumpkin pie. She closes the ice box. She starts to eat the
pie as she moves in the direction of the bathroom. Stopping
a moment, she puts the piece of pie on a table, and proceeds
to take off her dress. Undoing the zippers, she slides it
over her head as she passes into the bathroom. The dress is
thrown on a nearby chair, and the bare arm picks up a piece
of pie. She is now in the bathroom. We see her slip down the
brassiere straps, but the window does not permit us to see
any lower. As she munches on the pie, she pulls out a few
pins holding up her hair, which she proceeds to brush
rhythmically. She turns and moves down her bare back.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff's eyes suddenly switch to the street.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI LONG SHOT
We catch a quick glimpse of the salesman, just passing the
alleyway, suitcase in hand. The CAMERA PANS across the ballet
dancer's apartment, over to the salesman's apartment. It
waits, until he appears in the corridor.
He enters his apartment.
INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP
Jeff sits in his wheelchair, looking quietly out at the
neighborhood, sleep beginning to take hold on him again.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - LONG SHOT
THE CAMERA PANS slightly over the whole of the neighborhood.
The lights in Miss Torso's apartment snap out. Only one light
remains. It burns behind the drawn shades of the salesman's
apartment.
FADE OUT:
...continue to part 5
