A Matter of Life and Death Page #3

You know, I think you're not a bad chap.

Do you play chess?

Yes.

So do I.

We could play every day.

Some other time.

Next time, perhaps?

Au revoir, mon ami.

No, thank you, darling.

"No, thank you" what?

You just asked me to have a drink.

Did I?

Yes, I remember I did.

- What's the matter with me?|- What is it? Is it your head again?

Might be, yes.

An odd thing happened|while you were asleep.

I haven't been asleep.

Didn't you hear us talking?

No.

Who was there to talk to?

- They sent somebody.|- They? Who are they?

I don't know.

June, do I look cracked?

Not to me, darling. Are you?

There was a ten-tenths' fog last night.

- That's right, isn't it?|- You know there was.

- I did bail out without a parachute.|- That's your story.

- So how can I be alive?|- I give up.

- I don't know and I don't care.|- My parachute was shot up.

When I came to, I had none.|Anyway, why wasn't I drowned?

No need to prove to me|you ought to be dead.

I ought to be according to this character.

This conductor they sent after me|said he missed me in the fog.

Bad luck for them, good luck for me.

I said I'd appeal.|He's gone to get instructions.

It's not my fault I'm not dead!

It's not my fault I found you|and fell in love with you.

Maybe he wasn't here at all!

Hey, you, Frenchman!

Where are you?!

- What is it?|- Ohh, I've got an awful headache.

June?

June, you're there, aren't you?

Yes, Peter, of course I'm here.

I... thought I'd lost you.

(phone rings)

Dr Reeves's residence.

Oh, good morning, Miss June.

Yes, isn't it? The doctor's up in his thing -|his camera obscura.

He's got his new lens from the shop|today. It makes a lovely picture.

He's taken the big white garden table|to project on.

He'll be glad you're coming over.|He's showing it to the dogs.

(Dr Reeves) Ah, nice day.

Hmm, Mrs Bedwell's ducks out too early.

She'll lose all the eggs if she's not careful.

Ahh, the start of the cycling season.|There's a hefty young girl.

Time Mrs Tucker went to get our rations.|There she is.

Ooh, the Vicar and his sister -|not coming here, I hope. No. Good.

Quite a queue at the butcher's.|Must have some offal.

Wonderful how the kids love playing|in the splash. The same in my day.

That tree ought to come down.

Old Mary looking quite skittish.

Sally Allgood getting herself dated up.

Ah, here's June, here she comes.

She walks in beauty like the night.

Only she's cycling and the sun is out.|Nice girl.

Worth a hatful of ambassadors|in Lee Wood, anyway.

Come on up!

Hello, Doc.

Hello, June. Come in, shut the door.

Surveying your kingdom?

A village doctor has to know everything.

You'd be surprised how many diagnoses|I've formed up here.

I love looking at the village from here.

Looks so different.

That's because you see it all clearly|and at once, as in a poet's eye.

I want to talk to you.

So you said, but it's none of my business.

Dr McEwen says it's right up your street.

This is my street, a village street.|I'm a village doctor.

Only because you like living here.

McEwen says what you don't know|about neurology would fill a peanut.

I'm a good guesser.

Your guesses are in famous magazines...

.. like that "Brain" I've seen in your library.

- Dr McEwen says...|- I know what he says.

- I had a talk with him on the phone.|- Oh, did you?

After I'd talked to you.

This is the RAF's business.|Carter should rejoin his station today.

- I know.|- What's it got to do with you?

Oh, I'm just interested.

Oh, I see.

Strictly speaking, he's a RAF case.

He's not a case, he's a person,|a very fine person.

I want you to see him, Frank.

I don't want just anyone mauling him|and asking him questions.

I want you. I'm sure the RAF would say...

I know what they'd say.|I spoke to his CO this morning.

- Oh, Frank!|- And to his Group MO.

- Fortunately, he's heard of me.|- Frank!

If you'd done that earlier,|I'd have told you earlier.

You can't kidnap RAF officers|just cos you like the shape of their nose!

Not his nose, his voice.|I fell for that before I saw him.

He believes he jumped|with no parachute?

- Yes.|- He has hallucinations?

During these bouts, does he go pale?

- Yes, yes, he did.|- He has headaches... here?

I think so. You'd better ask him.

- But he definitely sees things?|- And hears.

All right. Did you tell him|he was talking rubbish?

- No.|- Quite right.

He's not. He's talking very logically.

Then he can't be in love. Bye.

- Frank...|- Yes?

He has a very cute nose, too!

- I'll be over about teatime.|- Right.

It's Dr Reeves. Let's go!

Yippeeeee!

- That's not how to spell Shakespeare.|- Who are you, his agent?

(Girl) You spotted snakes|with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;

Newts and blind-worms... er...

(Prompter) Do no wrong.

.. do no wrong,|Come not near our fairy queen.

You can never bring in a wall.|What say you, Bottom?

- Some guy or other...|- No, no, no!

My dear Private Logan,|Bottom's not a gangster. Watch!

Some man or other must present wall:

and let him have some plaster or some|loam or some rough-cast about him...

.. to signify wall;...

.. and let him hold his fingers thus...

.. and through that cranny|shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

- Try that, my boy.|- Can I do the business?

- It's as well, yes.|- Oh, brother!

Some man or other must present wall:

and let him have some plaster or some|loam or some rough-cast about him...

.. to signify wall.

(classical music )

(sinister music )

Check.

Peter?

Check.

Oh, dear, I didn't see that one coming.

- Good afternoon.|- Hello, Frank.

Squadron Leader Carter - Dr Reeves.

- Do I get some tea?|- It's ordered. Ginger cookies.

- Good. Who's winning?|- June's good.

But he's winning. Sit down, everybody.

Thank you.

- I've told Peter.|- What?

Who you are, what you are,|all about you.

- Tall order.|- And I've told you all about him.

- Has she read your poems?|- What poems?

Didn't you know? This is Peter Carter.

- I didn't know.|- We hadn't got around to that.

I haven't got much modern stuff,|but you're there.

- Good.|- I like your viewpoint, your English.

- I hope we shall have some talks.|- So do I.

Let's get down to this thing.

You've never had any visions|or hallucinations before?

- Never.|- What were you before?

I did European History at Oxford.

- Both parents alive?|- My mother.

- Brothers, sisters?|- Two sisters.

What was the cause|of your father's death?

Same as mine.

- Brain?|- No, war.

- When?|- 1917.

- You're... er... 29?|- 27.

- Called up?|- Volunteered.

- Trained in Canada. Ops in '41.|- Bomber?

Coastals, then instructor,|back to bombers.

- Must've done a good many ops?|- 67.

They let you go back|with your experience and seniority?

- New job. Master bomber.|- Tricky?

- Somebody's got to do it.|- Hmm.

Now... about these headaches.

- When did they start?|- Headaches?

I know you get them and you've told|nobody about them, especially your MO.

- What else do you know?|- I know about your eyes.

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