Anna Karenina Page #18

TIME--NIGHT

Vronsky opens the carriage door for her. She gets into the coach, he closes the

door. He watches the coach go. His face.

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INT. KARENIN COACH, SAME TIME--NIGHT

Her face.

INT. ENTRANCE HALL, KARENIN HOUSE--NIGHT

Kapitonich lets Anna in.

INT. KARENIN'S DRESSING ROOM, KARENIN

HOUSE--NIGHT

Karenin, reading by candlelight in his dressing gown, hears the sounds of

Anna's return, all the way to her entrance. He cracks his knuckles.

ANNA:

Waiting up? How unlike you!

KARENIN:

Yes, I stayed up to talk to you.

Anna keeps going, to her dressing room/boudoir.

ANNA:

What about? It's late. Where's Annushka?

He waits for her to return without her cloak.

KARENIN:

I sent her off.

ANNA:

Well, if you want to talk, but we should go

to bed.

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KARENIN:

I have to warn you about something.

ANNA:

Warn me? It's really rather late . . .

KARENIN:

I wish to warn you that you may inadver-

tently, by indiscretion and carelessness, give

the world occasion to talk about you.

ANNA:

I am not a committee. Please say what you

want to tell me.

KARENIN:

You and Count Vronsky attracted attention

tonight.

ANNA:

You don't like it when I don't talk to people,

and you don't like it when I do.

KARENIN:

I didn't notice anything, myself. But I saw

that everyone else noticed. I consider jeal-

ousy to be insulting to you and degrading

to me. I have no right to inquire into your

feelings. They concern only your conscience.

But I'm your husband and I love you. It's

my duty to remind you that we are bound

together by God, and this bond can only be

broken by a crime against God.

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ANNA:

I have nothing to say to you, and I'm tired.

KARENIN:

And you have a son.

She returns to the boudoir. After a moment he follows.

INT. ANNA'S BOUDOIR, KARENIN HOUSE, SAME

TIME--NIGHT

Karenin finds her in her underwear, throwing aside her dress. He apolo-

gises for that.

KARENIN:

Forgive me.

(TURNING ASIDE)

If I am wrong, I ask your pardon.

ANNA:

(LIGHTLY)

I don't know what you're talking about, and

it's really too late for this. Excuse me, please.

Because she wants to undress, Karenin leaves her.

INT. BEDROOM, KARENIN'S HOUSE, SAME TIME--NIGHT

Anna lies in bed next to Karenin, elated.

ANNA:

(ALMOST INAUDIBLE)

Too late.

81

CLOSE--

In the next instant, seemingly in her own bed, she gasps and jerks as though

her body has taken a blow.

The CUTS are now between a fragmented narrative of voracious sex ("SEX AS

BEFORE") and "prelude to sex," this being a sequence of shots starting with:--

EXT. VRONSKY APARTMENT, DAY

Anna arrives, heavily veiled, by cab. She enters the building.

SEX AS BEFORE:

INT. VRONSKY APARTMENT, SAME TIME--DAY

Vronsky opens his door to Anna. They don't speak. He takes her hand and

brings her in.

SEX AS BEFORE:

INT. VRONSKY'S APARTMENT, SAME TIME--DAY

Vronsky leads Anna through the apartment to the bedroom.

SEX AS BEFORE:

INT. VRONSKY'S BEDROOM, SAME TIME--DAY

Vronsky takes off Anna's outer clothes, slowly and carefully, starting with

her hat and veil.

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SEX AS BEFORE:

INT. VRONSKY'S BEDROOM, SAME TIME--DAY

Anna, in underclothes, unbuttons Vronsky's shirt.

SEX AS BEFORE:

INT. VRONSKY'S BEDROOM, SAME TIME--DAY

Anna and Vronsky are standing kissing passionately. He has no shirt.

SEX AS BEFORE:

INT. VRONSKY'S BEDROOM, SAME TIME--DAY

Anna ends up half off the edge of Vronsky's bed, climaxing upside down

and falling to the floor. Vronsky, also half off the bed, looks down at her.

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