Breathe Page #3

Breathe -Blue Revision -26 June 2016 11B.

WIDE -The car has come to a stop by the side of the road asit curves round an escarpment. Beyond, the vast expanse ofAfrica.

IN THE CAR -Robin sits motionless for a moment. Then heturns to Diana, his face radiating happiness.

DIANASomebody’s pleased.

ROBIN:

Yes.

DIANAVery pleased?

ROBINBest news I’ve had since I proposedand you said yes.

DIANAYou didn’t propose.

ROBIN:

Didn’t I?

DIANAYou said you had to get marriedbefore going out to Africa or you’dgo native.

ROBINBut you did say yes, didn’t you?

DIANAApparently I did.

16 SCENE DELETED (NOW PART OF 15B) 16

Breathe -Blue Revision -26 June 2016 12.

16A EXT. AFRICAN BUSH PANORAMA -NIGHT 16A

A portable record player on the Landrover is playing ascratchy record: the song is ‘True Love’ from ‘High Society’.

Robin has Diana in his arms, and they’re dancing, alone onthe high ridge, with the great view stretching out below themin the moonlight.

SINGER:

Sun-tannedWind-blownHoneymooners at last aloneOh, how lucky we are!

Robin and Diana are dancing slowly, smiling at each other.

Robin knows the words and anticipates the sung lines

ROBINI give to you

SINGERI give to you

ROBINAnd you give to me

SINGERAnd you give to me

ROBINTrue love

SINGERTrue love, true loveSo on and onIt’ll always be

17 SCENE DELETED 17

18 SCENE DELETED 18

19 SCENE DELETED 19

Breathe -Green Revision -8 July 2016 13.

20 EXT. TERRACE, GOVERNMENT HOUSE -DAY 20

The wide shaded terrace of a grand colonial building.

Katherine Baring and Mary Dawnay dozing in the shade. Dianareading a novel. She’s now very pregnant.

Governor EVELYN BARING comes out and stands on the terrace,

looking towards a distant tennis game.

EVELYN BARINGRobin thrashing Colin again?

His wife MOLLY BARING appears behind him.

MOLLY BARINGCome on. We’ll be late.

They go.

The thwack of tennis balls. Diana looks up to glimpse the

distant game.

21 EXT. TENNIS COURT, GOVERNMENT HOUSE -DAY 21

Robin is playing tennis with Colin Campbell. He’s losing.

Colin serves. Robin’s return hits the net.

COLIN CAMPBELL:

Game!

He throws his racket high into the air, whooping with

triumph.

ROBIN:

Hell of a serve, Col. I never

knew you were that good.

COLIN CAMPBELL:

First game I’ve had off you in my

life. How about one more?

ROBIN:

No. I’ll quit while I’m still

standing.

They leave the court.

COLIN CAMPBELL:

God, that feels good! So this is

what it’s been like to be you all

these years.

Breathe -Blue Revision -26 June 2016 14.

ROBIN:

Enjoy it while it lasts, old

chum.

They come in sight of the lawn by the terrace, and burstinto laughter. Katherine Baring and Mary Dawnay areattempting the latest craze -the hula hoop.

Mary is good, swinging with her hips, making the hoop spin.

A small crowd of friends look on and applaud. Blackservants grin from the terrace.

Katherine is not so good. She steps out of her hoop asRobin and Colin join them.

KATHERINE BARING

God, I’m useless.

MARY DAWNAY:

(swinging away)

It’s all in the hips.

Robin takes the dropped hoop and steps into it. Diana lookson, smiling.

MARY DAWNAYRobin’ll be a natural. You see.

Robin spins the hoop, starts swinging his hips, but hecan’t get the knack.

ROBIN:

Harder than it looks.

MARY DAWNAY:

Just imagine you’re jiving.

Robin tries again. Diana looks on, smiling, one hand on herbump. Robin staggers slightly as he swings his hips. Thehoop drops to the ground again.

ROBIN:

Too much tennis.

He turns to Diana. She’s not smiling any more: watchinghim, puzzled. He grins, moves towards her, gives his body ashake as if to wake it up.

ROBIN:

I need a drink.

Colin has picked up the abandoned hoop and is spinning itwith great success.

COLIN CAMPBELLI’ve got it. It’s easy! Look atthis! Robin! I’m doing it!

Breathe -Green Revision -8 July 2016 15.

Robin turns to look, smiling. He feels his left arm withhis right hand.

DIANAYou all right, darling?

ROBINYes, fine. So what’s the plan?

DIANAI’ve asked Thomas to run me home.

Don’s coming round to prod me.

ROBIN:

(feeling his arm)

Maybe he should give me a prodwhile he’s at it.

DIANAAre you sure you’re all right?

ROBINI think it’s got to me, watchingyou and your bump. Makes myjoints ache.

DIANAI’ll do my own aching, thank youvery much.

He kisses her.

ROBINyou get on home. I’ve got ameeting first thing. I’ll bunkhere.

22 INT. BEDROOM, GOVERNMENT HOUSE -NIGHT 22

A plainly-furnished ADC’s bedroom. Robin sits on the bed inpyjamas, feeling one arm. Sweat on his brow.

He gets up and goes out into the passage. Knocks on a door.

Colin Campbell appears in the doorway, woken from sleep.

ROBINSorry, Col. I’m not feeling sogood.

COLIN CAMPBELLYou look ghastly.

ROBINMy arm is giving me gyp.

Colin suddenly sees that Robin’s in intense pain.

Breathe -Blue Revision -26 June 2016 16.

23 INT. NAIROBI HOSPITAL -NIGHT 23

Robin lies on a hospital bed surrounded by medical staff.

Dr Don McQueen is running checks. Colin Campbell looks onfrom behind.

Robin is now shivering with fever.

DON MCQUEENLift your right arm.

Nothing.

DON MCQUEEN:

Left arm.

Nothing.

DON MCQUEEN:

Legs.

Robin tries to move his legs and can’t. It’s scary.

ROBINCan’t move. What’s happening?

His voice comes out with difficulty.

ROBINCan’t -breathe

DON MCQUEEN:

Get ice!

CRUSHED ICE is packed round Robin’s body by nurses, moving

fast. Robin lies, eyes open, breathing with difficulty.

DON MCQUEEN:

He’s losing it. We have to get

him on a respirator.

MOVING with Robin’s bed as it’s wheeled fast down ahospital corridor. Robin breathing in agonising wheezes.

Don McQueen and Colin walking beside him.

DON MCQUEEN:

Have to get oxygen into you

somehow. Looks like we’re going

to have to smash our way in.

24 SCENE DELETED 24

24A INT. NAIROBI HOSPITAL -NIGHT 24A

CLOSE SHOT -A scalpel slices into Robin’s throat. Thetracheotomy in action.

Breathe -Blue Revision -26 June 2016 17.

25 SCENE DELETED 25

26 INT. ISOLATION WARD, NAIROBI HOSPITAL -DAY 26

DIANA’S POV entering the ward -A bed with curtains roundit. A large respirator beside it. The machine wheezes andclicks with a regular rhythm. The sound we’ve heard before,

now identified.

The nurse goes ahead of her and draws back the curtain.

There lies Robin, on his back, with a tube coming out ofhis neck.

The MOVING POV comes closer -goes round the bed

Robin lies utterly still but for his eyes, which strain tosee. He looks just the same as ever, but for this spookyimmobility.

DIANAHello, darling.

He looks back at her, unmoving.

DIANACan I kiss him?

DON MCQUEEN:

Yes.

She bends over him, kisses him. Then she sits down by the

bed. Her eyes have never left Robin’s.

His face twitches. His lips move: he’s trying to mouthwords. Diana watches, pays close attention, begins to workout what he’s saying.

DIANA:

‘Bit’

DON MCQUEEN:

The air can’t reach the larynx

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