Capote Page #4

CUT TO:

3 1 INT . RENTAL CAR/EXT . NEIGHBORHOOD - AFTERNOON 3 1

Nelle and Truman walk quickly back to the hotel. Nelle has

the diary open.

NELLE:

"Danny here tonight and we watched

TV. So nice just having him sit

with us. Left at eleven. P.s.-

He's the only one I really love."

She turns the page. The rest of the book is blank.

NELLE (cont'd)

And that was that.

TRUMAN:

The end of a life.

CUT TO:

Green

INT. WALKER HOTEL, NELLE'S ROOM - LATE NIGHT 3 2

Nelle typing. Truman is propped up on pillows on the bed,

scrunching his eyes to remember what was said that afternoon,

then writing quickly on one of many YELLOW LEGAL PADS,

handing the pages of interview dialogue to Nelle. He's

exhausted. Nelle stops typing a moment, looks through the

pages Truman has handed her:

NELLE:

"Shattered."

TRUMAN:

"Pretty shattered. Nothing

terrible ever happened to him

before. "

He pushes some pillows aside and lies down.

TRUMAN (cont Id)

I have 94 percent recall of all

conversations.

NELLE:

94 percent.

TRUMAN:

I've tested myself.

NELLE:

(scans some of what he's

written)

I hate that you're better than me

at this.

She turns back to the typewriter. She types. Truman lies

there, looking at the ceiling for a few moments. He closes

his eyes. Nelle knows without looking -

NELLE (cant ' d)

Don't you dare close your eyes on

my bed.

No answer. She keeps typing.

NELLE (cont ' d)

Stand up and walk out that door.

Go to your room if you're gonna

sleep. Truman. Truman.

Nelle turns to look at him. He's asleep. She goes back to

typing. Under her breath:

Green

NELLE (cont'd)

FADE OUT.

3 3 INT. WALKER HOTEL, BREAKFABT ROOM - LATE MORNING 3 3

Truman drinks coffee alone, sleepy. He takes a SMALL BOTTLE

of HOT-PEPPER TABASCO from his jacket pocket and shakes it

over his EGGS. He replaces the bottle in his jacket. Nelle

walks into the lobby from upstairs, heads for Truman.

NELLE:

What right do you have being tired?

You were snoring blissfully -

TRUMAN:

I don't snore -

NELLE:

- while I lay there, hating you -

TRUMAN:

You don't hate me.

NELLE:

Not much.

(She sits. Truman holds

out a NOTE)

What?

(takes it, looks)

Marie Dewey?... We've got somewhere

to go for Thanksgiving supper.

TRUMAN:

Apparently Detective Foxy's wife

has a better opinion of me than

Detective Foxy.

CUT TO:

3 4 EXT. D-Y HOME - AFTEIWOON 34 *

Ding Dong. We see the FRONT DOOR open. Reveal MARIE DEWEY - pretty, 35, dressed primly - and her two boys: ALVIN JR. (9),

and PAUL (6), lurking behind, curious. Marie smiles.

MARIE:

You came.

Green

Reverse onto Nelle... and Truman, dressed in a DARK SUIT,

hair neatly combed, like an Exeter schoolboy attending a

funeral. Nelle smiles.

NELLE:

Hi.

Nelle nudges Truman, who hands over his gifts: a BOTTLE OF

J&B, and a PACKAGE of GOURMET SPICED NUTS.

TRUMAN:

(soberly)

Thank you for having us.

MARIE:

(mock serious)

Thank you.

(then:
)

Get yourselves in here.

(turns and walks into the

house)

Alvin! Get your pants on. They're

here.

On Nelle and Truman, surprised.

3 5 INT. DEWEY HOME, LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON 35 *

A FOOTBALL GAME plays on the television. No one's watching.

We can HEAR Alvin on the phone in his study at the back of

the house.

3 6 INT. DEWEY HOME, KITCHEN - CONTRJUOUB 36 *

Truman and Marie at the stove. Nelle sits at the kitchen

table. Truman has his jacket off and an apron on, as does

Marie. They are peering into a POT OF BLACK-EYED PEAS.

Marie is shaking in drops of HOT PEPPER TABASCO.

TRUMAN:

More. More.

MARIE:

Alvin will hate this.

TRUMAN:

Yes, but we who know the truth will

love it.

MARIE:

(laughs)

I have to stop.

(then)

I cannot believe you're from New

Orleans. I miss it so much.

TRUMAN:

I only lived there for a short

while but my Mama was born and

bred.

MARIE:

You know something - Alvin pretends

he doesn't know who you are, but

the minute you came to town he read

your books. He had one of his men

pick up "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in

Kansas City 'cause it's banned from

the library here.

TRUMAN:

What did Mr. Dewey think?

MARIE:

He liked it more than he's willing

to admit.

TRUMAN:

How very foxy.

Marie smiles at that word used to describe her husband.

TRUMAN:

Mama would've put in half the

bottle by now.

Beat.

MARIE:

Alright, one more shake.

3 7 INT. DEWEY HOME, HALLWAY - CONTINUOUB 37 *

Alvin walks toward the kitchen. He smokes. He looks

exhausted. He hears SQUEALS of laughter.

3 8 INT. DEWEY HOME, KITCHEN - CONTINUOUB 38 *

Alvin enters. They all stop laughing and look at him. Alvin

nods to Truman and Nelle.

TRUMAN:

Hello.

Silence. Marie sips her drink.

NELLE:

Hi.

MARIE:

How you doing, foxy?

She cracks up.

3 9 INT. DEWEY HOME, DINING ROOM - LATER 39 *

The remains of dinner. The kids have left. The bottle of

J&B sits on the table, half -empty. Marie's a bit drunk.

Everyone's PLATE is clean except for Alvin's, on which sits a

MOUND of uneaten black-eyed peas. Truman is mid-story.

TRUMAN:

I was writing the script as they

were filming, all that time in

Italy. I'd work like mad all day

long and then dash down to the bar

around midnight to hand in the next

day's scenes. Humphrey had just

about moved into the hotel barMARIE

(whispers to Alvin)

Humphrey Bogart.

Alvin knows.

TRUMAN - where he and John drank every

nightMARIE

(to Alvin)

John Huston .

Green

Alvin knows.

TRUMAN:

- and I mean drank, like famished

water buffaloes. Well - I'd only

just handed them the final scene

when the bellhop told me I had a

phone call. It was my stepfather,

Joe Capote, calling to say that my

mother had died. I flew home to

New York - terribly distraught -

but when I got to the apartment I

could see that Joe was ,in even

worse shape than I was. He grabbed

my hands and sat me down at the

kitchen table, and he said to me,

"Talk. Talk about anything, any

subject in the world. Don't worry

whether it will interest me or not.

Just talk so I won't break down."

And I did. He couldn't bear to be

alone with his thoughts. It was

too painful.

It's quiet for a moment, then Marie looks at Alvin.

MARIE:

It's been a hard couple weeks for

Alvin. He and Herb Clutter were

good friends. From church.

DEWEY:

Marie -

MARIE:

Oh come on, Alvin. These are good

people.

Finally, Dewey looks at Truman and Nelle.

4 0 INT. DEWEY HOHE, STUDY - NIGHT 40 *

Alvin shows Truman and Nelle the CRIME SCENE PHOTOS from the

Clutter murders. We see the four corpses, BOUND and SHOT,

the bloody footprints in the Clutter basement. Truman and

Nelle stare at the photos of Nancy and Kenyon. Then, quietly-

Green 11/2/05 24.

TRUMAN:

Who would put a pillow under the

boy's head just to shoot him? Why

would they tuck Nancy in?

DEWEY:

(surprised by the insight)

I want to know the same thing.

Truman hands Nelle one of the photos. She looks at it -

NELLE:

Twisted notion of tenderness.

CUT TO:

4 1 EXT. DEWEY HOME - NIGHT 41 *

Rate this script:4.0 / 1 vote