Cat People Page #7

Irena looks at him from her throat sobs of hysterical

laughter break

OLIVER (cont'd)

Look...you're laughing. You can

see how funny it is yourself.

And it is true. Irena is laughing with him, but hers is the

forced, flat laughter of near hysteria.

The CAMERA MOVES IN so that we see that it is hysteria,

whereas Oliver, seated beside her, feels sure it Is normal

laughter joined with his.

DISSOLVE OUT.

DISSOLVE IN:

EXT. IRENA'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT

A cab draws up before Irena's apartment house. In it are

Oliver, Irena, the Commodore, and Carver. It is still

snowing lightly. Carver is the first out, extricating

himself from the jump seat. He helps Irena out, and Oliver

follows her.

CARVER:

I know a joke about weddings. Why

would my wedding be a dollar and

cents wedding?

He looks at Irena. She does not say anything. He looks

around at the rest. No one says anything. Then the

Commodore pokes his head out of the cab.

COMMODORE:

All right -- why?

CARVER:

Because I haven't d dollar, and my

girl hasn't any sense.

No one laughs. It hasn't bean a funny joke. Then Irena,

begins to laugh. She laughs hysterically. Oliver locks at

her worried. Carver is very pleased, because he thinks he

has been funny. The Commodore reaches out from the cab and

taps him on the shoulder.

COMMODORE:

Come along, Carver.

Carver climbs into the cab, and it drives off.

TWO SHOT of Irena and Oliver on the sidewalk. The soft snow

falls on their shoulders. For the first time they are alone

together, and Irena's problems have to be discussed.

OLIVER:

What is it, darling?

Irena is struggling to put a hard request into reasonable

words. She forces herself to speak.

IRENA:

I'm going to beg --

She breaks off, unable to speak. They stand there a moment.

Oliver is looking at her. He wants to help her; he wants to

know the way of her thoughts.

OLIVER:

(encouragingly; softly)

Mrs. Reed.

Irena stops and puts her hands tenderly against his chest.

IRENA:

It's nice to hear that...nice. I

want to be Mrs.. Reed.

OLIVER:

You are, Irena.

IRENA:

But I want to be Mrs. Reed

really. I want to be everything

that name means to me �

(with tears coming to

her eyes)

-- and I can't -- I can't.

OLIVER:

There's no sense in what you're

saying, darling. You're excited.

That woman in the restaurant upset

you.

IRENA:

She brought back the old fears. If

I could have some time to --

(seizing his hands)

Oliver, be kind -- be patient -

let me have time - time to get

over this feeling there's

something evil in me.

Oliver looks at her quietly for a moment.

OLIVER:

Darling, you can have all the time

there is In the world, If you want

it, and all the patience and the

kindness there's in me. You didn't

have to ask for that.

Irena draws his hand to her lips and kisses it.

IRENA:

Only a little time...only a

little time, Oliver. I don't want

more than that!

They turn toward the house, and as they begin to walk

DISSOLVE:

INT. IRENA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Irena is crossing the room toward the door. The room

is lighted only by the glow from the street lamps outside.

She is in a negligee. Outside, through the window, the snow

can be soon falling.

INT. IRENA'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Oliver, still wearing street clothes, stands at the door of

Irena's bedroom. He taps lightly on the door.

OLIVER:

(softly)

Good night, Irena,

He stands waiting.

INT. IRENA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Irena presses herself against the door. Her hand goes down

to the doorknob.

INT. IRENA'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Oliver stands waiting.

INT. IRENA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Irena sinks down to her knees beside the door and crouches

there, lonely and desirous. She moves slightly. Her hand

goes up toward the doorknob. There is no doubt that her

intention is to open the door. From the park comes the thin,

eerie scream of the panther. Irena listens, trembles, and

takes her hand from the knob.

IRENA:

(almost whispering)

Good night, Oliver..

OLIVER'S VOICE

(from the other side of

the door)

Good night, Irena.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

EXT. PANTHER CAGE - PAR" - DAY

The keeper of the cat cages is sweeping out the blank

panther's cage with a long-handled broom. He sings to

himself in a nasal New England voice. Irena comes and stops

at the guard rail.

KEEPER (SINGING)

There was not any person hurt,

Except the Reverend Parson Burt...

(sliding the broom handle far into

the cage)

He wasn't killed by cannon ball,

As judged by jurors one and all.

The panther steps haughtily over the broom handle, and comes

up to the bars.

KEEPER (cont'd)

But being in a sickly state, He

frightened fell and met his fate.

The leopard, maneuvering for a better view of Irena, gets

in the way of the broom. The old keeper stops his work and

his song, turning to see what has attracted the leopard's

attention. On seeing Irena, he tips his peaked cap and

smiles,.

KEEPER (cont'd)

Ain't seen you here for some

time, ma1am.

IRENA:

I've been married. I've been

married almost a month.

Withdrawing his broom, the old keeper uses it as a crutch to

support himself. He jerks one thumb in the direction of the

leopard.

KEEPER:

That's what I tell this misbegotten

devil...nobody comes to see him

when they're happy. The monkey

house and the aviary draw the happy

customers.

Irena leans over the guard rail. The leopard's hackles rise

and he tenses his front paws to unsheathe the talons.

IRENA:

(admiringly)

But he's beautiful.

KEEPER:

No. He ain't beautiful. He's an

evil creature, ma'am. You read

your Bible. In Revelations -- when

the Book is talking about the worst

beast of them all -- it says, "And

the beast which I saw was like unto

a leopard."

IRENA:

(repeating softly)

Like unto a leopard...

KEEPER:

Yes, ma'am, like a leopard... but

not a leopard. I guess that fits

this fellow.

IRENA:

Yes, it fits him.

She pauses a moment, then leaves the guard rail to continue

on her way down the promenade. The old keeper calls after

her.

KEEPER:

Best wishes for your marriage, ma'

am.

She turns and waves to him.

DISSOLVE:

INT. IRENA'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

The panther screen is glowing in the bright sunlight

streaming through the window. The sun throws a shadow onto

the screen just over the panther. It is the enlarged shadow

of tbe bird cage, with the canary hopping about inside the

bars.

CAMERA DRAWS BACK to show Irena at her desk. She has just

finished working on a sketch. Now she gets up, stretching

and turning. Her eyes fall on the bird in its cage, and she

crosses over to it, the CAMERA MOVING with her. The bird

huddles on its perch, frightened, Irena tries to encourage it

to sing. She whistles a few notes. Still no response. She

opens the small door of the cage, and puts her hand inside to

take hold of the canary. The bird flutters wildly. Before

she can get hold of it, it falls to the cage floor and lies

there. Irena picks it up tenderly and holds it in her hands.

The bird is dead. Irena is serious and concerned as she puts

the bird down on a table, opens a drawer, and takes out an

empty bonbon box. Very carefully she places the dead bird in

the box, and ties it up with a bit of ribbon. She puts on

her hat and coat, gets a trowel chat Is on. The window lodge

by one of the window boxes, and leaves the room with the

trowel and the box under her handbag.

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