Five Easy Pieces

TITLE SEQUENCE:

The Bach-Vivaldi A-Minor Concerto for Four Pianos

PLAYS OVER a series of family album photographs.

Written in careful penmanship beneath each are

names identifying family members:

1ST PHOTO:
A man stands in front of the raised

sounding board of a piano, playing the viola.

Seated on the piano bench, accompanying him, is a

woman in a maternity dress:

"Isabelle and Nicholas"

2ND PHOTO:
A boy of 11, wearing conductor's tails

and holding a raised baton in his right hand as if

about to gesture a downbeat:

"Herbert Kreutzer Dupea"

3RD PHOTO:
Another boy of approximately 9, in the

act of playing the violin:

"Carl Fidelio Dupea"

4TH PHOTO:
The two boys are now poised behind the

piano. Seated on its bench is a girl of 6, her

hands resting on the keyboard. Written beneath:

"Elizabeth Partita Dupea"

5TH PHOTO:
The above family group, seated on the

porch of the Dupea home. All eyes but Isabelle's

are faced toward the camera. She beams upon a 3

year-old asleep in her arms, his head resting

against her bosom. His figure is encircled by the

pen's marking and preceding his name is the

configuration of a small heart:

"Robert Eroica Dupea"

INT. MUSIC ROOM - DUPEA HOME - DAY

BACH-VIVALDI OVER:

A 7-year-old BOBBY sits in a chair, his feet

dangling in absent-minded rhythm to a chamber piece

played by his father, his two brothers and his

sister.

CLOSE ON a metronome, marking a slow etude rhythm.

The CAMERA MOVES from it to Bobby, on the piano

bench beside his mother. As she patiently

demonstrates the etude for him, he places a thumb

in his mouth and leans against her arm.

ON THE METRONOME at an andante rhythm. CARL and

TITA, now in their teens, are seated side by side

on the piano bench, playing four-hands with

dazzling virtuosity.

The CAMERA MOVES from them to a framed newspaper

article on the music-room wall. Below a photograph

of a 20-year-old young man are the words: "Herbert

Kreutzer Dupea - Seattle's Youngest Guest

Conductor."

INT. RECITAL HALL GREEN ROOM - NIGHT

BACH-VIVALDI OVER:

Bobby, at 10, wearing a dress suit. His mother

combs his hair with maternal concentration.

CLOSE-UP of a program announcing a Dupea family

recital. The CAMERA SCANS down the bill, over:

Sonata in C Major for Two Violins - Bach - Played

by Nicholas and Carl Dupea.

Like As a Lovelorn Turtle - Hendel - Sung by

Isabelle Dupea.

Rondo Alla Turca - Mozart - Played by Elizabeth

Dupea.

Piano Sonata, Opus 110 - Beethoven - Played by

Herbart Dupea.

The CAMERA COMES to rest on:

Five Easy Pieces - Grebner - Played by Robert

Dupea.

INT. MORTUARY CHAPEL - DAY

Five Easy Pieces, played haltingly OVER the torsos

of a line of people moving slowly down the chapel

aisle.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

shows a solemn procession of the above, filing by

an open casket holding Isabelle Dupea.

ON THE FAMILY PEW

The CAMERA PANS from NICHOLAS, seated on the aisle,

to the four adult children seated next to him and

COMES TO REST on Bobby. His gaze is cast down to

his lap, as he refuses to look at:

The pale profile of his mother's face resting

within the satin folds of the casket lining, and...

... as the last of the "family friends" pay their

respect:
Nicholas steps out into the aisle and,

followed by Tita, Carl and HERBERT, moves down

toward the casket.

Bobby rises from his seat and makes his way toward

the aisle, where he hesitates briefly, then turns

and walks up the aisle and out the chapel doors.

TITLES END:

EXT. SIGNAL HILL OIL FIELD - DAY

TAMMY WYNETTE'S "STAND BY YOUR MAN" OVER:

The toothed bucket of a back hoe trenches into the

earth, then lifts up into the air, revealing Bobby

in hard-hat and heavy gloves, operating the levers.

As the hoe swings off to the side and deposits a

load of earth into the rear of a truck...

... a SERIES OF SHOTS begins, showing Bobby and a

fellow hard-hat (ELTON) engaged in the dirty and

dangerous task of working "crew" with a team of

TOOL-PUSHERS on the derricks of Signal Hill.

Functioning as servants of the well and its pumps,

the PULL rods, MAKE and BREAK joints on the rig

floor, WELD tubing, CARRY pipes, CLIMB the "tour,"

and PLAY THE DOZENS on beer wagon breaks.

INT. BOBBY'S CAR - SIGNAL HILL - NIGHT

ABOVE SONG OVER:

Bobby, still in his hard hat, as he drives. Out

through the window, the derricks of the Hill can be

seen, their night-work lights on.

EXT. BOBBY'S CAR - NIGHT

SONG OVER:

FOLLOWING ON the car as it moves off the Hill into

the seamy districts adjacent to it, passing by fast

food joints, liquor stores, all-night porno parlors

and neon-lighted bars.

INT. BOBBY'S CAR - NIGHT

SONG OVER:

ON BOBBY'S FACE:

as he stares out through the windshield, his eyes

distant, dwelling in an oblivion that blanks both

the present and past.

EXT. BOBBY'S CAR - NIGHT

SONG OVER:

The car pulls onto a low-rent residential street

and comes to a stop in front of a small bungalow.

Bobby exits the car, moves up the walkway to the

house and disappears inside.

INT. RAYETTE'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

SONG OVER:

Bobby, seated on the couch, a can of beer in hand,

staring morosely across the room, to:

A PORTABLE STEREO,

playing the song:

WYNETTE (V.O.)

"And if you love him/Oh be proud of

him/For after all, he's just a

man..."

RAYETTE DIPESTO,

in a waitress's uniform with a bowl of beer nuts.

After placing them on the coffee table in front of

him, she leans down and kisses him. Challenged by a

less than reciprocal response, she kisses him more

fervently. As she moves her lips from his ear to

his neck, he lifts the can to his mouth and drinks.

WYNETTE (V.O.)

"Stand by your man/And show the

world you love him/Keep giving all

the love you can/Stand by your

man."

The song concludes, and setting aside her ardor for

the moment:

RAYETTE:

(Arky accent)

I'm gonna play it again...

As she starts for the stereo, he takes hold of her

hand.

BOBBY:

You're not going to play it again.

RAYETTE:

Well, lemme play the other side

then.

BOBBY:

No.

Again, he prevents her from moving to the stereo

and pulls her down onto the couch.

RAYETTE:

Now quit, Bobby. You said you're

goin' a help me pick a song.

BOBBY:

You said.

RAYETTE:

Well, lemme sing the one I picked

an' see what you think...

(she sings)

"When there's a fire in your

heart/Break the glass/Sound the

alarm..."

He picks up one of the couch pillows and holds it

over his ear.

RAYETTE:

Oh, you prick...

She pulls it from his hand.

RAYETTE:

How 'bout if I just cut off your

damn water?

BOBBY:

I'm too moved by your gentility to

speak.

She immediately softens and tries to become more

"refined."

RAYETTE:

Sugar, you know how I feel about

you, don't you? I'm just tryin' to

get you to take an interest in my

kind a things, an' what I'm tryin'

to do with myself...

(bringing her face close

to his)

You know, there id'n anything in

the world I wouldn't do for you,

baby. I started livin' the day I

found you, you know that?

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