From Here to Eternity Page #11

CLOSEUP:

as they kiss. The embrace is impassioned. When their lips

separate, their arms remain around each other, holding tight

to something they find is more than sex alone.

.

EXTREME CLOSEUP:

as Karen and Warden kiss again, a tenderness in him not seen

before and which he normally takes great pains to hide.

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT

as their lips separate again.

KAREN:

Nobody ever kissed me that way...

not really...

They are both disquieted by the quality of their reactions to

the kisses. The jump to banter is a quick defense.

WARDEN:

Nobody?

CAMERA MOVES WITH them as they walk to the fire. Karen smiles

at him.

56.

KAREN:

No. Nobody.

WARDEN:

Not even one? Out of all the many

men you've been kissed by?

KAREN:

Well, that will take some figuring.

How many men do you think there’ve

been?

CAMERA HOLDS as they sit, beside the fire. Karen wraps one of

the blankets around her.

WARDEN:

I wouldn't know. Can't you even

make me a rough estimate?

KAREN:

Not without an adding machine. Do

you have your adding machine with

you?

WARDEN:

No, I forgot to bring it.

KAREN:

Then I guess you won't find out,

will you?

WARDEN:

Maybe I already know.

The defense has given way and there is no mirth in the

questions and answers now.

KAREN:

What's the matter? What are you

hinting at?

WARDEN:

Why? Is there something to hint at?

KAREN:

I don't know. Maybe a lot. Or maybe

you just think there's a lot.

WARDEN:

Maybe I do. Maybe there's been a

long line of beach parties -

57.

KAREN:

You must be crazy -- !

WARDEN:

Am I? Listen, baby, maybe not here.

But what about when you and Holmes

were at Fort Bliss?

Karen flings off the blankets, snatches her dress, stands up,

raging. She speaks as she pulls the dress over her head,

wriggles into it.

KAREN:

I had to go and forget you were a

man -- with the same rotten filthy

mind the rest of them have. For a

minute I had to convince myself you

were different -

.

WARDEN:

Only it's true, ain't it?

KAREN:

Yes, it's true! A part of it, some

small part of whatever sewage

you've been listening to. Some day

perhaps you'll get all the story.

WARDEN:

(yaps up)

All what story?

KAREN:

You're getting to sound so much

like a typical male. So you just

sweat it out like a typical male.

She starts toward the rocks at the end of the beach, walking

fast, then almost running. Warden runs after her.

MEDIUM SHOT BEACH NEAR PATH UP ROCKS

as Warden catches up with Karen. He grasps her arm roughly,

hauls her down onto the sand. He stares at her bitterly,

waiting f or her to speak.

KAREN:

All right. I've never told it to

anyone before. But I think now is

the time. I'll tell you the whole

bloody messy thing. You can take it

back to the barracks with you.

58.

She speaks rapidly, pouring it out in bursts. For much of the

story her face is in shadow, as if a cloud is passing across

the moon.

KAREN:

I'd been married to Captain Dana E.

Holmes two years. Only he was a

First Lieutenant then. Back at Fort

Bliss. We lived right on a little

lake where we could fish and swim

and be alone, our 'dream

cottage'... I'm sure you must be

able to picture it. It was off on a

back road, four miles from the

highway. Two miles from a neighbor

and a telephone....

(pauses, then rushes on)

I hadn't been married long when

I knew my husband was stepping

out on me. But -- you get used

to that. Your mother tells you

that it's life, that i t happens

to a lot of women. Of course,

she doesn't tell you until after

it happens.

ANOTHER ANGLE FEATURING WARDEN

reacting with fury toward Holmes, compassion for Karen.

KAREN:

Then, by that time, you're

pregnant. And at least you've

something else to hope for. I think

I was almost happy that night the

pains began. Even though they were

weeks too early, a whole month too

early. I remember Dana was putting

on that dapper silk gabardine

uniform he used to wear. He was

going to an officer's 'seminar.' He

was kidding me about false labor. I

didn't think it was humorous. I

told him to get home early, to

bring the doctor with him. He

smiled tenderly and told me about

the psychic reactions of women to

pregnancy. But never fear, he'd be

back early. And maybe he would

have... if the 'seminar' hadn't

been with the hat-check girl in one

of the night clubs.

.

59.

WARDEN:

Listen.

TWO SHOT:

KAREN:

He was only a little drunk when he

came in... at five a.m. He looked

alarmed when he saw me. I guess it

was because of my screams. I was

lying there on the floor, you see -

No, don't say anything. I'm not

finished yet. Of course, the baby

was dead. It was a boy. But they

worked over me at the hospital and

fixed me up fine. They even took my

appendix out, too. They threw that

in free. It was all fine.

WARDEN:

Listen. Listen. Please.

KAREN:

And, of course, one more thing no

more children. Do you know what

that means? You're not a woman.

You're not anything. You're a

gutted shell... Sure, I went out

with some of the men after that. A

few months of it. I'd been made

dirty and I wanted to be clean. You

can see that, can't you?... Anyway,

I got my revenge on Dana. I kept on

living with him.

WARDEN:

The hateful, miserable -

KAREN:

You hunt so hungrily for love...

love, if you can find it, you

think, might give things meaning

again.

WARDEN:

Listens Listen to me -

KAREN:

All right. I'm listening.

Warden shakes his head, inarticulate with his rage and love.

Karen moves closer to him.

60.

KAREN:

I know. Until I met you I didn't

think it was possible, either.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

INT. DAYROOM - NIGHT

PAN SHOT AROUND ROOM

Over shot soft strumming guitars and two voices singing a

quiet blues. There are scattered groups,about fifteen men in

all -- playing pool, ping-pong, reading, writing letters,

talking. CAMERA REACHES PRIVATE SAL ANDERSON and Friday

Clark, playing the guitars and singing. Clark plays only

passably, but Anderson is highly accomplished, effortlessly

sounding off chord progressions in diminished minors. Friday,

the bugler, is about twenty-four, with shy, trusting eyes.

Anderson is the same age, also quiet, non-aggressive. CAMERA

CONTINUES PANNING, PASSES a soldier reading a newspaper who

shakes his head and mutters, "... ain't it terrible about Lou

Gehrig dyin...", then MOVES IN to HOLD on a group at a window

seat, bulling. Prew is stretched out wearily, looks as if

he's been through another recent dose of The Treatment.

Maggio perches in the frame of the window like an aggressive

robin. Treadwell slouches at the end of the seat. Pete

Karelsen is in a chair nearby, reading a magazine.

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