Grand Hotel Page #5

In Suzette's hands we see one of Grusinskaya's ballet slippers

which she has been mending.

She is about to tiptoe to her seat when she stops suddenly

and looks off dramatically at...

GRUSINSKAYA:

Shot from her angle. She is sleeping beneath a Chinese robe,

on the chaise-lounge.

Apparently she has changed her position, because the hand

which is outside the robe moves.

The CAMERA, as though it were Suzette, moves up towards

Grusinskaya. Her eyes are closed. Suzette crosses to the

chaise-lounge and is looking down.

Grusinskaya's eyes open suddenly. She looks at the ceiling

and then her eyes turn and look straight at Suzette.

SUZETTE'S VOICE

(quietly and reverently --

almost a whisper)

Madam has slept well.

GRUSINSKAYA:

No, I have been awake -- thinking --

thinking.

SUZETTE'S VOICE

It is time for the performance.

GRUSINSKAYA:

The performance?

SUZETTE:

It is time.

Like a soldier called to attention Grusinskaya sits suddenly

upright --

GRUSINSKAYA:

Always the performance -- every day

the performance -- time for the

performance.

(she pauses and droops

suddenly)

I think, Suzette, I have never been

so tired in my life.

(she takes the bottle

of veronal which is

nearby)

Veronal didn't even help me to sleep.

(laughs a little)

SUZETTE:

(speaking into

telephone)

Madam Grusinskaya's car is to be

brought.

While she is speaking Grusinskaya rises -- with the grace of

a dancer she picks up the Chinese robe that has fallen to

the floor and although there is only one other woman in the

room -- she holds the robe around her.

She crosses to the mirror and looks at her face, running her

fingers through her hair. She gently massages under her eyes

and the CAMERA sees Grusinskaya for the first time.

There is silence in the room -- neither of the women speak.

Suzette gets madam's clothes ready. She crosses, puts the

case of pearls down on the dressing table and opens them.

Grusinskaya looks into space -- silence -- dead silence.

Suzette kneels as if to put Madam's stockings on for her.

Grusinskaya pulls her foot away.

GRUSINSKAYA:

I can't dance tonight --

SUZETTE:

It will pass -- it will pass -- come.

GRUSINSKAYA:

Let us cancel the engagement.

SUZETTE:

But, Madam. cannot do that.

GRUSINSKAYA:

Now is the time to cancel to stop

entirely. I feel it -- everything

tells me -- enough -- enough.

She leans forward against the dressing-table and her hands

unconsciously touch the pearls.

GRUSINSKAYA:

(very quietly)

The peals are cold -- everything is

cold -- finished -- it seems so far

away -- so threadbare -- the Russians --

St. Petersburg -- the Imperial Court --

the Grand Duke Sergei --

(long pause as though

she were reliving

incidents of the

past)

-- Sergei -- dead -- Grusinskaya --

it's all gone.

She throws the pearls away, down upon the floor.

SUZETTE:

Mon Dieu -- the pearls -- if they

were to break --

GRUSINSKAYA:

The pearls won't break -- they hold

together and bring me bad luck ----

I hate them!

Suzette crosses replacing the pearls.

SUZETTE:

Orchids come again, Madam -- no card --

I think perhaps they are from the

same young man -- he is at the end

of the corridor -- tall -- he walks

like a soldier -- Madam must have

noticed how often he is in the

elevator with us. Last night for

instance --

GRUSINSKAYA:

Oh, Suzette -- Suzette -- Sshh --

quiet.

Grusinskaya's eyes are looking off into space -- she is away

in Russia -- she does not look --

Telephone rings -- Suzette crosses to telephone.

SUZETTE:

Ah, oui -- the car is here for Madam.

GRUSINSKAYA:

Send it away -- I shan't need it.

There is a knock at the door -- a certain kind of knock.

GRUSINSKAYA:

Come in.

She picks up the telephone and as she does so Pimenov enters.

Suzette quickly gives Pimenov a signal that there is trouble.

As Pimenov is closing the door we hear Grusinskaya speak

into telephone.

GRUSINSKAYA:

(authoritatively)

Madam Grusinskaya will not require

her car -- no -- she will not be

going to the theatre.

(she turns)

Pimenov (at heart a clown) makes a grand comedy bow. He will

deliberately try to tease Madam out of her mood.

She glances at him, without smiling, crosses to the dressing-

table and sits.

PIMENOV:

It is time for the performance.

GRUSINSKAYA:

(under her breath)

The performance -- the performance --

the performance.

(during this scene

the orchids fall to

the floor)

It is a hysterical out-burst. It is not a woman who is just

temperamental, it is something deeper than that. She is very

near a nervous breakdown. We, the audience, must feel with

her a revulsion against the word performance.

PIMENOV:

(tenderly -- as he

touches her shoulder

gently)

Poor little Lisevata -- she still

has her stage frights -- it will

pass.

Pimenov kneels by Grusinskaya -- he is chafing her hands, he

attempts to soothe her.

Now Grusinskaya draws her hands suddenly away.

GRUSINSKAYA:

It is not stage fright -- it's

something more --

PIMENOV:

(tenderly)

What -- what is it? Last night...

GRUSINSKAYA:

Last night?... There was no applause.

PIMENOV:

(quickly)

There was -- there was.

GRUSINSKAYA:

That theatre -- half empty -- dancing

for those few -- I was frantic -- I

finished -- the last beat and...

(she reclines her

head as the swan

finishing the dance)

...I waited -- I listened -- but the

applause didn't come -- nothing. A

man in the box -- and just the claques

behind -- it is passed, Pimenov. We

are dead -- it's finished.

There is a sudden knocking at the door.

PIMENOV:

Meierheim --

The door opens suddenly. Meierheim bursts into the room.

MEIERHEIM:

What is this that you have cancelled

your car? Who am I that I should

wait like a fool at the door? And

here on a whim, you cancel your car.

Have you forgotten there is a

performance? Do you know the time?

Or, are we all mad? Am I your

manager?... Have we a contract? Have

we obligations? Am I blind?

(glances at his watch)

...Or is that the time?

GRUSINSKAYA:

I'm cancelling the engagement.

MEIERHEIM:

Oh!

Business of Pimenov signaling to him.

MEIERHEIM:

Oh! Madam is cancelling the

engagement. Madam has chosen a funny

time for such a funny joke. Ha, ha,

ha -- hurry, come on. Tonight --

there's a line in front of the theatre

since six o'clock. The house is jammed

to the roof.

GRUSINSKAYA:

The house is not full -- Is it really

full?

MEIERHEIM:

Packed to the ceiling. Hurry -- get

dressed. And what an audience -- the

French Ambassador -- American

Millionaires -- Princess Ratzville --

er -- er --

GRUSINSKAYA:

(to Suzette)

Oh -- but it can't be.

SUZETTE:

Oh, come, Madam -- please come.

(she holds up her

frock)

GRUSINSKAYA:

(changed mood)

All right, Suzette -- quickly --

hurry.

PIMENOV:

We will wait.

MEIERHEIM:

You are late. Hurry.

Meierheim goes over to telephone, he picks up receiver and

says:

MEIERHEIM:

Tell Madam Grusinskaya's chauffeur

to bring the car.

Show few feet of Grusinskaya getting dressed.

CUT TO:

BY ELEVATOR:

Pimenov and Meierheim.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote