Heavenly Creatures Page #2

MISS WALLER:

(Embarrassed mumble) Oh! I must have copied it incorrectly from my

notes.

Juliet stands again.

JULIET:

You don't have to apologise, Miss Waller. I found it frightfully

difficult myself . . . until I got the hang of it.

Miss Waller turns to Juliet, her face clouded with anger. The class

looks terrified.

MISS WALLER:

(Icily) Thank you, Juliet. Open your text-book to page 17.

Pauline is smirking.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL ART CLASS - DAY

The teacher, MRS. COLLINS, comes in, carrying a pile of paper and a box

of paints. She starts to distribute them around the tables.

MRS. COLLINS

Right, I thought we'd do some life drawing today. Pair off into twos

and decide who wants to model and who wants to draw.

The girls around Juliet turn to each other, seemingly eager not to be

partnered with her. They pair off and Juliet is left alone.

MRS. COLLINS

Oh, Juliet. . . you haven't got a partner.

JULIET:

That s all right, Mrs. Collins. I'm sure I can manage without one.

Mrs. Collins scans the class.

MRS. COLLINS

Pauline . . . are you with anybody?

Pauline shakes her head.

MRS. COLLINS

Good! You can come here and pair up with Juliet.

Pauline reluctantly comes up to Juliet's table.

SERIES of SHOTS showing VARIOUS GIRLS sketching their partners. Most of

the posing girls are seated in contrived positions with rigid grins on

their faces. Mrs. Collins patrols the class, commenting to different

girls.

MRS. COLLINS

You might want to change the colour- make it a bit darker . . . that's

very nice, Joan.

PULL BACK. . . to reveal Pauline's "pose" . . . slumped in the chair,

arms crossed, a sullen look on her face. She stares intently at Juliet,

who is drawing furiously . . . but doesn't refer to Pauline at all.

MRS. COLLINS

Good heavens, Juliet! What on earth is this???

Mrs. Collins picks up Juliet's drawing. It features an armoured knight

on horseback, fighting a dragon.

JULIET:

St. George and the Dragon.

Mrs. Collins studies the detail in the drawing.

MRS. COLLINS

Where's Pauline?

JULIET:

Oh, I haven't gotten around to drawing her yet. I was going to pop her

on a rock, but I seem to have run out room.

Juliet glances at Pauline.

JULIET:

Sorry! I don't know if you've noticed, Mrs. Collin but I've actually

drawn St. George in the likeness of world's greatest tenor-Mario Lanza!

MRS. COLLINS

Yes, I know it's very clever, Juliet, but when I set you a topic, I

expect you to follow it. Now put that down and start again!

Mrs. Collins moves on. Juliet looks up at Pauline rather grumpily.

Pauline leans forward, an intense look on face . . .

PAULINE:

(Whispers) I think your drawing's fantastic!

CUT TO:

INT. RIEPERS' HOUSE/KITCHEN - EVENINGCLOSE-UP . . . a newspaper is

unwrapped, revealing couple of fresh fish.

HONORA RIEPER is standing at her sink bench. She is 43 years old. Dark

hair, going gray. A middle-aged woman with a kind face.

Her husband, HERBERT, has just arrived home and is taking off his coat,

looking at the mail, etc. He is nearly 60 . . . 15 years older than

Honora.

The Riepers' house is clean and tidy. They are a low middle-class

family on a modest income.

HONORA:

Oh! . . . Mackerel. We'll have them for lunch tomorrow.

Herbert comes up behind Honora, gives her a peck on cheek and puts his

hand on her bum.

HERBERT:

Let's have 'em now, while they're fresh, eh, Nora?

HONORA:

playfully shoves his hand away.

HONORA:

I'll think you'll find our Mr. Bayliss is not keen on seafood. I've got

lamb chops in the 'frigerator.

HERBERT:

sighs as HONORA puts the frying pan on the stove.

young student boarder, STEVE BAYLISS, appears in doorway, nervously

clutching a record.

STEVE:

Excuse me . . . would you mind if I put my long-playing record on?

HERBERT:

You're partial to a nice bit of mackerel, aren't you, STEVE?

STEVE:

Well . . . actually, I'm not much of a fish man, Mr. Rieper.

HONORA:

glances at his album.

HONORA:

You have been splashing out!

STEVE:

Oh! . . . I've got my board money . . .

STEVE:

starts fishing in his pockets.

At this moment . . . Pauline comes into the kitchen, through back door.

She strides past Honora, HERBERT and STEVE

.

PAULINE:

(Brightly) Hello!

HONORA:

Well? Tell us! How'd it go?

Pauline disappears into the lounge.

PAULINE:

(O.S.) (Calling) Got an A, Mum!

HONORA:

glows with pride. STEVE is emptying his pockets on the bench. HONORA

pats STEVE's hand.

HONORA:

Don't worry about it now. We'll sort it out after dinner. You go put

your record on.

HERBERT:

Doris Day!

STEVE:

I think she's very talented!

INT. RIEPERS'HOUSE/LOUNGE - EVENINGCLOSE-UP. . . gramophone needle

drops onto a record.

FAST PULL-BACK . . . from the speaker as the opening notes of "Be My

Love" by Mario Lanza burst out. Records from the cabinet lie scattered

on the floor. Pauline is clutching a Mario Lanza album.

STEVE backs toward the hallway door, holding his Doris Day album

forlornly.

HERBERT chuckles at him through the kitchen doorway.

HERBERT:

(Laughing) Ya gotta be quick in this house, mate!

Pauline stares misty-eyed at the album cover. HERBERT

calls out.

HERBERT:

(O.S.) (Tongue in cheek) Hey! Isn't it that Irish singer . . . Murray

O' Lanza?

PAULINE:

(annoyed) He's Italian, Dad! The world's greatest tenor!

Mario Lanza starts singing . . . HERBERT comes into the lounge, miming

the song with a limp fish. He gesticulates a grand operatic fashion.

PAULINE:

Stop it! You're spoiling it! Go away!

She pushes HERBERT out of the room, into the kitchen.

CUT TO:

EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS - DAY

It is the Phys Ed period and the 31 other girls of 3A are lying on

their backs in the quad doing leg stretches to tinny music. MRS.

ZWARTZ, the teacher, is patrolling the rows of flexing bodies.

MRS. ZWARTZ Left, right . . . Ieft, right . . . one and two and one and

. . .

Pauline and Juliet are sidelined on a bench. Pauline is writing in a

textbook. She notices Juliet glancing at her leg. Juliet moves closer.

JULIET:

Can I have another look?

Pauline purses her lips and quickly pushes her left stocking down . . .

She has a large ugly scar running up her left shin, from ankle to knee.

JULIET:

That's so impressive!

Pauline does not look convinced.

JULIET:

(Conspiratorial) I've got scars . . . they're on my lungs.

Pauline looks surprised.

JULIET:

I was in bed for months during the war, ravaged by respiratory illness.

CUT TO:

INSERT:

INT. ENGLISH HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHTLittle 5-YEAR-OLD JULIET, alone in

her hospital bed, coughing and looking miserable.

JULIET:

(V.0.) Mummy and Daddy sent me to the Bahamas to recuperate. I didn't

see them for five years-but we're together now and Mummy's promised

they'll never leave me again.

INSERT:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHTPULL BACK from little 5-YEAR-OLD PAULINE. She

is lying in bed with a younger HERBERT

and HONORA

standing over her, looking very concerned.

PAULINE:

(V.0.) I spent ages in hospital, too . . . with my leg. I had to have

all these operations.

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