In The French Style Page #3

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you'd better do it fast.

Your lips are blue with cold.

Very well, I will give

in to you, this once.

But you must promise not to look.

I have no desire to look.

Go to the window and keep your back turned.

All right, you can look now.

This bed is like an ice-box.

Turn your head to the wall.

(CURSES IN FRENCH)

The light is still on.

You forgot to turn it off.

I know.

Well, turn it off.

I'm not budging from this bed.

You were the last one up.

I don't care.

That is absolutely unfair.

Unfair or not, I'm staying right here.

But you're on the outside.

I'd have to climb over you.

Stay where you are.

I won't move.

Turn your head to the wall.

This time I did not shut my eyes.

You're exquisite.

I cannot bear it.

Oh.

What's the matter?

Your hand is like ice.

You're sorry now you came

here with me, aren't you?

I don't know.

Tell the truth.

It's awful.

I do no blame you for pulling away.

It is not the way it should be at all.

I'm too clumsy, too stupid!

I do not know anything.

It serves me right.

I've been lying to you for three months.

Lying? What do you mean?

I've been playing a role.

I have no experience.

I am not studying to be an engineer.

I am still in the Lyce.

That's the same as high school in America.

I am not 21 years old.

I am only 16.

Why did you do that?

Because you wouldn't have

looked at me otherwise.

Is that not true?

Yes, it's true.

If only it hadn't been so cold!

If only I'd had more than 700 Francs.

You would never have known.

Well, I know now.

No wonder you never introduced

me to any of your friends.

No wonder you only drink Coca-Cola.

How could I have been so inaccurate?

I suppose I ought to take you home.

I suppose so.

Lie down.

(SIGHS)

CHRISTINA:
The years pass quickly in Paris.

There's so much to do, so much to see,

so many bright young men.

Next year is always the year

you're going to go home.

If you don't sell many of your paintings,

and if your family finally

stops sending you money,

it's not terribly serious.

You can always do a little modeling

to tide you over the lean periods.

And if, from time to time

you remember a cold night in

winter in a bleak hotel room,

and a boy who slept

trustfully in your arms,

you can smile a little

to yourself and think,

"One of these days, I must call

him up and see how he's doing".

In the meantime, there's so much to do.

So many people to greet, so

many people to say goodbye to.

God, I wish I didn't have to go!

Airport emotion.

People are always crazy about

me when they're saying goodbye.

It's only for three weeks.

Yeah, yeah. Only for three weeks.

Send me a wire and I'll come and

meet you when you're coming back.

Chris, this is a... This

is a little hard to say.

I don't want you to meet

me when I come back.

Whatever you say, Billy boy.

There's this Greek girl I

met in Mykonos last summer.

I told you about her.

You don't have to explain anything.

No, I want to explain.

She's meeting me in London.

I don't know. Last summer,

I thought I was in love with her and I

said if she was ever up this way...

I understand.

She's a marvelous girl and

she's beautiful and...

Some Greeks have all the luck.

We haven't kidded each

other, have we, you and I?

I just don't want to start kidding you now.

The sentiment does you credit, Billy boy.

Friends?

Of course.

Always?

Always.

WOMAN ON PA:
Departure to London.

Air France, flight number 794.

Nobody better.

WOMAN:
Boarding, gate number 51.

(BAND PLAYING LIVELY MUSIC)

CHRISTINA.. You're a citizen of Paris now.

And there's no other city in the

world you'd rather be a citizen of.

This year, you dance.

And next year is always

the year to go home.

(NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE)

Guy. Christina.

It's been years.

I've meant to telephone you

dozens of times, but... Well?

May I present to you my fiance?

Miss Stephanie Morell.

Miss Christina James.

Enchante, mademoiselle.

How do you do?

She's English. You don't

have to speak French.

Still the same.

I still can't get anyone in this

country to speak French to me.

When's the happy day?

Not for a long time.

When I get through with this.

Forgive me. I'm late.

I do hope you'll invite me to your wedding.

Goodbye.

I know you'll be very happy.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Christina! How are you?

Oh. Christina!

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

Everybody else in the place seems to

have kissed you. I might as well, too.

Doesn't mean anything.

Just the French style of saying hello.

Hello,

in the French style.

Sorry to be late.

Well, there's a scale I have for girls.

There are girls who are worth waiting

10 minutes for, and no more.

There are half-hour girls.

And you...

Well, you I would say were

the five-year type girl.

Hang around, brother, I

like talk like that.

I'm afraid I can't hang around much longer.

I have to work tonight.

Poor slave.

Never get mixed up with a newspaper man.

That's what I tell all the girls.

What do they tell you?

(LAUGHS) A wide variety of things.

I'm invited to a gnrale

tomorrow night, at the Odon.

Want to come?

I'm going to be in Tripoli tomorrow night.

One nice thing about you,

you never hang around long enough

for a girl to get tired of you.

It's my chief attraction.

Think you ought to drink

when you have to work?

I'm writing a piece on how

France is heading to its doom.

Politically, culturally,

militarily, philosophically.

Doom comes easier on whiskey.

What are you up to in Tripoli?

I have to interview two or

three very important Arabs.

Will you be gone long? You never

know with very important Arabs.

Maybe a week or so.

Will you be lonely?

No.

(CHUCKLES)

Nothing like a nice, honest

answer to put a man in his place.

Now don't be touchy.

It's just that this is a good week

for you to go, if you have to go.

Why?

My father's coming in from Chicago.

I got a wire this morning.

And it'll be much less complicated

if you're safely stashed

away in the desert.

Why, is he stuffy?

I don't know.

I haven't seen him in four years.

Think he'd disapprove of me?

I would if I were a father, wouldn't you?

Probably.

What are you going to do with him?

Try to impress him with how

all around marvelous I am.

Well, that shouldn't be so hard.

Fathers are different from fellows.

They're apt to be impressed

by different things.

Hey, hello, Chris.

I was hoping I'd see you here tonight.

I'd like you to meet my friend.

Clio Andropoulos, this is

Christina James. Hello.

How do you do? Bill's told me

so much about you. Has he?

This is Walter Beddoes, Miss Andropoulos.

Hello. Hello.

Mr. Norton. Hello.

How do you do?

Yeah, I was going to call you, Chris. I'm

giving a brawl at my place on Thursday.

Look, I hope you can make it.

Uh, you, too, Mister...

Beddoes. Beddoes.

I hope you can come.

I'm sorry. I shall be out of town.

Oh, well, that's a shame.

You can make it, though, Chris, can't you?

My father's coming in. I

have to chaperone him.

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