Klute Page #7

KLUTE:

When?

(beat)

When did you and Ligourin break up?

She pulls off her shirt, unhooks her brassiere and

discards it, apparently quite unselfconscious.

Klute reacts; then, carefully maintaining his cool

-

KLUTE (CONT'D)

Mind not doing that?

She turns to him in total innocence, holding the

shirt rather carelessly in front of her -- a new

attack.

BREE:

What? This?

KLUTE:

-- OK?

BREE:

(ingenuously)

I thought you could trick me for

those tapes. Don't you get lonely

in that little green room? Or let

me get you someone; I have terrific

friends, wild.

KLUTE:

No thanks.

At this point -- or about this point -- Klute takes

note of something. A little above her. He grows

more watchful, but containing it carefully. We

don't understand the change in his manner -- or

even notice; she doesn't. In mock dismay --

BREE:

Gee. I've had men pay two hundred

dollars for me -- here, you're

turning down a freebie.

(pause)

You can get a perfectly good

dishwasher for that.

He has risen, is approaching her slowly -- carrying

his notes as if to check something. She is hopeful

again --

BREE (CONT'D)

You've changed your mind? You do

want to play?

KLUTE:

(quietly, steadily)

I don't want you to look up.

There's someone on the skylight.

She gasps, terrified -- immediately -- almost

beyond control. He taps the pencil on his notes.

KLUTE (CONT'D)

Easy -- pretend you're looking here-

(more insistently)

-- here.

She manages to take hold of a corner of the notes,

trembling. He goes on --

KLUTE (CONT'D)

Now I'm going to walk around -- you

just keep talking, straight

through, straight through.

He strolls away from her. His destination is the

area of the door -- out of view from the skylight --

from where he can head for the roof. But he doesn't

head that way directly -- first takes a turn in

another direction, his bearing casual. Prompting --

KLUTE (CONT'D)

Tell me about acting -- what are

you doing tomorrow -- where do you

go?

BREE:

(manages, barely)

I go on rounds.

KLUTE:

Rounds, what are they? -- don't

watch me, keep talking.

BREE:

You go see agents -- or Equity

calls, open casting calls. And ad

agencies -- commercials -- you

don't get work, you just go around.

Klute has strolled out of view from above --

instantly flattens himself against the wall, eases

the door open, about to slip and charge. As Bree

labors on --

BREE (CONT'D)

And they're always polite -- show

people -- they say thank you very

much. You lie there covered with

blood, smiling, they say --

INT. LANDING AND LADDER TO ROOF - NIGHT

FOOTSTEPS across the roof above, as the watcher

discovers Klute's ruse. Klute opens the door --

climbs ladder to roof.

EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT

-- Klute out, looking around --

EXT. ROOFTOPS:
PAST KLUTE TO FLEEING FIGURE - NIGHT

The figure -- the man -- scissoring over the low

walls where one brownstone joins another. Klute

gives chase -- over ridges, past water tanks,

oddments of roof furniture --

EXT. SEVERAL ROOFTOPS BEYOND - NIGHT

The FIGURE races to a roof door disappearing into

abandoned building.

INT. STAIRWELL - ABANDONED BUILDING

CAMERA follows KLUTE as he cautiously makes his way

down the stairwell of the boarded up old

brownstone. He gets to the first floor. He can see

no exit in the building. He opens door that leads

to a narrow staircase into the cellar.

INT. CELLAR - ABANDONED BROWNSTONE

It is as black as a dungeon and as low. He lights a

match, but sees no one. There is a sound of

movement coming from the floor above, He runs up

the steps to the floor above and sees a very faint

light coming through one of the closed apartment

doors. Carefully takes out a gun and then with one

quick movement he breaks through the door.

INT. ABANDONED APARTMENT

The walls, ceiling, floors are entirely covered

with crudely painted psychedelic signs and sayings.

The room is lighted by some candies stuck in

bottles. Sitting on a blanket on the floor are

several teenaged boys and girls having a pot party.

They have obviously made a clubhouse for themselves

in the abandoned house. It is a MOOT POINT whether

they or KLUTE is more stunned at the sight that

faces them. He puts his gun away in embarrassment.

Again he has been made to feel like an awkward

peeping tom in this hidden world of the city.

INT. CELLAR - ABANDONED BUILDING

CAMERA wanders restlessly through the blackness and

stops at a pinpoint of light coming through a low

door. CAMERA goes through opening into long narrow

furnace room with the ceiling so low that an

ordinary man could not stand up. We hear the sound

of breathing. CAMERA follows the sound through the

darkness revealing a sweaty man huddled in the

corner looking like some strange animal from a

painting by Bosch. It is Cable.

INT. BREE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Bree has wrapped herself in the quilt -- standing

up against a corner shivering, immobilized. We hear

KLUTE'S FOOTSTEPS DESCENDING -- she flinches -- he

enters.

KLUTE:

I couldn't get him.

He sees her condition. Gently --

KLUTE (CONT'D)

It's all right.

He reaches to touch her -- she quails away from

him.

BREE:

Well do you think it was him?

KLUTE:

What do you think?

BREE:

Can't you get him?

KLUTE:

Maybe, if you tell me the things

you haven't.

BREE:

(pause)

You asked me where I got that date

with the dumper -- Frank sent me on

it.

KLUTE:

Do you know where he got the

dumper?

BREE:

He never told me.

KLUTE:

Well, let's go down and ask him.

EXT. CENTRAL PARK WEST BUILDINGS - DAY

A shot catching the edge of CENTRAL PARK itself --

our first small view of greenery -- to the tall, be

limousined APARTMENT BUILDINGS OF C.P.W. The

FIGURES OF KLUTE, BREE walking upstreet, turning

under one of the canopies -- (Klute carries a

zipper book-case).

INT. APARTMENT HOUSE LOBBY - ON DOORMAN AT PHONE -

DAY:

The DOORMAN hangs up the brass house-phone, smiles

and gestures them graciously into the (self

service) ELEVATOR. We see Klute -- without making

too much of it -- taking in the mirrors and marble

work.

INT. ELEVATOR (MOVING): KLUTE, BREE

She breaks the silence.

BREE:

What did you expect? Frankie still

has a good string, three girls.

Figure three hundred a week from

each.

KLUTE:

Is that what you gave him?

Silence.

INT. LIGOURIN'S APARTMENT: ON DOOR - DAY

The BUZZER sounding, FRANK LIGOURIN crossing to

open the door for BREE, KLUTE. Cheerful,

hospitable, nice, unpretentious.

FRANK:

Bree -- hi -- come in, come in.

The point of this one brief shot -- Bree's face --

in the instant after Frank has spoken and before

she enters, with Klute following. Her half-second

of hesitation. This is someone who gets to her

somehow -- probably always will.

WIDER LIGOURIN'S APT: THREESHOT - DAY

The apartment is as expected -- but not overdone; a

certain small amount of someone-lives-here litter.

A few, large but not very good, ABSTRACTIONS on the

walls. There is a large TABLE covered over with

photographs and mock-ups of magazine pages, a felt

board or easel with lettering samples -- Frank's

props really.

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