Midnight in Paris Page #5

Pardon?

I don't mean to...I didn't mean to pry....

Were you born in Paris?

I was born in Bordeaux.

I moved here to study fashion.

But you don't want to hear all this.

Yes, I do.

Yes, continue.

You moved here to study fashion...

I...came here to study with Coco Chanel,

and I fell in love with Paris,

and also,

a very dark-eyed, haunted

Jewish-Italian painter.

And I knew Amedeo had another woman, but still,

I couldn't resist moving into his apartment when he asked,

and it was a beautiful six months.

M..M...Modigliani?

You lived with...

You lived with Modigliani?

You asked me,

so I'm telling you my sad story.

With Braque, though, there was another woman.

Many.

And now,

with Pablo.

I mean, he's married,

but...

every day, it's on-again, off-again.

I don't know how any woman

can stay with him. He's so difficult.

My God, you take "art groupie"

to a whole new level!

- Pardon?

- Nothing. I was just saying that...

But tell me about yourself.

- What? Well, what can I say...

- So, have you come to Paris to write?

Because, you know,

these days, so many Americans

feel the need to move here.

Isn't Hemingway attractive?

I love his writing.

I know. Actually, I'm just here visiting.

Oh, you must stay here.

- Really?

- Yeah. It's a wonderful city, for

- writers, artists.

- I know. I'd like to, but it's not that easy.

And,

I didn't fall in love madly with your book...

- Really?

- ...so I want to hear the rest of it.

- You really like? Because I'm still kind of tinkering...

- Pender?

- Yeah, let's go up to Montmartre. Let's get a drink, OK?

- Uh...yeah.

I'll discuss your book with you as soon as I've finished it.

Where can I reach you?

Why don't I drop back by, instead of you

trying to find me, if that's all right?

- We run an open house.

- Are you coming with us?

I wish that I could.

I cant, but

hopefully I'll see you again eventually.

That would be nice.

- Let's go!

- One of these days, I plan to steal you away from this genius

who's great, but he's no Mir.

I'm Gil Pender.

I was with Hemingway, and Picasso.

Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway.

I'm Gil Pender, from Pasadena!

Cub Scouts. I failed freshman English.

Little old Gil Pender has his novel

with Gertrude. Stein.

Boy, that girl was so...

lovely.

Well, it's a shame you two didn't

come to the movies with us last night,

We saw a wonderfully

funny American film.

Who was in it?

Oh, I don't know.

I forget the name.

Wonderful but forgettable.

That sounds like a picture I've seen.

I probably wrote it.

Well, I know it was moronic and infantile, and

utterly lacking in any wit or believability,

- but John and I laughed in spite of all that.

- Have we been down this way yet?

Was it?

What time did you get in last night?

Not that late...uh...

I was...uh...

I'm really finding these midnight strolls

great for me creatively,

without the distractions of the day.

I'll probably end up going on another little

- hike tonight.

- Well, we'll see.

Yeah. We'll see.

Oh, look at those wonderful glass figures.

[Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me"]

...that simply mystifies me

Tell me why should it be

You have the power to hypnotize me

Vous aimez?

(You like?)

Yes. Very beautiful.

- Oh. You're American.

- Yeah.

You like Cole Porter?

I do. I'm a big fan.

I like to

kind of think I'm a member

of Linda and Cole's inner circle.

I'm kidding.

Very pretty lyrics.

- Very amusing.

- Charming.

Gil?

- Gil? Hi.

- Yeah? Yes.

- Yeah. We should go.

- We're going now?

Yeah. We're meeting Paul and Carol

at the museum for the private showing.

- OK. Yeah. Right.

You know, Paul happens to be an expert in Monet,

so you'll find it enlightening, I think.

Yeah. OK.

Let's get some culture.

The juxtaposition of color is amazing.

This man was the real father

of abstract expressionism.

I take that back.

Maybe Turner.

I mean, I love Turner,

but, I just find this...

overwhelming.

If I'm not mistaken,

it took him 2 years to complete this.

He worked out of Giverny,

where he was frequently...

I heard that Monet,

one of the things that he used to try to...

Shh! I'm trying to hear Paul say it.

Well, he was frequently

visited by Caillebotte,

an artist who I personally feel was underrated.

Ah. Now.

Here's a superb Picasso.

If I'm not mistaken, he painted

this marvelous portrait of his

French mistress

Madeleine Brissou in the '20s.

Paul, I'm gonna have to

differ with you on this one.

- Really.

- Gil, just pay attention.

You might learn something.

OK, well, if I'm not mistaken,

this was a failed attempt to capture

a young French girl named Adriana,

from Bordeaux, if my art history serves me,

who came to Paris to study

costume design for the theater.

I'm pretty sure she had an affair

with Modigliani, then Braque,

which is how Pablo met her.

Picasso.

Of course, what you don't get

from this portrait

is the subtlety,

and her beauty.

She was just a knock-out.

What have you been smoking?

I'd hardly call this picture marvelous,

it's more of a petit-bourgeois statement

on how Pablo sees her. Saw her.

He's distracted by the fact

that she was a

absolute volcano in the sack.

Too rich for me.

Where'd Gil run off to?

Work.

Been walking around Paris. You know,

the way the city's lit up at night

allegedly inspires him, so...

But that's OK,

because I'm going dancing with Paul.

Where's Carol?

uh...She's in bed with a bad oyster,

so I'll see you guys later.

Thanks for dinner, Daddy.

Bye, sweetie.

Where do you think

Gil goes every night?

You heard her.

He walks, and gets ideas.

- You sound skeptical.

- No.

I've seen what he earns,

but sometimes I think he's got a...

got a... part missing,

and I didn't like his remark about

Tea Party Republicans.

They are decent

people trying to take back the country.

They are not

crypto-fascist

airhead zombies.

You hear him say that?

Nevertheless, I don't think

your idea of having him followed

- is very practical.

- No?

I'd like to know where he goes every night.

Well, we know one thing:

he doesn't go dancing.

Oh! Excuse me!

- Is this gentleman bothering you?

- Hello, Gil!

Hey! How are you?

I was hoping we'd see you here.

- What a great party!

- Oh, good.

- It's nice to see you here.

- Thank you.

Oh, Delfine?

- Gil, we'll catch up with you later, OK?

- Sure, sure.

Bon soir, Madame.

(Good evening, Madame.)

- What a surprise!

- It was just a total fluke.

I was at Gertrude Stein's,

she's almost finished with my novel,

and I run into this guy.

Turns out he's Archibald MacLeish.

He says he's on his way over here,

come on over. Oh, I'm not

going to crash the Fitzgeralds,

but then he said you'd be here.

You and Pablo, and...

Oh, Pablo's home.

- We had a...bit of a quarrel.

- Oh no!

- You look like you were having fun with Djuna Barnes, dancing.

- Oh, yeah!

Wait. That was Djuna Barnes?

- Yeah.

- Wow. No wonder she wanted to lead.

Rate this script:2.9 / 9 votes