One Chance Page #7

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JULZ:

Is the food gorgeous?

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Where Paul loads his tray up at the sumptuous buffet

table...

PAUL (V.O.)

Heavenly. Home made pastas. Soups. And

the bread...

Then turns to face the room, tables filled with chattering

students and teachers...

JULZ (V.O.)

What about the people? Have you made

loads of friends?

He walks amongst them, spotting an empty chair next to

ALESSANDRA, a pretty young Italian woman who smiles

briefly at Paul before Gerhardt slips into the chair ahead

of him.

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Where Paul sits at the end of a table, eating alone.

PAUL (V.O.)

Oh yes, loads. Everybody’s quite

friendly.

He hears laughter, but refuses to look up at a group of

students, including Gerhardt, laughing at the amount of

food on his plate before Alessandra scolds them..

INT. ECHOING CHAMBER - DAY (INTERCUT)

Where Paul whispers into his cell phone.

40.

EXT. WELSH COUNTRYSIDE - DAY (INTERCUT)

Julz walks her Cairn Terrier “Candy Floss” through the

hills above the city.

JULZ:

Have you had a gondola ride yet?

EXT. VENICE CANAL - DAY (FLASHBACK)

As Paul steps onto a narrow gondola, loses his balance and

pitches over the other side, headfirst into the canal.

INT. ECHOING CHAMBER - DAY (INTERCUT)

PAUL:

Uh, no. Haven’t tried that yet.

JULZ:

And what about the city? Is it

breathtaking?

Paul comes to a stop and grows silent as he looks up,

slightly awestruck, at Titian’s towering masterpiece, “The

Assumption of the Virgin”.

PAUL:

It is.

Reveal him standing before the apse of the Basilica Santa

Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari, the famous Gothic choir stalls

and rood screen behind him.

JULZ:

Do you miss me?

INT. PAUL’S SLEEPING CHAMBER - NIGHT

Paul lies in bed, talking with the phone plugged into its

charger.

PAUL:

Terribly.

JULZ:

Good.

PAUL:

Good night.

JULZ:

Good night.

41.

He hangs up. Taking a moment to stare at Julz picture

which he’s made the splash-screen on his phone.

DISSOLVE TO:

ALESSANDRA; BEAUTIFUL AND FROWNING...

INT. THEATRE - DAY

As she and Paul are handed the libretto for La Boh.me as

Signora Fiorentino explains that they will be...

SIGNORA FIORENTINO

...effettuare insieme l’apertura duetto

di Mimi e Rodolfo.

(”...perform together the

opening duet between

Rodolfo and Mimi.”)

Allesandra smiles at him kindly, though clearly not

thrilled. Paul only meets her eyes for a moment, then

looks down, flushed and nervous. Gerhardt glowers in the

background...

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT CONSERVATORY - DAY

PAUL:

(singing as he reads)

O soave fanciulla, o dolce visio di mite

circonfusa alba lunar. In te vivo ravviso

il sogno. Ch’io vorrei sempre sognar!

Signora Fiorentino cuts him off-

SIGNORA FIORENTINO

Non, non, non... Okay, this is um, ‘ow

you say, the spark... The moment of love

creation.

(speaks the words from

memory)

O soave fanciulla, o dolce visio, Oh!

Lovely girl, oh sweet face. In te vivo

ravviso il sogno. Ch’io vorrei sempre

sognar! I see you in a dream I will dream

forever... Look at her, she is beautiful,

non?

PAUL:

(without looking)

Yes.

42.

SIGNORA FIORENTINO

Look. With your eyes.

Paul looks at Allesandra, flushing again.

PAUL:

She’s very pretty.

SIGNORA FIORENTINO

(to Allessandra)

E voi, guarda su di lui.

(“And you, look at him.”)

Paul offers a hopeful, broken-tooth smile. Her eyes widen

at the sight of his teeth. She tries to cover, but he

knows what he isn’t...

SIGNORA FIORENTINO

(CONT’D)

Egli . molto...eh... Ha un cuore puro,

no?

(”He is very...um... He has

a pure heart, no?”)

He looks down again...

ALESSANDRA:

(Italian accent...)

Is okay.

PAUL:

Sorry, I...

She takes his face in her hand and turns it so she can

really see him. Finally, she smiles...

SIGNORA FIORENTINO

Buono. Dream only of each other... Allow

all other thoughts to slip away.

She begins to play again on the piano as we...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. OPERA SCHOOL - MORNING

Paul emerges with his suitcase, reading from a guidebook

to Lake Como when-

ALESSANDRA (O.S.)

Paolo?

She follows him out of the doorway.

43.

ALESSANDRA (CONT’D)

You are travel for the...fine settimana?

PAUL:

Oh, the weekend. Yes, I’m on my way to

Lake Como.

ALESSANDRA:

Da soli?

(”By yourself?”)

PAUL:

Si.

ALESSANDRA:

You want see Italia while you here?

PAUL:

As much as I can.

CUT TO:

FLORENCE; SEEN FROM SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET

INT. SMALL AIRPLANE - DAY

Where Paul stares out the window, watching the DUOMO slide

past before they cross the Arno River towards the vineyard

encrusted hills of Tuscany.

Alessandra sits in the co-pilot seat, talking animatedly

above the engine noise with her brother MANU. Paul snaps

some pictures. Click. Click.... And on the final

picture...

BOOM!

CUT TO:

EXT. PIAZZA DEL CAMPO, SIENA - EVENING

CANON FIRE, as TEN HORSES AND RIDERS, resplendent in a

dazzling array of silks and colors, launch over a starting

rope and begin racing around the square, which is filled

with THOUSANDS OF SCREAMING SPECTATORS.

Paul and Alessandra stand on a balcony overlooking the

square, along with the rest of her obviously well-off

FAMILY.

The horses round a very sharp turn and thunder almost

beneath the balcony.

44.

ALESSANDRA:

They have race this race since sixteen

hundred fifty-six. Two every year. One

horse represent one, eh, neighborhood of

Siena. My family live Chiocciola, the

Snail. We have second most win, but Oca,

the Goose have win the most times.

The horses circle the square and head for them again. One

of the jockeys shoves a competitor off his horse.

PAUL:

What do you get if you win? Di cosa hai

vinto?

She thinks a moment, then touches a fist to her chest.

ALESSANDRA:

Orgoglio.

PAUL:

Orgoglio?

(shakes his head)

Non capisco.

Alessandra leans to her FATHER who turns and smiles at

Paul...

FATHER:

Orgoglio means pride.

His eyes linger on his daughter, who raises her chin in

mock defiance before he kisses her.

FATHER (CONT’D)

Is your father not proud of you?

Paul struggles to respond, then mercifully-

ALESSANDRA:

Qui vengono!.

(”Here they come!”)

As the horses appear once more and churn towards the

finish line. Taking the sharp turn, one of the horses

stumbles, tossing the jockey into the crowd which ROARS...

The rest of the horses cross the finish line and the

family erupts into CHEERS!

DISSOLVE TO:

45.

INT. BASEMENT CONSERVATORY - DAY

Weeks of practice later, Paul and Alessandra sing the duet

together...

PAUL ALESSANDRA:

A! To sol commandi, amor! A! To sol commandi, amor!

(”Ah! Love, you rule (”Ah! Love, you rule

alone!”) alone!”)

Fremon nell’anima, Oh! Come dolci scendono,

(”Already I state in (”How sweet his

spirit,”) praises,”)

Le dolcezze estreme, Le sue lusinghe al core...

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