Peeping Tom Page #3

MARK:

That's all, Milly.

MILLY:

Oh no, sonny! Now take one I can

show my mother.

Mark inserts another slide.

MARK:

Think of her then.

There is a gentle KNOCK at the door, and Mr. Peters enters.

He carries a tray of coffee. He keeps his eyes modestly

lowered.

MR. PETERS

On the house.

He lays the tray on a table, still keeping his eyes lowered,

and goes out.

MILLY:

Some house! Hope it falls on his

ruddy earhole!

She glances over her shoulder.

MILLY:

It's your turn now, love...

CLOSE SHOT of Lorraine staring out of the window. She

stiffens. Milly's voice is overlaid.

MILLY (O.S.)

(in a whisper)

... it's her first time.

Lorraine clutches her shawl tightly.

MILLY:

Come on, love. Don't be shy.

Lorraine turns round.

The left side of her face is classical in its beauty. She

has a hare lip, which twists and distorts the whole of the

right side. Her eyes are large - and beautiful - and

defiant.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark looking at her.

CLOSE SHOT of Lorraine.

LORRAINE:

He said... you needn't photograph

my face!

CLOSE SHOT of Mark.

MARK:

I want to.

CLOSE SHOT of Lorraine. Beautiful in profile.

LORRAINE:

I suppose you'll fix my bruises

too?

MARK:

I want to...

MILLY:

What about the customers?

CLOSE SHOT of the shawl round Lorraine's shoulders.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark.

MARK:

You needn't be shy... of me...

it's my first time too.

CLOSE SHOT of Lorraine's eyes - puzzled.

LORRAINE:

Yours?

MARK:

In front of eyes... like...

He tries to go on - but words are a foreign language to

him.

MARK:

...eyes... as full of...

In a sudden rush:

MARK:

Lorraine - let my camera tell you.

CLOSE SHOT of Lorraine standing very still � looking at

him in silence.

Milly shrugs and reaches for the coffee pot.

Overlaid is the gentle purring of a cine-camera.

CAMERA LINGERS on the dark liquid being poured into a cup.

DISSOLVE TO:

Whisky being poured into a glass.

CAMERA PULLS BACK

INT. HELEN'S SITTING ROOM - EVENING - TOWARDS SUNSET

The hand filling the glass is a woman's (MRS. STEPHENS).

She is sitting in a high-backed chair, and we cannot see

her face. Over her shoulder we watch a party in progress.

A group of Young people have surrounded someone to whom

they are singing:

YOUNG PEOPLE:

(singing)

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

CAMERA TRACKS towards them.

CLOSE SHOT of TONY HUNTER, a well-built youngster in his

middle twenties.

TONY:

Happy birthday... dear Helen

He obviously means it.

TONY:

happy birthday to you.

CLOSE SHOT of 'dear HELEN'. A sensitive, intelligent, and

extremely attractive girl, who � as the encircling

youngsters now inform us in song - is:

YOUNG PEOPLE:

Twenty-one today,

She's twenty-one today,

She's got the key of the door,

She's never been twenty-one before.

CLOSE SHOT of the glass by Mrs. Stephens' side. It is half

empty. An elderly lady leans across to her. She is Mrs.

Partridge, slightly high on a glass of sherry.

MRS. PARTRIDGE

You must be very proud of your

daughter, Mrs. Stephens.

Mrs. Stephens grunts. Someone switches on a gramophone and

the young couples start dancing at once. Tony hurries up

to Helen.

TONY:

May I?

Helen goes towards him. A YOUNG MAN calls out sharply:

YOUNG MAN:

Look!

He is pointing at something out of camera. All heads -

except Mrs. Stephens' - follow the direction of his gaze.

Mrs. Stephens continues to sit motionless in the high-backed

chair.

CAMERA PANS to the window. Mark is standing there.

CLOSE SHOT of Helen looking at Mark. We watch him over her

shoulder - Tony's arm encircling it.

TONY (O.S.)

It's that chap from upstairs.

EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - EVENING - LOW SUN

The chap from upstairs presses his face to the window.

From his POV WE SEE Helen's eyes looking at him - the key

of the door in them - looking at him, not staring. Suddenly

the rest comes into focus - Tony's arm around Helen's

shoulder... the high-backed chair in the foreground with

the back of that motionless head... a young couple giggling

as they stare at him. Mark steps away, and the CAMERA PULLS

BACK with him.

We catch a glimpse of the house - large, sprawling, but

with a touch of quality about it, in a quiet, unpretentious

street.

Mark hurries towards a side entrance.

INT. HELEN'S SITTING ROOM - EVENING

CLOSE SHOT of Helen looking at the empty window.

HELEN:

I'll ask him in...

CLOSE SHOT of Tony - frowning.

CAMERA PANS to Mrs. Stephens' glass... the hand which

refills it has begun to tremble.

INT. REAR OF HOUSE - NIGHT

The lights are on.

WE FOLLOW Mark (and his camera) along a small passage which

leads to the hall. The sound of a dance record can be heard.

Mark starts to whistle it under his breath.

INT. HALL - NIGHT

Over his shoulder we see a staircase, and beyond it the

door of Helen's sitting room. The sound of Helen's party

fills the hall.

Mark reaches the staircase. There is the sound of a door

opening. Helen's voice is overlaid:

HELEN (O.S.)

Excuse me!

Mark hesitates, then turns round.

CLOSE SHOT of Helen - smiling at him.

HELEN:

I don't know how many times we've

passed each other on the stairs?

Mark looks at her as if he does.

HELEN:

... but tonight I'm determined at

least to say hello to you! So hello!

Her directness is natural, consistent and very hard to

resist.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark - smiling.

HELEN:

I'm Helen Stephens.

She glances with unconcealed interest at the camera over

his shoulder.

HELEN:

I'm having a party - and the other

tenants are there... And a few

friends. We'd like you to join us.

MARK:

Mark...

HELEN:

Pardon?

MARK:

I'm Mark...

HELEN:

Hallo, Mark.

She holds out her hand... he takes it gently.

HELEN:

Please come in... you'll meet the

others who live here, and...

MARK:

Thank you, but... work.

HELEN:

Oh...

She glances again at his camera.

HELEN:

Well, I hope to keep it going for

hours yet... so when you've finished

why not look in?

She realizes that this is not the happiest of phrases.

HELEN:

...Mark?

He hesitates.

CAMERA PANS to Helen's door. Tony stands there.

TONY:

Darling, your cake - everyone's

waiting.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark - looking at her.

MARK:

Thank you.

He turns away.

MARK:

Happy Birthday.

He hurries up the stairs.

CLOSE SHOT of Helen. She stares after him for a moment.

Then returns thoughtfully to her party.

FADE OUT:

The screen remains dark for a moment. We are with Mark in

a darkened room. He is giving a film show - and we are the

screen.

INT. MARK'S DARK-ROOM - NIGHT

His cine-projector points straight at us. A flickering

light shines in our eyes. We can see him crouching behind

the projector.

Mark leans forward, watching the screen intently...

Perspiration trickles down his forehead. He is breathing

very quickly. The sounds of the party seep up from

downstairs - music, laughter, and a Girl's yelp.

There is a knock on the door. Mark does not hear it.

CAMERA PANS to the door of the room. It is blacked-out

like a photographic dark-room. The knock is repeated.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark. He switches off the projector instantly.

CAMERA PANS to an open cupboard in the corner.

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