Peeping Tom Page #5

He places a chair a few feet away from the screen - and,

with an oddly courteous bow, beckons her into it. She sits

down.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark. He looks at her intently for a moment -

then turns off the lights. Over Helen's shoulder We can

just make out the empty screen. Mark switches on the

projector.

CLOSE SHOT of Helen - the light flickering on her face.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark staring at Helen's face.

CLOSE SHOT of Helen. WE SEE her expression of surprise.

Over Mark's shoulder WE SEE the surprise growing. Over

Helen's shoulder we see the screen. We are looking at a

small boy. He is lying in his bed asleep. Although the

print is old, we can see that he is a remarkably handsome

boy.

HELEN:

Mark, what a beautiful child.

The boy turns restlessly in his sleep... one of his pillows

falls to the floor.

HELEN:

Who is he?

MARK:

Me

HELEN:

Of course it is! Then who took

this film?

MARK:

(quietly)

My Father.

A light - as if from a small torch � starts to shine on

the child's eyes. He moves restlessly.

HELEN:

What a wonderful idea...

The light plays on the child's left eye, then on his right.

It is growing brighter.

HELEN:

You'll be able to show it to your

own chi...

The child wakes up suddenly. He stares at something...

then starts to scream.

HELEN:

You must have had a bad dream...

CLOSE SHOT of Mark watching her in silence.

HELEN:

...but what was that light? ...The

camera, I suppose?

Mark does not answer. The small screen is filled with the

face of the screaming, terrified child.

(Mark's father now tries a not altogether successful

dissolve:
)

WE NOW SEE the little boy standing in front of a garden

wall. He tries hard to climb to the top of the wall, but

falls over. Helen laughs. Mark watches her in silence.

Small Mark tries again - and again - to scale the wall...

At last he succeeds.

HELEN:

Whatever are you after?

WE SEE the little boy lying flat on the wall staring at

something... rapt, motionless.

The cine-camera which is taking this picture now tracks

rather clumsily towards the wall.

HIGH ANGLE SHOT over the wall of what is fascinating young

Mark - A man and woman are lying on the ground, kissing.

The CINE-CAMERA PANS - again rather clumsily - to young

Mark... staring intently.

HELEN:

Naughty boy I hope you were spanked!

CLOSE SHOT of Helen. It suddenly occurs to her.

HELEN:

... but, Mark... what a strange

thing for your father to photograph.

MARK:

Switch off?

HELEN:

No.

She stares again at that lonely figure perched on the wall.

HELEN:

No.

The small screen begins to dissolve ...so does the large

one.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. HELEN'S SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

Over Mrs. Stephens' shoulder WE SEE the party in progress.

The glass by her side is full again. Tony is dancing with

an attractive blonde.

MRS. STEPHENS

Tony!

He turns round.

TONY:

Me, Mrs. Stephens?

The head nods.

Tony advances reluctantly towards her.

REVERSE ANGLE SHOT of Mrs. Stephens.

Over Tony's shoulder WE SEE a powerfully built and once

lovely woman.

She is so perpetually drunk as almost to be sober. The few

movements she makes are slow - deliberate - and give nothing

away. The voice articulates so carefully that the slur

scarcely shows.

The fact that she is blind almost helps to conceal the

fact that she is drunk. Her sightless eyes stare out the

camera as Tony reaches her.

MRS. STEPHENS

I want a word with you.

DISSOLVE TO:

CLOSE SHOT of Helen's eyes. The light from the projector

flickering into them.

HELEN:

I hate people who chatter in films -

but there's so much I want to ask.

CAMERA PULLS BACK

INT. THE INNER ROOM - NIGHT

She is leaning forward, her face cupped in her hand,

watching the small screen intently.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark. His face is cupped in his hand as he

watches her intently.

Over Helen's shoulder WE SEE Mark in the making.

The child is again asleep... this time he is being

photographed from the head of the bed - the CAMERA POINTING

STRAIGHT DOWN AT HIS FACE.

A beam of light starts to shine onto his eyes, first onto

the left, then onto the right.

HELEN:

(in a whisper)

Again?

Mark looks at her in silence.

The boy moves restlessly, then turns over onto his face,

pulling the bedclothes round him. His right hand is limp

on the pillow. The light shines for a moment on this hand,

then goes out. Helen half turns towards Mark.

HELEN:

Mark, this isn't some kind of jo...

Her attention is suddenly riveted on the screen.

MARK:

(in a whisper)

No, Helen.

Over Helen's shoulder WE SEE something drop onto the child's

bed... something which stays quite still for a moment,

then starts crawling towards the counterpane. It is a small

lizard.

HELEN:

Mark, whatever is that?

Her voice trails away. She stares - repelled and fascinated -

at the screen.

WE SEE Mark reach for his cine-camera.

Over Helen's shoulder WE SEE the lizard reach the

counterpane. It stretches itself out on the floral design -

its body is pointed towards the child's hand.

WE HEAR a click - and suddenly a spotlight falls onto

Helen's face.

OVERLAID is the GENTLE PURRING of Mark's cine-camera. She

wheels towards him - blotting out the small screen.

HELEN:

What are you...

MARK:

wanted to photograph you...

watching...

HELEN:

No, Mark!

The camera purrs on.

HELEN:

No!

He switches off the spot... the purring of the camera dies

away. She turns towards the small screen.

HELEN:

help me to understand this... this

nightmare...

The small boy is sitting upright... screaming with terror...

there is no sign of the lizard.

A handkerchief is thrown onto the boy's bed. He continues

crying - looking up into someone's face.

CLOSE SHOT of Mark watching the screen.

We hear a man's deep voice overlaid.

MAN'S DEEP VOICE (O.S.)

That'll do Mark... dry your eyes

and stop being silly.

Small Mark reaches for the handkerchief and wipes his

eyes... his hands are trembling.

The small screen trembles with them into a clumsy dissolve.

Helen turns to Mark.

HELEN:

All right... now look... Mark -

what was all that about?

He looks at her helplessly.

HELEN:

... that was a lizard, wasn't it?

Or a...

MARK:

Liz...

HELEN:

Well how did it get there?... How

did it get there Mark?... Was it

a pet?

MARK:

Not mine...

HELEN:

Won't you try to explain?

CLOSE SHOT of Mark staring at the screen.

MARK:

You'd better go!

HELEN:

I like to understand what I'm shown!

She turns to the screen.

HELEN:

What was your father trying to

do?... Photographing you at nigh...

Her voice trails away.

MARK:

better go...

From Helen's POV WE SEE the screen.

Small Mark is wearing a dark suit and a black tie.

He is standing at the foot of a four-poster bed, staring

at something in horror and disbelief... his hands clasp

the bedrail tightly.

Slowly - very slowly - he walks towards the head of the

bed, staring.

His lips begin to quiver. He bends forward over the bed.

WE CAN SEE the back of his bowed head.

HELEN:

Mark... what is this?

MARK:

I am saying... goodbye... my

mother...

We catch a glimpse of a woman's hands folded in front of

her.

CLOSE SHOT of Helen.

HELEN:

(in a whisper)

He... photographed... that...?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes