Shine Page #8

INT. PRACTICE ROOM - DAY

We are back in the past and there's an elderly teacher in

the practice room who looks at his watch impatiently to make

a point.

PARKES:

Bravo, David. Now remind me why I'm here.

David

(enters)

Sorry, Mr. Parkes, sorry.

PROFESSOR CECIL PARKES is in his sixties. His left arm

hangs limply by his side, crippled by a stroke.

PARKES:

It's fortunate I'm a deeply forgiving human being.

David's VOICE

Liszt was like that, wasn't he, a great humanitarian - not

that I ever met him, knew him personallor anything but he

had a respect for every living breathing creature; so that

was nice of him, wasn't it? Or so I read.

(Plonks a book down.)

Very improvisatorial, very sensual, Mr. Parkes. Virtuosic.

PARKES:

Bacchanalian! Boldness of attack!

He bashes out chords with his one good arm.

PARKES:

Diablerie! The Devil, David!

David

Whooaah, mustn't break the piano.

PARKES:

Liszt broke plenty!

David

Right!

Swept up, David bashes out some chords - PARKES stops him.

PARKES:

(quietly)

But you must play what's on the page; you're not Liszt,

remember.

David

Not even slightly Mozart.

PARKES plays (with his good hand) to demonstrate.

PARKES:

Come on, fill in for this useless arm of mine.

David plays the 'other hand'.

PARKES:

The notes first, your interpretation comes on top of them.

David

On top, yes.

PARKES enjoys their playing together. He likes David.

PARKES:

You agree, do you?

David

Oh yes, I always agree.

PARKES:

Is that wise?

David

I don't know. Is it?

They play on. David works the pedals; he's wearing odd

shoes, a black one and a brown one.

PARKES:

Don't forget, it's on the page.

David

Well yes, the notes are, but not the feeling, the emotions

which is what I feel.

PARKES:

You mustn't sacrifice everything to emotion. It's a

question of balance.

David

Is that the question, Professor?

PARKES:

Precisely.

David

I thought so.

INT. RCOM FOYER - DAY

A throng of students is going up the stairs. David is

coming down the other way, bumping into everyone.

David

Sorry sorry, oops, beg pardon. You look lovely today,

Sarah, simply beautiful.

SARAH:

Thank you, David.

David

You too, Muriel.

Male student

Ease up, Helfgott.

Laughter; David's popular with them.

REGISTRAR:

Mr. Helfgott. Your allowance cheque.

Two students - ASHLEY and ROBERT - look on.

ROBERT:

(to ASHLEY)

Pay day. David!

They flank David as he heads through the foyer.

ROBERT:

You missed the bank. Pity! You'll have to wait until

tomorrow.

David

Can't bank on the bank.

Ashley

We know someone who'll cash it, David.

David

Do we Ashley? Do we really?

Robert

What are friends for?

As they exit to:

EXT. RCOM - DAY

David

'All you need is friends', whoahhh. It's what the Beatles

say.

ASHLEY:

'Love' dear David.

David

Yes, Ashley darling?

Robert

Taxi!

INT. SOHO STRIP CLUB - NIGHT

David crosses to ASHLEY and ROBERT with a tray full of

drinks, while a stripper bums and grinds. They drink at

David's expense and puff on cigars, including David.

EXT. SOHO - NIGHT

David walks along stuffing his mouth with choclate and Coke,

taking in the sights. A transvestite with bright red-dyed

hair and make-up steps out of a dorrway - RAY.

RAY:

Got a cigarette, love?

David

A cigarette love - love a cigarette.

He offers the packet.

RAY:

I'm Ray.

David

Ray? Ray! Raylene! Whooah, pleased to meet you. I'm

David, David Helfgott. Ridiculous!

RAY lights up the cigarette, then puts an arm around David.

RAY:

You're very friendly, aren't you David?

David

Friendly? Do you think so? That's very important isn't it?

Ray

If you say so, sweetheart.

He steers innocent David into an alleyway.

EXT. TRAFALGAR SQUARE - SUNRISE

Close-up:
the bobbing face of a pigeon. It coos. David's

eyes blink open. He sees the pigeon and coos back. His

face has traces of make-up on it. Under his jacket he's now

wearing the lurex vest we say o on RAY.

New angle. David is curled up under a massive statue of a

lion (which guards Nelson's column). Nearby a MAN hoses

away bird sh*t.

Wide shot. David shuffles off in the early morning light,

across the empty square.

INT/EXT. UPPER WINDOW. RCOM - DAY

PARKES and another teacher, GORDON VINEY, 50, sip tea as

they look out the window onto the street below.

PARKES:

He has the most fantastic hands.

viney

Not connected to anything above the sholders.

Their POV.

David hurrying up some steps in the College grounds. He

drops music everywhere.

PARKES:

He's a little fragile.

viney

A chopinzee!

PARKES isn't amused.

PARKES:

I've seen enough to suggest he can make the finals of the

concerto trials.

VINEY:

And what have you seen, Cecil?

A gleam in PARKES' eye.

PARKES:

Moments of genius.

Viney

(laugh, bemused)

Genius. Oh really!

POV below - David scrambles chaotically after his music.

INT. RCOM - DAY

David hurries down the corridor.

VOICE:

David!

He spins around to be met by GILLIAN walking towards him -

we are back in the present. ADULT David looks completely

baffled.

ADULT David

Gillian, what are you doing here?

INT. DIRECTOR'S OFFICE. DAY - Present

RONALD IRWIN - the Director of the College - is a

distinguished-looking forty. He pours tea for GILLIAN while

David looks at framed photos and various certificates on the

wall, shuffling from one frame to another.

IRWIN:

Is he aware of what happened? Does he remember?

Gillian

Ask him.

IRWIN:

Do you remember much from your student days, David?

David

Oh yes, yes absolutely. Everything. Well kind of, kind of;

or is it a bit of a blank, a bit of a scrabble, the pieces

missing - is that it?

gillian

You're the only one that knows that.

David

That's right darling, the only one -

gillian

You were here.

David

I was, I was here, that's right I was; it seems to be true.

Is it true? Or is that just the way it is?

Gillian

The way what is, David?

David

Scrabble, darling.

(To Irwin.)

It's a tough game, isn't it? A bloodsport.

gillian

Not quite.

He mumbles on as he turns back to the photos.

Gillian

Filling in the blanks is what it's all about, as you can

see.

IRWIN takes in the mumbling, stooping figure of David,

finding it hard to believe.

IRWIN:

That performance he gave for the concerto finals,

Rachmaninov's Third. I'll never forget it; I doubt anyone

could.

David

Whooaahh Professor!

It's a photo of PARKES - now Sir Cecil Parkes.

INT. RCOM CORRIDOR - DAY

Doors burst open and YOUNG David tears down the corridor.

We are back in the past. He slides to a stop in front of a

notice:
'CONCERTO MEDAL FINALISTS (Patron: H.M. The Queen

Mother)'.

'David Helfgott' is on the list of six pinned on the notice

board.

ROBERT:

How on earth did we manage to make the finals, dear David?

David - out of breath - can't believe it.

ASHLEY:

You're a conductor's nightmare.

David pulls a 'nightmare' face as he registers his name on

the list.

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