The Artist Page #3

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17 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - DRESSING ROOM CORRIDORS - DAY 17

As he walks towards his dressing room, everyone smiles at him.

He's not always fooled by these signs of respect, and

few smiles himself.

18 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - GEORGE'S DRESSING ROOM - DAY

apes a

18

George

Title card:
Go and buy a piece of jewelry for my wife. A nice piece, to make it up to her.

The chauffeur nods. Having finished his mask up, George, picks up a photo, looks at it closely and then writes on it. As he leaves the dressing room, we see the photograph. He's written Woof Woof on it, and signed it with the paw print of a dog.

19 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - RESTAURANT DECOR SET - DAY

We're on a film set, the crew is setting up a shot. The

In his dressing room, wearing a tailcoat and top hat,

is finishing putting his make up on. He has a white face and dark lips and eyes. His chauffeur is signing autographs for him on full length photographs of himself (George) with his dog. George says to him:

director is unhappy with a screen positioned behind

window and he sends it off.

9.

On

Title card:
Remove that screen and bring me another one! the double!

Two hands pick up the screen and carry it away. George arrives on set, everyone smiles at him. He sits down on the chair which bears his name. The producer whom we saw the previous day at the première arrives. His name is Zimmer, and he's flanked by - and followed around at every moment by - two secretaries and two assistants. One of them hands him The Hollywood Reporter, and Zimmer, before he's even come to a halt, talks to George as he shows him the front page. He is visibly upset. George looks a lot more relaxed, he says hello and vaguely tries to reassure him. But Zimmer persists, still pointing at the newspaper.

Title card:
Because of this childish nonsense, there's nothing about the film before page 5!

Behind George, the two set hands come back with a new screen

a bay

19

of sky scenery, and wait, standing just next to George. As they are holding it, there is a three foot gap underneath. While the producer is talking to him, George's attention is drawn by a lovely pair of women's legs that have come to stand behind the screen, the top half of the body being hidden by it. George acknowledges the sight with a smile and is about to bring his attention back to the on-going discussion, when his attention is drawn away again by a noise, that of the tap steps the female legs are making, presumably as a warm up. George smiles in recognition and responds with a few tap steps of his own. The women's legs instantly stop, seem to think a moment and then answer back, but with a jump in the complexity of the steps. A tap dialogue ensues between the two pairs of legs, until the hands - the path before them now cleared - pick up their screen of scenery and walk off with it. The screen moves and as it disappears reveals that the upper body belongs young woman. She pulls a face meaning 'Here I am!!' And of course it's Peppy, except that she immediately realizes who she is dealing with - visibly she wasn't expecting this at all - and feels completely ridiculous and uncomfortable.

Her joyful expression gradually becomes one of abject apology, but George is roaring with laughter.

After a short pause, Zimmer makes the connection. He checks the front page of the paper, and recognizes her!

Then he begins shouting at her and all she can do is lower her head, unable to reply. He gestures that she's fired and for her to get out, and she starts to go, completely distraught. She's just made a couple of steps when George stops her and tells her to come back. Everyone is surprised, most of all him. Zimmer can't believe it, and so doesn't respond at first.

10.

There's bad feeling between them, as though neither wanted this sudden conflict, but like it had always been there, tangible. Everyone on the set seems to be waiting for Zimmer to react, but to their surprise, after a long moment of hesitation, he walks away without saying a thing. Peppy looks at George gratefully, smiling, but seems a little preoccupied as though she might have made a mistake.

Everyone on set gets back to work.

20 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - RESTAURANT DECOR SET - DAY 20

They're about to start shooting. The director is showing

set

away to a

George what he has to do. The scene is happening in a cabaret restaurant. George has to cross a dance floor, but each time he is stopped by a guy ringing a bell to signal it is time to change dancing partner. George finds himself dancing with

Peppy one moment, and in the arms of a very fat man the next, the director finds the gag hysterical. The scene is shot several times from three different angles. Each time, George dances with Peppy, and, each time, the nature of their rapport changes. To begin with, they are happy and laughing, but then, with time, less so. Then they become embarrassed, and then things get worse. We start the sequence again and again, to the sound of the clapperboard counting the number of takes, but the eroticism between them is the only thing that stands out from the scene, every thing else goes unnoticed. Ultimately, no flirting or suggestiveness has gone on, just the very obvious beginning of feelings between them that they find disturbing. It's probably love.

21 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - DRESSING ROOM CORRIDORS - DAY 21

Later on, in the dressing room corridor, Peppy, holding an envelope, goes up to George's door. She knocks, waits for a reply, then enters. There's nobody there. She hesitates, not sure whether to leave or stay...

22 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - GEORGE'S DRESSING ROOM - DAY 22

Finally, she goes into the room and places the envelope addressed to George Valentin on the dresser. Then she attentively looks around the dressing room. She looks at the objects and photos and notices, hanging from a coat stand, George's jacket on a hanger, and his hat which sits on a hook above it. The way the clothes are disposed looks like George's silhouette, except that the clothes are empty. She goes over, strokes the jacket and little by little brings George to life through his clothes.

11.

She puts her right hand into the sleeve and touches her own waist. As it's George's sleeve, she makes it look like his arm has come to life, as though George has come to life. Even more so since her left hand is stroking the jacket as though George were inside. She takes pleasure from the embrace and, when George comes into the room, she slowly removes her hand without any rush. George sees her, they look at each other. He closes the door but doesn't go over to her, instead going over to the mirror. He looks at her, she at him... He motions to her to approach. She does. He stares at her face for a while before he speaks.

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