The Artist Page #9

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The man casts a glance to ask her what he should do next. Peppy, with a forced smile, motions that they can leave. As the man starts up the motorcar, George is walking away. The car sets off and overtakes him. Peppy does not turn round. She's crying.

84 INT. CLANDESTINE BAR - NIGHT 84

George, dressed differently, is drinking in a clandestine bar that has made the effort of putting up a few Christmas decorations. George is visibly smashed.

29.

85 INT. STUDIO JUNGLE ENCRUSTED LITTLE GEORGE - NIGHT

A small version of him appears superimposed on the bar, dressed as an explorer and discovering the life-size version of himself. The big version watches the little version load his rifle. Then the little version shoots at the big version, but the big version just smiles.

Little version runs off shot to get help, and he comes back with a tribe of African warriors, all bearing spears. They attack.

Big version tries to defend himself, staggers as he gets to his feet, tries to gesture to the barman, but he is so drunk that he falls straight backwards without making the slightest attempt to stop his fall. The Africans leap about with joy.

FADE TO BLACK.

(84) George's chauffeur comes into the bar. He motions to the barman who jerks his head in one direction. The chauffeur follows the indication and finds George lying on the floor,

totally smashed. He slaps him gently

times in a vain attempt to wake him,

shoulder, pays the check and leaves.

86 INT. GEORGE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

around the face a few

then lifts him over his

86

At George's house, his chauffeur puts him to bed and hangs his suit carefully before leaving the room. He sees the dog, goes over to it and strokes it. They look at each other. We can tell that the chauffeur is worried about George.

87 EXT. "GUARDIAN ANGEL" THEATER - DAY 87

85

Peppy Miller is "The Guardian Angel". It's a huge poster on the façade of a movie theater. George goes inside. With Jack.

88 INT. "GUARDIAN ANGEL" THEATER - DAY 88

The auditorium is full. George sits down in the first row. To watch the film he has to look upwards, and sees a huge and magnificent Peppy rising above him. She's playing a scene with

a young actor we recognize, it's Humphrey Bogart. He's spectator: he laughs, is absorbed and cries along with others.

89 INT. "GUARDIAN ANGEL" THEATER - CORRIDOR & LOBBY - DAY

become a the

30. 89

Coming out of the theater several young people bump into him. They don't recognize him. There's a lot of people milling about, so he picks Jack up. A woman exclaims an Oh! of admiration as though she's recognized George. He smiles modestly but soon realizes that it's just because she thinks Jack is cute and has come over to stroke him like she would any other dog. She is totally under Jack's charm, and says to George.

Title card:
If only he could talk!

George still has the smile on his lips, but it has become one of resignation.

He looks away as the woman strokes the dog.

90 EXT. MEXICAN VILLAGE - DAY 90

George is playing Zorro. He performs stunt after stunt and the close ups show his devastating smile to its best advantage. In fact, it's an extract from The Mark of Zorro with Douglas Fairbanks, into which we'll insert close ups of Jean we've shot ourselves.

91 INT. GEORGE'S HOUSE - DAY 91

The Zorro sequence is being screened on a wall in George's apartment. George is watching himself, slumped in an easy chair. His sluggish attitude and listless air are in sharp contrast with the image of himself projected by the film.

Then the image jumps and goes white. George gets up, still half- smashed. His shadow is clearly delineated on the white screen.

He sees it, looks it up and down and then starts to look at it sideways.

Title card:
Look what you've become...

He carries on shouting at it, obviously very annoyed with it. Title card: You were very nasty! And stupid! And arrogant!

He doesn't even want to look at it anymore. He looks disgusted. Suddenly his shadow separates itself from him and moves independently from him. As he shouts at it, it lowers its head and doesn't reply.

Title card:
You acted very badly! You were thoughtless!

31.

Totally smashed he starts to violently throw film reels against the wall as he hollers. The cans split open and the film bursts out all over. George is becoming more and more frenzied. The floor is now covered in cans and film. He stops, dripping with sweat. Worriedly, he looks around for a moment. Then he strikes a match, takes a second to consider what he's about to do and throws the match into the middle of the reels.

There's madness in his eyes as he watches the fire take hold. We can see his pleasure at seeing the flames spread. But he's very quickly overrun. The reels burst into flames in an instant and give off lots of smoke. Jack is panicking and barks incessantly. Suddenly, George seems to lose it. He doesn't know what to do anymore and, although the fire is spreading quite spectacularly around him, he runs to where the reels and films that he has not opened are, and begins throwing them frantically over his shoulder as though he's looking for one in particular. The ever-increasing denseness of the smoke, however, is making the task almost impossible. On the floor, below the smoke, Jack flees the room and runs off while George suffocates but continues to struggle with the cans of reels.

92 EXT. GEORGE'S HOUSE - DAY 92

He carries on as though it's normal until his shadow walks off with its head bowed. He watches it go, trying to understand what's happening, but it's gone and he's still there. He begins to holler.

Title card:
COME BACK! COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!!

The dog comes out of the house and makes a dash for the

sidewalk as fast as he can.

(91) In the room, among the flames and the smoke, George - now breathless - picks one of the reels and tries to turn round. He collapses, still holding on to the can.

93 EXT. POLICEMAN JUNCTION - DAY 93

Jack spots a cop at a junction. He takes hold of the cop's trouser leg with his teeth and tries to pull him towards George's house. The policeman doesn't understand, however, and pushes it away with his foot. The dog persists and barks but the cop just wants to be left in peace.

(91) George is suffocating on the floor. The level of smoke is getting ever lower and is slowly covering his face.

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(93) Jack barks louder and louder. The policeman feels uncomfortable. A woman is watching the scene inquisitively. Not knowing what to do, the cop motions to the dog to be silent and threatens it with two fingers, just like George miming a pistol. Jack collapses and plays dead. The cop has no idea what's happened, he crouches down and touches the dog to see if it's all right. Jack wakes up and goes to leave but stops immediately to show the cop he wants to take him with him. The cop still doesn't understand, it's the woman who tells him what he must do. The cop seems to understand, has a moment of doubt, and then starts following the dog. Jack encourages him to go faster, but the cop resists to begin with. Little by little though, as though realizing the seriousness of the situation, he speeds up. More and more,

94 EXT. GEORGE'S HOUSE - DAY 94

until he finally arrives flat out at George's home. The cop sees the smoke coming out of the house. He runs into the smoke.

95 INT. GEORGE'S HOUSE - DAY 95

A completely unconscious George, overcome by the fumes, is dragged out of the fire by the policeman.

96 EXT. GEORGE'S HOUSE - DAY 96

They come out the house. George is still clutching the reel. A

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