The Artist Page #10

92 EXT. GEORGE’S HOUSE - DAY 92

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.

32.

(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

crowd has formed, people recognize him. One woman feels sorry

for him, a man runs for help. George is unconscious.

FADE TO BLACK.

97 INT. KINOGRAPH STUDIOS - PEPPY SET - 1931 - DAY 97

We see Peppy on a shoot, sitting in a chair with her name on

it, smoking a cigarette. Everyone about her is busy preparing a

shot. Suddenly an assistant brings her a telephone. She takes

the receiver with a smile and listens. Her expression tightens

a little. She hangs up, pensive for a moment. On set,the

director gestures to his assistant that the shot is ready and

they are good to go. The assistant goes towards Peppy to let

her know but, as he gets to where she should be, her seat is

empty. He looks everywhere for her, but she has disappeared.

98 INT. PEPPY’S CAR (DRIVING) - DAY 98

In her car, and still in costume, she urges her chauffeur to go

quick as he can.

33.

99 EXT. HOSPITAL COURTYARD - DAY 99

The car pulls into the hospital courtyard.

100 INT. HOSPITAL - LOBBY AND STAIRS - DAY 100

Peppy bursts into the lobby, talks to a woman at the desk who

directs her with a raised hand that Peppy immediately follows.

She bounds up the stairs four at a time and comes into a

corridor,

101 INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR AND GEORGE’S ROOM - DAY 101

and then to a door through the window of which she sees

George lying down. His dog is at the foot of the bed, asleep.

George is on a drip, unconscious and covered in bandages. A

doctor is in the room with a nurse.

Peppy enters. She's anxious but the doctor seems reassuring.

Title card:
He’s not in any danger now. He just needs to

rest.

Peppy goes up to George. She notices that his burnt hands

seem to still be clutching something. She's intrigued. In

response, the doctor shows her the reel of film that sits in

a corner of the room.

Title card:
He was holding that. It was real hard to pry it

away from him.

Peppy picks up the can. The label is too damaged to be able

to read the title of the film. She opens it and unrolls some

of the film in front of the window. We see random photograms

run by. It's the only sequence they ever shot together, years

before. Peppy is moved. Without turning round, she asks the

doctor:

Title card:
Do you think he could come rest up at my place?

The doctor nods with a kindly glint in his eye.

Title card:
It’s probably the very best he could have hoped

for.

102 EXT. PEPPY’S HOUSE - DAY 102

An ambulance takes George, still unconscious, to Peppy's

house. Jack is with him.

34.

It's a large, beautiful house, very expensive and very

Hollywood. But it's also very inviting.

103 INT. PEPPY’S HOUSE - GEORGE’S BEDROOM & CORRIDOR - NIGHT 103

It's night time. George is in bed. He opens one eye. Then he

wakes up and looks around, not understanding where he is.

Jack wakes up and barks, wags his tail. A nurse who had been

dozing in an armchair facing the bed awakes with a start, then

goes over to George. She reassures him, motions to him not to

get upset, then slowly leaves the room before running off down

the corridor. She knocks at a door then goes back to George's

room. Peppy is close on her heels. She comes into the room in

her nightgown. When he sees her, George smiles and she rushes

over to the bed and puts her arms tight around him. She is

terribly moved but, when she releases him from her arms to talk

to him, she realizes that he has lost consciousness again and

so was not sharing the same special moment as she. She pulls a

face, afraid she might have done something wrong, glances over

at the nurse, then lays George's head back on his pillow.

104 INT. PEPPY’S HOUSE - GEORGE’S BEDROOM - DAY 104

The next morning, Peppy brings breakfast into George's room

and they eat it together. She laughs, talks, eats, drinks and

is as vivacious as he had dreamed she would be all those years

before. He looks at her with a smile on his face. Then she

looks at her watch and realizes she needs to hurry.

Title card:
I’ve got to go. I have to be on set for nine

o’clock.

George smiles kindly at her. She returns the smile but we can

tell that maybe reality has just reminded them that she is

working, and he is not. They exchange a last glance before

she leaves the room.

George, now alone, gets up with some difficulty. He picks up

a pile of folded clothes from an armchair. It's his jacket

and pants, both half burned. On the floor, his shoes are in

exactly the same state of disrepair.

105 INT. PEPPY’S HOUSE - DAY 105

A little later, and alone, he's exploring the house. It's

richly and tastefully decorated, highly personal. He goes

along a corridor and down a wide stairway. Jack begins sniffing

outside of one door, as though he wants to go inside.

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