The Comfort of Strangers Page #4

Hampshire, Wiltshire,

Cumberland, Yorkshire?

Harrods?

Such a beautiful country.

Such beautiful traditions.

Well, it's not quite so beautiful now.

Is it, Colin?

- Colin, are you feeling all right?

- Mm.

In what way?

In what way not beautiful?

Oh...

I don't know.

Freedom. You know?

Freedom? What kind of freedom?

Freedom to do what?

- Freedom to be free.

- You want to be free?

- Free to do what?

- You don't believe in it?

Sure I believe in it, but sometimes

a few rules, you know, not a bad thing.

First, society has to be protected

from perverts. Everybody knows that.

My position is simple. Put them all

up against the wall and shoot them.

What society needs to do is purify itself.

The English government's

going in the right direction.

We could learn a lot of lessons from them.

I'm an Englishman, and I have to say I

disagree violently with what you just said.

I think it's sh*t.

I respect you as an English man.

But not if you're a communist poof.

You're not a poof, are you?

It's the right word, no? Or is it fruit?

Talking about fruit, it's time for coffee.

- No, I think we should be going.

- Yes, we must.

- But coffee!

- No, we've stayed far too long already.

- But thank you so much.

- You're tired.

Thank you.

Our hotel won't seem quite the same

after your apartment.

Oh.

Nice.

I'm a keen amateur photographer.

- So we go straight on till we get to the...

- Take the bridge.

Please. Please come back.

Please. It's important.

I can't get out.

- Love to.

- It's my back. The stairs.

Anyway, thank you so much

for your kindness. Good night.

- It's meant a great deal to us.

- Good night.

You know, when I saw you on that

terrace tonight, in that nightdress...

you looked so beautiful...

my heart... jumped.

But I told you how you looked

in that nightdress, didn't I?

- Permesso.

- Oh, please!

- Dovrei pulire la stanza.

- We're on our bloody holiday.

Come here. Come here.

What's it like?

I often wonder what it feels like.

What's what like?

What's it feel like to be the girl?

I mean the feeling of being...

It feels...

like...

this.

I'm crazy about you.

I'm crazy about you.

Don't open the shutters.

Come here.

Come here.

Sit down.

Ow!

- I want you.

- No.

No? Yes.

No.

- Wasn't that maid extraordinary?

- Listen.

Why did they do that to you, those kids?

Why did they hound you out of that gang?

Because they didn't like me.

They were jealous, that's what it was.

They were jealous of your beauty.

I am myself.

You know that, don't you?

I'm... jealous of your beauty.

In that it belongs to me.

Jealous in that sense.

No one else can touch it. It's all mine.

Is it?

All mine. It's my possession.

- I'm possessed!

- Avete visto quei due inglesi?

Colin.

What?

- carino.

- Anche lei molto bella.

You know what those people are doing?

- What?

- They're talking about us.

- About you.

- No, you.

- Or perhaps us.

-

This actually reminds me. You know

all this thing about thighs and bottoms?

- What thing?

- You know.

People look at other people's thighs and

bottoms and say "Christ, what thighs!"

Or "What an arse!" "What an ass."

"What tits", of course.

What tits, what b*obs, what a can.

If you see what I mean.

I mean, what I mean is...

Well, my first point is that

only the word "thighs" is constant.

You've got all these other words for all

the other words but only one for thighs.

- Isn't that incredible?

- You don't need another word.

- What's your question?

- This.

When people look at you and... talk about

your thighs and your bottom, or both,

what sense of your thighs and your

bottom do you at such a time have?

People aren't talking about

my thighs or my bottom.

How can you know that?

Because the whole restaurant is talking

about your thighs and your bottom.

Mine? No, I don't think so.

Really?

- Incredible.

-

Oh.

- I forgot to tell you.

- What?

I had rather a good idea.

I'm going to hire a surgeon.

A very handsome surgeon.

- To cut off your arms and your legs.

- Oh, really?

And I'll keep you in a room in my house.

And use you just for sex.

Whenever I feel like it.

And sometimes

I'll lend you to my girlfriends

and they can do what they like with you.

It's funny you should say that.

I've come to a decision myself

and I haven't told you yet.

- A decision?

- Mm. I've come to this decision.

- What is it?

- Well...

I'm going to invent a machine.

Made of steel. Powered by electricity.

- It has controls, pistons...

- Mmm...

It has straps, dials.

And it makes a low hum. Like this.

Like that?

And the machine will f*** you.

Not just for hours and days, but for years

and years and years and years.

Forever.

Mary.

You were having a nightmare. Mary.

What is it?

What is it?

You were having a terrible dream.

What is it?

You are beautiful.

- Are you awake?

- I'm so afraid.

Shh.

What is it?

Touch me.

Shh.

Come on. Let's go back.

Come on. Let's sit down.

What is it? You had a terrible dream.

- Do you remember it?

- Mm.

Tell me. What was it?

There was a photograph

at Robert's apartment.

It was of you.

What photograph?

I looked through some photographs

at Robert's apartment.

One of them was of you.

Of me?

It must have been taken from outside.

From a boat or along the waterfront.

You were standing on this balcony.

- But I didn't see any photograph.

- No, you didn't see it.

- Don't fall asleep. Keep awake.

- I'm awake.

You're in his photograph.

Colin?

- What about over there?

- All right.

Come on.

Something happened at Robert's flat.

I didn't tell you.

- I can't hear you. What?

- Something happened. I didn't tell you.

When you'd gone to change, to dress.

Remember?

Well, he was talking to me.

About his father and so on.

And then suddenly he hit me

really hard in the stomach.

- He totally winded me.

- He hit you?

But why?

Why didn't you say anything?

I don't know.

I don't know why I didn't say anything.

I don't know why he hit me.

And I don't know why he took

my photograph on the balcony, either.

I'm going for a swim.

Listen.

I've been thinking.

Why don't we do it?

- Do what?

- Get together.

You know.

Live together with the children.

I mean it.

I love you.

Yes, but we don't have to

commit ourselves to all that. I mean...

It's been such a lovely day.

Don't you want to?

I thought you wanted to.

I do, but... when I was swimming

out there and I was all alone,

I suddenly felt so... peaceful.

I can't describe it.

I could have gone on forever.

I can't get back to things like this

just like that.

I thought you wanted it.

We'll see, shall we?

It goes around the other side of the island,

then cuts through the harbour to our side.

Let's take it, then.

We can get off at the next stop

and walk through.

- What?

- We can get off and walk through.

- Quicker than going round the harbour.

- Possibly.

Yes.

See where we are?

Colin! Mary! Hi!

Hi!

Come up!

Come on up!

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