The Elephant Man Page #17

TREVES:

(gratefully)

Thank you very much Sir. Shall we

say in a few days then?

CARR:

Shall we say two o'clock tomorrow

afternoon?

TREVES:

(slightly taken aback)

Wh... whatever is most convenient

for you, sir.

CARR:

Two o'clock then... you know Treves...

It seems this acquaintance of yours

has become rather more than just an

acquaintance.

TREVES:

...Yes, Sir.

They part company. We follow Treves down the stairs.

TREVES:

(muttering)

Two o'clock?

Then we follow Carr Gomm to his office door. He stops short.

CARR:

(mumbling out loud)

Elephant Man? I don't want to meet

an Elephant Man.

HALLWAYS - THE LONDON (NIGHT)

Again, the hospital is closing down for the night. Lights go

off in each hallway. The staff is vacating the hospital. As

the last light goes off, we hear the great iron door slam

shut.

TREVES' HOUSE - BEDROOM (NIGHT)

Anne is at her dressing table, brushing out her hair. She is

in a very flattering dressing gown, ready to turn in. We see

her reflected in the mirror as well as Treves who is in his

robe in the background seated at his side of their bed, deep

in thought. Anne looks at Treves and smiles affectionately.

ANNE:

(coyly)

Freddie?

Getting no response she renews her efforts.

ANNE:

Freddie?... Freddie, don't look so

discouraged.

TREVES:

I shouldn't be. We made great progress

today. I taught him to repeat a few

basic phrases. He did rather well,

too, but I had to lead him every

step of the way. Though frankly, at

times I was unsure of who was leading

whom.

ANNE:

What do you mean?

TREVES:

Well, I wasn't sure whether he was

parroting me because that's all he

was capable of, or whether he sensed

that that's all I wanted to hear,

and he was trying to please me.

ANNE:

But I thought you said that he was

rather... simple?

TREVES:

He is. I mean, I've always thought

he was. I think he must be. Is he

simple? Or is that just something

I've wished upon him to make things

simpler for myself?

Anne puts down the brush and rises.

ANNE:

Frederick, why are you so interested

in this particular case?

TREVES:

I don't know. I can't explain it. If

this is an intelligent man, trapped

in the body of a monster, then I'm

under a moral obligation to help

free that mind, free that spirit as

best I can, to help him live as full

and content a life as possible. But!

If he's an imbecile, who's body I

can't treat and who's mind I can't

touch, well, then my obligation is

discharged. They can put him where

they will; he won't be bothered, I

won't be bothered, and everyone's

conscience can remain free and

untroubled. And that is my dilemma...

what is in his mind?

Anne, sympathizing with his concerns goes to him and puts

her arms around him.

ANNE:

Perhaps you're just polishing a stone,

endowing this Elephant Man with

qualities he doesn't possess?

TREVES:

(impatiently)

And what qualities are those?

Intelligence or stupidity?

ANNE:

(slightly hurt)

I'm sure I don't know, Freddie.

She releases Treves and lies down. Treves realizes that

perhaps he has been unkind.

TREVES:

I'm sorry... I don't know either. I

just don't know.

ANNE:

Well, these things take time.

TREVES:

I've only got until two o'clock

tomorrow afternoon, when Carr Gomm

meets him. Somehow, between now and

then I've got to make John Merrick

at least seem like an intelligent

man... Why am I fooling myself?

Nothing short of John delivering the

Sermon on the Mount is going to sway

Carr Gomm...

Anne sits back up and gently places her hand over Treves'

mouth. As she does so she leans forward and turns out the

light.

ISOLATION WARD:

Merrick is propped up in bed. Suddenly the door bursts open.

The Night Porter, an arm around a drunken giggling tart,

stands in the doorway. As soon as the Charwoman sees Merrick,

she screams as does Merrick, and she wriggles free, making

for the stairs. The Night Porter watches her go and then

turns to Merrick laughing noisily. He then pulls the door

shut with a bang.

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