The Graduate Page #11

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BEN:

Sit down.

Elaine sits in the chair with her back to the stage.

She folds her hands on the table and looks down at them.

Ben takes a pair of dark glasses out of his pocket and

puts them on. The two chairs are slightly angled toward

each other so that Ben can look up at the stage without

looking directly at Elaine.

BEN:

Why don't you watch the show?

The stripper is reflected in Ben's glasses.

ELAINE:

Benjamin - do you dislike me

for some reason?

BEN:

No - why should I?

ELAINE:

I don't know.

107SHOT - ACROSS BEN - THE STRIPPER

She is down to a tasseled bra and g-string. She is

twirling the tassels.

BEN:

You're missing a great effect

here.

Elaine turns around, looks at the stripper and turns

back.

BEN:

How do you like that?

Elaine doesn't answer.

BEN:

Could you do it?

ELAINE:

No.

The stripper sees Elaine look. The stripper smiles toward

Ben and walks toward his table, twirling the tassels as she

walks. Ben smiles as he watches her approaching.

The stripper moves directly behind Elaine's chair. The

spotlight from the back of the house falls into Elaine's

face. As it does, Elaine puts her hand up to shield

her eyes.

The stripper slides a finger into her mouth, wets it

and holds it up in the air. The music stops and a

DRUM ROLL starts. The stripper bends over Elaine's head

and begins swinging the tassels so that they rotate in

front of Elaine's face.

108SHOT - BEN

He leans forward slightly to watch the action. The

swinging tassels are reflected in his glasses.

The DRUM ROLL gets louder and faster. The tassels

swing more frantically.

109SHOT - ELAINE

She pulls her hand down from in front of her eyes.

110SHOT - BEN

With Elaine's face reflected in his glasses.

111SHOT - ELAINE

Through Ben's glasses. Elaine's face seen darkly but

fully for the first time. The tassels swing in front

of it. Tears start out of her eyes.

112SHOT - BEN

He reaches up to remove the glasses.

113SHOT - ELAINE

As the glasses come off and her face is seen in the harsh

spill from the spotlight. The tears are running down

her face. Only her eyes are crying as she looks straight

at Ben.

114SHOT - BEN

With his glasses off, he watches her. He reaches forward

and puts his hand in the way of the tassels.

STRIPPER:

Hey!

Some of the customers start to boo. Ben rises, takes

Elaine's arm and leads her toward the exit.

CUT TO:

115EXT. STRIP JOINT - NIGHT

The entrance to the strip joint. Elaine runs to the

bottom of the steps. The Sunset Strip sidewalk outside

is crowded with people moving back and forth. Ben follows

her. She pushes through the crowd on the sidewalk. Ben

catches her and holds her arm.

BEN:

Elaine - I'm sorry.

Elaine leans against the side of the building and pulls

her arm away.

ELAINE:

Will you take me home now?

BEN:

I'm sorry I took you in there.

ELAINE:

I think I'd better go home now

please.

BEN:

But, Elaine -

ELAINE:

Where is the car?

BEN:

I just want to tell you something.

Ben, facing her, keeps moving from side to side, trying

to get her to look at him. She keeps looking away.

ELAINE:

I want to go home.

BEN:

But could I just tell you this

one thing?

ELAINE:

What?

BEN:

This whole idea - this date

and everything. It was my

parents' idea. They forced me

into it.

ELAINE:

Oh - that's very nice of

you to tell me.

BEN:

No. What I mean is - that's

why I've been acting this way.

I'm not like this. I hate

myself like this.

She starts to cry. People on the sidewalk are looking at

them. She turns away from them. Ben moves away from

them. Ben moves around in front of her.

BEN:

Listen - could you stop crying,

please?

ELAINE:

No, I couldn't.

BEN:

But could you try?

ELAINE:

No.

She brings both hands up to her face. Ben looks at her

for a few moments in agony. Then, very determined, he

takes her wrists in his hands and pulls them away from

her face. She looks up startled. She starts to give a

little cry but before she can he is kissing her. She closes

her eyes.

He brings his fists, containing her hands, up to the side

of her face. He opens his hands against her face, freeing

her hands. Her hands move slowly to his wrists and hang

on. After a while she pulls away, turning her head slightly

to one side.

BEN:

Elaine -

He starts to pull her head back.

ELAINE:

Not here. Not here.

DISSOLVE TO:

116EXT. DRIVE IN RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Ben and Elaine are sitting in the car in a drive-in

restaurant. There are trays hooked onto windows along

side of both of them. They are eating and drinking

furiously.

BEN:

I've had this feeling - ever

since I've graduated - this -

kind of compulsion that I have

to be rude all the time. Do

you know what I mean?

ELAINE:

Yes, I do.

He looks at her.

BEN:

It's like I've been playing

some kind of - game - but the

rules don't make any sense to

me -

She is watching him carefully.

BEN:

- they're being made up by all

the wrong people - no - I mean

no one makes them up, they seem

to have made themselves up.

A car with a COUPLE OF TEENAGERS has driven up in the

slot on their right. Its RADIO is tuned into a rock

and roll station and it is playing LOUDLY. Ben leans

across Elaine and speaks through the window to the

kid behind the wheel.

BEN:

Say - I wonder if I could request

you to turn that down a little?

The kid turns the radio up. Ben and Elaine roll their

windows up.

117SERIES OF SHOTS

From outside of car. Ben is talking with great animation

- Elaine is watching him. They are both eating as Ben

talks, telling Elaine a story. Their windows are rolled

up.

SOUNDS:
Cars GUNNING their ENGINES; horns HONKING;

radios PLAYING; waitresses YELLING orders; customers

YELLING at waitresses; kids LAUGHING and TALKING from

car to car; MOTORCYCLES driving in and out, TRAFFIC.

CUT TO:

118EXT. ROBINSON HOUSE - NIGHT

The car coasts silently to a stop in front of the Robinson

house. The RADIO plays QUIETLY. Ben turns it OFF. They

sit there for a long time without saying anything, Ben's

hand touching her shoulder. It is very quiet.

ELAINE:

Well - maybe I'd better go in.

He nods. They continue to sit there for another long

moment.

ELAINE:

Would you like to come in? I

could make some coffee.

BEN:

No, I mean - I wouldn't want to

wake anyone up.

ELAINE:

We won't. Let's go inside.

BEN:

Wait a minute.

ELAINE:

Is anything wrong?

BEN:

No - I was just thinking -

look - it's still early -

we could do something - go

somewhere else.

ELAINE:

All right.

He starts the car immediately and drives away from the

house.

119INT. BEN'S CAR - NIGHT

Ben is driving.

ELAINE:

Where we going?

BEN:

I'm trying to think of where

there's a place to have a

drink around here.

ELAINE:

Isn't there one in the Taft

Hotel?

There is a SQUEAL of TIRES as Ben almost drives off

the road.

ELAINE:

What is the matter?

BEN:

Nothing. I'm just wondering if

they have a bar or not. I mean

let's go see. Let's go see if

they do or not.

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