The Mad Genius Page #3

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I must hurry and get dressed.

Goodbye, darling.

Hurry up.

Hmm .. I will.

Get Serge.

Serge isn't here. At least I

haven't heard anyone yelling.

What do you mean "he isn't here"?

On opening night?

He must be here, you fool.

I am here.

Even you are here. Go get him.

Count Renaud sent you these violets.

Count Renaud?

Aren't they lovely?

Yes .. they're every pretty.

You know me, this is our opening night.

I am very nervous, I am very busy.

I cannot spare one minute.

Sit down. I want you for something.

Don't be nervous. Don't be nervous.

Get me out a Form Of Release.

Two copies.

Take down this letter.

Address it to me.

My dear Director.

I send you this letter tonight.

So that you may consider it carefully.

Before you interview me tomorrow.

I believe Nana Carlova ..

Has a very pretty talent.

But the role that she

is at present rehearsing.

Is far beyond her capabilities.

Her experience of life.

Is perhaps too limited.

For her to invest ..

The part with the

requisite sophistication.

And it is absolutely vital

to the success of the ballet.

That we replace her with someone else.

That's all. Leave it unsigned.

I hope she doesn't

recognise my typewriting.

Go to Nana Carlova's dressing-room.

Tell her to come to my office as

soon as she has her costume on.

And wait outside, please.

What was that you just dictated?

This is the letter you

sent me this evening.

I .. ?

You know very well I

never wrote such a thing.

You must have. Here it is.

And I've decided to follow your advice.

Preskoya dances Carlova's role

beginning with tonight's rehearsal.

After her performance.

Sign it, please.

No .. you cannot make me do this.

I've already told you I wasn't

quite sure of Carlova's work.

And this letter from you

verifies my judgement.

Sign in.

No! I tell you, no!

No?

No.

What are you going to do?

That depends entirely on you, my friend.

No ..

In a second.

There will be no more of this ever again.

If you permit me to

drop this in the fire.

You're the devil.

The devil!

Or an angel, perhaps?

Who is giving you a chance

to redeem yourself.

Why do I carry this filthy stuff at all?

Because you feel you

can't live without it.

And I need you in my work.

If I drop this.

You will be free.

Oh, you will suffer of course.

But in the end ..

You will be happier than

you could ever dream.

Drop it.

No, no, no!

If I put this back in my pocket.

You must pay for it.

Put it back.

Ah, my poor friend.

You know it is an ill wind

that blows nobody any good.

Go tell Preskoya the news.

[ Door knocks ]

Come.

Ah my dear child. Come in.

Come in.

My, how sweet you look.

That's very becoming.

Oh. Thanks.

Sit down, dear. Sit down.

Nana?

Nana!

But I .. I don't understand.

Serge has always been so nice to me.

But why shouldn't he be, my dear Nana?

He likes you, as we all do.

But he is first of all, an artist.

But .. you are not going to take me off?

My dear child, what can I do?

I hate to appear unjust or cruel.

But in these circumstances.

I'm afraid I will have to ask

you to give up your role, Nana.

You .. you mean?

That after all I've ..?

Listen.

I intend to save you every

possible mortification.

Our contract is dissolved

by mutual consent.

No-one need ever know

that you didn't leave us.

Because of other plans.

But .. where will I go?

Well, I hate to advise people, my dear.

It seems to me that ..

You have the best chance

of success possibly by ..

Placing yourself somewhere where ..

Only youth and beauty ..

Are necessary.

You mean .. Count Renaud?

My dear child .. I am not so inhuman.

That I would close one career to you.

Without .. opening up another.

But .. but, Fedor?

Fedor is like my son.

Bound to me by the great

future I have planned for him.

There is no room in

his life for anyone ..

Who jeopardises that.

You ..

Haven't been foolish enough to

fall in love with him, have you?

Answer me. Have you?

Does he reciprocate your feelings?

Has he ever spoken

to you at all .. of love?

No.

But I know he cares.

In that case, if you love him at all.

If you really love him.

You will go away.

And not murder the career of a genius.

But what about .. me?

Ah ..

I said those same words once.

And the woman I said them

to laughed in my face.

It at least enabled me to find myself.

My dear Nana.

You must laugh in Fedor's.

Oh but I .. but if I ..?

Here.

Here is the release.

Will you sign it my child?

Do you really believe in Fedor's future?

Oh yes, indeed I do.

Then you will sign it.

Believe me, what I'm asking you, Nana.

I know it's the best

for the both of you.

Here.

Trust me.

Ah, that's a brave girl.

A brave girl. I'm proud of you.

Now, where is your contract?

In my trunk.

Just destroy it.

Destroy it my dear.

Here. Here is the release signed by me.

In case you wish again

to take up dancing.

How could I?

Oh my dear child. In a new life.

New surroundings, new interests.

In a little while you

will smile at all this.

And you know, you are

very pretty when you smile.

Nana, wait a minute.

Help me out, please.

No. I won't let you go away. I ..

So you listened.

I overheard enough to

know I had a right to listen.

I love you, Nana.

That's all that matters now.

You mustn't ..

I don't want you to love me.

Nana.

No!

Nana.

Fedor!

Let her go, my son.

If she goes, I go.

Ah, don't be a fool, Fedor.

If only you hadn't listened.

It makes so much more

for us to wipe out.

How can you wipe out love?

Women seem to have found a way.

There isn't a woman alive ..

Who wouldn't deceive and

hurt the man who loved her.

Nor the man she loved .. for a price.

You may think that's true,

but you can't make me believe it.

Must you find it out

for yourself, my son?

Don't you understand? I only

want to save you from suffering.

How can you say that?

After what I just heard behind that door.

I worshipped you.

As some people worship an idol.

You were my father and God in one.

Do you think it didn't hurt to

find you cruel, and ruthless?

You had no right to break Nana's heart.

To kill all her hope in her work.

Ah, what is her work,

but part of the setting for you?

I could get a thousand "Carlovas".

There is only one "Fedor".

Who made him?

I made you.

I recreated myself as I wanted to be.

I'm a very jealous God.

Who's risen from a hell

of his own through you.

You didn't know that ..

When I was four, I couldn't walk.

When I was six ..

I could hobble about.

With a little crutch.

That crutch made my mother hate me.

My mother.

The premier danseuse at

the Imperial Russian Ballet.

One day, she didn't come home.

No, she didn't go away with my father.

The Grand Duke Ivan.

My birth to him was just a pleasantry.

A little accident.

I never saw her again.

But she left me one heritage.

The mad desire to dance.

With an iron brace to hold me from it.

Like a vice!

Don't you see I'm living the life

I couldn't live, through you?

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