The Piano Lesson Page #3

BAINES:

She looks tired.

STEWART:

She's stunted, that's one

thing.

BAINES walks over to HONE a big man and the MAORJ leader, he stands

tall with a great sense of his own importance. (Mana)

BAINES:

Anei nga pouaka - ko era e

toro.

Me era e raa.

(Here are the boxes, those

three and those two.)

UNSUBTITLED:

HONE:

E Hoal

HONE takes an aggressive fighting posture towards BAINES, insulted

that BAINES should suggest he might carry anything. HONE does not

carrying, he is the boss. With great dignity HONE retreats, too

injured to help. Other MAORIS come up and BAINES assigns them boxes.

ADA gets worried, the piano is being left alone. She writes on her

pad, "THE PIANO?" She shows STEWART.

STEWART:

Oh no, it can't come now.

FLORA:

It must come.

STEWART looks at FLORA

FLORA:

She wants it to come.

STEWART:

Yes and so do I, but there are

too few of us here to carry it.

TOO - HEAVY

ADA writes "I NEED THE PIANO." Her MAORI mimic copies her.

STEWART:

Do you mean you don't want your

kitchenware or your clothes? Is

that what you mean?

ADA signs to FLORA.

FLORA:

We can't leave the piano

STEWART:

Let us not discuss this

further. I am very pleased....

STEWART slows down as he watches ADA again sign to FLORA, he has the

uncomfortable impression he is being interrupted.

FLORA:

Mother wants to know if they

could come back directly for

it?

STEWART is shocked, his mouth hangs slightly open, paused in mid

speech. TAHU mimics this mouth drop perfectly.

FLORA:

After they have taken the other

things?

STEWART is growing confused and anxious. His two mimics and their

growing audience unnerve him further.

PITO:

Kei Riri a te raho Maroke.

(shouted loudly at TAHU)

(Watch it dry balls is getting

touchy.)

SUBTITLED:

STEWART nods suspiciously towards the MAORI speaker not understanding

him, the speaker smiles and nods back.

STEWART:

I suggest you prepare for a

difficult journey. The bush

will tear clothes and the mud

is deep in places.

STEWART walks away. ADA stands beside the piano turned away from the

activities. FLORA pats her hand trying to cheer her. Down on the beach

a fire is lit and pipis are prepared for cooking. Some of the young

men are racing naked into the sea.

STEWART:

(to BAINES about the MAORIS)

What are they doing? We don't

have time for that.

Sc 17 EXI BEACH DAY Sc 17

It is some hours later and the carrying party are beginning to make

their way up into the bush. ADA still stands beside her piano. FLORA

wants to follow the party. BAINES comes back along the beach, trailed

by a young Maori boy, KAHA.

BAINES:

Mr. Stewart asked if I might

show you to the path. (ADA does

not move) ... May I carry

something?

ADA turns to BAINES, her face angry and defiant, her eyes full of

tears. BAINES falls back, struck by her show of emotion. ADA and FLORA

walk past him toward the bush.

Sc 18 EXT CLIFF ABOVE BEACH DAY Sc 18

The party threads its way through the bush along the cliff. ADA pauses

at the cliff top to see her piano below on the sand, tiny and

desolate. Its distance and her love of it suddenly strike her. Its

music is faint and becomes loud over the next scene.

Sc 19 EXT BUSH FROM BEACH DAY Sc 19

Brown feet squelch through the mud, finally followed by dainty boots

caked in dirt. The MAORI leaders of the party have stopped.

4 - See Note

BAINES works his way to the front.

BAINES:

aha tenei?

(What is it?)

SUBTITLED:

HONE:

E hinga te Koroua ra B Pitama i

konci. Kare noa Kia hikina te

tapu.

(Old man Pitama died here.

(points to the spot)

The Tapu hasn't been lifted)

UNSUBTITLED:

STEWART struggles up to the front to join BAINES, he speaks over the

top of HONE.

STEWART:

What's he say?

BAINES:

Someone died here. It's tapu.

STEWART:

But we came down this way

didn't we? I'm sure we did.

The MAORI leaders continue discussing.

0h Pitama eh.

HONE:

E Tarna heke atu ki ram - tiro

his atu.

Rapuhia mai he huarahi re!

(Go and look, find another

track eh!)

UNSUBTITLED:

TIPI:

'cia tupato he ana taniwba ke

raro na.

(Go easy there's a ghost down

there.)

SUBTITLED:

HOTU:

'Ca, rongo koe i te haunga a

tans tutae i te tuatahi. (You

smell his sh*t first.)

UNSUBTITLED:

STEWART continues over the top of the MAORI discussion.

STEWART:

They want more money. They are

trying to make two days out of

it?

BAINES:

No, no they know another track

- to the side of this.

ADA and FLORA sit watching, out of breath. The bush is dense,

claustrophobic and exotic. One of the MAORI women sits close to ADA

apparently not looking at her- Slowly she draws the scarf that is in

ADA's lap into her own. Defiantly she puts it on.

Meanwhile another woman makes a very dignified attempt to wipe the

freckles from FLORA's face.

Sc 20 EXT STEWART'S DAY Sc 20

It is another day and STEWART'S hut, bleakly set amidst smoking stumps

is full of squeals, chasing and antics.

Sc 21 INT STEWART'S HUT DAY Sc 21

The reverend in frock coat has a wedding dress stuck part way up his

arms. It is not a normal wedding dress but a backless one used again

and again as a photographic prop. Stewart's AUNT MORAG and her

companion NESSIE are trying to pull it off.

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