The Piano Lesson Page #7

FLORA:

You have to wash them.

BAINES:

They are washed.

ADA signs.

FLORA:

Wash them again.

BAINES:

The marks do not come out.

They are scars and hardened

skin.

ADA and FLORA do not move. Humiliated BAINES takes a scrub brush, soap

and bucket and goes outside. ADA can see him from the window. She

moves to her piano. She wants to touch it but she is torn by her

feelings, wanting it, but not owning it. She strokes the varnished

wood with her hand and softly lifts the lid. Outside FLORA stands

beside BAINES pointing out hits of his hand he should still scrub.

Furtively she lays her hands on the keys. The instrument is horribly

out of tune, almost every note is off. She goes outside and signs to

FLORA.

FLORA:

There's no tune left in the

piano so she can't teach you.

The two women leave.

Sc40 EXT STEEP BUSH HILL DAY Sc40

Two men come crashing out down a steep bush hill, They are tied to

each other. BAINES, the younger and stronger, is trying to break their

fall by grasping hold of branches and shoots. Finally their fall is

checked. The old man is white haired, the front of his suit splattered

with the debris of many meals. He sits up feeling about for his

glasses. He is blind. His eyes, though closed, wobble and roll BAINES

finds the glasses One of the lenses has gone, the other is very dark.

The old man fits his handkerchief in the gap.

Sc 41 EXT HUGESCREE DAY Sc 41

BAINES carries the old man on his back, they cross a huge scree. Each

of BAINES' steps dislodge a fall of rocks. The crashing of stones

echoes across the valley. BAINES and he are but small dots in this

giant earth scar

SCENE 42 DELETED

Sc 43 INT BAINES' HUT DAY Sc 43

Inside BAINES' hut the old man feels the piano.

BLIND MAN:

Ah, a Broadbent. A fine

instrument. I've not come

across one here, or in the

Islands where I have tuned some

200. Yes, they like their

pianos there.

Out of his pocket he takes a carefully wrapped tuning fork. He unwraps

the package, lifts the back and lid and starts to tune. He sniffs the

air. BAINES watches, He sniffs close to the keys.

Scent? And salt of course.

He works on.

What will you play when it's

tuned? What music do you play?

BAINS looks over at him from the meal he is preparing.

BAINES:

I can't play.

The blind man stops working.

BLIND MAN:

You don't play?

BAINES:

No, I can't.

I'm going to learn.

The man goes back to work somewhat depressed by the futility of the

venture.

BLIND MAN:

Well my dear Miss Broadbent,

tuned, but silent.

SCENE 44 DELETED

SCENE 45 DELETED

SC 46 EXT BAINES' HUT MORNINGSc 46

A slash of sunlight falls across the piano. Thousands of particles of

dust become visible floating in the air. BAINES is at the window in

his shirt/night shirt. He notices the dust on the piano and strips off

his shirt which he uses as a duster. Under the shirt he is naked. As

he wipes the smooth wood he becomes aware of his nakedness. His

movements become slower until he is no longer cleaning, but caressing

the piano.

Sc 47 EXT PATH TO BAINES' DAY Sc 47

On the path to BAINES' house, ADA and FLORA sit in the bush. ADA's

head is bowed. Her hands held over her face. FLORA tries to catch the

spots of light in her palm as they twinkle through the thick canopy of

leaves over head.

Sc 48 EXT/INT BAINES' HUT DAY Sc 48

The door opens. ADA and FLORA stand in their cloaks and bonnets.

FLORA:

Mother says she can't stand to

teach piano with it all out or

tune. So I'm to do scales.

ADA turns and walks off. FLORA bustles in. BAINES watches ADA from the

window,

FLORA:

I hope you've scrubbed your

hands.

FLORA begins a scale.

Oh, it's in tune.

She looks over at BAINES who is still gazing out the window.

FLORA:

What's out there?

She gets up to see what BAINES is looking at. She sees her mother and

divines BAINES is looking at nothing.

FLORA:

You have to watch me where I

put my fingers.

FLORA starts again. ADA can only hear the piano faintly but moves

closer as she too hears it's in tune.

As she enters the hut BAINES pulls his fingers away from the piano.

FLORA sees this and stops too. She looks at her mother.

FLORA:

It's in tune.

ADA checks the other notes. FLORA stands with her arms folded, a bit

sulky and fluffed up.

FLORA:

(Hissing) I was teaching.

ADA tries the piano. She looks over at BAINES then signs to FLORA.

FLORA:

She wants to see what you can

do.

BAINES:

I'd rather not play. I want to

listen and learn that way.

FLORA:

Everyone has to practice.

BAINES:

I just want to listen.

ADA is a bit nonplussed. She does not want to be listened to anymore

than she wants to teach. She pulls a strand of her hair then signs to

FLORA.

FLORA:

What do you want to hear?

BAIWES shrugs shyly and locks away out the window. He doesn't know

BAINES:

Anything.

ADA is slow to start. Unobliging as ever she plays scales. But once

begun her belligerence fades as her absorption in the music

strengthens.

Sc 49 INT STEWART'S HUT/ADA'S BEDROOM NIGHT Sc 49

Back at STEWART'S hut, ADA lies dispirited on the bed. FLORA lies

beside her holding ADA's hand.

FLORA:

Tell me about my real father.

ADA nods and strokes FLORA's hair from her face. FLORA leans back.

How did you speak to him?

ADA signs to FLORA who watches in love with all the stories of her

mother and unreal father.

ADA (subtitled)

I didn't need to speak, I could

lay thoughts out in his mind

like they were a sheet

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