The Ploughman's Lunch Page #19

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Susan yawns conspicuously. Everybody turns.

SUSAN:

(unrepentant)

Sorry. Tired.

INT. KITCHEN - MORNING

The following morning. If possible, a beautiful day.

Betty is washing up a large pile of breakfast things.

From outside, the sound of much hilarity.

EXT. GARDEN - MORNING

On the back lawn Tom, Susan and Matthew are playing

football. To one side, Jacek leans on his stick and

watches.

INT. LIBRARY - MORNING

The library. Ann and James sit facing each other by the

fireplace. The game of football can be heard. From where

James sits he can see past and into the gardens, the

occasional glimpse of Susan, the enticing sunlight.

ANN:

The references are to Hansard or

to newspapers. I haven't got the

actual speeches now. You'll have

to chase them up.

JAMES:

I will, thanks.

ANN:

These are transcripts of various

radio broadcasts, including

Gaitskill's, the one they tried to

stop. You ought to have that ...

Betty knocks and enters.

BETTY:

Excuse me. Phone call for Mr

Penfield.

ANN:

Take it here.

JAMES:

Thanks. Hello... how did you get

this number? I see. Look, I'm

really sorry about last week, I...

no, I'm up here researching

something I... is she?.. . well,

don't they have painkillers for

that?... Oh, yeah... Look, tell

her 111 be there... I can't just

drop everything. It'll probably

be the day after tomorrow...

Right... Ok... yes, goodbye.

(to Ann)

It's a relative of mine. She's

not very well.

(He sits down again)

I'm sorry. What were you saying?

EXT. GARDEN - DAY

A couple of hours later. Susan sits on a bench re-tying

the lace of her walking boot. James stands, waiting.

SUSAN:

Jeremy phoned this morning

JAMES:

What did he want?

SUSAN:

He's making plans for Brighton.

He thought we could travel down

together.

JAMES:

That'll be fun

SUSAN:

In your car

JAMES:

Why not.

Ann appears from the house. Tom follows.

ANN:

Hello. Anyone for a walk? Tom

isn't, I can tell you.

JAMES:

Well, we were just...

SUSAN:

Don't you want to walk, Tom?

TOM:

No.

SUSAN:

Actually, I've been once today

already. I'll stay here with him.

ANN:

James and I have been indoors all

morning.

SUSAN:

Well, he's very keen to go.

She walks with Tom towards the house.

JAMES:

Susan...

Holding Tom's hand, she turns and smiles.

SUSAN:

See you when you get back.

James has been quickly outmanoeuvred by Susan. He stands

awkwardly for a moment, collecting himself.

ANN:

Shall we go?

JAMES:

Yes.

EXT. DYKE - DAY

The dyke across the marshes, the sand dunes, the sea.

During Ann's monologue (broken up where appropriate) we

SEE the two sometimes IN CLOSE, sometimes as MINUTE FIGURES

in this immense landscape.

James follows Ann along the dyke. They stop and she points

out a wooded hill, well inland. Later...

ANN:

Then I began to listen to what the

well-off were saying about the

poor now — the war had just ended,

and the language was much the same

as it had been before the first

Reform Act. A small minority

thought that England was really

theirs, they had made it, they

owned it. The rest, the wage

earners, were foreigners, outsiders

intent on wrecking it all.

JAMES:

Didn't Evelyn Waugh say that the

country under Atlee seemed to be

under enemy occupation?

ANN:

Did he? I left school and worked

for the Labour Party. My older

brother, George, had just been

killed in Greece, and he'd been an

active member. I hero-worshipped

him. He was 25 years old ...

(she trails off)

It was an exciting time for us,

those first couple of years after

the war. We thought the country

was about to become a true

democracy. I can understand why

people of your generation want to

write about that time. They feel

betrayed. They want to know what

went wrong.

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