The Red Shoes Page #6

Make way there. A throne!

A throne for the great Boleslawsky.

Take mine, Lermontov.

- Oh, no. Take mine.

- No, you sit down. It's your birthday.

Sit down.

Well, it seems a long time since I sat

down to supper with my entire family.

Thank you.

But it appeaes that the great Miss Page

is not with us tonight.

Don't you miss another member

of our happy little famiIy?

No. No. I can't say Ido.

Why should you? You're a busy man.

Have a drink, Lermontov!

Grischa. A ta sante.

Of course we all know

you're a busy man, Boris Lermontov...

but do you mean to tell me

you have noticed nothing?

Oh, don't exaggerate.

Boris, we have a little romance

in our midst.

A great romance!

Romeo Craster!

And Juliet... Page.

And when...

did this great romance begin?

[ Grischa ]

With The Red Shoes.

Charming.

And where have they taken

themselves tonight?

What does it matter

where they have gone?

They are young,

they are together...

and they are in love.

- Darling.

- Mm-hmm?

I've decided I do believe

in destiny after all.

Do you, my darling?

I'm very glad.

Cocher.

- You'll wake him.

- But I want to know where we are.

Cocher. Co -

One day when I'm old...

I want some lovely

young girl to say to me...

"Tell me where in your long life,

Mr. Craster...

were you most happy."

And I shall say, "Well, my dear...

"I never knew the exact place...

"but it was somewhere

on the Mediterranean.

I was with Victoria Page."

"What?" she will say.

"Do you mean the famous dancer?"

I will nod.

"Yes, my dear, I do...

"but then she was quite young...

"and comparatively unspoiled.

"We were, I remember...

very much in love."

[ Orchestra ]

Did you see that?

She smiled at Craster.

I don't think so.

I suppose you'll be sending me

to an oculist next.

- Watch her dancing.

- With pleasure.

A debutante at a charity matinee.

Yes. Yes!

Yes, all right. Thursday.

Uh, good evening, Mr. Lermontov.

I'm afraid the score is still a bit rough,

but I see you've had time to look at it.

Yes, Mr. Craster.

I have looked at it.

However, it is not about your music

that I wish to talk at the moment.

So to come to the point, what is all this

I hear about you and Miss Page?

Oh, I see.

- Could Dimitri -

- Get out.

WeIl, Mr. Craster?

[ Door Closes ]

Yes. We're in love.

I see.

Did you see Miss Page's performance

in Lac des Cygnes?

I was conducting.

- Did you enjoy it?

- I think it was the loveliest thing

I've ever seen in my life.

It was impossible.

And do you know

why it was impossible?

Because neither her mind

nor her heart were in her work.

She was... dreaming.

And dreaming is a luxury

I've never permitted in my company.

Miss Page wants to be a great dancer.

- Perhaps she has spoken to you

about her... ambitions?

- Oh, yes.

She's not, however, a great dancer yet.

Nor is she likely to become one

if she allows herself...

to be sidetracked by idiotic flirtations.

Mr. Lermontov, you... don't undeestand.

We really are in love.

And, Mr. Craster...

I have had time to look

at your latest effort -

- Yes?

- and find it equally impossible.

That's not true. It's good.

Childish, vuIgar

and completely insignificant.

In that case, I'll reIieve you of it.

There are, of course,

so many first-class ballet companies...

to which you may take it

with advantage.

I don't know that it's my greatest ambition

to work for the ballet.

Some of us think it's rather

a second-rate means of expression.

- [Woman] Oui, Monsieur Lermontov?

- Mr. Craster's leaving the company.

Pay him two weeks' salary

and get the receipt.

Spotlight! Surmoi.

Toujours sur moi.

Oh, hello, Boris.

I was just coming to say good night.

- Good night.

- Is anything the matter, Boris?

No, no. But before I forget it,

don't do any more work on the new ballet.

- I decided to scrap it.

- Scrap it?

What do you mean? I've worked out

half the choreography already.

That boy Julian is really gifted.

It's one of the finest scores

we ever had.

Julian Craster is leaving the company...

and I don't wish

to discuss the matter any further.

Oh, you don't? Well, I do!

Do you think I don't know

a brilliant score when I hear one?

Do you think I've been working

day and night for weeks...

for the pleasure of being told

I am wasting my time?

I tell you, Boris...

I've had enough of this

fantastic lunatic asylum!

I am through with it! I resign!

I think you've made

a very important decision.

[ Band:
Dance ]

[ Chattering, Laughing ]

Hello, you two.

Isn't love wonderful?

Bonsoir, Julian.

Hello.

Well, what did he say?

Ah, of course he doesn't

really want you to go, Grischa.

He is very sorry.

Well, in that case,

I will... think about it.

- What about Julian?

- [ Sighs ]

I have never seen him

quite as bad as this.

He talked a great deal

about ingratitude and, uh, disloyalty...

and he said when personal relations

started to inter -

Yes, I know that bit.

My dear children, I'm very sorry.

Boris may feeI different

in the morning.

In the morning,

he's leaving for Paris by the 8:15 train.

Has the famous Miss Page

come to see me off?

I'd like to talk to you.

I want you to tell me

why you've quarreled with Julian.

There's only three minutes.

May I suggest, Miss Page, that

such matters are hardly your business?

However, since you've gone

to all this trouble -

Mr. Craster's been unwise enough

to interfere with certain plans of mine.

And that is something I do not permit.

I thought once, Mr. Lermontov...

that there would be no room in my life

for anything but dancing.

You will think so again, my dear.

But if Julian goes, I shaIl go too.

And what exactIy

do you intend to do?

- I shall dance somewhere else.

- Oh, yes.

That won't be very difficult

with the name I've given you -

always provided I release you

of your contract.

But even if I do,

will it be quite the same?

I have never pretended

to myself that it would.

I could make you

one of the greatest dancers...

the world has ever known.

- Do you believe that?

- Yes, I do.

And all that means nothing to you?

- [ Whistle Blows ]

- You know exactly what it means to me.

[ Conductor Shouting In French ]

- [ Knock At Door ]

- [ Dimitri ] The train is leaving.

Good-bye, Mr. Lermontov.

Miss Page is coming!

[ Vicky ]

Julian! Julian!

I'm coming with you!

Hurrah!

[ Vehicles Passing ]

Fool.

Fool!

[ Doorbell Buzzes ]

Come in.

You are late.

I hope you didn't work too hard.

All finished.

I have the injunction with me.

Boris, don't tell me

you've changed your mind again.

[ Chuckles ]

I - I don't want

to stop her doing anything.

She can dance when and where she likes.

- Except The Red Shoes.

- What about the boy?

That's different. Everything he's written

while under contract to me is mine.

That's in the contract. The Red Shoes

and his work so far on La Belle Meuniere.

I am not interested

in anything else he may write.

But if you keep The Red Shoes in the repertoire,

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