Vertigo Page #12

SCOTTIE:

How can you be sure?

MADELEINE:

If I've been there? That's silly!

Either you've been to a place or you

haven't.

She flashes a quick smile of innocence at him, then returns

her eyes to the road. He looks at her profile, wondering.

EXT. SKYLINE DRIVE - (DAY) - HIGH SHOT

The car turns a bend and approaches dark woods and moves

into the blackness and is swallowed up.

DISSOLVE TO:

BIG BASIN REDWOODS STATE PARK - (DAY)

The empty Jaguar in the foreground. The CAMERA MOVES to a

long view of the grove of redwoods. In the distance we see

the figures of Madeleine and Scottie wandering among the

towering trees.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. THE REDWOODS - (DAY)

Madeleine and Scottie near the massive trunk of a tree.

Beyond them, the small stream, bridged by a wide flattened

redwood log.

MADELEINE:

How old?

SCOTTIE:

Oh... some, two thousand years, or

more.

MADELEINE:

The oldest living things?

Scottie nods and watches her, wondering, as she looks about

thoughtfully.

SCOTTIE:

You've never been here before.

She shakes her head, lost in thought as she lets her gaze

wander among the trees.

SCOTTIE:

What are you thinking?

MADELEINE:

(Searching)

Of all the people who have been

born... and have died... while the

trees went on living.

SCOTTIE:

(Agreeing)

Their true name is Sequoia

Sempervirens:
always green, ever-

living.

MADELEINE:

(Flatly)

I don't like them.

SCOTTIE:

Why?

MADELEINE:

(Simply)

Knowing I have to die...

She looks up at him with a shy, embarrassed smile. Then,

seeing the wandering look in his eyes, she brightens quickly.

MADELEINE:

But I like the stream! It's a lovely

stream!

She leaves him and moves quickly out onto the bridge and

loans on the railing to watch the water rippling below. And

then, as he approaches her, she turns and looks at him, wide-

eyed.

MADELEINE:

But it makes no sound! Listen!

She listens intensely for a long moment, and looks at him

anxiously.

MADELEINE:

Do you hear anything?

SCOTTIE:

(Shaking his head)

Only silence. It's always like this.

MADELEINE:

(Wondering)

And no birds sing.

SCOTTIE:

No birds live here.

MADELEINE:

No.

She turns away with gentle, somber, self-contained wonder,

and they cross back to the path in silence, and wander on

along the path in silence. We watch them move away in the

distance, disappear behind a tree, then come into view again,

and now there comes into view the cross-section of a redwood

tree that is on exhibit, with certain of its rings marked to

show what it has lived through, and they approach it.

SCOTTIE:

Would you like a drink of water?

MADELEINE:

No, thank you.

Scottie moves to the small upright drinking fountain as

Madeleine approaches the tree section and stands before it

and studies it. Scottie gets a drink of water, then comes up

behind Madeleine and stands, and she is seemingly unaware of

his presence. Their backs are to the CAMERA. INSERT OF RINGS

on the tree, marked with dates, beginning, near the center

with the date 909 A.D. and ending with 1930 - tree cut down.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSE SHOT

We see the two profiles: Madeleine staring at the tree,

Scottie staring at Madeleine. She raises one gloved hand and

almost idly begins to trace a finger up along the white line

that is marked:
1776 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. And as the

hand moves a little to the left, Madeleine begins to speak,

almost vacantly, oblivious of all but this piece of tree,

and herself.

MADELEINE:

Somewhere in here I was born... and

here I died and it was only a moment

for you... you took no notice...

SCOTTIE:

(Almost sharply)

Madeleine!

She turns her head to him, only now aware of his presence,

and stares at him without expression. Then slowly she turns

and walks away, and the CAMERA, PANNING HER SLIGHTLY, brings

the head and shoulders of Scottie into the foreground, and

he watches her, wondering anxiously, trying to put things

together in his mind. Madeleine walks on until she disappears

behind one of the distant redwoods.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT

Scottie moves over, watching her.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - LONG SHOT

The CAMERA MOVES OVER as though it is Scottie looking. It

MOVES far enough to reveal that Madeleine is no longer there.

She seems to have disappeared.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT

Scottie comes forward, the CAMERA PANNING him, to get a better

view of where Madeleine went.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT

The CAMERA in Scottie's position, moving around, shows that

there is no sign of Madeleine whatsoever.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT

The CAMERA DOLLIES Scottie down toward the trees.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT

CAMERA is now among the trees where Madeleine was last seen.

As it TRAVELS across them, it finally brings her into view.

She's leaning against a tree with her head bent back.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSEUP

Scottie comes to a stop as he sees her.

EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSEUP

Madeleine leaning against the tree. Her eyes are closed and

she is breathing heavily. In the background we see Scottie

approaching her. As he comes up to her, the CAMERA EASES

BACK and MOVES AROUND until it faces her and Scottie.

SCOTTIE:

(Gently)

Madeleine...

She opens her eyes slowly, and looks at him, recognizing

him, and yet not quite, as though she were slightly

hypnotized. Scottie speaks gently.

SCOTTIE:

Where are you now?

MADELEINE:

(Softly, distantly)

Here with you.

SCOTTIE:

Where?

MADELEINE:

The tall trees...

SCOTTIE:

Have you been here before?

MADELEINE:

Yes...

SCOTTIE:

When?

She shakes her head.

SCOTTIE:

Where were you born?

MADELEINE:

Long ago...

SCOTTIE:

Where?

She shakes her head.

SCOTTIE:

When?

Her head continues to move back and forth, gently denying.

His voice is more positive, now, more urgently demanding.

SCOTTIE:

Tell me.

The head moves more rapidly, now, as though denying some

inner compulsion.

SCOTTIE:

Madeleine! Tell me!

The rapidly moving head stops short, and her eyes open wide,

and she cries out:

MADELEINE:

No!... No!

SCOTTIE:

(Low and urgent)

Tell me what it is. Where do you go?

What takes you away?

MADELEINE:

No, don't ask me!

They are both speaking quickly, now, the words cascading

without pause.

SCOTTIE:

When you jumped in the bay, you didn't

know where you were. You guessed but

you didn't know.

MADELEINE:

I didn't jump, I fell! You told me I

fell!

SCOTTIE:

Why did you jump?

MADELEINE:

No!

SCOTTIE:

What was it inside that told you to

jump?

She is fighting it strongly, yet pathetically.

MADELEINE:

No, I can't tell you!

SCOTTIE:

What?!

MADELEINE:

(Strongly)

No! Please! Please, please, please,

please, don't ask me!

And her head drops, and she sags, and Scottie stands quietly

watching her, knowing he can push it no further.

MADELEINE:

(Softly, tired)

Take me away from here?

SCOTTIE:

Home?

MADELEINE:

...somewhere in the light.

He takes her arm. She looks up at him with a tired smile.

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