Youth Page #11

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Everyone at Jimmy Tree's table starts snickering. All but

Jimmy, that is. He too follows the scene open-mouthed.

The slapped husband seems indifferent to their stares. He

simply returns to his meal, calmly eating his cream of

mushroom soup.

The obese South American, supported by his wife, gets up from

his table and slowly makes his way toward the dining room

door. But when he gets to the table of the slapped husband,

he stops. The elderly German lifts his eyes to the obese

South American, who does two things: first he smiles

slightly, and then he caresses the German’s cheek with his

pudgy hand. The elderly man looks at him gratefully, and

tries to return the smile. The South American walks away amid

the deadly silence that has descended over the room.

The camera finds Jimmy Tree. He has followed everything,

naturally, and is really moved.

26. EXT. HOTEL GARDEN. NIGHT

One of those little stages has been set up in the garden,

opposite the pool. A local singer - an elegant woman, about

fifty years old - is performing, accompanied by three

musicians.

The hotel guests are scattered about on lawn furniture,

enjoying the beautiful concert.

Fred, Mick, and Lena are at one table, listening to the

singer’s splendid rendition of “Lili Marleen.”

Jimmy Tree stands and listens too, completely enraptured. A

serious, concentrated look on his face, he whispers the

German lyrics, which he knows by heart.

Then he senses a presence to his left. Jimmy turns. The

silent German woman is looking at him, her hand extended, as

if inviting him to dance. He smiles at her and steps closer.

They begin to dance slowly.

48.

The German woman’s husband, sitting at a table, is a bundle

of anger, he is devoured by jealousy.

Fred and Mick are dying of curiosity. They stare at Jimmy and

the woman as they dance.

Jimmy murmurs something in her ear, not trying to be

seductive though.

JIMMY TREE:

What lovely perfume you’re

wearing... What is it?

Mick and Fred wait for the woman to speak.

The German woman, embarrassed, doesn’t respond, but holds him

a little tighter. Jimmy holds her tighter too and, as he

dances, he lets himself go, closing his eyes.

From their table, Kozelek and his friends stare intently at

Jimmy.

The hippy mountaineer pretends rather awkwardly that he just

happens to be passing by, but it’s clear that he is taking a

tortuous path in order to look at Lena. She doesn’t even

notice him. He is so overcome with emotion that, despite

being an expert climber, he trips on a table leg, but doesn’t

fall.

“Lili Marleen” is over. The German woman smiles at Jimmy and

he smiles back. They move apart.

She returns to her husband’s table. He glares ferociously at

her. She feels his eyes on her but avoids his gaze.

Jimmy approaches Fred carrying a herbal tea. He sits down

next to him. Their smiles convey a shared warmth.

FRED BALLINGER:

Is that straight herbal tea or is

it mixed with a gin and tonic?

JIMMY TREE:

Straight tea. I'm trying to be

good.

Fred smiles.

FRED BALLINGER:

Too bad!

He blows his nose in his usual manner. Jimmy observes him.

FRED BALLINGER (CONT’D)

How’s the work on your character

going?

49.

JIMMY TREE:

So so... pretty well, actually.

I’ve come up with some interesting

details.

FRED BALLINGER:

Good.

JIMMY TREE:

This morning, that girl dancing all

by herself. I saw her too. It

was... it was....

FRED BALLINGER:

... unforgettable.

JIMMY TREE:

Yes. That’s exactly the word:

unforgettable.

Jimmy finishes his herbal tea and takes his leave with a

playful military salute. Fred smiles at him. But Lena wipes

the smile off his face when she says.

LENA:

Maybe the problem is that Julian

and I never had children.

Fred turns and looks at her. Serious now.

FRED BALLINGER:

I don’t know what the problem is.

I’m not going to try and cheer you

up by telling you lies or talking

about things I’ve never understood.

You’re right:
all I understand is

music. And do you know why? Because

music doesn’t need words or

experience to be understood. It

just is. Your mother would have

understood you. I can’t.

But your mother's not here.

They look at each other without saying another word.

26A. INT. HOTEL RESTAURANT. NIGHT

The elegant woman who sang "Lili Marleen" is the only person

in the otherwise deserted restaurant. Wearing an evening gown

and showing us her ancient and noble profile, she is sitting

at one of the tables. Eyes lowered, with the concentration of

a starving animal, she devours a chicken leg with her hands.

Suddenly she stops eating and looks up, gazing vacantly into

space. A fixed, sterile stare. At that very moment a verse

she had sung from "Lili Marleen" echoes in her head, a

cappella. She lowers her eyes to the chicken leg and the song

stops. She starts eating again, as voracious as before.

50.

26B. EXT. HOTEL GARDEN. NIGHT

It’s late. The garden where the little concerts are held is

deserted. Only Fred Ballinger is still there. He has fallen

asleep in a chair, as in the opening scene of the film. The

lights are low and the wind is blowing. Fred opens his eyes

and sees that a dozen rocking chairs, scattered around the

garden, are moving in unison in the wind. Everything else is

still.

26C. INT. HOTEL LOBBY. NIGHT

The deserted lobby. Only one person is there, sitting on a

couch:
the young and eternally ungainly hooker.

Mick Boyle crosses the deserted lobby on the way to his room.

His eyes fall on the chubby girl.

She gives him an awkward but alluring, knowing look.

He smiles at her, but with the smile of a father, which seems

like a tender refusal. He walks away.

The girl looks sad and serious again.

But after a few steps Mick stops, as if he’s had second

thoughts.

The girl realizes this, but she deliberately keeps from

looking at him again.

Mick turns and observes her from afar. He is serious. And

tempted. He reflects. He stares at the girl.

She decides to look at him now, but it’s too late: Mick is

already gone.

27. INT. FRED BALLINGER’S SUITE. NIGHT

Fred and Lena are asleep in the double bed.

Then, through the windows, a theatrical light slowly comes

on, illuminating ten women on the balcony, all dressed in

black. Somber, immobile.

Slowly, slowly, the violin starts up again, playing those

same first notes of “Simple Song No.3.”

The women on the balcony join in with the violin and begin to

sing in the most splendid soprano voices.

Fred opens his eyes and says.

FRED BALLINGER:

Enough.

51.

Then, all of a sudden, as if he were possessed, he throws off

the covers and hurls himself at the window.

But there’s no one there. The balcony is empty and dark. Fred

shouts and punches the glass.

FRED BALLINGER (CONT’D)

Enough! Stop singing, now! Enough!

Lena wakes up with a start. She is worried.

LENA:

Daddy, stop, that’s enough! You

were dreaming.

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