NATALIA (ROSE)
Natalia Petrovna…. Unhappy woman, for the first time in
your life…you are in love.
MARCEL
If Turgenev were here
He’d order champagne!
A triumph, my dear!
ROSE
What a night to end with…
MARCEL
Rose, you were incredible!
ROSE
They seemed to like it…
MARCEL
I have never heard a crowd
Make a noise like that!
A PASSING VISITOR (clapping MARCEL on the shoulder)
It’s your best production!
MARCEL (to ROSE, continuing)
Are we in the mood
For debauchery and food?
ROSE
Marcel, you are a dear
But a most forgetful man!
I’ve told you that I plan
To drive through the country.
VISITORS (severally)
Well done, darling…
Well done you…
ROSE (to MARCEL, continuing)
Have a lovely night!
Come and see me when you can.
Now come along, Hugo.
HUGO
I’m ready, don’t worry.
I’ve done all the packing,
There’s no need to hurry.
GUEST 1
Tonight was a wonder!
GUEST 2
A soaring sensation!
ROSE
The best thing is having
My friends’ admiration.
MARCEL
The perfect leading lady:
Unique and true and towering!
Magnetic, overpowering!
The star the crowds adore!
If they could only know you:
Your humor and humility…
Your strength and your fragility…
They’d love you even more…
Tonight was a wonder!
All the dreams we’ve worked for
Have come true!
My shining leading lady!
Bravo, bravo, bravo!
I owe so much to you.
Now, to top it
All, you’ll never guess
Who’s turned up —
You’ll never recognize him!
Twelve years on and still as handsome…
ROSE (oblivious)
Later —
Don’t I ever get a minute to myself?
I’ll see him later.
Alex!
It’s Alex!
How long have you been standing there?
You are a fool!
You should have told me!
Come on, let me see you!
ALEX
You were amazing!
Now that’s more like an audience!
This time I must have been the only one
Who didn’t throw you roses!
ROSE
Now Hugo, be a dear
And get our guest an armagnac.
It’s on the bottom shelf —
Why not have one yourself?
Where to start?
ALEX
It’s been so long…
ROSE
Come, have a seat and tell me all your news!
ALEX
Let me see…
ROSE
George will love to hear it all!
ALEX
How is my uncle?
ROSE
He’s at the house in Pau with Jenny.
They really love it.
I can’t wait
To leave all this and be with them again!
No more stuffy dressing rooms!
Tell Jean-Michel to bring my car round.
We leave this evening.
It’s such a long and lonely journey —
Why not come with me…?
ALEX (after a pause)
Are you sure you want me to accept?
Very well, then.
I accept.
Here. Have some armagnac.
ROSE
Hugo, I’m afraid that your trip is cancelled.
ALEX (to ROSE)
Let me just make a very quick phone call.
HUGO
I know how it is with old friends…
ROSE (to HUGO)
Well, join us by train in a week.
ALEX (into the phone)
Janet?
Janet, it’s me here.
Look, I don’t think I can make it.
It’s not that I don’t love you, but…
ALEX
So who exactly is this Hugo?
ROSE
So who exactly is this Janet?
ROSE (looking up at the posters)
Have I changed?
ALEX
No, not at all.
ROSE
You’re too polite.
This face has had its day.
ALEX
Don’t be so silly!
ROSE
Is it “General Alex” yet?
ALEX
I hardly think so.
ROSE
Two weeks without a script or camera!
I can’t believe it!
And then another madcap movie…
With Monsieur Cocteau…
George is sweet.
He says I’m like his favorite Jurançon:
Very strong and beautiful —
But hardly very sweet or subtle,
and not too heady…
ALEX
His head must be extremely strong, then —
I’m drunk already!
What a life!
ROSE
You’re telling me!
ALEX
What does Jenny make of all this fame?
ROSE
Ask her yourself.
ALEX
Do you think I ought to come?
ROSE
My darling, you’ve become so bourgeois —
We’ll have to change that!
The same old Alex…
I should be flattered…
You’re never one to let a chance slip by…
ALEX
I’ll never understand you till the day I die…
BOTH
I’m sorry…
JENNY
I think by now I’m old enough
To put myself to bed.
Why don’t you go and forge
Another masterpiece instead?
GEORGE
Oh, Jenny, you’re a monster!
I should have had a son!
It seems, alas, a father’s lot…
BOTH (she chiming in, as it is a line she has heard often before)
…Is not a happy one!
JENNY
You know I need my donkey.
GEORGE
Why can’t you just count sheep?
All right, you have your donkey —
Now will you go to sleep?
JENNY
I’m really thrilled for Mummy!
Weren’t they wonderful reviews?
She’ll be the toast of Paris!
Mummy’s always in the news!
GEORGE
You’re right, it is amazing
How the work keeps flooding in,
With appearances in London
And movies in Berlin.
JENNY
Now off you go to bed —
I’ll wake you when I hear the car!
GEORGE
Look, Jenny, go to bed —
God, what a chatterbox you are!
Jenny,
You’re a miracle!
Is there nothing you conceal?
Jenny,
You astonish me!
Never hiding
What you feel…
Other pleasures…
And I’ve known many…
Afternoons
In warm Venetian squares,
Brief encounters,
Long siestas…
Pleasures old and new
Can’t compare with you.
You amaze me!
Where did you come from?
You do things
Champagne could never do.
Crystal winters,
Crimson summers…
Other pleasures —
I would trade them all
For you.
Pleasures old and new
Can’t compare with you…
Wild mimosa…
The scent of evening…
Shuttered rooms
With sunlight breaking through…
Crazy soirées…
Lazy Sundays…
Other pleasures…
I would trade them all
For you.
Sailing off
In the night
On a silver lake…
Taking more
From this life
Than I ought to take…
Other pleasures…
I would trade them all
For you.
JENNY
Quickly!
She’s here now!
Don’t be an old lazybones!
GEORGE (coming to and looking at his watch)
Good Lord!
The time!
For once she’s managed
To arrive ahead of schedule!
ROSE (to JENNY, producing a gift-wrapped present)
Wait till you see
What I’ve got for you,
Darling.
And wait till you see
What I’ve got for you…
ALEX
I don’t believe this…
ROSE (echoing him)
I don’t believe this…
GEORGE (struggling with his emotions)
Good God, I wondered what had happened to you!
Rose, you really should have let me know!
Dear boy, you must meet Jenny!
ALEX
Hello, cousin.
Nice to meet you.
JENNY
So you’re the soldier?
ROSE
This is Alex.
You remember.
JENNY
Yes, of course.
ROSE (to GEORGE)
He saw my last performance.
ALEX
She really was phenomenal.
JENNY
“A truly blazing star”!
GEORGE, JENNY, & ALEX
Rose, you’re a wonder!
GEORGE
All the dreams we’ve worked for
Have come true!
GUILIETTA
“Big surprise:
I can’t be with you this weekend.
But don’t be cross —
You should thank me.
You wouldn’t find me much fun.
It seems my life is one enormous drama!
Men are such a dreadful nuisance…
I’ll call you when I’m me again.
C’est la vie,
C’est l’amour…”
There is more to love,
So much more,
than simply making love —
That’s easy.
Gazing into eyes,
Pretty eyes,
Which could be any eyes —
That’s crazy.
Hands are just hands,
A face is just a face…
They come and go —
They’re easy to replace…
There is more to love,
So much more,
Than moon-struck escapades —
That’s nothing.
There is peace of mind,
So much peace,
In quiet company —
That’s something.
Everyone but him
Seems wrong for me…
Every time I feel
There has to be
More…
If I could hear
The music I heard then,
I’d never let
It fade away again…
Now each time
Love reaches out to me,
I can only feel
There has to be
So much more
To love…
There is more to love,
So much more…
GEORGE (to ALEX)
I trust you’re staying for the vintage?
JENNY (to GEORGE)
Oh, he mustn’t miss it!
ROSE
Alex, promise me you won’t run off just yet!
JENNY
There’s lots of room!
ALEX (shrugs and smiles)
I’m in no hurry —
If it won’t worry you…
This could be something you’ll regret!
ROSE
Oh, no!
That’s really disappointing!
GEORGE
What on earth’s the matter?
ROSE
Giulietta won’t be with us this weekend.
GEORGE
What’s happened now?
ROSE
Same situation.
GEORGE
That girl’s relationships
Are too involved to comprehend!
ALEX
Looks like I’ll never meet your friend.
GEORGE (rising)
One day you will, old chap.
It’s time I took my nap.
Good Lord, the time has really flown!
ROSE
I’d better run along.
You’ll have to manage on your own!
ALEX (to himself)
Part of me was always in these hills…
This is where my eyes were opened…
When life was young and we had time…
I wonder why she brought me back here…
Why invite me?
Why entice me?
Why rekindle old emotions…?
JENNY
I am a mermaid
With golden hair…
ALEX
I’ve never seen one like you!
JENNY
Not all us mermaids
Have silver tails —
I have no tail at all.
ALEX
Well, I’ve never
Seen any mermaids
With knobbly knees!
I’d say this tale
Was a touch too tall,
Maybe a touch too tall…
JENNY
Sailors would smash on
My jagged rock,
Lured by my siren’s song…
ALEX
It isn’t the
Song of the siren
That tortures men —
That’s where your theory
Goes sadly wrong,
That’s where it all goes wrong…
JENNY
I thought you’d know better.
You know nothing
About mermaids.
ALEX (wry)
You know nothing
About sailors…
JENNY
I do!
Much more than you!
If you were a sailor
And heard my song,
Would you be lured by me?
ALEX
I wouldn’t be
Foolish enough to
Go near your rock —
I’d steer my galleon out to sea…
BOTH
…Lonely and lost at sea…
GEORGE (muttering to himself)
Has somebody stolen my copy of “Brave New World”?
Why can’t that woman leave things alone?
My patience is wearing thin…
Sorry for barging in…
JENNY
Say the word!
Say it now!
Nice and loud!
ALEX (defeated)
What the hell, then —
Uncle!
Jenny you’re a monster!
You ought to be locked up!
JENNY (going into the house)
Before I am,
I think I’ll dress for dinner —
You mix the drinks…
ALEX (looking after JENNY)
She needs a Paris education.
I’ve told you time and time again.
ROSE
And wouldn’t that be cozy?
You could then have your very own Parisienne!
Alex, how can you even think
Of moving her away from this place?
I mean, Alex, you of all people have found
That leaving here is hard to face.
ALEX
Yes, I love it here and always will…
But Rose, it’s not the views
Or the vines that keep me here…
I stay year after year
For something far deeper…
Being in this house
Makes the past seem very near…
BOTH
…When the world was a playground
All train-rides and laughter,
And love in the morning…
ROSE
…And armagnac after…
ALEX
Since leaving the army
And being around you,
I know I’m reliving
The night that I found you…
ROSE
But George…
I couldn’t hurt George…
Oh Alex, you know by now
How much I love him…
ALEX
So what is it
You feel for Hugo?
ROSE
Please understand I’m not in love with him.
He’s a friend, he makes me laugh…
That’s all it is.
Alex, can’t you see
That you mean much more to me?
Alex, that’s why I won’t
Play the lover with you.
What I did to you once
Wasn’t easy to do —
But I only have one life,
Not two…
GEORGE (murmurs to himself)
What could be sweeter?
Nothing is sweeter…
When the time comes,
The hour of darkness,
When the light
Is fading from the sky…
When that time comes,
I’ll be ready.
Death can hold no fear:
I’ve done my living here.
Earthly pleasures…
And I’ve known many…
All my life
I’ve always lived for now.
Who needs heaven?
This is heaven…
When that time comes,
It isn’t hard if you
Know how…
Glass of champagne and endless sunset!
These are the times that life was made for!
ALEX (gazing at the view)
Hard to believe that I’d forgotten
Just how perfect life can be —
This magic place has rescued me!
HUGO
The only one not here is Jenny —
I might have known that she’d be late!
GEORGE
She’ll be here —
We can wait…
ALEX
She said she had to “dress for dinner” —
She’s talked about it half the week!
What a girl…
HUGO
Quite unique!
GEORGE
Far too advanced for rural classrooms —
She needs the education Paris offers.
ALEX
George, I am in complete agreement —
Paris is the place to learn.
I can’t say I share your concern.
ROSE
The pair of you talk so much nonsense —
She’s better here and so are you.
What a pair!
Not a clue!
JENNY
Veuve Cliquot…
How divine…
GEORGE
I want to be
The first man you remember,
I want to be
The last man you forget.
I want to be
The one you always turn to,
I want to be
The one you won’t regret.
May I be first
To say you look delightful?
May I be first
To dance you round the floor?
The very first
To see your face by moonlight?
The very first
To walk you to your door?
JENNY (playing to GEORGE)
Well, young man, I’d be delighted!
There is nothing I would rather do!
What could be a sweeter memory
Than sharing my first dance with you?
GEORGE
I want to be
The first man you remember…
JENNY
The very first
To sweep me off my feet.
GEORGE
I want to be
The one you always turn to…
JENNY
The first to make
My young heart miss a beat.
GEORGE
Seems the stars are far below us…
JENNY
The moon has never felt so close before…
Our first dance will be forever…
GEORGE
And may it lead to many more!
I want to be
The first man you remember…
JENNY
The very first
To sweep me off my feet.
GEORGE
I want to be
The one you always turn to…
JENNY
The first to make
My young heart miss a beat.
GEORGE
I want to be
The one you always turn to,
I want to be
The one you won’t regret…
GEORGE & JENNY
The very first…
The very first…
JENNY
Now what on earth
Was all that shaking heads for?
Grown-ups are strange —
They’re not grown up at all!
ALEX
That dress belonged to George’s first wife…
Someone should have said before tonight…
Years ago your mother wore it —
Your father fainted at the sight…
JENNY
Will you be last
To dance with me this evening!
One final dance
Before you run away!
ALEX
It’s very late —
But since it’s you who’s asking,
One final dance
Would crown the perfect day!
ROSE
You shameless pair,
So this is what you’re up to.
ALEX
Our game is up —
We might as well come clean!
JENNY
He is the first
To make me feel a woman…
The very first
To make me fall in love…
The very first…
The very first…
LABORER 1
Now that’s what I call a wall!
LABORER 2
It’s a masterpiece!
ALEX
It’s Picasso!
JENNY
Except it’s straight…
GEORGE
Hugo, we should call you Samson!
JENNY
He has many talents.
GEORGE (to ALEX)
How you didn’t break your back I’ll never know!
ALEX
No, nor will I!
HUGO
Thank God for Sundays!
ALEX (appraising their work)
Not bad for one day’s work.
ALL
Our wall will be the talk of Pau!
ROSE
Two more days, then off to Paris.
ALEX
And a school for Jenny.
HUGO
Didn’t Jenny look a picture in that dress?
ALEX
Indeed she did.
GEORGE
So like her mother…
Shades of another time…
Of vintage nights —
But I digress…
Good Lord, the time!
Ah well, God bless…
ROSE
Alex, this has gone on long enough —
What I mean is you and Jenny.
HUGO (leaving)
I’ll be off now…
See you both tomorrow…
ROSE
Since you came, she’s truly blossomed —
But, my friend, a flower is fragile…
Heaven help you if you hurt her…
ALEX
Why all this concern?
God, you’re hardly ever here!
Your whole life is your career,
And nothing else matters.
ROSE
My career?
We wouldn’t eat if I had no career.
You know that George lost everything.
I do it all for George and Jenny.
I thought you knew that.
ALEX
All right, I’m sorry.
ROSE
Can’t you see?
What we three have is something very rare.
In a word, it’s happiness.
Nothing in the world will ever
Tear apart the sweet existence
We have spent a lifetime building!
ALEX
Rose, let me explain to you…
Yes, I can’t deny the feelings that I have…
But what’s wrong with that?
Rose, I’d never harm the girl…
ROSE
You were once prepared to do
A lot of harm to me…
ALEX
You cannot compare
This with our insane affair…
What I wanted from you
Was both body and soul…
ROSE
Aren’t you trying to play
An identical role?
ALEX (face to face)
This is one thing that I will control.