Figgis Collected Screenplays

Main
ISBN: 978-0-571-29744-3
Verlag: Faber & Faber
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 352 Seiten

Whether working in England or America, Mike Figgis is one of the most innovative and iconoclastic writer-directors in cinema today, and this collection of screenplays displays the rich diversity of his tastes in style and subject matter. Stormy Monday (1988) In the era of Reagan and Thatcher's 'special relationship', Newcastle hosts a special 'America Week', and US businessman-gangster Frank Cosmo seeks to capitalise by pressurising jazz club owner Finney to sell his premises. Finney receives unexpected assistance from Brendan, his newly-hired young janitor, who is also romancing Kate, an escort girl who works part-time for Cosmo. Liebestraum (1991) Architecture professor Nick Kaminsky travels to Elderstown, Illinois, to be by the bedside of his dying mother. He runs into Paul, an old college friend, whose construction company is demolishing a beautiful old cast-iron department store, scene of a notorious murder / suicide 30 years ago. Nick becomes steadily more fascinated, by the building and its history, and by Paul's beautiful wife, Jane. Leaving Las Vegas (1995) Alcoholic Ben Sanderson loses his Hollywood job, takes his severance pay, and drives to Vegas with the mission of drinking himself to death. On the Strip he encounters working girl Sera: she falls for him, and he moves in with her, at the same time extracting a solemn promise that she will not try to divert him from his chosen path of self-annihilation.

Mike Figgis is the renowned film-maker and musician whose career began with the People Show in the 1970s. His film credits include Stormy Monday, Internal Affairs, Miss Julie, Timecode and Hotel. He received Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay for Leaving Las Vegas. His photographs have been displayed at galleries throughout the world, and he has created installations for gallery spaces.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Figgis, Mike

Leseproben

Liebestraum

CAST AND CREW

MAIN CAST

NICK KAMINSKY Kevin Anderson

JANE KESSLER Pamela Gidley

PAUL KESSLER Bill Pullman

LILLIAN ANDERSON Kim Novak

SHERIFF RICKER Graham Beckel

BARNARD RALSTON IV Zach Grenier

DR PARKER Thomas Kopache

MARY PARKER Catherine Hicks

NURSE/WHORE Anne Lange

MIKE Jack Wallace

MAIN CREW

Directed by Mike Figgis

Written by Mike Figgis

Produced by Eric Fellner

Co-producer Michael Flynn

Original Music by Mike Figgis

Non-original Music by Franz Liszt, from Liebestraum

Cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchía

Film Editing by Martin Hunter

Post-production Supervisor Virginia Allan

Production Design by Waldemar Kalinowski

Costume Design by Sharon Simonaire

As the credits appear on black we hear the sound of a violent thunderstorm. The perspective is from inside a building. We hear voices.

VOICE 1

Goodnight. Have a good weekend, Mr Munsen.

VOICE 2

Thanks. You too. I’ll lock up.

FADE UP ON:

INT. MUSIC STORE – NIGHT

We see a couple of grand pianos in half light. The shadow of a man comes into shot and he turns off lights. The camera starts to move and we see more of the music store. The man comes into shot and turns out the remaining lights by the counter. He walks to the doorway of an office and hesitates for a moment in the light coming from within before going inside.

Titles on black. The thunder and rain intensifies.

INT. OFFICE – NIGHT

The man’s hands come into tight shot. He has a 78 record which he places on to a portable, stainless-steel phonograph. His hands shake as he places the needle on to the record. The music begins. It is Liebestraum by Earl Bostic. This is an early 1950s jazz version based on Liszt’s melody.

The camera tilts up and just before we cut to a new angle we catch a glimpse of a woman in white on the other side of the room.

ANGLE

We see the man in shadow looking to camera. The woman in white walks into shot and spins. Tight shot on her feet in high heels as she hesitates and then begins walking deliberately towards the man. Tight shot on her hands as she begins unbuttoning her blouse. Tight shot of their feet as his two-tone shoes go between her high heels. Titles on black. The perspective of the storm changes to exterior.

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

An impressive four-storey cast-iron building fills the frame. The rain is very heavy. In the foreground a black period Cadillac comes to a halt.

TIGHT REVERSE ANGLE shows the driver to be in his mid-thirties with a moustache and a hat. He looks up at the building.

INT. OFFICE

The man and woman are making love against a desk. They tear at each other’s clothes and he caresses her breasts.

EXT. STREET

The Cadillac drives out of shot and the camera slowly zooms in on the one lit window.

INT. OFFICE

The couple making love on the desk. As the camera pulls back we see that they are being reflected in a photograph of the cast-iron building.

EXT. REAR OF THE BUILDING

A large truck with the name ‘Ralston’ is parked. The Cadillac comes around the corner and stops. The headlights are switched off.

INT. OFFICE

The camera slowly zooms in on the phonograph, the record spinning.

The lovers reflected in the phonograph.

Zoom in tighter on the phonograph.

EXT. REAR OF BUILDING

The man in the hat walks towards the building through the rain. He opens a door and goes inside.

INT. BUILDING – FIRE STAIRS

The man in the hat climbs the stairs wearily and pauses by a large window. Outside a freight train is passing. He looks up and then exits frame. In the distance we can hear the sound of the record finishing. The camera zooms in on the train.

In black we hear the sound of lovemaking mixed with the sound of the phonograph-needle trapped in the play out groove of the record. A door opens slowly and we see into the office. On the far side are the lovers.

MAN

This is crazy.

WOMAN

Don’t stop. Stay in me … come in me … tell me you love me … say it.

Close-up on the record spinning.

MAN

I love you.

WOMAN

Then make a baby in me.

Close-up of the woman’s face. She screams. We hear a loud gunshot. Medium shot of the two of them as he takes a bullet hit in his back. A 78 record hits the tiled floor and shatters …Very tight shot of the record spinning. We hear the woman screaming … a second gunshot. Tight shot of her face as she is hit … One of her shoes drops to the tiled floor … Tight shot of the record spinning … Her hand pushes a pile of records off the desk and she falls across frame … The records fall and smash … The spinning record slows up and stops. We can read the label. Liebestraum by Earl Bostic and his orchestra on the King record label. We hear a third gunshot.

Fade to black. Silence for a moment and then the sound of a train in a tunnel.

TITLE: THIRTY YEARS LATER

INT. CARRIAGE – DAY

The train comes out of the tunnel and we see a man just waking from a sleep. This is Nick Kaminsky. He is in his early thirties, conservatively dressed in a suit. His tie is loosened. He is a good-looking man, but not in a conventional way. All around him are newspapers and pages of handwritten notes. The paper is the Sunday New York Times. There is an announcement from the Amtrack guard.

GUARD (V.O.)

Ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be arriving in Elderstown. Next stop will be Elderstown. Passengers for Dearville, Rostock and Bellingham are requested …

Kaminsky begins tidying his papers.

EXT. HOSPITAL – AFTERNOON

A yellow cab pulls up in front of a large Gothic building. A sign tells us that this is the Ralston Memorial Hospital. Nick pays the cab driver and picks up his bags.

INT. HOSPITAL

Nick steps out of a lift and two nurses in nuns’ habits smile at him. The camera tracks with him as he walks to a reception desk. A nurse looks up from her work.

NURSE

Can I help you?

NICK

I’ve come to see Mrs Anderson.

NURSE

Visiting time is not for another hour. Are you a relative?

NICK

I’m her son.

INT. WARD – AFTERNOON

Nick and the nurse come into the ward, which has ten beds. The camera tracks with Nick as he walks from bed to bed, stopping to look at the faces of the women, all of whom are sleeping. After the fourth he turns to the nurse.

NICK

Which one … which one is my mother?

The nurse points at a bed.

NURSE

That one … I’ll be outside. Please don’t disturb any of the patients.

CUT TO:

ANGLE

Nick walks into shot and looks down at his mother. He looks away and then back.

ANGLE. HIS POV

Her skin is very delicate, her hair is fine and prematurely grey. She is in her early fifties. She is clearly very ill, but still beautiful.

INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE – AFTERNOON

Dr Parker is seated behind a large desk. A lean man wearing steel-rimmed glasses.

DR PARKER

Your mother is a very sick woman, Mr Anderson.

NICK

Kaminsky … my name is Kaminsky. My mother and I have different names.

Dr Parker looks at the file in front of him.

DR PARKER

Ah … yes … of course.

NICK

I’d like a private room for her.

Parker is a little uncomfortable.

DR PARKER

Mr Kaminsky … your mother has only the basic insurance. In fact … she’s over her credit limit...