Adventures in the Screen Trade (45 page)

MORRIS Guess what, sonny boy---what you want and what you get ain't always necessarily the same. . . .

HOLD ON THE QUARTET sitting silently at the table. Then-

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THE MAIN STREET IN TOWN. The next morning. Church bells off in the distance. It's Sunday and a beauty.

MORRIS, WILLIE, and BIMBAUM troop down the empty street. MORRIS, stalking ahead, carries a large alara clock. BIMBAUM is behind him, wearing, as always, his rumpled suit. Bringing up the rear, slowly, is WILLIE. As they move toward their appointed destination-

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THE ALARM CLOCK being placed firmly on a shelf. MORRIS finishes setting it. It ticks loudly.

CUT TO BIMBAUM AND WILLIE watching him - we're inside the shop.

MORRIS (moving toward the door) You got forty-five minutes.

And as he leaves-- CUT TO

THE CLOCK. It reads 11:15. And counting.

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WILLIE, the instant his FATHER has gone. He dishes to a shelf, grabs a cape. throws it around his body,hurries to BIMBAUM's chair, jumps up, turns, and

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BIMBAUM staring, staring at WILLIE's head. In a world of his own.

WILLIE

(gesturing for Bimbaum to get started)

It's spherical, Mr. Bimbaum. Don't you remember?

BIMBAUM

I never forgot ahead shape in my life. But sometimes, especially with the young, the head shape changes.

WILLIE

Well, mine hasn't changed*-I promise you---now c'mon--' CUT TO

WILLIE IN THE CHAIR as BIMBAUM advances slowly, his eyes always on WILLIE's head. He walks around it,bends down, looks up, stands on tiptoe, looks down. Now he places his fingers on WILLIE's head, takes them off. draws an Imaginary circle in the air.

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MORRIS, in front of the shop, pacing back and forth. back and forth.

CUT TO BIMBAUM. Finally nods. satisfied.

BIMBAUM Still spherical.

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WILLIE,a sigh of relief; he sits straight in the chair. ready. Then he almost groans-

WILLIE You 're not.

CUT TO BIMBAUM. He is fiddling with the faucets In the sink.

WILLIE Forget the damn shampoo.

BIMBAUM

A barber only works on clean hair.

WILLIE

Make believe mine's clean-can't you do that?

CUT TO MORRIS, sticking his head in from outside.

MORRIS

Forty-one minutes to go, Bimbaum. (then he is outside again, pacing)

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THE SINK as BIMBAUM fiddles with the faucets, getting the temperature Just right.

CUT TO THE CLOCK, ticking away. CUT TO

WILLIE, his head in the sink now, as BIMBAUM expertly applies shampoo, gets a wonderful lather built up.

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MORRIS, on the sidewalk, doing his sentry duty.

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DOTS OF LIGHT dancing off the walls of the shop. PULL BACK TO REVEAL

BIMBAUM holding his silver scissors high. blowing on them, getting them ready.

CUT TO MORRIS, head in the door again.

MORRIS

Thirty-six minutes, Bimbaum. Nine gone so far.

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BIMBAUM. It's as if he hasn't heard. He snips the scissors a couple of times, turns then to WILLIE.

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A FEW HAIRS, slowly falling. CUT TO

BIMBAUM, stepping back from WILLIE, squinting a moment, moving in again, gracefully. He reaches out, makes an- other tiny snip.

WILLIE

A crew cut, Mr. Bimbaum - I've always wanted one. I know you could give a great crew cut if you wanted.

BIMBAUM

Don't you over say a thing like that again.

WILLIE

But there aren't that many jobs-Father told you that last night-

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MORRIS in the doorway.

MORRIS

Twenty-nine minutes to go-one-third over.

CUT TO WILLIE as his FATHER moves back outside.

WILLIE (turning) Did you hear that? Did you hear it?

BIMBAUM Shut up and sit still.

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THE DOTS OF LIGHTS, dancing. CUT TO

BIMBAUM, moving more gracefully than ever, taking a snip here, another snip there.

CUT TO WILUE, his eyes just beginning to close. CUT TO MORRIS, looming in the doorway.

MORRIS Twenty-five minutes to go, Bimbaum--

CUT TO MORRIS, again in the doorway.

MORRIS

Twenty-one minutes to go. Bimbaum.

CUT TO MORRIS, back in the doorway.

MORRIS

Fifteen minutes to go, Bimbaum.

And he exits as we CUT TO WILLIE, soft, throat dry.

WILLIE

Just for God's sakes please do it.

BIMBAUM

(squinting along the part in Willie's hair)

I should ruin a lifetime in fifteen min- utes?

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AGAIN. THE DOTS OF LIGHT. CUT TO

BIMBAUM, another small snip, another, a third. CUT TO

THE CALENDAR ON THE WALL. The river and the rooks and the great green trees.

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BIMBAUM, eyes bright, concentrating fiercely, snipping away, his beautiful fingers In constant motion and

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WILLIE, eyes closed now and CUT TO

BIMBAUM. moving like a dancer and CUT TO -

THE RIVER, as again it comes to life, starts to flow, and we hear the water boiling over the rooks and hear the wind in the trees-

- and now the glorious theme of 'Shenandoah' becomes clear, starting soft. getting stronger-"Away, you rolliag river'' - and now

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THE ALARM CLOCK going off and MORRIS is the doorway, talking over the jangling sound of the alarm. MORRIS

High noon, Bimbaum. Time's up.

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MR. BIMBAUM. He says nothing. Per a moment he just stands frozen. Then he walks to the still-ringing alarm, and with one swipe of his beautiful hand he knocks it senseless to the floor. Silence. Now he turns toward MORRIS.

BIMBAUM

Bet out. Butcher. I'm outting this boy's hair.

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MORRIS. He tries to return BIMBAUM's stare, thinks bet- ter of it, turns, meekly leaves, closing the door behind him.

CUT TO WILLIE, as BIMBAUM comes back to the chair-

WILLIE Listen, Mr. Bimbaum-

BIMBAUM -shut up and sit still-

WILLIE

(turning to face the old man) -I'm sorry-

CUT TO BIMBAUM.

BIMBAUM I told you to sit still-

(and with that, ho swats Willie on top of the head with the flat of his hand. )

CUT TO WILLIE. sitting still, staring straight out.

WILLIE

Anyway, it's my fault and I'm really sorry.

BIMBAUM

Fault? Nobody's got no time. Why is that your fault t

CUT TO BIMBAUM. CLOSE UP.

BIMBAUM

The butchers. The butchers are taking over. By the time you grow up, the butchers will own the world, you'll see. God- dam little brat anyway. (and now as he goes back to work-)

CUT TO THE CALENDAR Ot) THE WALL.

And now for the last time, it comes to life-and now again, the sound of 'Shenandoah.' just like before- -only it isn't like before-because suddenly the river changes from a lovely stream to something majestic, a Slant of a waterway. maybe it's the Amazon or the Nile or the mouth of the Mississippi, but whatever it is, it's awesome, it just makes you gasp- -and "Shenandoah" changes, too, it's booming now, the sound just as awesome as the sight, and on and on they go, the glorious song. the mighty river, and as they climax-

CUT TO BIMBAUM. He blows on his scissors, saya one word.

BIMBAUM Done.

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WILLIE. blinking in the chair, watching as BIMBAUM. without a glance back, walks out of the store and gone.

HOLD ON WILLIE a moment, alone. Then-

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WILLIE, still alone, walking along a railroad track. using his arms for balance. Sometimes it's fun; you get the feeling it Isn't that just now.

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WILLIE, hands stuffed into his Jeans pockets, walking alone across the town square. A couple of KIDS wave to him. He doesn't wave back.

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PORKY playing marbles in the schoolyard. Ho looks up, sees WILLIE standing on the sidewalk. PORKY gestures for WIU.IE to Join him. WILLIE shakes his head, walks on.

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MORRIS AND EMMA IN THE KITCHEN by the stove as WILLIE enters, stops, looks at them.

WILLIE Gone

EMMA Bag and baggage.

CUT TO WILLIE. He nods, heads for the stairs.

MORRIS Willie?

WILLIE stops.

He was a fine barber. No one ever said any different.

EMMA

That's right. But he took too long.

WILLIE makes no reply, leaves them-

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THE BACK STAIRS as WILLIE trudges up.

CUT TO THE LANDING as he reaches it, turns.

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HIS ROOM as he enters, looks around. It ' s the same as be- fore. Reggie Jackson and Bjorn Borg on the walls, his little harmonica on the bed-

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WILLIE, stopping suddenly, staring as we

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THE BED. Because not far from the harmonica 13 a small pair of silver scissors.

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WILLIE. He walks to the bed, looks at the scissors. picks them up. He lies on the bed, puts the harmonica on his chest, studies the scissors he holds in his hands.

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THE SILVER SCISSORS as WILLIE makes them move, three times-snip-snip-snip. It's the rhythm of "Jingle Bells' ' and he hums the three notes. Again three snips, again he hums the throe notes.

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WILLIE, and now he pauses a moment, then makes a differ- ent rhythm: snip-snip-snip-snip. He does it again: snip-snip-snip-snip. It's the start of "Bimbaum's Theme. '' He picks tip the harmonica now, plays the first notes-not very well. He stops, wipes the harmonica on his T-shirt, tries again. Maybe a little better. But this time he doesn't stop, he goes right on playing, and as he does-

CAMERA STARTS TO MOVE

Out the window and down the side of the house. MORRIS and EMMA are visible now, by the stove, close together, in the kitchen. She takes a wooden spoon, gives him a taste of what she ' s cooking. As always: perfection.

HOLD ON THE TWO OF THEM BRIEFLY-

-because the harmonica is still playing "Bimbaum's Theme' ' only now it ' s something to hear-Larry Adier on his best day never sounded this good as we

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THE BARBER SHOP. Empty, shut-

-and now a wonderful guitar sound joins the harmonica. 'Bimbaum's Theme' ' goes on, the two instruments play- ing perfectly together as we

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THE SCHOOLYARD. Empty. No marble games- -and a piano beautifully joins guitar and the harmoni- ca. The three instruments blend and build as we CUT TO

THE BUS STATION. A single figure stands waiting on the sidewalk. It's BIMBAUM, holding his battered suitcase. He stands there in his rumpled suit, fierce, sour, alone-in other words. absolutely unchanged.

The piano and the guitar and the harmonica continue to work their magic as the

CAMERA MAKES ITS LAST MOVE- -up toward the blue, blue sky. . . . FINAL FADE OUT.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Interviews

Designer: TonyWalton

Tony Walton was born in England but has worked in America for the past twenty years. Unusually versatile, he not only does sets and/or costumes for movies but on Broadway as well (Pip- pin, Chuego, Sophisticated Ladies, Woman of the Yew). His first film was Mary Poppins, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. With Philip Rosenberg, he won an Oscar for Art Direction on All That jazz. Among his other films are:

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Petulia

Murder on the Orient Express TheWiz Equus Prince of the City

ON DESIGN

The production designer is responsible for the visual elements of the film-hand in hand with the cinematographer and, of course, the director. There are some directors who are visually

very powerful, some who arc less so. When you've worked with a director before, you tend to develop a shorthand with them, and I suppose there's more liberty, more trust.

ON WORK HABITS

One of the first things I like to do, and I imagine it's frequently done, is to take a film, more or less scene by scene, and try to picture what it would be like just in terms of the color palette of the whole film, so that if it needs to be soothing, it's keyed a certain way; if there's a need for jarring moments, it can be helped enormously by the use of jarring color or an unexpected contrast in coloration.

Ideally, I come on very early, frequently early enough to par- ticipate in the decision of who's to be cinematographer. Six months before filming isn't unusual. In a complex film, a film that requires a tremendous amount of building, then it would be much longer than six months.

ON DESIGN EMPHASIS

The emphasis shifts, depending on what the film is. For example, with Prince of the City, one of the major problems was the astounding number of characters, many of whom appeared for such brief moments that it was obviously going to be very hard tor an audience to follow who was who at any given moment. So one of the tasks on my end was to try and make the environment of each of those people as blindingly clear as I could without caricaturing it so that it drew attention to itself. -It was important to have a sense, not necessarily of remembering the name of the character, but of knowing whose team, what side he was on-white hat, black hat, or whatever--whether he was a bureaucrat or a street person. All of this, of course, with a strong level of believability.

In Murder on the Orient Express, a level of believable reality is not what we were after, it was a contrived, fluffy affair, and we wanted the people to have a movie-movie feeling. So the costumes were not broken down to look real or worn. And the sets

permitted a certain kind of glamorization. People can tall; about the train and how lucky we were to be able to shoot on the real Orient Express, but actually it was entirely made in the studio, using some key "museum pieces" from the actual train. People who had traveled on the real train said, "Oh, how nice to see it again," but actually it was an almost absurd glamorization of what the real thing was. If we had done the real thing accurately, it would probably have looked just a hair tacky.