bomc.docx

1、bomcTHE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTYscreenplay adaption by Richard LaGravenese MARCH 24, 1994, FIRST DRAFT Our story begins in 1965, on a hot afternoon in August. FADE IN EXT. IOWA LANDSCAPE - DAY Rolling green hills, lush farmland, vast open space. Not a house or sign of life in sight. On a long dusty

2、 road, a TRUCK is driving across the screen. Clouds of dirt follow in its tracks - its motor, the only sound we hear. INT. TRUCK - DAY FRANCESCA JOHNSON is sitting in the front seat of the pick-up truck. Her expression is distant. Her eyes are sad, as if hiding a burden she can hardly bear. Her husb

3、and, RICHARD JOHNSON, is driving. RICHARD You feeling better Franny? FRANCESCA Yes. Im fine. Its just this heat I think. He nods, satisfied. He turns on the radio as the VOICE OF DINAH WASHINGTON sings a bluesy, haunting love song, ILL CLOSE MY EYES. DINAH WASHINGTON (SINGS) ILL CLOSE MY EYES. TO EV

4、ERYONE BUT YOU. AND WHEN I DO. ILL SEE YOU STANDING THERE. (CONTINUES) RICHARD (surprised) What station is this? FRANCESCA Its a Chicago station. I found it the other day. RICHARD Kinda pretty. Is this uh. jazz kinda singing? FRANCESCA (nicely) I dont know. Can we turn it off? I have such a headache

5、. RICHARD Sure. Richard shuts it off. Francesca turns her face away from him to look out at the vast expanse out of the countryside. EXT. JOHNSON HOUSE - DAY The truck stops in front of an isolated FARM HOUSE. A wooden gate stands twenty yards from the front door. A barn and a hot house sits on eith

6、er side, surrounded by acres and acres of beautiful pasture. CAROLYN JOHNSON, a sixteen-year-old girl, steps out from the vegetable garden with an arm full of vegetable. She watches her parents exit the truck. Francesca carries her groceries, walking briskly through the front gate and entering the h

7、ouse. Richard grabs a bag of feed from the flatbed and strolls more leisurely. When he walks through the front gate, he notices something on the ground and picks it up. It is a BUTTON with RED NATURAL surrounding it. As if it had been torn from a piece of clothing. His daughter approaches him. RICHA

8、RD Your mother isnt feel well. I want you to help her out tonight with dinner. (she nods) Tell Michael to put this feed away. He puts the feed bag down. She exits. He enters the house. INT. FRONT HALL - DAY Richard enters the front hall opposite the stairs to the second floor. To his left is the liv

9、ing room. To his right, through an archway is the kitchen. He moves towards the stair when he suddenly hears the kitchen radio turned on and ILL CLOSE MY EYES continues. It puzzles him. He looks to the kitchen. Francesca is obviously there but we cant see her. He is about to call to her when his son

10、, Michael, yells: MICHAEL (O.S.) Dad! You bought the wrong feed! RICHARD (irritated) What?! He exits through the house to the back door. INT. KITCHEN - LATER The family- Francesca, Richard, Carolyn and their seventeen- year-old son MICHAEL - are eating supper. No one speaks. FRANCESCA So what are yo

11、u going to do with the prize money? CAROLYN I dont know. I might save up for one of those hi-fi stereo players like Peggy has. Francesca nods. Silence again. She asks her son: FRANCESCA Are you seeing Betty tonight? MICHAEL (eating) Nah. Silence. She is used to her sons one syllable answers. RICHARD

12、 Oh! Frannie, is this yours? He places the button with red material on the table. Hiding her surprise, Francesca takes the button. FRANCESCA You found it! I got my dress caught on that damn gate. You must have eyes like a hawk. FRANCESCA (contd) You must all be tired. You got home so early. What tim

13、e did you leave Illinos this morning? RICHARD Bout 4:30. FRANCESCA Well you should all go to bed early. Ill do the cleaning up. This last remark she addresses to her daughter. Everyone returns to their silent eating. INT. JOHNSON HOUSE - NIGHT The house is asleep and dark except for a bright light c

14、oming from the kitchen. Carolyn quietly exits her bedroom in her nightclothes. She was awakened by noises coming from the kitchen downstairs. INT. KITCHEN - She enters to find the lights are on. An empty cake pan and a half-used bowl of frosting sitting unwashed in the sink. She hears the motor of t

15、he truck being turned on. She moves to the front hall and looks out through the door to see: The truck driving away. She calls out: CAROLYN Mom! But she gets no response. She stands there wondering where her mother could possibly being going this time of night, as we - DISSOLVE TO: THIRTY YEARS LATE

16、R - SAME LOCATION Carolyn, thirty years older, stands in the same doorway of the same house thinking back to that evening her mother acted so strangely. A LAWYER is unpacking a briefcase in the living room off the front entrance. Carolyn sees a car with Florida plates driving up to the house. She sm

17、iles. EXT. JOHNSON HOUSE - DAY Carolyn steps out of the doorway and heads for the car, out of which exit her brother Michael and his country girl wife BETTY, a stout buxom chatterbox. Both boast Florida tans and fashion styles. MICHAEL (to Carolyn) Explain to me again why we didnt do this in Des Moi

18、nes in an air conditioned office? CAROLYN Moms orders. MICHAEL Lawyer here? CAROLYN (nods) I have some sandwich fixings if youre hungry. BETTY (proudly) No, we just had lunch at the hotel with my brother and his new wife. She told me all the dirt. I forgot how interesting things can get around here.

19、 It was so good to see them. The last time we visited they were in Europe. He is doing so well. He ordered champagne. For lunch! I nearly died. MICHAEL I nearly died when we split the bill. BETTY Michael doesnt understand. People who make the kind of money my brother makes dont carry money on them.

20、They keep it all in various accounts. MICHAEL Then we should have had lunch at the bank. Carolyn tries not to laugh. Betty shoots him a dirty look, then stops to take in the house and its surroundings. BETTY Boy. It sure has been a long time. MICHAEL (correcting her) We were here two Christmases ago

21、. BETTY Well, thats a long time. MICHAEL Its not that long. BETTY (suddenly upset) Well, why dont I just say black so you can say white! (to Carolyn) Dont be surprised to find your brother hasnt changed an iota. He hardly ever talks and when he does its in that tone! You should have heard him at lun

22、ch - not two words until the bill came and then he says, Worth every penny. MICHAEL (defensive) SO! BETTY (angry) You said it in that tone! Like you were angry at me, my brother, at the world for forcing you to eat a nice lunch! MICHAEL Oh Jesus. BETTY (staring to cry) I simply can not stand that to

23、ne! CAROLYN (sympathetically) Come inside. Youre just tired from the trip. She comforts Betty who indulges in the attention. BETTY I am so sick and tired of apologizing and not knowing what Ive done! CAROLYN Im sure you havent done anything. Have some iced tea. How are the kids? MICHAEL He dropped t

24、hem off at Bettys mom. Wheres Steve? CAROLYN (uncomfortably) Hes not coming. Betty suddenly stops crying and abrasively focuses on Carolyns problems. BETTY Aw, is he still cheating on you, hon? Carolyn suddenly hoses sympathy for her. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY The lawyer hands Michael a document. LAWYE

25、R Just sign here as having received the contents from the safe deposit box. (Michael does) And this one, which clears the bank of all further responsibility fo0r the contents. Betty whispers to Carolyn. BETTY This is kind of exciting. You think well find out your mother had secret millions lying aro

26、und? Carolyn smiles weakly. Michael hands back the papers. LAWYER All right. Why dont we begin. He takes out Francescas Last Will and Testament. LAWYER (contd) Your mother has been interred at Lakeside Funeral Home until arrangements can be made. MICHAEL (to Carolyn) I thought everything WAS arrange

27、d. CAROLYN Well, theres a problem. MICHAEL What problem? LAWYER Your mother left explicit instructions that she wished to be cremated. MICHAEL Cremated?! BETTY Eeeww! CAROLYN I know. I dont understand it either. MICHAEL When did she decide this? LAWYER (reading will) Apparently just before her death

28、. MICHAEL Well, thats crazy. I dont know anybody who gets cremated. BETTY My Jewish friends grandmother did. MICHAEL Well, no one in my family did! Dad bought cemetery plots at Oak Ridge. One for him, one for mom. LAWYER It clearly states in the will - MICHAEL I dont care what it says! Maybe Mama wa

29、s delirious, you know. She didnt know what she was saying. If she wanted to be cremated, why the hell did she let dad buy two plots, huh? LAWYER Well, she was very specific. She wanted her ashes to be thrown over Roseman Bridge. MICHAEL WHAT! BETTY How bizarre! CAROLYN Mr. Peterson, are you sure mama wrote all this? LAWYER Well, it was notarized, and witnessed by a Mrs. Lucy Delaney. Maybe you can ask her. MICHAEL Who the hell is Lucy Delaney? CAROL