[ Up-tempo instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ Birds chirping ]
[ GraveI crunching ]
[ Car horn honks ]
[ BicycIe beLL dings ]
[ BicycIe beLLs ding ]
[ I ndistinct shouting,
whistLlng ]
WeLL. . .
[ I ndistinct shouting
in distance ]
M AUR ICE : They weren't young,
you know -- far from it.
My sister was, what?
I think.
Tom the same.
[ I ndistinct taIking continues ]
Maurice!
Catch !
I used to drive her
up to Oxford to see him.
Tom was one of
Bertrand RusseLL's
graduate students.
I can't remember how
they first met, exactIy.
There wasn't much
of a courtship --
a few months at most.
WeLL, then, romance.
I think Vivie just
swept him off his feet.
Tom was an American,
you know.
Though you might not
have guessed it,
he tried to hard to be
more EngLlsh than the EngLlsh.
Dressed Llke an EngLlshman,
tried terribIy hard
to sound Llke one of us.
Don't think he ever quite
got the hang of it.
M ind you,
he was very reserved.
I'm sure he thought
our famlly, the Haigh-Woods,
was just what he needed --
sIeepy, oId, and respectabIe.
Poor Vivienne
misunderstood him compIeteIy.
She thought Tom was
going to rescue her
from tight LlttIe EngIand.
Hey, how about
over there -- Iook.
- [ Tires screech ]
- For God's sake, Viv!
ActuaLLy, I think
tight LlttIe EngIand
was just what Tom wanted.
[ Soft piano music pIays ]
[ Birds chirping ]
[ Oar thumps ]
[ Ducks quacking ]
ExactIy how Iong have
Tom and Viv been courting?
Oh, minutes --
absoIute minutes.
ReaLLy?
[ Chirping continues ]
You can't reaLLy want
to go back to America.
What wouId you do?
Most LlkeIy,
become a professor. . .
write Iearned papers
on obscure phllosophers.
I don't know.
MeIt into the stones
of Harvard, I suppose.
[ Oar thumps ]
My Adonis.
He's my fancy man.
Whatever he chooses
is aLL right by me.
[ Cow moos in distance ]
I suppose he is quite safe,
this ELlot chap.
Safe?
[ Laughing ] I can't imagine
what you mean.
Tom is a brllLlant schoIar.
Rather Viv's type, then.
[ I nsects buzzing,
birds chirping ]
[ Dog barking in distance ]
I never want to see
the States again.
I want to Llve in Europe
and write poetry.
I Iove you.
I Iove you more
than Llfe itseIf.
I'd do anything for you.
Oh, dear!
What?
[ ChuckLlng ]
I know aLL that.
You don't have to be
so wet about things.
I'm sorry.
Oh, it's aLL right, Tom.
It's perfectIy aLL right.
I don't think this is
quite the right pIace.
[ CIears throat ]
[ Sighs ]
It's not that
I don't want to.
[ Both sigh ]
Are you sure?
It's just that. . .
[ Smooches, sighs ]
when we do. . .
I want it to be perfect.
Nothing -- nothing in
the worId must go wrong.
Are you a virgin,
M r. RusseLL?
Not exactIy.
Is Tom, do you suppose?
Very probabIy.
I am.
AwfuI thing,
that dreaded sex business.
Viv is not, though.
- Not what?
- A virgin.
Forgive me, Maurice,
but are you doing
a survey of some kind?
Survey?
I nto sexuaI habits.
Ah, no.
You see, there was a spot
of bother Iast year.
Vivie took rather a shine
to a chap.
M ums found out,
put a stop to it.
AwfuI scenes -- bed without
dinner, house arrest.
You know the kind of thing.
I wouIdn't want to go through
aLL that again with Tom.
No. I'm sure Tom's intentions
are entireIy honorabIe.
M mm.
Not sure about Vivie's,
though.
[ Engine roars ]
You can stay in the house.
M um and Dad are away.
There's nobody there
except the staff.
[ ChuckIes softIy ]
And the house is absoIuteIy
stuffed with cigarettes,
so we can be as decadent
as we Llke.
And the season's coming up --
Ascot, Goodwood, the Russians
at Covent Garden.
But I don't know
these pIaces, Viv.
What a wonderfuI time
I'LL have showing you.
But I don't have any cIothes.
Oh ! [ ChuckIes ]
GorbLlmey, aren't you a bore!
I'LL buy you some, you ninny.
[ Sighs ] Oh, darLlng,
you're going to have to Iearn
to make an absoIute
ass of yourseIf.
We're going to get married,
be broke --
we may even starve.
It'LL be absoIute heLL.
But it wouId be worth it
because we have this Iove.
And nobody eIse has it.
This is my one chance
of happiness, Maurice,
and I'm taking it,
and I'LL need the car!
Yeah, but M um and Dad
are coming home.
They'LL kllI me!
What am I gonna teLL them?
For God's sake, Vivie,
you can't!
Oh, God.
You're eIoping, aren't you?
WeLL, where are
you getting married?
What am I gonna teLL them?
Oh, God, there'LL be an
aImighty row, I know it.
And I'LL get aLL the bIame.
Viv wants it this way --
no fuss.
Look, Tom. . .
There's onIy one ruIe
in our famlly --
sort of unspoken
kind of thing.
You have to be kind to Vivie.
I wllI be, Maurice.
That I promise you.
No, no, I mean
especially kind.
carefuI-handLlng,
this-side-up kind of thing.
You see, the --
the thing is,
you -- you grow up trying not
to notice certain things --
the scenes,
the cIosed doors, the --
[ Sighs ]
Oh, a famlly of mutes.
But M um's aIways said
it's not Vivie's fauIt,
not her fauIt at aLL,
and that's right --
she's right, you know.
Maurice,
I don't think I foLLow.
Ah.
WeLL, Llsten, Tom,
man to man. . .
there isn't anything beastIy
between you and Viv,
is there?
Nothing in the. . .
in the medicaI way.
Oh.
I think I can reassure you
on that point, Maurice.
I'm perfectIy heaIthy.
[ Horn honks ]
WeLL, perhaps
it's aLL right, then.
I'm sure it is.
[ Horn honks ]
[ Engine revs ]
M AUR ICE : Poor Tom.
It was impossibIe to teLL him.
Anyway, he was
far too straightIaced.
You see, Vivie suffered
from what we used to caLL
''women's troubIes. ''
She was tormented by them,
constantIy,
emotionaLLy
as weLL as physicaLLy.
Of course, none of us
couId say a word --
far too embarrassing --
shamefuI famlly secret.
[ Smooches ]
Won't be Iong.
What damn fooIs we were.
If you wouIdn't mind hurrying,
my husband's waiting.
Um. . .yes.
Uh, the one's anodyne,
the other, bromide,
M iss Haigh-Wood.
M rs. Thomas ELlot.
Uh. . .you know, M rs. ELlot,
you must never mix them.
Yes, I quite understand.
Ma'am, uh,
e-excuse me for asking,
but this is what you were
recommended, is it?
The anodyne is %%
spirit of ether,
and the bromide, ( %% aIcohoI.
You think
there's been some mistake?
Sir Frederick Lamb is the
king's personaI physician.
Oh, no, ma'am.
No, I know.
I-It's just. . .y-you wllI
be carefuI, won't you?
I wllI.
Thank you.
Louise, ma'am.
Louise.
[ Birds chirping ]
[ VehicIe approaches ]
[ Brakes squeaI ]
What's happened, Maurice?
Where are they? Is it too Iate?
- [ Car door sIams ]
- Why didn't you stop them?!
Who is he?
[ Soft instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ Soft instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ SeaguLLs crying ]
[ Crying continues in distance ]
I'm going out.
WllI you come?
Forgive me, Tom.
There is nothing to forgive.
Where are you going?
I don't know.
[ Sighs deepIy ]
Out.
Oh, pIease, Tom. . .
[ Voice breaking ]
Don't Ieave me.
- Oh, God, Tom, pIease.
- Vivie, don't.
I can make you happy,
my darLlng.
I can. I can.
- Don't. PIease.
- Oh.
[ Sobbing ] Let me try
and make you happy.
Viv. . .there is. . .
there's no need
to say anything.
I disgust you.
Tom !
Do I?
[ Door opens,
footsteps depart ]
[ Somber instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ Door cIoses ]
[ Water spIashes ]
[ MetaI cIatters,
spIashing continues ]
[ Breathing deepIy ]
[ SeaguLL cries ]
[ GIass cLlnking ]
M AN : Thank you,
thank you, John !
[ GIass shatters ]
[ Breathing heavlly ]
[ GIass shatters ]
[ CIatters ]
[ CIatters ]
[ Sobbing ]
[ SeaguLLs crying ]
[ Shoes squishing ]
M r. ELlot,
I'm terribIy sorry,
but I wonder
if you couId heIp us.
M rs. ELlot?
Vivie?
It's me.
[ Turns knob, squeaks ]
Thank you.
[ Door cIoses ]
Vivie, why?
Why did you Ieave me?
[ Sighs deepIy ]
I take the pllIs for my head,
the tummy comes back.
I take the medicines
for my stomach,
the headaches come back.
[ Sighs deepIy ] So sometimes
I take them aLL together.
I know I shouIdn't, but. . .
You know, you mustn't
Ieave me Llke that.
[ Sighs ]
You must taIk to me.
I never know what
you're thinking.
[ ChuckIes softIy ]
I know I can make things
right for you, Tom.
I know I can make you happy.
I promise.
But we have to get
used to each other,
have to be kind
to each other.
Tom. . .
DarLlng Tom.
[ Smooches ]
[ BeLL rings ]
[ CIatters, squeaks ]
- Good morning, Annie.
- Morning, ma'am. Sir.
Maurice.
Tom.
[ Sighs ]
[ Smooches ]
Has it been
very ghastIy, Maurice?
[ Sighs ]
TotaLLy bLlstering --
absoIute tongue-Iashing
aLL around.
I think they. . .
They're in the. . .
I won't excuse
what we've done.
I haven't even toId my famlly
back in the states,
but I can assure you
Vivienne is my Llfe now.
I Iove her compIeteIy.
Tea?
Thank you.
I reaLLy, sincereIy
did not mean to hurt you.
Lemon?
Uh, pIease.
Why don't you do
something sensibIe
with that hat and broLLy?
Yes, uh, of course.
Thank you.
Is Vivienne pregnant?
No.
No, she is not.
After her money?
Are you a Johnny-come-IateIy?
A cad? A bounder?
No, I don't think so.
Any money or prospects?
I have $ a year
from Harvard.
I am -- weLL, actuaLLy,
was studying the phllosophy
of F. H. BradIey.
I don't know
whether you know --
The very Iast thing my husband
wllI want to hear about
is someone eIse's phllosophy.
I have pubLlshed
one smaLL book of poetry.
Got a roof?
A tutor of mine,
the honorabIe Bertrand RusseLL,
has offered us accommodations
in his fIat in Soho.
It's smaLL.
I n fact, it's in the attic --
Bertrand RusseLL,
the pacifist feLLow --
the one
the newspaper waLLahs caLL
the most hated man in London?
That sounds Llke him, yes.
If I can put your minds at rest,
I recentIy have received
an offer for six Iectures
on French symboLlsm.
So, to be precise,
you have $ a week,
you intend to share an attic
with the most hated man
in London,
and you might be giving
a few Iectures
on French
percussion instruments.
I n the meantime,
the whoIe of Europe
is at war with the kaiser.
Nothing couId make me
feeI more secure.
[ CIears throat ]
How was the wedding?
Of course,
Eastbourne's proudest boast
is that you won't find
one shop window on the front.
It reminded me
of Forest Park in St. Louis.
Oh, did it reaLLy?
Was the weather kind?
Very bracing.
Had you a sunny room?
HardIy had time inside
to find out.
[ Laughing ] Oh, pIease.
''Dear M rs. Haigh-Wood,
''thank you for your check to
cover the damage to room .
''Throughout
this whoIe episode,
''I may say that M r. ELlot
behaved with considerabIe
forbearance. ''
Before Vivienne rushed you
headIong into this,
did she teLL you anything?
Nothing?
Nothing at aLL?
I reaLLy am
rather proud of you.
I don't condone anything,
but, aLL in aLL, I feeI
you've behaved very weLL.
And you are discreet --
I sense that.
Yes, I think
you're going to make
a wonderfuI
member of the famlly.
[ Sllverware rattIes ]
[ SIurps ]
[ Sllverware rattIes ]
Bertie RusseLL says
that war is a crime.
[ CIears throat ]
He says that kllLlng in uniform
is mereIy Llcensed murder.
Oh, thanks very much.
What do you think, Tom?
Not at the dinner tabIe,
pIease, Vivienne.
Of course.
[ Sniffs ]
M llLlons of young men
are going to die,
and it mustn't interfere
with the cream of broccoLl.
Good Lord,
is that what it is?
[ Sighs ]
Bertie RusseLL says
war must be aboLlshed.
Bertie's Tom's friend.
He paid for aLL
my dance Iessons.
[ SIurps ]
Your friend wants to
go to bed with me.
Did you know that, Tom?
That's enough.
You shouId teLL him
what it wouId be Llke.
These are my men --
Tom and Bertie.
But they can't
aIways communicate.
I unIock their minds!
CouId you hear yourseIf
shouting in there?
CouId you?
Now, very caIm.
[ Breathing deepIy ]
Very stllI.
[ ExhaIes sIowIy ]
[ Sighs ]
Have you taken your medicine?
How often is Granny
visiting you?
I thought Granny was dead.
Very weLL, then. How often
do you get the curse?
Two or three times.
I n a month?
Sometimes in a week.
Tom's not quite what
I imagined a poet to be.
Was he a virgin?
[ Laughs ]
He most certainIy was.
It can't be easy
for a new husband.
No.
Have you enough S.T. s?
Yes, M ummy -- I have
enough sanitary toweIs
to make a patchwork qullt,
in two coIors.
PIease, Vivienne,
try not to be vuIgar.
There is never any occasion
for it.
Life is quite vlle enough
as it is.
[ Sighs ]
Oh, it's aLL right, M ummy.
You don't have to worry
anymore. . .
because whatever eIse happens,
I've got Tom.
He's mine.
And you can't stop it now.
[ Tom speaking indistinctIy ]
CHARLES : Ah.
A wooden-Iegged man.
[ Laughter ]
There's aIways
a wooden-Iegged man.
M AUR ICE : Wasn't one
in the Iast one?
There has been someone eIse,
a very abIe
and efficient cLlmber.
''Doctor, couId you scaIe
this waLL?''
[ Laughter ]
Yes, but not quite the same
without that Moriarty chap,
though.
Here we are, Vivie.
I Iooked out
the open window.
The moon shone brightIy
on that angIe of the house.
We were a good feet
above the ground,
but Iook where I wouId,
there was no foothoId
nor as much as a crevice
in the brickwork.
[ Laughter ]
Oh, carefuI !
And?
Yes?
Hey!
[ LiveIy orchestra music
pIaying ]
ALL: Ah-ha-ha!
[ Laughter,
music continues ]
[ Vivienne speaking
indistinctIy ]
ALL: Ah-ha-ha!
[ M usic fading ]
ALL: Ah-ha-ha!
[ M usic continues softIy ]
[ Groans ]
[ Breathing heavlly ]
I never know. . .
when it's going to strike.
It's overwork,
as the doctor says.
[ Continues
breathing heavlly ]
[ Sighs ]
You know, you think you write
best when you get sick.
So you make yourseIf sick.
You know you do.
And you can't expect to teach
and give Iectures
and write book reviews
and articIes
and write your poems. . .
[ Smooches ]
and not get sick, Tom.
Poetry's a mug's game.
[ Sighs ]
[ CLlcking ]
Yes?
Yes.
Without a shadow of a doubt.
[ LiveIy piano music pIays ]
[ Bertrand Iaughs, sings ]
HeLLo, Maurice.
I say, I had no idea
phllosophers danced Llke that.
The most hated man in London.
What do you know?
He's been very good to us.
We couIdn't have done
without him.
I've come to say goodbye, Tom.
Just had orders.
- GaLLipoLl next.
- I envy you.
Yes. WeLL, you did try.
If they wouIdn't have you,
weLL, it's their Ioss.
PhysicaLLy unsound.
That's me, Maurice.
[ Vivienne giggLlng ]
[ M usic quiets ]
PIease.
A cigarette?
Yes, pIease.
[ Lighter cLlcks ]
[ ExhaIes sIowIy ]
So, how's the oId
poetry business?
Oh, it isn't a business.
It's a mug's game.
I n fact, I've been thinking
about getting a reguIar job.
Gosh.
WeLL, it's advisabIe
for a poet to have --
to Iead a commonpIace Llfe
if he's to do his work.
Yes, yes.
WeLL. . .
[ CLlcks tongue ]
I must say,
I can't quite get used to
having a poet in the famlly,
sort of married to my own
big sis and such.
Fraterus.
What?
A brother-in-Iaw.
Ah. Sorry.
My Greek's not up to much.
It's Latin.
Ah.
SqueIch.
Listen, Tom. . .
man to man. . .
there isn't anything awfuI
between you and Viv,
is there?
Nothing.
Nothing at aLL.
ALL right.
I say,
good Iuck with you two.
It'LL aLL turn out
massive fun in the end.
Massive.
That's the ticket.
Three out of four junior
officers don't come back, Tom.
Say cheerio to Viv for me,
wllI you?
Yes. Of course.
[ Up-tempo instrumentaI music
pIays ]
Tom, so good
to see you again.
[ Birds chirping ]
[ Grunts ]
[ Man Iaughs ]
And the boys gone out
upon the hoLlday. . .
And haIf the girIs
that did it
They are fuLL of purity
And they aLL were waIking
the wibbIy-wobbIy waIk
WaIk on,
the wibbIy-wobbIy --
[ M usic stops ]
[ Cheering ]
- BIank.
- Who has the question?
- BIank.
- Ah, the bishop.
''ApproximateIy how many teeth
has a turtIe?''
?
BERTRAND: HopeIessIy wrong !
The bishop of Oxford is out.
A turtIe has approximateIy
no teeth at aLL.
You're out, out!
Give his bishopric
to someone who knows something.
[ M usic pIays ]
Where the wibbIy-wobbIy
time. . .
WOM AN : Faster.
[ M usic stops ]
[ Cheering ]
Who has the question?
- BIank.
- BIank.
''- degrees centigrade
''is the same
as - degrees Fahrenheit.
True or faIse. ''
- [ ALL muttering ]
- FaIse.
WOM AN :
True. You're out.
M AN : Ignoramus!
[ M usic pIays ]
Of a Iong mlle
The wibbIy-wobbIy mlle
When the day is soaring
Soar on,
the wibbIy-wobbIy --
[ M usic stops ]
[ Cheering ]
BIank.
''A Iady, when asked her age,
repLled that she was
''not counting Saturdays
and Sundays.
What was her reaI age?''
I think she was. . . .
Wrong !
Tom may answer.
Come on.
For the cIeverest man
in EngIand.
- M AN : Come on.
- WOM AN : Come on.
[ Birds chirping ]
[ No audio ]
(.
What was that?
(.
Correct!
Correct!
I decIare Tom ELlot
the cIeverest man in EngIand !
- M AN : Bravo.
- [ AppIause ]
Daddy shouId never
have done it.
You're not a money Iender.
It's a disgusting idea.
HardIy that -- a banker.
I'LL be working at LIoyd's.
Of course you won't even
consider it.
My poetry has soId
about copies.
What kind of income
do you imagine that gives us?
You're an artist.
We can aIways borrow
some more money from Bertie.
He doesn't mind a bit.
I've aIready accepted
the position.
Your father has been
immenseIy kind.
Can't you see
what they're doing to you?
They want to bury you.
They want to drag you down.
I have no idea who you are
taIking about.
How can you work
when you are Iocked in some
dungeon of a bank aLL day?
I shaLL work at the bank
in the day and write at night.
Nothing couId be more
straightforward.
But what can I do?
What use can I be if you're away
aLL day? How can I heIp?
You do heIp. . .
aLL the time. . .
with everything.
WeLL. . .
Bertie has offered to take me
to the seaside.
What do you think about that?
WeLL, you know I can't come.
Of course not.
What couId I expect?
I mportant affairs
at the bank, I suppose.
WeLL, Vivie, you must go,
if you want to.
It'LL be good for you.
[ Somber instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ Horn beeps ]
[ CIanging ]
[ Knock on door ]
TeIegram, M r. ELlot.
[ Door cIoses ]
BERTRAND:
''PIease come, Tom.
''She's very Iow, and infIuenza
has settIed on her chest.
I am sorry. ''
[ Train whistIe bIows ]
Viv and I --
I want you to know
that I have absoIuteIy nothing
to reproach myseIf with.
Of course you haven't,
Bertie.
You're our cIosest friend.
[ Door cIoses ]
Tom?
Over here.
I'm sorry to be a nuisance.
It's an awfuI bore dying.
Nobody's dying.
I did so want to heIp you
with your poetry.
You wllI.
You do. . .
on every Llne.
I can't do it without you.
I know.
[ Smooches ]
Can I heIp you with anything?
Perhaps.
Perhaps you can.
[ Typewriter keys cIacking ]
[ ExhaIes sIowIy ]
Tom?
[ CIears throat ]
What if it reads
''What you get married for
if you don't want chlldren''?
That's better.
Yes.
Yes, it is.
[ Knock on door ]
[ Keys cIacking ]
Good morning, Bishop.
Good to see you.
It was so good of you
to come.
Not at aLL.
PIease, right this way.
Viv.
I suppose you just happened
to be in the area.
I've asked the bishop
to caLL, Viv.
Vivie. . .
I'm sure you have
a mllLlon things to do.
Oh, I see.
You want to be aIone.
WeLL, if you Llke,
I couId go up to the roof
and see how Iong
I couId dangIe in the air.
- If I'm intruding --
- Not at aLL.
I beLleve the saIe
is stllI on at SeIfridges.
I thought we were working
on your poems today, Tom.
It's very good of you
to devote so much time
to an unbeLlever, Bishop.
I hope you don't think my
husband's Iooking for reLlgion.
No, what Tom wants
is boredom --
a boring
and conventionaI Llfe.
He mistakenIy thinks
he needs it for his work.
Oh, and if you can
arrange it,
the egotisticaI LlttIe shit
wouId Llke to be a saint.
And I don't normaLLy use
words Llke that.
[ Door sIams ]
Here at the base of the brain,
there is the pituitary gIand.
Now, we know it is Llnked
to instances of dementia.
Here in the Iower stomach,
there is unceasing coLlc.
We're certain
that there is a Llnk
between the gIand
and the coLlc.
She feeIs
heights of enthusiasm,
and then sudden great faLLs
of emotion.
I ndeed.
WeLL, unfortunateIy, she has
what I caLL intestinaI catarrh.
She cannot controI
her menstruaI Llfe.
Apart from the drugs I am
aIready prescribing her,
there's LlttIe we can do
to controI the symptoms.
May I ask about the marriage?
We Iove each other.
I see.
And there are no probIems
beyond what I imagine must --
No.
None.
Do you intend
to have chlldren?
WeLL. . . I--
Uh. . .
We have never discussed it.
I think I shouId teLL you
that your wife's condition
wllI not improve.
It may worsen.
What do I teLL Vivienne?
As LlttIe as possibIe.
With a patient Llke this,
it's important not to. . .
burden her with detalls.
[ Knock on door ]
Yes.
Maurice!
Home at Iast!
And not dead, either.
Oh, my dear feLLow, how did you
survive aLL that shooting?
Oh, simpIe, reaLLy.
Just ducked when I saw
the buLLets coming.
You Iook -- you --
you sound different.
- You Iook --
- How do I Iook, Maurice?
The spitting image
of a banker --
a true-bIue EngLlsh banker.
WeLL, my dear feLLow,
we must ceIebrate.
PIease.
[ Door cIoses ]
ShaLL I send out
for some champagne?
Oh, gosh, no.
The oId firewater's
just the ticket.
[ Sighs ]
So, how are you both?
We couIdn't be happier.
Viv goes dancing
twice a week.
Me too, sometimes.
Saturdays at the theater.
[ Smacks Llps ]
That's us.
And how are you, Maurice?
Oh, pretty fair.
Looking aLL over for a job.
No one wants to empIoy me.
Don't you think
that's a bit off?
After aLL, I have just won
the bIoody war.
[ Vivienne cIears throat ]
It's caLLed ''He Do the PoLlce
in Different Voices. ''
Ah. One thing you need
is a catchy titIe.
Of course,
it's a work in progress.
It might heIp if you try
to imagine Tom's poetry
as a smashed vase.
Ah. NaturaLLy.
You must understand
that Tom quotes
from many different sources.
The main character,
the prophet Tiresias,
has just seen Athena's body
quite naked,
and it is such
a frightfuI shock to him
that he can think of nothing
but rats in a sewer.
Vivie, I reaLLy
don't think it needs --
Is there anything more I need
to know before I hear the poem?
[ CIears throat ]
Other voices emerge.
The Duchess
from Webster's ''MaIfi. ''
She'd made a reckIess
marriage to Antonio.
Her famlly wouId go to
every Iength to stop it.
There's a moment
where she brushes her hair,
and he cannot bring himseIf
to touch her!
The horror enguIfs --
That's not what I meant
at aLL.
It is!
Of course it is!
He -- [CIears throat]
he quotes from Dante --
''A soIdier makes
a hasty marriage. ''
Soon after the wedding,
he discovers he's made
a hideous mistake --
Vivie, pIease.
This is reaLLy unnecessary.
Oh, is that the time?
[ BeLL rings ]
CharIes, dear. . .
it is time
for your medicine.
Thomas, the poem --
I think it is time, dear.
[ M utters softIy ]
[ I nhaIes, exhaIes deepIy ]
''He Do the PoLlce
in Different Voices. ''
[ CIears throat ]
''My nerves are bad tonight.
Yes, bad.
''Stay with me.
''Speak to me.
''Why do you never speak?
Speak!
''What are you thinking of?
''What thinking?
''What?
''I never know
what you are thinking !
Think!''
''I think
we are in rats' aLLey
where the dead men
Iost their bones. ''
''What shaLL I do now?
''What shaLL I do?
''I shaLL rush out as I am
and waIk the street
''with my hair down, so.
''What shaLL we do tomorrow?
What shaLL we ever do?''
[ Printing press cIacking ]
[ Sniffs ]
There it is.
[ I ndistinct conversations ]
More wine, ma'am?
[ GiggIes ]
[ I ndistinct conversations
continue ]
[ Vivienne giggLlng ]
Tom Iooks rather bIoody.
There's nothing wrong
with Tom
that separation from his wife
couIdn't cure.
She reeks of ether.
If she had any conception
of his significance,
it wouId be Iess aIarming.
The drain on his energy
must be --
I know -- unimaginabIe.
[ I ndistinct conversations
continue ]
[ Maurice whispering ]
[ Laughs ]
[ CIears throat ]
[ Whispers indistinctIy ]
I don't keep a Llne
that Viv hasn't approved.
I reIy on her compIeteIy.
She's my first audience.
Of course.
She's a writer, too.
ConsiderabIe taIent.
ReaLLy?
I'LL send you some
of her things, shaLL I?
You do reaLlze, of course,
what she's doing to you,
to your reputation?
What she might do
to your work?
You're wrong.
You're quite wrong.
You have no idea.
You don't know her.
She. . . has an uncanny
understanding
of certain things.
I haven't made her happy.
Some moments in Llfe. . .
decisions. . .
are irrevocabIe.
Perhaps one
can become moraI. . .
onIy by being damned.
She's often
in a Iot of pain.
[ Vivienne giggLlng ]
I must take care of her.
That's what I must do.
[ Laughter ]
[ I ndistinct conversation ]
Of course, Virginia thinks
Tom shouId Ieave me.
She refers to me
as a bag of ferrets.
It's my nose, you see --
writer's insight.
WeLL, she shouId know.
Leonard has her
in and out of the Ioony bin
every coupIe of months.
[ I ndistinct conversation
continues ]
They aLL hate me
because I've got Tom,
and they aLL want him.
OttoLlne's desperate
for an affair with Tom.
Ha!
Lawrence says OttoLlne's vagina
is Llke a bird's beak.
[ Laughing ]
I know he's aIways been
totaLLy disgusting, but --
[ Laughing ]
A bird's beak!
[ Laughing ]
Why is there never any wine?!
[ CIears throat ]
They aLL admire Tom's mind,
but I am his mind.
- Ma'am?
- Oh, good.
- [ Shatters ]
- WOM AN : Oh !
The trust fund accounts for
everything, M rs. Haigh-Wood.
[ Sighs ]
What about Viv?
What is she to be toId?
I don't want
to overburden her.
She doesn't understand money.
CharIes had the greatest
confidence in you.
Viv wllI be taken care of
just as she aIways has been,
without fuss.
Where is she, anyway?
SeIfridges, I think.
- Have I missed anything?
- [ Door cIoses ]
There you are.
Looking so IoveIy.
So, how much has Daddy Ieft?
What's my share?
I'm the eIdest chlld.
We were just taIking about
M um's Llfe and her evenings.
She's going to be
joLLy IoneIy now,
so I've proposed we shouId
aLL pIay more bridge.
Oh, by the way, Tom and I
can't go on Llving
in that awfuI LlttIe hoIe
in Crawford Mansions.
[ I nhaIes deepIy ]
Tom is quite famous now,
and there's a house
in Chester Street
which wouId be
quite perfect for him.
And we need a motorcar.
What's this?
It's a Llst of property hoIdings
and investments.
Houses?
M m-hmm.
I n Manchester and London.
I didn't know
we had a farm in AngIesey.
So, um, what is it
when we add it aLL up?
The trust was set up to protect
the estate against taxes.
One does not ''add it aLL up. ''
That's just the point.
So, what's my share?
I have to be independent,
you know.
Uh, Tom's famlly won't Iet me
inherit anything from him.
They're quite adamant
about that,
so I have to know
where I stand.
You see, your father
didn't want you to bother
with any awfuI papers,
so what he's done is. . .
He hasn't said anything
about you in the wllI.
You are aLL tenants
of the trust.
The trustees have
power of attorney.
And who are they?
Uh, Maurice and myseIf.
Oh, so it's aLL right --
the house and the car.
DarLlng,
Ieave it to the boys.
They know best.
I have a right
to some of Daddy's money.
Viv, uh, there's no money
to share it as such.
[ Sighs ]
[ Papers rustLlng ]
Uh, Viv, pIease, pIease.
Are you sure
you wouIdn't Llke to go home?
The soLlcitor wllI arrange
everything.
Oh, the soLlcitor.
What eIse does the soLlcitor
have to arrange?!
Does the soLlcitor know that Tom
and I sIeep in separate rooms
and that
I've driven him to it?!
- You have not.
- And divorce!
Tom's friends
say we shouId divorce.
There's been no taIk
of divorce.
And does he know
that there are times
when I am not aLLowed
in the same room as you,
particuIarIy
when the Bishop of Oxford caLLs?
Tom wants to be baptized
into the Church of EngIand.
Now, if a big baby wants
to stick his head into a bowI,
it's caLLed baptism.
If I want to do it,
it's caLLed shampoo.
And -- and. . .
has the soLlcitor taken
into account Tom's sandwiches?
Sandwiches?
God knows I'm tired
of making them.
God knows he takes them
each day into the office
and then dives around
to a LlttIe church in the city
and pIows through the cheese
and pickIe on his knees.
I mean, what do you suppose
is the IegaI position
on sandwiches?!
[ Thud ]
[ Panting ]
[ SniffIes ]
Oh, I see.
I'm llI again, am I?
[ ExhaIes deepIy ]
No.
No, I-I-I can hear myseIf.
I know perfectIy weLL
what I'm saying.
[ Breathes deepIy ]
Oh.
Let's just pretend
I never came in.
[ Footsteps depart ]
Just carry on as before.
PIease.
[ Door cIoses ]
[ SIow instrumentaI music
pIays ]
By the way,
I've been thinking
that I might toddIe off
to Africa.
Try my Iuck, so to speak.
WeLL, there doesn't seem
to be much opportunity
in EngIand these days,
does there?
[ AppIause ]
TOM : Thank you.
Thank you very much.
This next poem
is caLLed ''Marina. ''
The titIe wllI, of course,
be quite cIear
to anyone famlliar
with Shakespeare's ''PericIes. ''
No poet can truthfuLLy teLL you
the origin of the poem,
however personaI
the poem may seem.
What makes it a poem
wllI not derive from the fact
that it is personaI.
Poetry is not an expression
of emotion,
but an escape from emotion.
[ Upbeat instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ BeLL dings ]
[ Train cIacking ]
[ BeLL rings ]
[ Window opens ]
HeLLo?
Oh, M rs. ELlot. HeLLo.
Won't be a moment.
[ VehicIe passing ]
WllLlams came
with the job, ma'am --
night nurse.
First time they've ever given
the position to a woman.
I'm so pIeased for you,
Louise.
My husband's reading
to some friends
[ Sniffs ]
in our new house.
Oh, you shouId be there,
ma'am.
Oh, I know them aLL
off by heart.
It's his fifth book of poems.
WonderfuI.
peopIe bought
the Iast one.
A proper bestseLLer.
[ Train rattLlng in distance ]
[ Sniffs deepIy ]
Sometimes I feeI
you're my onIy friend, Louise.
But you know so many peopIe.
Oh, it's Tom
they come to see.
What about your famlly?
Oh, weLL, they just say,
um, ''Poor Tom. ''
[ Sniffs ]
''He's got his hands fuLL. ''
I'm gIad about M r. ELlot,
though,
being so busy and important.
Oh, he's in a spin,
aLL right, yes.
Ever since he Ieft the bank
and took the job in pubLlshing,
everyone wants to see him.
[ Sniffs ]
Like bees around a honey pot.
I hardIy ever see him now.
[ Teacup rattLlng ]
[ Sniffs ]
Isn't that awfuLLy difficuIt?
[ ChuckIes softIy ] Oh,
I never think about it, ma'am --
just something
for idIe hands.
[ TeIephone ringing
in distance ]
[ Ringing stops ]
[ Knock on door ]
Thank you.
[ TeIephone ringing ]
WOM AN : HeLLo.
T. S. ELlot's office.
[ Coins cIanking ]
[ Cockney accent ]
M r. ELlot, pIease.
Who is this?
Who's speaking, pIease?
[ NormaI voice ] WouId you
teLL him his wife is caLLing?
One moment, pIease.
I'm sorry, M rs. ELlot,
but M r. ELlot isn't --
your husband's not here
just now.
I know perfectIy weLL
he's there.
And working too hard
to keep you in the job --
that's what he's doing.
- Now --
- [ Laughter ]
[ I ndistinct conversation ]
Is this some deLlberate
attempt to provoke me?!
Give me the chairman at once!
I want to speak
to M r. Faber immediateIy.
I'm terribIy sorry, but
I'm under strict instructions
not to aLLow any --
Oh, for God's sake!
I am coming over this instant!
I am opposite this bullding,
and I am going to make
the most awfuI stink
you ever heard.
[ Receiver hangs up ]
[ Lock cLlcks ]
[ Engine idLlng ]
[ Door handIe rattLlng ]
[ IdLlng continues ]
I onIy wanted to Ieave a smaLL
bar of chocoIate for my husband.
[ ChocoIate bar thuds ]
[ Liquid bubbLlng ]
Anything for me?
- Thank you.
- M m-hmm.
Ohh ! Oh !
[ Sobbing ]
As we have discussed before,
the uneven fIow
from the pituitary gIand
somehow feeds down
to the ovuIation cycIe.
[ I nhaIes sharpIy ]
But in addition to this,
Vivienne has
what I prefer to caLL
a febrlle disease of the mind.
Now, that is why I have asked
Dr. M llIer here today
to expIain the condition.
I n fact, we consider it
a secondary form
of mentaI disease,
and it is notorious
in attacking young women
of exceptionaI gifts.
The patient falls to understand
her sociaI position
and her duty to society.
She becomes vuIgar and impuIsive
and frequentIy shows
a rebeLLious disregard
for propriety.
And it is this condition
that the Iaw and the medicaI
professions define
as ''moraI insanity. ''
I nsanity?
TechnicaLLy, yes.
I thought I'd take you
by surprise.
A very pIeasant surprise
indeed.
How very good of you to visit.
[ Door unIocks ]
We'LL be undisturbed here.
[ Groaning ] Ooh. Um.
What has she done?
Ohhh.
[ Gasps ]
- Oh, hurry.
- Yes.
[ Moaning ]
Up!
[ Gasping ]
Uhhh.
Uhhh. Uh !
Uhhhhh !
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Ohhh !
I'LL never do it again.
I'LL be good.
Uhh ! Leave me.
[ CIears throat ]
[ Water running ]
Oh, I'm so ashamed.
[ Sighs deepIy ]
I'LL be good. . .
I'm sorry.
[ SIow instrumentaI music
pIays ]
Forgive me.
Tom. . .
Don't Iook at me.
What is it that you want?
I want nothing.
That's preciseIy
what you have.
You can't go on Llke this,
neither of you.
What is it that you want?
I'm married to a woman
that I Iove. . .
but everything we do together
faLLs apart.
I crave companionship. . .
but I am compIeteIy aIone.
[ Breathes deepIy ]
[ Choir singing in Latin ]
[ Speaking Latin ]
[ Singing continues ]
I , Thomas, renounce the devll
and aLL his works --
the vain pomp and gIory
of this worId,
the carnaI desires
of the fIesh.
[ Speaking Latin ]
Taxi !
Taxi !
Taxi !
Why, Vivienne.
Oh, heLLo, Vivie.
HeLLo, Vivienne.
No. Uh, no,
you've made a mistake.
You're confusing me with that
other woman who is so Llke me.
She's aIways getting me
into terribIe troubIe.
How absurd.
And if you don't go away
this minute!
Don't be sllIy.
You are Vivienne ELlot.
- [ Door cIoses ]
- [ Gasps ]
I am not Vivienne ELlot
and never have been.
Is that cIear?
Yes. Yes, it is.
It's perfectIy, perfectIy cIear.
Yes, you know.
A huge mistake, of course.
You are not Vivienne ELlot.
How couId we possibIy
think you are?
- You are not.
- [ Horn honks ]
[ Sighs ]
One simpIy has to fight
tooth and nall
to get a cab
at this time of day.
[ BeLL dinging ]
[ SIow instrumentaI music
pIays ]
LOWELL: ''Dear M r. ELlot,
''thank you for your repIy
of the sixteenth.
''The facuIty
is naturaLLy deLlghted
''that you have accepted
the chair of poetry
''at Harvard University.
''Tenure wllI be for one year,
commencing September ( .
''WouId you be kind enough
to reIay your traveI pIans
''so that arrangements
for suitabIe accommodation
''can be made?
Yours sincereIy, G.T. LoweLL,
President, Harvard University. ''
M AN : HeLLo, Nancy, darLlng.
VIVI ENNE :
Oh, Iook, there he is.
M AUR ICE : HeLLo.
WOM AN : There, there!
There she is!
[ I ndistinct conversations ]
New friend !
Great white hunter.
Yoo-hoo!
WOM AN : Come aIong, darLlng.
HeLLo!
Look at you, Vivie,
Iook at you.
My, you're marveIous!
Oh, Iook at you !
You've shrunk.
Tom, my dear feLLow.
MarveIous to see you.
[ I ndistinct conversations ]
So, how's EngIand
treating you, Tom?
Aces aLL around --
new house, new car.
Same wife.
TeLL us about Africa.
WeLL, uh, totaLLy huge,
swimming with gin and eIephants.
Yes.
Natives speak EngLlsh
to a man.
Oh, Tom, I must teLL you --
I met this American fllIy
in Mombasa,
and she was actuaLLy reading
one of your books.
Oh, spIendid.
Yes, startLlng.
Who'd have beLleved it?
''Oh, God, '' I said.
''That's oId Tom's poetry. ''
WeLL, worked wonders
in the oId courtship front.
I knew poetry wouId
come in usefuI one day.
- GIad to be of use, Maurice.
- [ Laughs ]
[ AirpIane engine idLlng ]
I say, super motorcar.
So, what have you two
been up to?
Oh. . . endIess parties.
ALL Tom's friends
come over --
students bang!ng on the door
at all hours for autographs
and bishops by the truckIoad.
Oh, Tom is one of us now --
British citizen.
Hoorah.
WeIcome aboard.
Thinking about kids next,
I shouIdn't wonder.
Oh, I don't know about that.
We do have cats, though.
Both stllI crazy
about chocoIate?
AbsoIuteIy mad about it.
Ah.
You both sound so happy.
We are.
That's it?
Yes.
[ Tires screeching ]
[ Birds chirping ]
M ums, Tom's whoIe career
is at stake.
He gives Iectures to the
archbishop at Lambeth PaIace.
ALL that wllI go up in smoke.
Maurice, pIease.
No, no. Short memory,
these top peopIe.
Now, Tom can't take her
anywhere.
He's terrified in case
she causes another awfuI scene.
I mean, she's sending
Ietters around town,
accusing aLL and sundry
of trying to seduce him.
Ask Tom.
Thank you, Maurice.
First the Ietters.
Then the car.
WeLL, my teeth wllI never
be the same again.
Sometimes she gets carsick.
I know it's not an excuse,
but you might have toId her
about America.
I Ieft the Ietter
where she couId see it.
I thought it best.
So the first thing she knows
of your going to America --
for who knows how Iong --
is a Ietter
on the dining-room tabIe.
I can't pretend anymore.
She's sick.
ALL the doctors say
the same thing.
She's running around town
with a knife in her handbag.
What knife?
The poor sod onIy has to say
''Meet the wife, ''
and a brigade
of these BIoomsbury waLLahs
stampede mad dog
for the causey.
[ Sighs ]
Think of the scandaI, M ums,
if she goes too far.
Where is Viv?
I sent her off to Harrods.
[ Door opens ]
M r. Janes,
wouId you come in?
M ums, this is M r. Janes, whom
we were taIking about earLler.
Um, he was a poLlceman
and --
Maurice, pIease.
M r. Janes
is a medicaI officer
with the Association
of Private Practitioners.
What does
a medicaI officer do?
It's pureIy hypotheticaI.
No finaI decision's
been taken.
WeLL, M rs. Wood --
M rs. Haigh-Wood.
I observe the Iady
of whom we speak
and report to the famlly.
I n the event of a crisis,
two doctors are obLlged
to ask the Iady two questions
of a simpIe nature.
The next morning,
I go to the magistrate's court
with a petition.
Yes?
And appIy for a notice
of committaI.
I then convey her
into the care of her doctors.
You mean you bundIe her
into a straitjacket
and cart her off
to the Iunatic asyIum.
[ Footsteps depart,
door opens ]
It is vitaI that we act
together as a famlly.
[ Door cIoses ]
[ DoorbeLL rings ]
[ Door opens ]
Good evening, sir.
She's Iocked herseIf in.
I thought I better caLL you.
Yes.
I think now's the time,
M r. ELlot.
Yeah.
I , um, took the Llberty
of caLLing the doctors.
Yes. . . I see.
[ Door opens ]
[ Upbeat instrumentaI music
pIays in distance ]
I unIocked the door
the minute I heard you.
- [ Laughter ]
- HeLLo, Viv.
[ I ndistinct pIayfuI shouting ]
What's aLL going on
out there?
We need to be very caIm.
Oh, there's no need for that.
If you want to go out, do.
I want you to.
Thank you, but no.
No, it's good for you.
You can't stay trapped
in here with me.
[ VehicIe passing ]
I do know what goes on
in your mind.
[ Cockney accent ] Who is it
this time -- Gert or Daisy?
Ooh,
you're up to something.
Let's be caIm, Vivienne.
[ NormaI voice ]
I keep getting
aLL these horribIe formaI
Ietters from your Iawyer.
I toId them I wanted
to taIk to you.
After aLL,
you are my husband.
We are IegaLLy separated.
Oh, that's just a form
of words, isn't it?
Whom God has joined,
Iet no man put asunder.
You're an expert on God,
aren't you?
We are going to have to taIk
about things, Vivienne.
WeLL, we've never done that
before, have we?
You have to understand
what you have done.
We have to face this together.
[ Lighter snaps ]
[ Sighs ]
[ TaIking indistinctIy ]
[ GIass cLlnks ]
The motorcar. . .
the chocoIates.
[ ChuckLlng ] Oh, that.
Those rats at Faber's
wanted you aLL to themseIves.
There was no room for me.
I'm so angry
at being Iocked up.
You see, you have to remember
what a success you are --
a famous poet, director
of a Ieading pubLlsher's.
I wouId Llke some recognition
for that.
After aLL, the poems come out
of our Llves, Tom.
I'd Llke to share
just an inch of that success.
But why chocoIate?
Because you Iove it,
aIthough not quite
in that form, I grant you.
And the car?
You reaLLy
couId have kllIed us.
- How are Maurice's teeth?
- Fine.
- Was the car fixed?
- Yes.
And you and I are stllI upright,
so. . . [ I nhaIes deepIy ]
Look, I feIt a rush of bIood
to the head.
I was sitting, Llstening
to a string of triviaI chatter.
You were vexed
by the conversation?
You were Ieaving me
for a year,
and you didn't have
the courage to teLL me.
Maurice was asking us
questions about ourseIves,
and I heard us teLLing him
masses of Lles over and over.
You see --
[ I nhaIes deepIy ]
[ ExhaLlng ] Oh.
You see, that -- that's. . .
why I married you, Tom --
to escape from aLL that.
But you. . .
WeLL, Tom, you aIways wanted
to be the perfect EngLlshman.
ALL these years, Vivie. . .
right from the start.
ALL the secrets
we had to keep.
Trying not to catch
each other's eyes
because we might reaLlze
we were strangers.
And aIways the medicines,
the doctors,
the experts,
the things I was never toId.
And the way
peopIe Iooked at us.
''There go Tom and Viv.
''What do they say
to each other?
What ever do they say?''
[ Knock on door ]
J ANES : I have the doctors
and attendants, sir.
Stay out!
What's going on?
Two of your doctors
are outside.
They want to come in
and take a Iook at you
and make a decision.
At this time of night?
They have your best
interests at heart.
What decision?
They need to come in. . .
and ask you
a few questions.
You won't Iet them
take me away from you, Tom.
After aLL, there have been
good moments in the past.
We've had our spIendid times,
haven't we, Tom?
Yes.
[ RustLlng ]
[ CLlcking ]
Are you ready?
Vivie, darLlng. . .
if you have a knife. . .
wouId you give it to us,
pIease?
M AUR ICE : We know you have
a knife there.
We're being a bit
Ethel M. Dell, aren't we?
There have been compIaints.
From whom?
M rs. Virginia WooIf.
[ ChuckIes ]
And you beLleve them?
WeLL, M ums, um. . .
I'm afraid it's too Iate.
I caught up with M rs. WooIf
[Sniffs]
in the Iadies' room
at Victoria Station.
[ Sniffs ]
I'LL show you
exactIy how I did it.
[ I nhaIes sharpIy ]
Like that!
[ ALL shouting ]
Oh, good Lord !
[ CIears throat ]
I bought it in a toy shop.
[ Sighing ] Oh, God.
Now, I beLleve you have
some questions for me.
Tom wllI teLL you --
I'm brllLlant at puzzIes.
[ Man cIears throat ]
[ Papers rustLlng ]
''Rupert takes his friends
to the opera.
''Rupert is sitting next
to CharIes and on his Ieft.
''Daphne sits immediateIy
on CharIes' right.
''CIarissa sits somewhere
to the Ieft of Daphne.
Can you put them
in their correct order?''
CIarissa is next to Rupert,
Rupert is next to CharIes,
CharIes is next to Daphne.
Uh, yes.
That's. . . correct.
[ I nhaIes sharpIy ]
Next.
A greasy poIe
is yards high.
The LlttIe brown monkey
wishes to cLlmb the poIe.
The monkey cLlmbs
three yards a day.
Each night,
he sLlps back two yards.
How many days wllI it take him
to reach the top?
[ SIow instrumentaI music
pIays ]
Seven.
S-- wrong.
The answer is eight.
[ Whispering ]
A member of the famlly must sign
for the reception order.
The, uh, Lunacy Act
provides the foLLowing --
aLL Vivienne's bank accounts
and credit arrangements
at certain shops
cease immediateIy.
She's not aLLowed to vote
or drive a vehicIe
or hoId any kind of passport.
She has no right of appeaI
at any time for her reIease.
After that, everything is at
the discretion of the trustees.
What do we do with Vivie now?
WeLL, M rs. ELlot wllI be
compIeteIy at Llberty
for at Ieast two or three days
untll the magistrates can
approve of the reception order.
Then. . . she wllI be committed.
Excuse me.
Oh, God.
Men in white coats.
[ I ndistinct conversations ]
[ VehicIes passing ]
[ I ndistinct conversations ]
M rs. Vivienne ELlot. . .
under the Lunacy Act,
I'm obLlged
to take you away from here
to a proper pIace
of detention.
How dare you?!
We're not going to have a nasty
scene in a pubLlc pIace, are we?
I don't see why not!
[ Gasps ]
[ Dishes rattLlng ]
[ Women screaming ]
[ Screaming continues ]
Stop it!
Are we going to be a bit more
IadyLlke now, Vivienne?
Dear God !
Pay for the tea, wouId you?
And, um,
be sure to Ieave a tip.
[ Breathing heavlly ]
- [ Engine turns over ]
- Oh, goodbye.
Oh.
PIease! [ Sobs ]
Ma'am !
[ Door cIoses ]
[ Engine revs ]
Don't Llsten, ma'am ! !
She was the first in her cIass
to audition
for the baLLet schooI.
[ Sniffs ]
And Ianguages -- oh.
What a gift she had.
It is a. . .
very impressive pIace --
acres of grass.
Viv wllI be very comfortabIe.
And it is just for a whlle.
Yes.
[ Breathes deepIy ]
After you came to us,
I-I warned our famlly
and friends,
''He's a bit of a stick. . . ''
[ Breathes deepIy ]
''. . . but so eager
to be Llke us. ''
And then those BIoomsbury
types got hoId of you.
[ Breathes deepIy ]
You mustn't think
that riffraff is the heart
of EngLlsh Llfe.
It isn't such a. . .
an achievement
to turn gossip into art. . .
and write nasty noveIs
about one's friends.
[ Breathes deepIy ]
Haigh-Woods have been buried
as far afieId as. . . AIberta. . .
and NepaI.
Magistrates, councllors,
church wardens.
Oh, unfashionabIe, yes.
Snigger behind
BIoomsbury shutters. . .
but that is
true British stock.
Goes about its business.
Is quiet about it.
Quite unexceptionaI.
And, I might add,
never before has one of us
been carted off in disgrace
to a Iunatic's house.
You swore to us, Tom,
you wouId aIways
Iook after Vivie.
So now you're famous
on a booksheIf.
What do we have Ieft
to give you?
I Iove this famlly.
And I've aIways wanted
to be a part of it.
Famlly unity --
No, pIease.
I've Llved aLL my Llfe
in the hope
that Vivie wouId be
acceptabIe to someone.
It's not quite the moment. . .
to give me the benefit
of your mind.
Good night, Maurice.
Tom?
I'm off.
Day after tomorrow.
Africa.
Oh. So soon?
I'm joining the regiment.
Of course.
Cheerio.
I wllI keep in touch.
Fraterus.
Brother-in-Iaw.
Greek.
Latin.
SqueIch.
It's been spIendid
knowing you.
I feeI I've. . .
touched history.
WeLL. . . I sort of hung on.
Maurice?
What have we done?
[ Soft instrumentaI music
pIays ]
[ Birds chirping ]
[ Chirping continues ]
M rs. ELlot?
Hi. I'm Captain Todd.
I beLleve you know M r. Davis
from the Board of ControI.
Yes. HeLLo.
HeLLo, M rs. ELlot.
You're an American.
That's right.
Seconded by my unit to the
Tavistock CLlnic as an observer.
I've been Iooking
at your case history.
I was wondering if we couId
go over a few things together.
CertainIy.
Did any doctor ever mention
hormonaI imbaIance?
No.
When did menopause occur?
Seven years ago.
And since that time,
you've had pretty good heaIth?
I have -- remarkabIy.
Yes.
This treatment you had --
I mean, aLL there is
is this history of headaches
foLLowed by stomach pains
and menstruaI bIeeding.
[ Sighs ] Yes,
I suppose you couId sum up
a quarter of a century
of frightfuIness in that way.
You see, today there are
courses of hormone treatment
to maintain the uterus.
It's reIativeIy simpIe.
[ Birds chirping ]
ReaLLy?
[ Papers rustLlng ]
You're IegaLLy separated
from your husband?
[ I nhaIes sharpIy ]
I'm sorry to say that's true.
Look, ma'am. . .
I'm not too acquainted
with British Iaw,
but I understand your husband
is a trustee of your estate
and has controI
over your money.
Is that right?
I mean,
couId you cIarify that?
I have no intention
of cIarifying anything.
I don't know
what you're insinuating.
It seems to me
that you're paying for
your own incarceration here.
I mean, are you trying to say
that in aLL these years,
no one has ever made an
appLlcation for your reIease?
No member of your famlly?
No trustee?
How dare you.
My husband is
the sweetest man on Earth.
He has borne the most awfuI
Lles and vllification
with absoIute courage.
He beIongs with kings
covered in raiment.
Look, excuse me --
T. S. ELlot is
the greatest Llving poet
in the EngLlsh Ianguage.
Ma'am, I'm sorry.
I've never heard of T. S. ELlot.
And you won't beLlttIe me
that way.
I gave Tom the titIe
to The Waste Land.
We worked together,
side by side, for years.
I am threaded through every Llne
of poetry he has ever written !
And he has my undying Iove!
He wllI have it untll
the Iast breath Ieaves my body.
And he knows it.
And nobody can ever
take that away.
'''. . .the rending pain
of reenactment
'''of aLL that you have done,
and been ;
'''the shame of motives
Iate reveaIed,
'''and the awareness
of things llI-done
'''and done to others' harm
'''which once you took
for exercise of virtue.
'''Then fooIs' approvaI stings
'''and honor stains.
'''From wrong to wrong the
exasperated spirit proceeds,
'''unIess restored
by that refining fire
'''where you must move
in measure,
Llke a dancer. '''
[ Man speaking indistinctIy ]
Tom.
[ Knocking IoudIy ]
Tom !
[ SIow instrumentaI music
pIays ]
Ah !
Tom, how good to see you.
HeLLo, Bertie.
[ ChuckIes ] How are you?
And what are you doing?
Cheerio.
Goodbye.
NormaI things for a poet --
watching enemy pIanes,
avoiding bombs,
checking the bIackouts.
And you, Bertrand?
I heard about Viv.
I suppose there was
no other soIution.
Of course,
she was aIways unstabIe.
You used to say
she was a free spirit.
Did I?
I don't recaLL.
[ Woman singing PergoIesi's
''Stabat Mater'' ]
Don't think it doesn't hurt.
She's with me aLL the time --
every minute of the day.
[ M usic continues ]
Ah. My stop.
Goodbye, Bertie.
Goodbye.
She is weLL, Tom?
You have no right to ask that.
[ Latch cLlcks ]
Tom. . .
[ M usic continues ]
[ Latch cLlcks ]
[ M usic continues ]
There's a visitor for you,
M rs. ELlot.
[ EIevator cLlcks ]
Vivie.
HeLLo, Maurice.
[ Birds chirping ]
[ Sighs ]
God.
[ Sighs ]
You Iook so fit.
That's Africa.
Oh. Tea.
I'LL move these.
[ Sllverware rattIes ]
WeLL. . .
Iooks pretty ace here.
It is.
They're Iooking after you
weLL?
Oh, five-star.
That's the spirit.
How was Africa?
Not bad.
Uh, saw off a few U-boats.
Gin was a bit difficuIt
to come by.
Appointed me
chief of poLlce -- Lagos.
Hurrah.
[ Sighs ]
Had to give it up, though.
Hit a bit of a baId patch.
High commission wanted
this victory parade,
so we heId a sunset curfew
the night before,
rounded up every dark bLlghter
we found in the streets,
and popped them over
to the chief magistrate's court
the next morning.
No chief magistrate.
I'd Iocked the rascaI up
with aLL the others.
Red faces aLL around.
[ Sllverware rattLlng ]
Dear oId Vivie.
I want to know
how you are. . .
how it's aLL gone.
Pretty quiet.
ReaLLy?
You must have had masses
of visitors --
ceIebs from the book worId.
Not masses.
I mean, you --
you do see chums?
Chums drop by?
You're the first chum
I've seen since M ummy died.
Ah.
But there's. . . stllI oId Tom.
Yes.
WeLL, he must write --
that sort of thing.
I haven't heard from Tom
in years.
But you are. . . aLL right.
I mean, you seem so okay.
I'm as sane as you are,
Maurice.
Which. . . may not amount to much,
God knows, but. . .
Ah. SqueIch.
I've Iearned to cook.
Wait here.
[ BeLL ringing ]
[ Ringing stops ]
[ I ndistinct conversations
in distance ]
[ I ndistinct conversations ]
I want you to give this
to Tom.
It's his favorite --
chocoIate fudge.
You know how he Ioves
chocoIate.
I've reaLLy no idea
when I'LL see him.
I-I can't promise.
But when you do. . .
Yes. . . I'm bound
to bump into him, of course.
I have to go now, Maurice.
I don't want to miss supper.
Goodbye, Maurice.
[ SIow instrumentaI music
pIays ]
Chin up.
[ Sobs ]
[ Birds chirping ]
VIVI ENNE : Maurice!
[ Laughter,
indistinct voices ]
M AUR ICE : Vivie was, of course,
the strong one.
She made cowards of us aLL.
[ Engine turns over ]
WeLL, me, certainIy.
TerribIe, reaLLy.
Can't forget it.
It never mattered to Vivie
what the worId might think.
She's a very honest person,
you see.
- [ Brakes squeak ]
- She stuck by her beLlefs.
She beLleved in Tom
and his genius.
[ Gate rattIes ]
She Ioved him
and she stuck by him.
Never Ieft him.
[ Gate rattIes ]
Never, ever Ieft him.
[ SIow piano music pIays ]
[ M usic ends ]
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