INT. ANNIE HAYWORTH'S LIVING ROOM - MED. SHOT - ANNIE
HAYWORTH
In an easy chair, reading. She is wearing a robe and smoking,
absorbed in her book. She turns when she hears the front
DOOR OPENING.
ANNIE
Miss Daniels? Is that you?
MELANIE (O.S.)
Yes.
Annie rises to greet her. As Melanie ENTERS THE SHOT:
ANNIE
Hi.
(seeing her face)
Is something wrong? Is that cut
beginning to bother you?
MELANIE
(touching her head)
No, it's not the cut that's bothering
me.
ANNIE
(concerned)
Would you like some brandy?
MELANIE
If you have some, I'd...
ANNIE
I'll get it, sit down, Miss Daniels.
Do you want a sweater or something?
A quilt?
As Annie gets the brandy:
MELANIE
No, thank you.
(pause)
Won't you call me Melanie?
ANNIE
All right.
(she smiles)
MED. SHOT - MELANIE sitting, tucking her legs up under her.
She is disturbed by her conversation with Mitch and, in fact,
by the way this entire trip has worked out. Annie brings her
the glass of brandy, and she takes it gratefully.
MELANIE
Thank you.
ANNIE
(sitting opposite her)
It gets a little chilly here at night
sometimes. Especially if you're over
near the bay.
Melanie nods and sips at the brandy. There is a long pause.
ANNIE
Well, how'd your evening go?
Melanie shrugs.
ANNIE
Did you meet Lydia?
Melanie nods.
ANNIE
Or would you rather I changed the
subject?
MELANIE
(with a tired smile)
I think so.
ANNIE
(nodding)
How do you like our little hamlet?
MELANIE
I despise it.
ANNIE
(laughing)
Well, I don't suppose it offers much
to the casual visitor. Unless you're
thrilled by a collection of shacks
on a hillside. It takes a while to
get used to.
MELANIE
Where are you from originally, Annie?
ANNIE
San Francisco.
MELANIE
How'd you happen to come here?
ANNIE
Oh, someone invited me up for the
weekend a long time ago.
There is an awkward pause. Annie shrugs.
ANNIE
Look, I see no reason for being coy
about this. It was Mitch Brenner.
Melanie nods.
ANNIE
I guess you knew that, anyway.
MELANIE
I suspected as much.
ANNIE
You needn't worry. It's over and
done with. A long time ago.
MELANIE
Annie -- there's nothing between
Mitch and me.
ANNIE
Isn't there?
(she shrugs)
Maybe there isn't. Maybe there's
never anything between Mitch and any
girl.
MELANIE
What do you mean?
ANNIE
I think I'll have some of that, too.
(she pours brandy,
drinks, sighs)
I was seeing quite a lot of him in
San Francisco, you know.
(she smiles weakly)
And then, one weekend, he asked me
up to meet Lydia.
MELANIE
When was this?
ANNIE
Four years ago. Of course, that was
shortly after his father died. Things
may be different now.
MELANIE
Different?
ANNIE
With Lydia.
(pause)
Did she seem a trifle distant?
MELANIE
(smiling)
A trifle.
ANNIE
Then maybe it isn't different at
all. You know, her attitude nearly
drove me crazy. I simply couldn't
understand it.
ANNIE
When I got back to San Francisco I
spent days trying to figure out just
what I'd done to displease her.
MELANIE
And what had you done?
ANNIE
Nothing! I simply existed. So what
was the answer? A jealous woman,
right? A clinging possessive mother.
(she shakes her head)
Wrong. With all due respect to
Oedipus, I don't think that was the
case at all.
MELANIE
Then what was it?
ANNIE
Lydia liked me, you see. That was
the strange part of it. In fact, now
that I'm no longer a threat, we're
very good friends.
MELANIE
Then why did she object to you?
ANNIE
Because she was afraid.
MELANIE
Afraid you'd take Mitch?
ANNIE
Afraid I'd give Mitch.
MELANIE
I don't understand.
ANNIE
Afraid of any woman who'd give Mitch
the only thing Lydia can give him --
love.
MELANIE
Annie, that adds up to a jealous,
possessive woman.
ANNIE
No, I don't think so. She's not afraid
of losing her son, you see. She's
only afraid of being abandoned.
MELANIE
Someone ought to tell her she'd be
gaining a daughter.
ANNIE
She already has a daughter.
MELANIE
What about Mitch? Didn't he have
anything to say about this?
ANNIE
(apologetically)
I can understand his position. He
went through a lot with Lydia after
his father died. He didn't want to
risk going through it all over again.
MELANIE
I see.
ANNIE
So it ended. Not immediately, of
course. I went back to San Francisco,
and I still saw Mitch every now and
then... but we both knew it was
finished.
MELANIE
Then what are you doing here in Bodega
Bay?
ANNIE
You get straight to the point, don't
you?
MELANIE
I'm sorry. Forgive me.
ANNIE
No, that's all right, I don't mind.
I came up here for two reasons. To
begin with, I was bored with my job
in San Francisco. I was teaching at
a private school there... well, you
know, you probably went to one
yourself.
MELANIE
I did.
ANNIE
Then you know. Little girls in brown
beanies. Deadly. Here I have a life.
I'll go into that classroom on Monday
morning, and I'll look out at twenty-
five upturned little faces, and each
of them will be saying, 'Yes, please
give me what you have.'
(pause)
And I'll give them what I have. I
haven't got very much, but I'll give
them every ounce of it. To me, that's
very important. It makes me want to
stay alive for a long long time.
(she sighs)
That's the first reason.
MELANIE
And the second?
ANNIE
(simply)
I wanted to be near Mitch.
(pause)
It was over, and I knew it, but I
wanted to be near him, anyway.
(she smiles)
You see, I still like him a hell of
a lot. That's rare, I think. I don't
want to lose his friendship... ever.
There is a moment of silence. Into the silence, the TELEPHONE
shrills. Annie hesitates a moment, and then goes to answer
it.
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
at the phone.
ANNIE
Hello? Oh, hello. No, no, I wasn't
asleep. What is it?
(pause)
Yes, just a little while ago. Sure,
hold on.
(she turns to Melanie)
It's Mitch. For you.
TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND ANNIE
as they stare at each other across the room, Melanie
hesitating.
ANNIE
He's waiting.
Melanie rises and goes to the phone. The CAMERA FOLLOWS Annie
to the wing chair in the foreground and stays on her
throughout following, recording her reactions as Melanie
talks to Mitch in the background.
Annie is not devastated by this call, and yet there is a
wistfulness to her expression as she realizes she may finally
and irrevocably be losing Mitch to another girl.
MELANIE
(at phone; coolly)
Hello? Yes, this is Melanie. Fine,
thank you. No, no trouble at all. I
simply followed the road. It's a
very bright night.
(pause)
What? Oh. Well, there's no need to
apologize. I can understand...
(pause; she listens)
Well...
(she listens again)
That's very kind of you. No, I'm not
angry.
(she listens)
I couldn't. I'm afraid I have to get
back to San Francisco.
(pause)
No, I wouldn't want to disappoint
Cathy, but...
(pause)
I see.
(she is warming)
I see. Well, if you really...
(pause)
All right. Yes, I'll be there.
(pause)
Good night, Mitch.
She hangs up and looks at Annie in embarrassment.
MELANIE
He wants me to go to Cathy's party
tomorrow afternoon.
(pause)
I said I would.
ANNIE
I'll be going, too, to help out. It
should be fun, Melanie.
MELANIE
It seems so pointless.
(she sighs)
I think I'll go to sleep. This has
been a busy day.
(picking up her paper
bag)
My luggage.
She smiles, takes out a flowered muumuu, holds it up to Annie.
ANNIE
Pretty. Did you get that at
Brinkmeyer's?
Melanie nods and drapes the muumuu over her arm. She is silent
for a moment, pensive. Then:
MELANIE
Do you think I should go?
ANNIE
That's up to you.
MELANIE
It's really up to Lydia, isn't it?
ANNIE
Never mind Lydia. Do you want to go?
MELANIE
(firmly)
Yes.
ANNIE
Then go.
The room is silent. Melanie nods, slowly, and then smiles.
MELANIE
Thank you, Annie.
Suddenly, into the silence, comes a THUMP at the door,
startling them both.
ANNIE
(rising)
Who can that be at this hour?
(she walks to door)
Who is it?
(no answer)
Is someone there?
Melanie goes to stand beside Annie. Puzzled, Annie unlocks
the door, and then opens it. She looks out into the night.
There is nothing but the SOUND of the wind.
ANNIE
(to the emptiness
outside)
Is anyone there?
MELANIE
(pointing to the ground)
Look.
CLOSE SHOT - A DEAD SEAGULL
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
ANNIE
(sympathetically)
Ohhh. Oh, the poor thing. He probably
lost his way in the dark.
CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE
who stares at the dead bird as Annie stoops to pick it up.
And then, slowly:
MELANIE
But... it isn't dark, Annie. There's
a full moon.
TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND ANNIE
as Annie, stooping, looks up at her. On their puzzlement and
consternation:
FADE OUT
FADE IN
HIGH SHOT - THE BRENNER HOUSE The place is decorated with
balloons strung from the house to various points on the lawn.
The children, in party clothes, with their parents, are
clustered around a long folding table upon which are
sandwiches, ice cream and soft drinks. The parents are either
helping the children to more or telling them they are having
too much. There is a general SOUND of kid's CHATTER and
LAUGHTER. Coming up the sloping path, away from the party,
are Melanie and Mitch. The CAMERA PANS them UP the slope and
away from the party in background. As they turn the hairpin
bend of the slope, and come up toward the CAMERA, we see the
entrance of the harbor and the Pacific in the background.
The CAMERA PANS them as they come near to us and, once more,
the party is in the background. Mitch and Melanie pass the
CAMERA out to the left.
CLOSER SHOT - THE TOP OF THE DUNES
Melanie and Mitch come INTO the picture from the right and
stand against the sky. Mitch takes a martini shaker from one
of his pockets, and two glasses from the other. He hands one
of the glasses to Melanie, and then pours.
MELANIE
I really shouldn't have any more.
I'm a little tipsy already.
MITCH
I'm trying to get you to stay for
dinner. We're going to have a lot of
roast left over.
MELANIE
I couldn't possibly. I have to get
back.
MITCH
(with a shrug)
Cheers.
MELANIE
Cheers.
They drink.
MELANIE
What's in this? Nitro-glycerin?
MITCH
Why do you have to rush off? What's
so important in San Francisco?
MELANIE
Well... I have to get to work tomorrow
morning, for one thing.
MITCH
(surprised)
You have a job?
MELANIE
(sipping at the martini)
I have several jobs.
MITCH
What do you do?
MELANIE
I do different things on different
days.
MITCH
Like what?
MELANIE
(hesitating)
On Mondays and Wednesdays, I work
for the Travelers' Aid. At the
airport.
MITCH
Helping travelers.
MELANIE
Yes.
She hesitates for a moment, thinking. She has never really
considered before what she does with her time, and now that
she is accounting for it, it sounds a little meaningless and
unimportant.
MELANIE
And on Tuesdays, I take a course in
General Semantics at Berkeley. That's
not a job, of course. I just take it
because...
MITCH
What about Thursdays and Fridays?
MELANIE
On Thursdays I have my meeting and
lunch.
(pause)
I'm chairman of a group that's sending
a little Korean boy through school.
We plan how to raise funds and...
things like that.
(she shrugs)
MITCH
And Fridays? What do you do then?
MELANIE
Nothing.
(she smiles)
I go to bird shops on Fridays.
MITCH
I'm glad you do.
MELANIE
Do you know what I was doing in that
shop?
MITCH
What?
MELANIE
I have an aunt, you see. Aunt Tessa.
She's seventy years old, and veddy
prim and strait-laced.
(she does an imitation)
She's coming back from Europe at the
end of the month, and I'm going to
give her a myna bird that'll talk to
her.
MITCH
What'll it say?
MELANIE
(facetiously)
You'll think me very bold, sir.
MITCH
No, tell me.
She leans over and whispers in his ear. They both burst out
LAUGHTER. But then suddenly, a very serious look comes into
Melanie's face.
CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE
serious, introspective.
MELANIE
That's silly, isn't it? Teaching a
bird to shock my aunt. That's just
silly and childish.
(slight pause)
Maybe I ought to go join the other
children.
FULL SHOT - MELANIE AND MITCH
as she moves abruptly away from him, and starts toward where
the children have begun playing Blind Man's Bluff. Mitch
stares after her for a moment, moved by this sudden glimpse
of character, and then follows her down the dune. The children
are all in a circle. Annie is busy changing the blindfold
from Michele to Cathy.
CAMERA PANS - MELANIE AND MITCH
The CAMERA is now on the lawn POINTING UP toward dunes. We
see Mitch and Melanie descending. They are coming down by
way of a short cut and are not on the zig-zag path. As they
reach the lawn they move along the side of it at the foot of
the dunes. They are absorbed in each other. The CAMERA PANS
OFF them and BRING INTO the picture Annie, surrounded by the
children. She is in the act of changing the blindfold from
Michele to Cathy. She hands Michele her glasses back. During
this, and while she is putting the blindfold round the eyes
of Cathy, she is looking to her right and obviously is
watching Mitch and Melanie.
MITCH AND MELANIE - ANNIE'S P.O.V.
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
CAMERA MOVES A LITTLE to her left (CAMERA RIGHT). At this
moment, in the background, Lydia is emerging with the birthday
cake. The candles on it are unlit. Lydia immediately also
catches sight of Mitch and Melanie and she slows up somewhat
as she walks to the long table, her eyes still on the couple.
During this we see Annie in the foreground sending Cathy
off.
ANNIE
All right then, here we go.
(she spins her)
Once!
(she spins her again)
Twice!
(she spins her again)
Three! Go get 'em, Cathy!
She says all this while still looking toward the couple. She
turns her head away from the couple with a new expression on
her face. She twists completely around to look at Lydia as
though she were wondering if Lydia sees what she sees.
Suddenly we HEAR a little boy's voice crying:
LITTLE BOY (O.S.)
Look! Look!
Annie swings round and the CAMERA RUSHES INTO her face as
she looks up.
LONG SHOT - ANNIE'S P.O.V.
A gull is swooping down.
CLOSE SHOT - CATHY
as she changes her tactics, stops dead, and then cautiously
reaches out in front of her at the air. The gull suddenly
swoops at her, hitting her shoulder. She whirls.
CATHY
No touching allowed!
She almost falls.
FULL SHOT - THE GULL
seen from Cathy's position. He flies off, cycles and then
returns.
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
reacting to gull. She turns her head back to Cathy.
TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND MITCH
reacting to the gull hitting Cathy. They start towards Cathy.
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
with Cathy and the children around. The CAMERA PANS DOWN as
she ducks with two gulls swooping by.
CLOSE SHOT - LYDIA
hurriedly putting the cake onto the table. She rushes round
to the front of it.
FULL SHOT - ANNIE - LYDIA'S P.O.V.
Annie rising from the ground. Cathy and the other children
are running in the background.
CLOSE SHOT - LYDIA
reacting to two more gulls diving.
FULL SHOT - TWO GULLS - LYDIA'S P.O.V.
diving toward the children.
CLOSE SHOT - LYDIA
She starts to run out CAMERA RIGHT.
MED. SHOT - LYDIA REACHES CATHY
She pushes her to the ground as a gull attacks.
TWO SHOT - TWO MOTHERS
as a gull swoops between them.
FULL SHOT - MITCH
coming out of the house with a broom.
TWO GULLS
swooping down at the children's heads.
MED. SHOT - MITCH
swinging at gull and missing.
LONG SHOT - LITTLE BOY
running toward bank. Gull swooping after him.
CLOSE SHOT - LITTLE BOY
falling forward against the bank as the gull smashes into
him.
FULL SHOT - MELANIE AND MITCH
running to the injured boy, who is lying against the bank.
THREE SHOT - MELANIE, MITCH AND LITTLE BOY
They look up.
LONG SHOT - THE GULLS
against the sky, flying away in formation.
CLOSE SHOT - MITCH
about to swing with the broom again, but the birds are no
longer there. A puzzled look crosses his face. He turns to
Melanie.
MITCH
Are you all right?
TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND MITCH
MELANIE
Yes.
ANNIE
(coming over)
That's the darnest thing thing I've
ever seen in my life.
TWO SHOT - LYDIA AND MITCH
LYDIA
Are they gone?
MITCH
They're gone, Mother.
