RETURN TO THE BLUE LAGOON
SCREENPLAY BY LESLIE STEVENS
BASED ON THE BOOK “THE
GARDEN OF GOD” BY HENRY DEVERE STACPOOLE
TRANSCRIBED BY KENDRA
STEINER
RETURN TO THE BLUE LAGOON IS © 1991, COLUMBIA
PICTURES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED WITHOUT PERMISSION. THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREELY SO
LONG AS NO MONEY IS EXCHANGED, AND NO CHANGES ARE MADE TO THE TEXT CONTAINED
HEREIN.
[[[Everything
other than spoken words will be enclosed in sets of three brackets, like
this. There are a couple of musical
montages in the movie, which are labeled as such. I hope this transcript isn’t too hart to understand. I wanted it to be simple but effective.]]]
[[[The
opening credits run over a shot of a ship sailing the ocean at sunset. Then, over a shot of a small boat at
twilight, the background of the story.]]]
The South Pacific Ocean
1897
Fifteen years before our story begins, two children
were shipwrecked on an uncharted island.
The little boy and girl grew up alone in this lost paradise. As man and woman, they discovered a pure and
natural love. In time, a child was
born. But in a tragic accident, they
were driven out to sea away from their island.
Drifting for days, they believed that their lives and the life of their
child were at an end.
Then a passing vessel drew near. . .
[[[The
ship is sailing fast at sea during the day.]]]
LOOKOUT: Ho!
Man adrift, starboard bow! Boat
to starboard!
[[[Sarah
Hargrave stands up to see. She is slim,
with red hair, and beautiful. She wears
black in mourning, and holds her child, an infant named Lilli. The captain and the 1st mate come
up from below deck.]]]
CAPTAIN: Up into the wind! Get out the small-boat!
SAILOR: Lower away!
1st
MATE: Easy. Get that davit.
[[[The
small boat is lowered with two sailors in it, one of whom is named Kearny. They row over to the boat and grab it.]]]
SAILOR: Anyone aboard?
KEARNY: Can’t tell.
1st
MATE: Get that painter. Throw that line, Kearny! C’mon, get that boat in!
[[[Kearny
throws a line from the little boat to the ship and they reel the boat in. Kearny climbs on to see if anyone’s
aboard.]]]
KEARNY: There’s two of them, sir, a man and a woman.
1st
MATE: Dead or alive?
KEARNY: Dead, sir. . . A child, sir!
1st
MATE: A what?
KEARNY: Alive!
[[[Kearny
hands the boy, who is no more than 1 ½ years old, up to the 1st
mate. There is a cloth wrapped around
the boy’s waist, and he is crying.
Sarah approaches.]]]
SARAH: I’ll take him.
[[[She
takes him and sits him on her lap, and wipes his face with a clean cloth.]]]
SARAH: There.
There, now.
[[[The
ship sails on. The crew are now
standing somberly for the burial-at-sea of the man and woman.]]]
CAPTAIN: We therefore commit their bodies to the
bosom of the waters to be turned into corruption, looking for the resurrection
of the body when the sea shall give up her dead, and the light of the world
will come, through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
[[[He
nods and their bodies, wrapped in canvas, are slid into the sea. The ship sails on. The 1st mate and the ship’s surgeon approach the
captain. Lestrange sleeps in a
deck-chair nearby.]]]
1st
MATE: The surgeon would like to have a
word with you, sir.
SURGEON: The sickness in the crew, sir. You’ve got five more taken down since
mid-watch. Fever, canker sores. . .
CAPTAIN: Your cabinet is full of Bromine. Leech it out.
SURGEON: It’s beyond bleeding, sir.
CAPTAIN: Mr. Penfield, I looked to your medical
knowledge. Three days after we left
Moorea, you thought it was Scurvy. Then
half the crew turned sick, you told me it was break-bone fever.
SURGEON: The symptoms weren’t for certain. Now I know.
Fever. . . Withered skin. .
. Black bile.
[[[The
captain looks at him, containing his fears.]]]
CAPTAIN: Cholera.
[[[In
the evening, the captain and the 1st mate are in their quarters,
talking. The captain looks at sea
charts.]]]
1st
MATE: Can we turn back, captain?
CAPTAIN: There’s no port for a plague ship.
1st
MATE: Put up anchor at the first
island.
CAPTAIN: This is all open sea.
1st
MATE: With due respect, captain, that
small boat put out from somewheres.
CAPTAIN: THIS is a French naval chart, and there’s
nothing but warnings. There’s reefs,
atolls. ‘Tis a cruel turn for Mrs.
Hargrave. First widowed, with an
infant.
1st
MATE: Cast them adrift.
CAPATAIN: A woman, alone, with two children?
1st
MATE: Put a man with them. Kearny’s strong and he’s still able. At least it’ll give them a chance. That‘s more than I can say for the rest of
us.
CAPTAIN: Kearny. . .
Bless the poor lot. Keep it from
the rest of the crew. Wait ‘til
mid-watch.
1st
MATE: Aye, sir.
[[[It
is later. The captain has told Sarah,
and she packs her things into her sea-chest, frustrated.]]]
SARAH: Putting us off into the peril of an open sea
because some of the crew are ill? THIS
is madness!
CAPTAIN: I’m thinking of your own good, ma’am.
SARAH: I may be young, captain, but I have spent
the last three years in a climate of fearsome heat, with insects as big as rats
and rats as big as cats. I can
certainly deal with some deck-hands down with fever!
CAPTAIN:
(gently) We’re carrying Cholera. If you
stay aboard you’ll die.
[[[She
pauses, frightened. The 1st
mate comes in.]]]
1st
MATE: You can’t take your sea-chest,
missus. Only things you really need.
SARAH: But everything we have in the world, will be
in this chest.
CAPTAIN: Mrs. Hargrave will be taking her belongings.
1st
MATE: Aye, sir.
[[[He
nods and leaves. The captain turns back
toward Sarah.]]]
SARAH: Cholera?
[[[She
walks out in deck with Lilli in her arms.
The cap hands the young boy to the 1st mate, who also helps
carry the chest out to the ship’s small boat.
The captain watches them go sadly.
The boat is launched under the cover of night. The next day they are sailing on the open sea. The babies are cuddled to Sarah. Kearny has a shirt tied around his head to
protect from the sun. He looks at them
all levelly.]]]
SARAH: Mr. Kearny.
Mr. Kearny, a cup of water, please.
KEARNY: There’s only so much, Mrs.
SARAH: They’re in sore need, Mr. Kearny.
KEARNY: Well, the boy aint yours, so he don’t matter
too much. Your infant knows what to
do. I’d say you’re finished. Let her suckle.
[[[They‘re
all exhausted. The next day, Kearny
reels in a fish. The babies cry from
hunger and thirst.]]]
KEARNY: I tell ya right now! I’m sick and tired of them two squallin’.
SARAH: Then for the love of god, give them water!
KEARNY: I’m a practical man, Mrs. If I was alone, by myself, this could last
quite awhile.
[[[He
taps the cask of water for emphasis.]]]
KEARNY: Sharin’ four ways makes no sense. Best thing for all of us is to put ‘em out
of their misery.
SARAH: You won’t touch them!
KEARNY: I’ll do what has to be done. You either shut ‘em up, or they‘re both
goin’ overboard.
[[[He
scales the fish. Sarah’s eyes are
wild. She looks around for something to
defend them with, and finds a long pole with a metal hook at the end. The babies are still crying, with no end in
sight to their suffering. Kearny spits
overboard, spitefully.]]]
KEARNY: That’s it!
Look the other way if you don’t wanna see.
[[[He
reaches for the boy first. Sarah
stands, grabs the pole, and stabs him three times in the back with it. He slumps over, dead. She flips him over, removes his belt, and
rolls him overboard. He floats
away. Sarah looks scared now.]]]
[[[A
few more days pass. The babies are
silent, having been fed and watered.
Then the roar of surf rises Sarah from her slumber. The day is dry, stormy, and dark, and an
island is in front of them. The waves
take them in, splashing into the boat in the process. They scrape over the reef and run aground. Sarah helps them ashore as they cry.]]]
SARAH: Jump up, Richard. Here we go.
[[[She
sets them safely on shore and begins to cry with relief. Later, she uses the boat’s sail and rope to
rig a shelter on an old tree stump.
Then she pulls her sea-chest towards it, with Lilli following and trying
to help.]]]
SARAH: You can help mama. That’s my girl! Yes,
c’mon. Come on, Lilli.
[[[She
husks a coconut on a stick, then uses a chisel to open the eye. She shares it with Richard, then takes a
quilt out of her sea-chest and sets it on the tree stump.]]]
[[[She
carries Lilli and leads Richard across the beach. In the forest, she carries both of them, and a kettle. She sees a stream and sets Richard down near
it.]]]
SARAH: Richard, you stay here.
[[[She
scoops some of the water into her mouth.]]]
SARAH: It’s fresh.
[[[She
fills the kettle, then looks around.
There are bananas and other fruit all around.]]]
SARAH: Look, bananas! Oh, and paw-paws! And
roots! Roots are good eating.
[[[Richard
wanders into the stream and picks up a toy boat made from a leaf and a coconut
husk. It is crude, but not
accidental. He plays with it, letting
it float away.]]]
SARAH: Ooh, this is Taro root. We ate it at the mission. And bananas. C’mon Richard, here’s some bananas. Yes! Lots of bananas!
Richard: Boat!
SARAH: Here, do you want some?
[[[She
hands Lilli a banana. Richard’s boat
floats down the stream and away.]]]
RICHARD: Boat coming. . . Boat!
[[[She
sees a nest in a tree and takes an egg out of it, handing it to Lilli.]]]
SARAH: Look.
How pretty. Oh.
[[[Lilli
drops it, and it breaks on a rock.]]]
SARAH: Oh, Lilli.
[[[The
sky is stormy. It begins to rain
heavily. Sarah runs them back to the
campsite. They’re all soaking wet, and
the shelter she made from the sail is ineffective. She covers them with her quilt and they wait it out.]]]
[[[The
sun lightens the leaves and the island begins to dry. Sarah has hung all her outer garments on a line. She’s holding Lilli, who cries.]]]
SARAH: We can’t stay here. Hmm?
We’re to exposed, on this side.
We’ve got to find a safe haven out of the weather. C’mon.
Come, Richard. We’ll just go for
a little walk. Here we go.
[[[She
picks up the kettle and takes Richard’s hand, leading him through the forest
and to the other side of the island.
They look around. It is
gorgeous, and looks much friendlier than the other side.]]]
SARAH: Look!
How beautiful.
RICHARD: House!
[[[She
turns to see him walking towards a house on a beach.]]]
SARAH: Good heavens! Richard.
[[[She
follows him.]]]
RICHARD: Mama!
[[[He
uses a specially-made lower handrail to walk up a ramp and inside. He goes over and peers into a giant turtle
shell hung from the ceiling: his bed. The house is empty.]]]
RICHARD: Mama, mama!
[[[He
climbs up a ladder to a loft with practiced ease, and peers around, upset.]]]
RICHARD: Oh, she’s gone!
SARAH: I know she’s gone. You’re mama’s gone.
[[[He
climbs partway down and jumps into her waiting arms, crying.]]]
SARAH: It’s alright. It’s alright, come here.
I’ve got you.
RICHARD: Mommy’s gone!
SARAH: I know.
It’s alright. Sh. Your mama’s not here but I am. I’ll be your mama from now on.
[[[She
rocks him back and forth, comforting him.
Later, she builds a signal fire on some rocks, as Lilli hands her pieces
of wood to help.]]]
SARAH: Any passing ship will be able to see this
when it’s ablaze. It won’t be long
before one finds us.
[[[She
tries to spear fish on the reef unsuccessfully, and ends up falling in the
shallow waters, splashing about with frustration. In the evening, there’s a small cooking fire on a rock in the
house, and a bowl holds some flowers, and the remains of a fish with a fork in
them. Richard and Lilli are in bed, and
she leans over and kisses them goodnight.
Lilli plays with her necklace.]]]
SARAH: Now close your eyes.
[[[She
hears a drumbeat, and takes off her necklace, handing it to Lilli.]]]
SARAH: I’ll be right back.
[[[She
goes out to see who’s there. Several
canoes are crossing the waters in front of the hut, passing them by.]]]
[[[Daytime. Musical montage of sorts. Richard runs across the beach wearing
shorts. Lilli plays with some sand. A wave washes away her creation. Sarah smiles. Richard and Lilli play with a baby turtle, poking him a bit with
sticks. Richard picks up a baby
starfish from a tide pool. He pokes a
large crab with a stick. Lilli watches
her mom from behind a tree. Sarah
listens to the ocean in a shell, then turns to Lilli, smiling. Richard mimics Sarah’s actions with his own
shell.]]]
[[[Night-time. Supper is over and now it’s dessert
time. They all sit at the table.]]]
SARAH: I know this is your favorite dessert,
Richard, but try to eat more slowly and hold the spoon THIS way, as I’ve showed
you.
[[[She
maneuvers the spoon the right way.]]]
SARAH: Someday soon after the ship comes, you’ll
find yourself seated at a well-appointed table in San Francisco, and will be
expected to show proper table manners.
[[[Richard
picks up some of his food and throws it at Lilli’s face. Sarah slaps his wrist.]]]
SARAH: Richard!
Don’t do that!
[[[She
cleans off Lilli’s face. He throws more
food at her.]]]
SARAH: Richard!
Just because we are away from civilization does NOT mean we will behave
uncivilized!
[[[Richard
bangs his spoon on the table rhythmically.
The drumbeats are back. She gets
up, goes out, and checks the sky.]]]
SARAH: Full moon.
[[[She
goes back in and over to a table, and takes out a slip of paper, checking
it.]]]
SARAH: They come every three months when the moon
is full.
[[[She
picks up Lilli and takes her over towards a crib she’s made. Lilli begins to cry.]]]
SARAH: Off to bed, children. Quickly.
Richard, come. It’ll be alright. Tonight you will get your lullaby in the
dark.
[[[She
sings them a hymn for a lullaby. The
clouds cover the moon outside.]]]
[[[Daybreak. Sunrise glows over the waters and on the
beach, reflecting off of the seaweed.]]]
[[[It
is several years later now. Richard and
Lilli, now eight years old, swim in a pool of water under a waterfall, heading
towards the edge and climbing out. They
are wearing loincloths. They slide down
a waterfall.]]]
[[[Richard
and Lilli chase a baby pig through a field, laughing as the pig squeals. Richard tackles it and picks it up. Lilli notices the mother nearby and
points.]]]
LILLI: The mother!
[[[The
mother pig chases after them as they continue to run. They reach a mud pit and have to slow down.]]]
LILLI: Put it down!
[[[He
does, and they both fall in the mud, laughing.]]]
[[[Richard,
Lilli, and Sarah are bathing in the pond, using a meager amount of soap very
sparingly. Richard and Lilli’s
loincloths are on a log nearby, but Sarah wears all her underclothes.]]]
LILLI: Mother, why do you wear your clothes when
you bathe?
SARAH: Because it’s proper.
LILLI: Why don’t Richard and I wear clothes when we
bathe?
SARAH: Oh, I gave up on you two long ago. I’d put your clothes on and you’d just take
them off.
LILLI: I wish I looked like Richard down there.
SARAH: Why?
LILLI: Because he can aim when he goes pss.
RICHARD: I can hit a mango leaf
dead-center.
[[[Sarah
laughs and shakes her head, as if what he says is silly.]]]
LILLI: Why does he have one he can aim and we
don’t?
SARAH: Well, God in his infinite wisdom decided. .
. Well nature, gave us different
parts. Well you see a female has a-
RICHARD: A cowrie shell.
SARAH: What?
RICHARD: Lilli looks like a cowrie shell down there.
LILLI: So that’s what you call mine. A cowrie shell. And we call Richard’s a-
SARAH: No-no-no-no-no-no! Um, never mind. I think
this has gone a little far. I should
have explained certain of life’s facts to you years ago.
LILLI: Explain certain of life’s facts now.
SARAH: No, I need to think about it first. I’ll explain it to you, after your spelling
lesson tonight. C’mon.
LILLI: Tonight?
SARAH: Let’s rinse. Let’s rinse off.
Alright? Everybody.
[[[It
is raining. Inside the hut, they all
sit on the bed, talking.]]]
RICHARD: Why do people get married?
SARAH: It was God’s commandment, that when a man
and woman love each other, they take vows.
Vows are like promises. They
make promises to each other in the eyes of God, for the whole world to witness,
and that’s called the marriage ceremony.
[[[She
reaches for a bible near the bed and opens it.]]]
SARAH: And here, is the ceremony your father used
to say when he performed marriages, at the mission.
RICHARD: What about the life facts?
[[[Sarah
looks unsure. She picks up a basket of
fruit and goes to the table. After a
moment, Richard and Lilli follow her.]]]
SARAH: When a girl becomes a woman, and a boy
becomes a man,
LILLI: When’s that?
SARAH: Well it’s different for everyone, but,
you’ll know when it happens to you.
LILLI: How?
SARAH: Well Lilli, your body will become rounder,
you’ll grow breasts like mine, and every month you’ll bleed a bit from the
opening between your legs.
LILLI:
(worried) I don’t wanna bleed.
[[[Sarah
kneels to talk to her.]]]
SARAH: It only lasts a few days, and it’s a great
blessing because it means you can have a baby.
RICHARD: Do I have to bleed?
SARAH: No, but your body will change too. Your voice will grow deeper, and you’ll grow
hair on your face. And I think you’d
look very handsome with a beard. Unless
of course you want to scrape it off.
LILLI: I want the baby now.
SARAH: You can’t, your not ready yet. And even when you are you need the man to
make the baby that will grow inside you.
LILLI: Inside me?
SARAH: Yes.
There’s a special place inside a woman where the baby stays nice and
warm and safe, until it’s ready to be born into the world.
RICHARD: How does the baby get in there?
SARAH: Well, after they’re married, the man and
woman lie very. . . Very close
together, and-
RICHARD: I know.
It’s like the iguanas, Lilli.
You know when they get so close you can’t tell where one begins and the
other ends?
LILLI: Uh huh.
RICHARD: That’s it.
LILLI: That’s it?
RICHARD: Yes, because the iguanas always have their
babies soon after.
LILLI: That’s it, mother?
SARAH: Well that’s. . . Most of it.
LILLI: That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear all
day?
[[[Richard
and Lilli swing on rope swings, laughing.
They run down the beach and dive into the ocean for a swim. Richard catches a turtle and they play with
it in the water.]]]
[[[They
take the boat out onto the reef to go fishing.
Lilli ties it to a rock. They
both try to spear a fish and miss, then Lilli manages to catch one. A shark swims close by. The boat comes loose and drifts away. The shark takes a fish Richard speared, and
breaks the spear in half. Richard
throws a couple of rocks after it.]]]
LILLI: That’s not gonna help!
RICHARD: Look what you did to my spear! Go away!
That was my fish! Go back out
where you belong!
[[[Lilli
notices that the boat is gone, and she points after it.]]]
LILLI: Richard, look! Now what are we gonna do?
What are we gonna do now, Richard?
What are we gonna do?
RICHARD: Will you just be quiet and let me think?
[[[The
shark circles the reef they stand on.]]]
[[[Later,
Sarah stands on top of the island, trying to see them.]]]
SARAH: Lilli?!
Richard?!
[[[It
is almost dark now.]]]
LILLI: We’re out past sunset, mother’s gonna be so
angry. What are you doing?
RICHARD: I’ve got an idea.
[[[He
takes the fish Lilli caught and uses a shell to cut it up a bit. Then he ties a rope to it and tosses it out
away from them. The shark takes the
bait.]]]
RICHARD: He’s gone, c’mon.
[[[They
dive in and swim to the boat, making it just in time to avoid being caught by
the shark. Sarah runs toward them as
they come ashore. She helps Richard tie
the boat up to a tree-stump.]]]
SARAH: Where’ve you been? Do you realize how late it is?
LILLI: Yes mother, but there was a shark, an old
one, out in the channel. He took half
of Richard’s spear.
SARAH: I have told you to stay away from sharks!
RICHARD: The boat drifted loose.
SARAH: What are the rules, Richard?
RICHARD: Home by sunset always.
SARAH: And?
LILLI: Never to the north side of the island.
SARAH: DO you see that? A full moon! We are going
straight home and this is never happening again. Do you hear me?
[[[She
swats Richard’s butt for emphasis, and they run home. There are drum-beats.]]]
[[[Daytime. It is raining. They sit on the bed singing a folk song to pass the time. A branch breaks through the ceiling
overhead.]]]
SARAH: Oh!
Lilli, Richard, go get some thatch!
[[[She
runs up to the roof, and they head out to the porch and grab several pieces of
thatch for her. They head up to the
roof and she starts repairing the damage.]]]
SARAH: Get back inside.
[[[They
take shelter just inside the loft and watch her. It storms all over the island.
In the evening, Richard and Lilli eat at the table, while Sarah lays in
bed coughing. They kneel by their beds
in the loft and say the Lord’s Prayer.
Sarah is very, very ill. It
still storms.]]]
[[[During
the day, Sarah still lays in bed talking to Richard and Lilli, who stand
nearby.]]]
SARAH: I can feel that the sickness has moved into
my lungs now, and that means, I might not get well.
RICHARD: What’s going to happen?
SARAH: You may have to be here without me. If God wants, I’ll be with your father, and
we’ll be like guardian angels watching over you.
[[[They
stand on the hill-top.]]]
SARAH: This is my special place. It’s quiet here, and I can see the house.
[[[They
help her sit down on the ground.]]]
SARAH: Hollow out this ground about so deep, and
line it with thatch and moss. And fill
it in, and smooth it over with earth.
I’ll write out a prayer for you to say.
We’ll carve a marker, and it will say, “Here lies Sarah Hargrave. Wife of William. Mother of Lillian.” And I
know not your real mother, Richard, but I’d like to have it said, “Mother of Richard.”
[[[She’s
crying now. Richard carves the marker
on a piece of wood, and Lillian weaves a wreath of flowers. They stand over her grave, and Richard reads
the prayer. They’re both crying now.]]]
RICHARD: I pray to the Lord to grant this last
abiding wish. Lilli and Richard, love
one another, and take care of one another, and keep up with our lessons, and be
ready for the ship when it comes.
[[[Lilli
puts the wreath on the grave. The sun
shines on one single spot on the ocean.
They lay in bed, not sleeping.
The clouds cover the sky as the sun sets.]]]
[[[A
tapping noise wakes Richard. He leans
up and rubs his head. He is a tan,
healthy, and handsome teenager now, maybe fifteen to sixteen. His brownish hair is mussed up. He goes downstairs, wearing only a
loincloth, his standard attire. At the
table, fruit is set out for breakfast.
He grabs some and heads to the door, looking at the source of the
tapping noise. Lilli sits at the end of
a home-made pier, tapping at a piece of wood.
She is the same age as he, and no less beautiful. Her brown hair is long and worn loose over
her shoulders, and she wears a loincloth and a strip of cloth around her
chest. Her body is trim and
healthy. Richard stares at her,
obviously infatuated, and confused at the same time. She flips her hair around to get a better view of what she‘s
doing, then catches sight of him and smiles.
He goes down to her and sits nearby.]]]
RICHARD: Breakfast looks extra good today.
LILLI: Thank you.
Don’t forget, it’s your turn to cook tomorrow.
RICHARD: I won’t forget. You’re the one who always forgets.
LILLI: What?
What do I forget?
RICHARD: Y’ forgot to color your eggs for the hunt.
LILLI:
(defensive) I didn’t forget. I just
don’t think we should do it this year.
RICHARD: But we do it every Easter. The marks on the calendar say tomorrow’s
Easter, so we MUST have the hunt.
LILLI: Why?
RICHARD: How else do we know who finds the most eggs
and wins?
LILLI: Wins what, Richard?
RICHARD: I don’t know. Nothing! Just wins.
LILLI: Seems silly to me. I don’t understand why we have to do it.
RICHARD:
(serious) Cos mother’d want us to.
[[[Lilli
kneels, coloring Easter eggs with home-made paint. Richard walks up to her.]]]
RICHARD: I’ve got an idea. Whoever finds the most eggs this year, wins a prize.
LILLI: But what kind of a prize?
RICHARD: Well if you win, I’ve gotta give you
something, and if I win, you’ve gotta give me something.
LILLI: It’s a WONDERFUL idea.
[[[Richard
and Lilli stand back-to-back on the beach, getting ready for the hunt.]]]
RICHARD: I hid ten eggs somewhere between the beach
and the berry patch.
LILLI: I hid ten eggs between the rocks and the
fern glade.
RICHARD: Ready?
LILLI: Ready!
BOTH: Get set. . . Go!
[[[Thy
take off running in opposite directions.
Both find eggs hidden in holes in the ground, in trees. Between rocks,
in shells, and everywhere else. Lilli
runs up to Richard, who sits on the beach counting his eggs. She jumps down to boast.]]]
LILLI: I found nine! Beat that!
[[[Richard
has also found nine. He quickly grabs a
small one and hides it in the sand.]]]
RICHARD: I only found eight.
LILLI: The winner is me! Where’s my prize?
[[[Richard
dives off a home-made boat into the ocean.
Stuck to a piece of coral at the bottom, near a large coral reef, he
finds the shell he’s looking for and brings it up.]]]
LILLI: Richard, you were down there so long! What were you doing?
RICHARD: You’ll see.
[[[He
climbs aboard, pries open the shell, rinses it’s contents off, and hands Lilli
a large, white pearl. She smiles
slowly.]]]
RICHARD: Your prize.
[[[Lilli
lies on a mat on the beach, wearing only a loincloth, with her hair over her
breasts. She holds the pearl up,
admiring it. Richard lays in a hammock
nearby, staring at her. His face looks
hurt and confused at the same time as it looks lovingly at her.]]]
[[[Lilli
and Richard now sit on the porch.
Richard is making a new fishing spear.
Lilli has put the pearl in a sort of comb to stick in her hair.]]]
LILLI: I’m gonna keep this forever.
RICHARD: Huh?
LILLI: My prize?
The white bead. I think. .
. It looks nice in my hair. Do you?
RICHARD: I don’t care what you do with it, or how you
wear it. You can hang it from your nose
for all I care.
[[[Unfazed,
Lilli gets up and heads into the hut.
Richard sees her go in and looks at her through a crack between the
walls. She stands in front of the
mirror and holds the hairpiece in her hair, and then jokingly in front of her
nose. She puts in down and looks around
to see if Richard is nearby. Then she
brushes her hair away from her breasts, touching and admiring them in the
mirror, and smiling. Richard gulps, and
looks guilty but fascinated.]]]
[[[Richard
stands on the reef with his new spear pacing and talking to the shark who swims
around him.]]]
RICHARD: Back and forth. Round and round! You
think this whole reef is yours! You
think you can swallow anything that swims.
You’d like to catch me, wouldn’t you?
But I was too fast for you, stupid sea-slug. I can beat you every time.
And if you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it!
[[[He
hurls his spear at the shark and dives into the water, swimming with fluid
motions like a fish with limbs, jetting forward with speed, ease, and
grace. He reaches another piece of the
reef and climbs on, safe. He stands and
cheers himself.]]]
RICHARD: Yahoo!
The master of the reef!
[[[Lilli
sits on the pier weaving a mat. Richard
jumps around her, relating his story just as a child would.]]]
RICHARD: The first time, he almost got me. But I was too fast for him. This time, he was lying in wait. So I dive in! And I can see down his mouth, there’s about five hundred teeth
with stripy little fish all around his gills, and he comes at me! Woosh!
Whap! He misses me! Stupid sea-slug.
[[[He
chuckles.]]]
LILLI: Seems silly to me.
RICHARD: Silly?!
It’s not silly. It’s dangerous.
LILLI:
(sharp) Exactly. That‘s why it’s
silly. I don’t understand why you have
to do it.
RICHARD: I like the way it makes me feel.
LILLI: What do you mean?
[[[He
points to his stomach.]]]
RICHARD: Inside here. It feels all alive, when I know I’m the MASTER of the reef.
LILLI:
(mocking) The master of the reef. The
master of the reef!
RICHARD:
(peeved) Hey don’t you ever make fun of me.
LILLI:
(not convincing) I’m sorry.
RICHARD: Besides, you’re the silly one. Always touching yourself and looking at
yourself.
LILLI:
(whispering) I don’t touch myself.
RICHARD: Yes you do.
You’re always touching THOSE when you look in the mirror.
LILLI: I‘m just measuring how much they’ve
grown. Besides, you shouldn’t be
looking at me when I’m naked!
[[[She
stands up and folds up the mat she was working on.]]]
RICHARD: Why not?
I used to see you naked all the time.
LILLI: Well it’s different now!
[[[She
stands up and stomps off a ways.]]]
RICHARD: Why?
LILLI: I don’t know! I don’t know why it’s different, but it is.
RICHARD: Lilli!
[[[She
stops and turns, looking fragile.]]]
RICHARD: I just wish things could be the way they
used to be, when we had fun. Remember
the see-saw she made us? The games we
used to play? Ring around the rosey.
[[[They
smile a bit. Lilli sets the mat aside
and gently, unsure, they take hands and dance around slowly in a circle.]]]
Both: Ring around the rosey, pockets full of
posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down!
Aah!
[[[They
fall on each other, laughing and rolling a bit in the sand, then get serious
looks on their faces. Richard slowly
starts to lean in, maybe to kiss her.
She rolls away and sits up on her elbows.]]]
LILLI: Richard?
RICHARD: Yes?
LILLI: Would you mind, if I moved my bed to another
part of the house?
RICHARD:
(pause) No. If you weren’t gonna do it,
I was.
[[[Morning. Richard sits outside the hut, strengthening
a rope he has made by heating it up and beating it with a rock. The noise wakes Lilli. She sits up and looks down at the bed,
startled. There is a spot of blood
where she was laying. She touches it,
then looks down and touches her loincloth, bringing her fingers up to her face
to be sure. She starts to whimper,
frightened. Then she remembers
something her mother told her, and calms down, smiling a little. She gathers up the bedding and heads down
the ladder and out the hut to wash it.
Richard follows her.]]]
[[[Lilli
sits in the lake, with the bedding spread out on a rock beside her. Richard pauses and comes into the water,
heading out toward her.]]]
LILLI: How long have you been there?!
RICHARD: I saw the blood on the quilt. Are you alright?
LILLI: Do you remember, what mother said would
happen when I became a woman?
RICHARD: Yes?
LILLI: Well, I’ve become one.
[[[She
smiles, happy and breezy. Richard
manages a small, unsure smile. He isn’t
sure whether this is a good thing or not.]]]
[[[Morning. Richard tosses and turns in his sleep with a
huge, dopey grin on his face.]]]
LILLI: Richard, wake up! Richard!
[[[She
comes into his side of the loft and shakes him, trying to pull the quilt off
after a moment.]]]
LILLI: Richard.
Richard wake up. Richard I can’t
sleep with my bed facing the wrong way.
Help me move it into a corner.
RICHARD:
(mumbles) I’m not awake.
LILLI: You ARE awake, c’mon!
RICHARD: No I’m not!
Stop it, let go, I’m not dressed!
LILLI: Wrap the quilt around you. C’mon!
[[[Richard
tries to keep himself covered as he wraps the quilt around his front, then
stands, bent over, and adjusts the quilt.]]]
LILLI: Richard, what’s wrong, you’re all humped
over.
RICHARD: Give me a minute.
[[[As
he adjusts the blanket, Lilli gets a glimpse of his privates. She gasps. Obviously something is “wrong” with him.]]]
LILLI: What happened to it?!
RICHARD: It gets that way all the time now.
LILLI: Well does it hurt.
RICHARD: No!
Lilli:
(amused) Well can you walk?
RICHARD: I can walk just fine. I can make it go away if I want to, too.
LILLI: How?
RICHARD: None of your business!
[[[She
starts trying to get a peek under the quilt.]]]
LILLI: If we start keeping secrets from each other
nothing’s ever gonna be the same.
RICHARD: Nothing’s the same around here anyway! Nothing’s the way it used to be! C’mon, let’s move your stupid bed.
[[[Lilli
just sits there, shocked with the anger in his voice. Richard runs across the roof’s veranda and into Lilli’s side of
the loft. He moves the pillow to the
other side of the bed and pulls the blanket down and smoothes it out. He walks out, shaking his head and rolling
his eyes.]]]
[[[Lilli
sits at her mother’s grave, spilling her heart and asking for advice.]]]
LILLI: Mother.
I don’t know what to do. He’s
changed. I’ve changed. Everything’s so confusing.
[[[She
hears a noise and turns. Richard is
leaning against a tree, contemptuous.]]]
LILLI: I’m tired of you always snooping on me! Go ‘way!
RICHARD: And I‘m sick of you always telling me to go
away.
[[[She
stands up and goes over to him. He
jumps up and leaves after she speaks again.]]]
LILLI: Go ‘way Richard, I mean it!
RICHARD: Fine, I’m going, and I‘m gonna go to where
I’ve always wanted to go, to the north side of the island!
LILLI: No you can‘t do that, you KNOW we’re in a
full moon!
RICHARD: I can do whatever I wanna do!
LILLI: No you can‘t, it’s a rule!
RICHARD: It’s not my rule, it was her rule! She wasn’t even my real mother anyway!
LILLI: She loved you like she was your real mother!
RICHARD: I don’t care! I’m sick of her rules, and I‘m sick of your rules. From now on I can do whatever I wanna do. I’m old enough, I can go wherever I wanna
go, and come home when I want to.
[[[He
leaves. Lilli looks after him in
shock.]]]
[[[Evening. Richard makes his way through a very muddy
forest. There is a layer of mud on him
up to his thighs, and it looks like he’s wearing stockings. He comes to a place where bones are hung
from trees and piled on and around towers.
He looks a bit frightened. A
tower crumbles as he walks by. He approaches
a giant stone head with a snake on it, hissing at him. He hears chanting and looks around for it’s
source. A group of chanting native
cannibals are approaching this place, their sacred ground. He runs away, until he reaches more
mud. He pauses, unsure, then covers
himself with mud and lies between two trees, waiting for nightfall.]]]
[[[Lilli
sits in the hut, slicing a banana. She
hears the cannibal’s drums and looks around.]]]
[[[The
mud has dried on Richard, and he watches the cannibals. Just as he is covered in brown paint, they
are covered in white paint. One chants
and holds up a human heart as an offering to their gods.]]]
[[[Lilli
has had enough. She gets up and leaves
the hut.]]]
[[[The
ceremony is over and all but one cannibal have gone. The last uses a brush to clean up the site, then leaves. Richard approaches a statue. He picks up a spear just as a lone cannibal
approaches the grove. Both stop,
unsure. Richard puts the spear down and
spreads his arms as a friendly gesture, smiling. The cannibal, very nervous, smiles also, a toothless smile, and
laughs a frightened, noiseless laugh.
Richard moves aside and lets the cannibal pass. He uses the spear to pick up the offering,
which falls. He touches the tip of the
spear, then runs off, sickened. As he
runs out of the forest, Lilli approaches.
She stops short and gasps, seeing the bloody spear and Richard covered
in dried mud.]]]
LILLI: Richard!
Richard! What happened? What have you done?
RICHARD: Had to hide.
LILLI: Oh!
RICHARD: There were all these heathens. They danced all around me but they didn’t
see me. If they had I’d have been dead.
[[[They
go into the ocean to wash him off.]]]
RICHARD: There was this one heathen. And at first I wanted to kill him, but then
I didn’t want to kill him, and then. . .
I couldn’t kill him.
LILLI: Well then he saw you! He’ll tell the others!
RICHARD: No.
I let him go, in peace.
LILLI: I hope you’re right. Oh Richard, I’m so glad you‘re not
hurt! I thought I‘d never see you
again! I never want us to fight
again! Ever!
RICHARD: Me neither.
[[[They
clasp hands and hug, cheek-to-cheek.]]]
RICHARD: Lilli?
LILLI: Yes?
RICHARD: Friends?
LILLI: Oh, yes. Always.
[[[They
kiss each others cheeks, and their lips brush against each others, gently. They kiss again, on the lips. Tenderly, then with more passion, pent up
for years. They sink down to their
necks in water and embrace.]]]
RICHARD:
(whispering) I feel like crying.
LILLI:
(whispering) So do I.
RICHARD: I want us to be husband and wife.
LILLI: Yes.
[[[They
kiss again.]]]
[[[Daytime
on the hilltop. They exchange rings
made of wood. Lilli wears a crown of
flowers with strips of cloth hanging from it.
A strong wind blows around them.]]]
RICHARD: With this ring, I thee wed.
LILLI: With this ring, I thee wed, Richard.
BOTH: Amen.
LILLI: And now we’re. . .
RICHARD: Husband and wife. Forever.
[[[They
kiss.]]]
[[[Musical
montage. They chase each other down the
beach and fall in the sand. They make
love with the ocean rushing in around them, passionately. They swim together under water, embracing
and chasing each other. They hug under
a waterfall, and slide together down another and kiss at the bottom. They laze around together in the boat, and sleep
together in the sand. Pure bliss. Nothing in this world can touch the love
they share. They are complete. They fish off the pier. Lilli tosses a fishing net. End montage.]]]
[[[Now
comfortable with him, Lilli wears only a loincloth without shame. A large necklace adorns her. They sit together on the beach weaving a
fishing net. Lilli looks up, gasps, and
stands.]]]
LILLI: Look!
[[[Richard
stands, and Lilli runs into the house and grabs the telescope.]]]
RICHARD: Lilli, hurry! The signal fire!
[[[They
run up the hill and at the signal fire, they start rebuilding the tower. A ship approaches, looking as though it
might stop in the cove. Lilli looks at
it through the telescope.]]]
LILLI: Richard, what if they‘re heathens? I’m frightened!
RICHARD: Well maybe we shouldn’t light the signal
fire. Let’s see who they are first.
[[[Richard
looks at the ship through the telescope.
They run down the hill to a better vantage point. He looks again through the telescope. The ship has launched a dinghy full of
people, including a young woman.]]]
RICHARD: There’s eight people. The only in the light covering, MAY be a
woman..
LILLI:
(excited) Woman?
[[[She
takes the scope from him and looks.
They move down to a point behind some rocks on the beach and watch as
the dinghy comes ashore. One man,
Quinlan, carries a line up to secure the boat with. Four native sailors and another white man, Giddens, come
ashore. Two of the native sailors lift
the captain of the ship up, and deposit him on dry land. He is incredibly tall and carries a
telescope of his own. Giddens and
Quinlan, both average-looking sailors, each get a rifle from the boat. Only the woman stays in the boat. Richard and Lilli come out from behind the
rocks. Lilli holds the telescope, and
Richard holds up a spear, poised to through at the first sign of danger. The captain notices them and starts.]]]
CAPTAIN: Keep them in your sights. They may not be civilized.
RICHARD: Civilized.
C-I-V-I-L-I-Z-I-D.
LILLI:
(whispering) Remember what mother said about a good, firm handshake.
[[[Richard
jams his spear in the ground and extends his hand for a shake.]]]
RICHARD: My name is Richard. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.
[[[The
captain shakes his hand, and pulls it away, shaking the pain out of it. Richard apparently has a good grasp.]]]
LILLI: I’m Lilli, and I’m ready for you to take us
back to civilization.
[[[She
tries a curtsy, but is clumsy from lack of practice and from never wearing a
skirt. The captain looks a bit
confused, but shakes it off.]]]
CAPTAIN: What?
I am captain Jacob Hilliard, master of the ‘Trade Wind,’ and we- Is this
your land?
RICHARD: Yes. My house is there.
[[[He
points down the beach.]]]
CAPTAIN: Well, we’re in need of fresh water. Our casks are fouled. (slowly) Will you
grant us permission to come ashore?
RICHARD:
(slowly) Yes. You are welcome here.
CAPTAIN: If- If you don’t mind covering yourself,
I‘ll get my daughter.
RICHARD: Does that binding around your neck choke
you?
[[[The
captain feels his collar, and Lilli touches it, curious.]]]
CAPTAIN: No, no, certainly not. Uh, well, uh yes, sometimes. (flustered) I’d,
uh, appreciate it if you’d, uh-
[[[He
flaps his hands and walks away, frustrated.
The sailors look at Richard and Lilli, grinning.]]]
RICHARD: How do you catch fish with that spear?
QUINLAN: It‘s not a spear, mate.
RICHARD: What is it?
QUINLAN: It’s a rifle. Blow a man’s head right of his shoulders.
[[[One
of the native sailors helps the captains daughter, Sylvia, onto land. She‘s beautiful, with brown hair and pale
skin, well-done make-up, and a nice dress.]]]
SYLVIA: Castaways!
How exciting!
CAPTAIN: They seem to be an odd mixture of knowledge
and ignorance. Oh, and uh, their attire
is a little bit- well it’s quite. . .
sparse.
SYLVIA: Oh!
[[[They
approach. Lilli a bit and stares at
ribbons around Sylvia’s waist. She
looks at them both curiously.]]]
SYLVIA: Is anything wrong?
LILLI: The color!
It’s the same as the sky!
SYLVIA: Pure silk.
[[[She
takes two of the ribbons from the bundle around her waist and hands them to
Richard and Lilli.]]]
SYLVIA: With my compliments. And one for your brother.
LILLI: Oh, he’s not my brother. He’s my husband.
SYLVIA: Your husband?!
[[[Lilli
and Richard are absorbed in the ribbons.
Sylvia looks at her father, who raises his eyebrows skeptically.]]]
[[[They
all stand on the hilltop by Sarah’s grave.
Lilli holds flowers.]]]
LILLI: Mother died six years ago.
CAPTAIN: How do you follow the years?
[[[As
Richard speaks, Sylvia stares at him with a calculating smirk on her face.]]]
RICHARD: She taught us. We count the moons, we know that twelve full moons are one year.
LILLI: We have Christmas and Thanksgiving, and
Easter, although we’re not exactly sure we celebrate them on the right days.
[[[Quinlan
stares at her, admiring her beauty, with a look just as plotting as
Sylvia’s.]]]
CAPTAIN: It’s utterly amazing, the two of you all
these years in this remote, God-forsaken place.
LILLI: Not God-forsaken, Captain Hilliard. Not God-forsaken at all.
[[[Evening. Richard, Lilli, Sylvia, and the Captain sit
at the table.]]]
CAPTAIN: Mmm, you DO set an excellent table. My compliments to the chef. Look Sylvia, they’ve fashioned their own
dinnerware. Cups, soupspoons. . . Ingenious.
[[[Sylvia
takes a sip of her soup and mm’s her appreciation. Lilli gets a bowl and spoon and ladles some soup for Quinlan.]]]
RICHARD: Won’t Mr. Quinlan be joining us?
CAPTAIN: Mr. Quinlan is a seafarer, and prefers to be
by himself. It’s plain to see why
you’ve been lost for so long. The
charts don’t even show this island.
SYLVIA: It’s a wonder we found you.
[[[Lilli
hands Quinlan his soup. He waggles his
tongue at her suggestively. She doesn’t
know what to make of it. so she turns and sits down at the table.]]]
RICHARD: Heathens come to the north side of the
island. At certain times. There’s a burial ground there.
SYLVIA: This is ever so tasty. A great treat from the slop we have to eat
on the ship. What is it?
LILLI: Eel broth.
SYLVIA: Eel?!
[[[Quinlan
chuckles. Lilli tries to fix her
mistake.]]]
LILLI: Well, only the broth is eel! The little white chunks, are sea-urchin.
[[[Quinlan
stares at her, and as she turns her head, the pearl glints in the light. He stares intently at it.]]]
CAPTAIN: We appreciate your hospitality and hope that
you’ll offer us the opportunity to repay you.
RICHARD: You can.
You can take us with you, back to civilization.
SYLVIA: I should think! It must be awfully boring here.
RICHARD: What is the meaning of boring?
SYLVIA: Well, boring’s when. . . You have nothing whatever to do. So you’re bored, like you must be here.
RICHARD:
(pondering) No. (suggestive) We’re never bored!
[[[He
and Lilli grin at each other across the table.]]]
[[[Morning
in the hut. Lilli and Richard stand by
the table as the captain sets garments down for them. Sylvia stands off to the side.]]]
CAPTAIN: Boots, and a shirt, and uh, coat and
trousers. I’ll let Sylvia explain the
female garments. Well. . . Carry on.
[[[Lilli
goes around to her pile of clothes.
Richard fiddles with his things.]]]
LILLI: Buttons!
I remember buttons on mother’s dress!
SYLVIA: It’s Irish lace. Richard, you’ll have to turn your head. I’m going to show Lillian a foundation garment.
[[[He
takes his things and walks a few feet away.]]]
SYLVIA:
(quieter) Although I daresay there isn‘t much you haven’t seen.
[[[Richard
begins to try and get dressed. Sylvia
goes to Lilli and takes a girdle from the pile of clothes and hands it to
her. Lilli places it against
herself.]]]
LILLI: Oh.
Well what does it do?
SYLVIA: It goes around the waist, like this. And then cinch the drawstrings. Don’t look yet, Richard. I’m showing Lillian my secrets.
[[[He
peers around then and then goes back to his trousers. Sylvia picks up a box and opens it, showing it to Lilli.]]]
SYLVIA: Look. This is filled with blush, and these
are silver.
[[[Lilli
is fascinated and in awe as she touches these strange new objects.]]]
LILLI: So smooth!
[[[Sylvia
takes out the top tray and sets it aside, then takes some things out from the
bottom compartment.
SYLVIA: Hairbrush and comb. Powder-puff.
[[[She
taps Lilli’s nose with it. She jumps,
startled, and grins.]]]
SYLVIA: And rouge, and powder. Lavender water. Musgrove’s perfume, and a hand-mirror. You’re very pretty.
Except for the hue of your skin, but we can fix that.
LILLI:
(concerned) What’s wrong with my skin?
SYLVIA: Well the sun has tainted it all brown. We’ll have to lighten it with lemon juice.
LILLI: Why?
SYLVIA: Well you don’t want people in San Francisco
to think you’re a field hand, do you?
LILLI: Oh.
No.
[[[Sylvia
sprays some perfume on Lilli, giggling.
Lilli scrunches up of face when Sylvia turns. She sprays some on Richard, who has put his shirt on backwards
and his jacket on crooked.]]]
RICHARD: Ugh!
Worse than fish fat!
SYLVIA:
(offended) It’s quite costly!
RICHARD: Ugh.
SYLVIA: Well, look at you. (amused) You do look
handsome in your boulevard suit. (quietly) So handsome.
[[[On
the beach, lots of supplies from the ship have been set up, and more sailors,
mostly native islanders, have been brought ashore. Lilli, now “properly dressed,” carries a basket and follows
Richard, whose clothes have been fixed, as he helps carry a barrel tied to a
piece of bamboo.]]]
[[[At
the waterfall, some sailors are filling or sealing barrels. Everyone suffers from the heat of the day. Sylvia fans herself with a book. The captain occasionally wipes his face with
his handkerchief. Lilli and Richard
start to take off their clothes to go swimming. Sylvia and Quinlan catch sight and watch their respective
interests. Richard takes off everything
but his loincloth. When Lilli gets down
to her undershirt and slip, the captain frowns at her, so she dives in as she
is. They swim around, enjoying the
water. Lilli’s wet underclothes leave
nothing to the imagination.]]]
[[[Night-time. Sylvia looks in the mirror, smiling to
herself, then turns to Richard, who stands behind her.]]]
SYLVIA: Do you think I’ve applied to much rouge,
Richard?
RICHARD: No.
I think it’s beautiful.
SYLVIA: Well, thank-you kind sir.
[[[She
saunters toward him, smiling, but stops in her tracks and turns a bit when
Lilli walks in with a basket of flowers and sets it down.]]]
SYLVIA: Well.
Now I‘m all powder and paint with nothing to do, as usual.
LILLI: Oh, well we could go outside and
count stars.
SYLVIA: Is that what you do here at night? Count stars?
RICHARD: Sometimes we count stars. Sometimes I play my whistle and we
sing. Sometimes we mate, sometimes we
sleep.
SYLVIA: Mate?
RICHARD: Yes.
SYLVIA:
(curious) Do you, MATE, often?
RICHARD: Whenever we want to.
SYLVIA: Just like that?
RICHARD: Yes.
LILLI: Well sometimes we dance. I love to dance! C’mon Richard, let’s show Sylvia how we dance!
[[[She
takes his hands and skips around in a circle with him. Sylvia approaches, arms folded
contemptuously.]]]
BOTH: Ring around the rosey, a pocket full of
posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!
[[[They
fall down, laughing, then stand up.]]]
LILLI: C’mon Sylvia, you try it!
SYLVIA: I don’t call that a dance! It’s childish, and simple-minded.
RICHARD: What do you mean?
SYLVIA: GROWN people don’t dance like that!
LILLI: Oh, maybe we should learn a grown-up dance
for San Francisco.
SYLVIA: I shall teach you!
LILLI: Oh, will you?!
[[[Lilli
reaches out for Sylvia’s hands, but Sylvia takes the opportunity to get close
to Richard and moves his hands in the proper position, then dances him around
the room, showing him how to move his feet.]]]
SYLVIA: It’s like this. It’s a bit naughty, it’s called the Spanish Polka. Duh-duh-dum! Duh-duh-dum!
Duh-duh-dum! Duh-duh-dum! Spirit’s willing, flesh is weak, kiss me
darling, on the cheek!
[[[He
does. They both laugh. Lilli looks hurt and confused.]]]
SYLVIA: Now, do it slow. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, You’re a beautiful dancer Richard. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3. . .
[[[She
dances him slowly around the room.
Lilli’s had enough. She runs out
of the hut, brushing them out of positing as she does.]]]
SYLVIA: Lillian’s gonna have to brush up on her
manners! It’s not polite to leave your
guests in the middle of a lesson! Well
we’re sorry, but she’ll just have to wait her turn.
[[[She
takes his arms and continues “1-2-3”-ing him around the room.]]]
[[[Later
that night, Lilli sits up in bed, and Richard sits nearby undressing.]]]
RICHARD: She’s gonna teach me how to “mezerka.” As soon as I get it right, I’ll show you.
LILLI: You lied to me.
RICHARD: When did I lie to you?
LILLI: You told me once, that you’d never hurt me.
RICHARD:
(concerned) How did I hurt you?
LILLI: You always stare at her, it hurts me.
RICHARD: I’m sorry.
It’s just that she’s so different.
LILLI: In what way?
RICHARD: Well just look at her. The way she’s all covered up.
LILLI:
(harsh) But you said you found all those clothes stupid and unnecessary!
RICHARD: I do.
It‘s just. . . I wonder what she
looks like underneath all of them.
LILLI: You mean, you want to look at her, because
you can’t see her?
RICHARD: Yes.
[[[He
climbs over next to her and takes her hand, playing with it.]]]
RICHARD: You remember when I wanted to go to the
north side of the island just because I couldn’t?
LILLI: Yes I do.
[[[She
takes her hand away and turns to him sharply.]]]
LILLI:
(harsh) And I also remember what almost happened to you when you DID go! Goodnight, Richard.
[[[She
lays down and turns away from him.
After a moment, he lays down and stares at the ceiling.]]]
[[[Morning. Lilli stands in front of the mirror with the
containers of Easter-egg paint in front of her. She wears a piece of cloth wrapped around her like a short toga. Uncertainly, she dips her fingers in in the
paint and taps them on her cheek, smudging it in. She taps the other cheek, and smudges it again, then taps her
lips and smudges again. Richard comes
downstairs. She turns to him
shyly. He looks at her. She hasn’t done the “make-up” right and
looks funny.]]]
RICHARD: What have you done to yourself?
LILLI: Don’t you like it?
RICHARD: No.
Wash it off.
LILLI: You don’t like it on me, but you love it on
Sylvia.
RICHARD: Please Lilli, let’s not
fight. We promised we’d never fight.
[[[He
holds a piece of fruit up for her. She
bats it away.]]]
RICHARD: You never eat breakfast anymore, are you
sick?
SYLVIA:
(outside) Richard? Richard, I’m ready
for my lesson now!
RICHARD: I promised to teach her how to fish.
[[[He
leaves. Lilli sighs and touches her
mouth, looking at her paint-stained fingers.
She turns and runs through the jungle, covering her face. At the waterfall, she washers herself. The “toga” sits on a rock nearby. Quinlan watches her with interest.]]]
[[[Out
in the boat, Sylvia sits on the seat with a parasol up, while Richard looks out
to sea.]]]
SYLVIA: Here we are together. Out in the middle of a beautiful fish-pond,
in plain view of everyone. So
respectable. But look at this, kind
sir. All we have to do is lower our
heads. And we’re completely hidden from
prying eyes.
[[[She
sits in the bottom of the boat and folds up her parasol. She holds a hand up to him and he takes it,
stepping down.]]]
SYLVIA: SO we can do whatever we want.
[[[She
lays down in the boat, and he joins her.
She wraps an arm around him.]]]
[[[Lilli
finishes bathing and swims to the edge of the pond. Quinlan gets up and heads down to her. He carries his rifle. She
covers herself with the toga when she sees him.]]]
QUINLAN: Lovely you.
LILLI: Get out of here!
QUINLAN:
(chuckling) Aw, c’mon, don’t be like that.
LILLI: Richard!
QUINLAN:
(louder) RICHARD!!! He’ll never hear
you. He’ll be out playing games with
Miss Sylvia for hours.
[[[She
scampers off, whimpering Richard’s name.
He catches her by the hair.]]]
QUINLAN: Ah, but you’re missing something. Where’s your lovely pearl?
LILLI: I don’t know what you mean!
QUINLAN: The little white bead that you wear in your
hair! Where is it?
LILLI: It’s back at the house.
[[[Richard
and Sylvia still lay there in the boat.]]]
RICHARD: Lilli.
SYLVIA: It’s no time to be thinking about Lilli!
RICHARD: I told her I’d never hurt her.
[[[They
sit up.]]]
SYLVIA: Don’t feel sorry for her, Richard. She‘s had you all to herself. But she doesn’t own you. You’re not married.
RICHARD: We are!
SYLVIA: But not really. A lot of made up words in the middle of the jungle doesn‘t count.
RICHARD: It does to me.
[[[He
gets up and sits on the seat. She
scoots over to him and puts her hands on his knee, smiling.]]]
SYLVIA: Why don’t you just. . . Follow your heart?
RICHARD: She IS my heart.
[[[Sylvia’s
smile drops and she slaps him he looks at her angrily.]]]
[[[At
the house, Lilli cries as Quinlan rips through her and Richard’s belongings.]]]
Quinlan: Where is it?!
[[[Richard
jumps out of the boat and onto the reef, heading for shore.]]]
SYLVIA: You can’t just leave me here! It’s very rude behavior! You’ll never fit in civilized society! Richard!
[[[She
throws a shirt out after him. He runs
on to land and past the sailors on the beach.]]]
[[[Quinlan
continues tearing through their things, and then finds the pearl. He rubs it on his tooth to see if it’s real,
then turns to Lilli. He has her pinned
to the bed on her stomach. He tosses
his hat away and leans toward her.
Richard runs in and throws him off her.]]]
RICHARD: Get away from her!
[[[They
exchange blows and Quinlan picks up his rifle. Lilli tackles him as he shoots.
The shot grazes Richard’s arm, and he screams loudly, grabbing the
wound.]]]
[[[On
the beach, the sailors look up at the noise.]]]
GIDDENS: Back at the house!
CAPTAIN: Get the other rifle, quickly!
GIDDENS: Gimme that rifle, quick!
[[[All
the sailors run towards the hut.]]]
[[[Quinlan
drops the gun to the bottom level of the house. He goes after it, but Richard tackles him away. Quinlan grabs a spear and thrusts it at
Richard.]]]
LILLI: No don’t!
[[[He
throws the spear and misses. Richard
picks up the rifle and holds it upside-down, jabbing it at Quinlan.]]]
LILLI: Get him!
Get him!
[[[Quinlan
grabs it from him.]]]
LILLI: Look out!
No!
[[[She
tosses a blanket on Quinlan’s head before he can shoot.]]]
LILLI: No!
[[[Richard
and Quinlan go through the wall. The
sailors gather outside. Quinlan pins
Richard to the porch, choking him with the gun.]]]
LILLI: Richard!
Help us!
GIDDENS: Quinlan, you’re killing him!
CAPTAIN: Alright Quinlan, that’s enough. You heard me, I said enough.
[[[Giddens
runs up to him and grabs his hair.]]]
GIDDENS: Quinlan!
Quinlan, get off him!
QUINLAN: Keep out of this, Giddens, I’ll take his
bloody head off!
CAPTAIN: Put that down!
[[[Quinlan
stands and points the rifle at Giddens.]]]
QUINLAN: Bugger off!
GIDDENS: You heard the captain, drop that or you’ll
answer to mutiny!
[[[Quinlan
hits Giddens with the rifle, knocking him out.
Richard runs off. Quinlan shoots
at him and chases him down the beach.]]]
CAPTAIN: I said put that down!
LILLI: No!
Richard!
[[[Richard
runs out on the reef, and Quinlan follows.
He shoots and misses, then continues on, and shoots and misses
again. He falls and scrapes his face on
the reef, then stands to shoot, but the rifle won’t fire. He runs after anyway. A shark swims in the channel between
sections of the reef. Richard dives in
the water. Quinlan throws the rifle at
him, then jumps in. He can barely
swim. Richard takes long, fluid
strokes. He stops long enough to take
the pants off, then keeps going. He
makes it safely to the other side.
Quinlan catches sight of the shark, and takes a knife out. The shark disappears, then bites him by the
chest. Quinlan screams as the shark
tosses him into the air and then bubbles rise as he is dragged down. The knife falls to the reef with a clank.]]]
[[[Later,
Lilli, now dressed, sits on a swing by the pier. Richard kneels near her.
His arm is bandaged.]]]
RICHARD: Are you alright?
LILLI:
(slightly hoarse) I’m fine. I always
weather a storm well. I get that from
mother.
RICHARD: Yes, you do. Captain Hilliard says he wants
to set sail at dawn.
LILLI:
(sad) I guess that means captain Hilliard’s DAUGHTER wants to set sail at dawn.
RICHARD: I don’t care what she wants. I don’t care about her at all, I know that
now Lilli. Do you understand you’re the
most important thing in the whole world to me.
LILLI: Well you can set sail at dawn. . . But we’re not going.
RICHARD: You‘re not making sense.
LILLI: Do you remember, that lullaby she used to
sing us?
[[[She
sings a few lines.]]]
RICHARD: Yes.
LILLI: Will you teach me to play it on this?
[[[She
hands Richard a whistle. He looks at
her, smiling suspiciously.]]]
RICHARD: Why?
LILLI: I’m going to have use for it. There’s a baby growing inside me.
RICHARD: How do you know?
LILLI:
(smiling) A woman knows these things, that’s how.
RICHARD:
(excited) Lilli!
LILLI:
(serious) I won’t let it be born in civilization. I want it to be born RIGHT HERE, where there’s no evil, and no
lies, and no guns.
RICHARD: You’re right. We’ll stay here. Just the
three of us. I love you, Lilli.
[[[She
smiles at him.]]]
[[[Musical
montage. The ship sails off into the
sunrise. Richard and Lilli stand on the
beach in each other’s arms, watching it go with no regrets. They walk down the beach during the day,
Lilli wearing a hat, and hugging. They
swim together happily. A baby girl with
blond hair joins them. They spin her
around in the air, enjoying life. They
are complete.]]]
[[[Sunset. The movie ends. The song “A World Of Our Own,” sung by Surface featuring Bernard
Jackson, plays along with the credits, over a shot of the sunset.]]]
A
World of Our Own
Somewhere,
a dream away
There
is a better place, a brighter day
Somewhere
that's safe
Somewhere
that's free
Where
we can be together
So
just close your eyes
And
let me take you there
To
somewhere only dreamers ever go
It
won't be just a fantasy (oh, no)
If
you believe with me
The
two of us all alone
In
a world of our own
A
world of our own
Where
we know we belong
A
world of our own
Where
love is sure and strong
Can
never die
And
lovers never say goodbye
Someday,
a light will shine
And
there will come a time that's yours and mine
A
time so sweet
So
clear and true
We'll
see right to forever
So
just close your eyes
And
let me take you there
To
somewhere only dreamers ever go
It
won't be just a fantasy (oh, no)
If
you believe with me
The
two of us all alone
In
a world of our own
A
world of our own
Where
we know we belong
A
world of our own
Where
love is sure and strong
Can
never die
And you and I won't ever say goodbye