Crimes of Passion (1984)

My name is Barry Sandler. I am sitting here with Ken Russell, the director of Crimes of Passion. I wrote the screenplay, and we were here to discuss the genesis of the film and how Ken perceived many of the scenes and how we worked together. And we're just going to take a look at the movie now. We started out with a group therapy session in which the hero of the movie, Bobby Grady, comes full circle from the beginning to the end. Hey, did you notice the music was by Rick Wakeman? One of the great English pop... Yeah, well, he was with the group. What was the group he was with originally? Well, he... God knows, but he's had his own group for years. But he's very good at doing symphonic rock, or he was. God knows what he's up to now. And I gave him this theme of... vorjax new world symphony and uh it it's very the film is variations the music in the film is variations on vorjax new world symphony you guys you all think you're the victim hey wait a minute and of course new world released released the movie but they didn't know it was simple you know never heard of symphony never heard of Anyway, don't forget, you said this film was bookended by this therapy session, but don't you remember that there wasn't one at the end? No, we had to shoot it. We had a preview in Chicago. No, San Francisco. San Francisco, right. And the audience wondered what happened to the characters, the two main characters, and we said, well, that's not really the point of the movie, but since it seemed to squash some of their enjoyment, we thought, well, no, I mean... having another therapy session, summing it all up, which is what we did. So here's a guy who's very constrained and very repressed, and we set him up. Yeah, suburbia, living in American suburbia with his sort of middle-class wife and his middle-class children and his middle-class house, wondering why, you know, he's unfulfilled. And he's about to meet the woman who will change his life. Change his life. We're all waiting to meet the woman or man that will change our lives. Actually, yes, he does. He also meets a man who changes his life too. That's right. Yes. Mr. Anthony Perkins. Indeed. I must say how wonderful Perkins was. He plays this sort of street priest and His clothes looked as though they were slept in, and indeed he used to take them home every night, I remember. And sleep in them. And sleep in them. Yes, he did. Right. Oh, there she is. Oh, there she is. Blondie. Gosh. What glamour. We couldn't use Miss America in this scene. No, because it was copyright, I believe. Yeah, yeah. So what do we call her? Miss Liberty. Miss Liberty. It's better anyway, isn't it? Yeah. Liberty Bell. Now, she's actually sitting in a gynecologist's chair, as any doctor would know. And she's just about to be sucked off by Grady, isn't it? No, well, that's later in the movie. Oh, it's later. This is just one of her tricks, right? One of her tricks. He's really up to his eyes in trouble. Right. Actually, she's had a child since then, so that was good practice, wasn't it? Isn't that right? Yeah, she did. But she loved doing these scenes. She loved them. She loved opening her legs. I mean... And she is great in the movie. She is wonderful. I think it's the best film. I think it's one of my best films, and I think it's certainly your best film. Indeed it is. Indeed. A combined effort. Now, I think there's a scene coming up, this scene where there's oral sex coming up, Oh, it's... Or is that later? No, this is it. This is... Yeah, I remember asking her what flavor. Oh, right. The yogurt. For the yogurt. Yeah. Whether it was banana or lemon. Which was it? I think it was lemon. And I remember that when I said, you know, you need to give a good hearty swallow. Would you like mussels or winkles? She slapped my face. But she was a great sport. She was a great sport. She went for everything. She did go for it. Yeah, she did go for it. And... Now this was a special effect. This man was in great demand after this scene. He never looked back. But little did the audience know that inside there was nothing but a broom handle, and I was on the end of the broom handle, giving it a bit of that. I can't think what that's doing there now, but I'm sure there was a good reason for it. A bit of Aubrey Beardsley eroticism.

Incredible it would have been. Yes, it would have indeed. Yes. Now, here we're going to be introduced to the villain. None other than... That's not him. That's not him, no. No, he's an extra. That's not him either. No, but we're working up to him, as you can see. And... Oh, that's not him, the invisible man. No, that's not him. There... He is the one and only Anthony, give it to me, Sniffwise Perkins. Now, I got this idea from Munich. I don't know if they actually have them here. They're that disgusting. So this is into cutting two of the protagonists in the film. And here's a very happy man. Now, I saw a similar scene in a film. um not weather report what was it um to die for yes where she a similar situation was in hand yeah and she was doing the same thing but her lips were as dry as bones oh ah you do you remember that scene yes yeah so she was having oral sex with the guy but there was no sign of him well there you are that was the lemon yogurt

You see, and the gargle was very good, wasn't it? Yeah. Photographed by Dick Bush. who I used to work with on the BBC doing lots of documentaries. And it had a garish look, which we went for, really. In these scenes with China Blue, because the stuff with Grady was a whole naturalistic look. Yes, it was. Yes, these are heightened. Also, you know, to give a credence, there are neon lights outside the window. It's supposed to be downtown in the district with lots of neon lights.

What accent would that be? She had a different accent for each... Oh, that's right, for each character she portrayed, yes. Gargling with scotch. The worst things to gargle with. And there he is. Psycho 17. That was real, whatever it is people sniff. Amyl nitrate. Yeah, it was real. It was real amyl nitrate. Yeah, he never... He's never had such a good time on a movie. No, no, I know. And we did take after take after take. At his insistence, right? Sniff after sniff. I had one sniff once. He said it was to heighten sexual experience. Actually, it nearly put me away for good. I never had sex again. Now, this was downtown L.A., wasn't it? Hollywood? Yeah, Hollywood, yeah. WERE THESE REAL PEOPLE OR EXTRAS? I SUPPOSE THEY WERE EXTRAS. NO, THEY WERE EXTRAS, YEAH. THEY HAD SOME FRIENDS COME AND BE EXTRAS FOR THAT NIGHT. RIGHT. THEY WERE USED TO IT, THOUGH. YEAH, YEAH. HERE'S A BIT OF VORGE ART CREEPING IN ON HIS OWN TRACK. Now, he wasn't going to be a preacher, was he, in your first... No, in the first draft he was a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist and a film buff, if I remember. He had posters up. Did he not? Yeah, and we had lunch that day. Here she comes, dynamite. He had done Equus on Broadway and just played the psychiatrist, so he came up with the concept of the preacher. Well, I'd seen, since I was in America... quite a few shows of those sort of medicine men preachers, you know, full of crap. Yeah. And I was amazed what power they seemed to have over their flock. And so we changed the character to a typical American Bible puncher. Yeah, it was the era of the Jimmy Swagger. Yes, that's right. Tammy Faye and Jim Baker and all that. Yeah, yeah.

the lighting effect is yes yeah yeah and all the time we're getting themes from the new world symphony i think they made some remarks and they weren't very good so we cut them out now this is grady's place where he his little business security business i think Yeah, home security. Now, these two characters, the hero there and his sidekick, his mate, his friend, I was thinking one time they should be changing their roles, wasn't they? Yeah, in terms of the actors, yeah. Yeah, yeah, but I'm glad we didn't because it turned out to be all for the best. Bruce is good, though. He's really... He's very good indeed, yes. And John as well. This is John's first movie, actually. I know. Very good job.

This was a real shop, wasn't it? Off a shopping mall. It was a mall right off of Hollywood Boulevard. No, right off of Franklin, actually. Tiny. Some of it was done in the studio, wasn't it? In some one location. Yeah. Can't remember what. No, sort of half and half. Yeah, yeah. China Blues Bedroom was certainly studio. But there you are. So you see the actual face-up side. There she goes, motoring along. I remember Ruth Myers, who designed her dress with me. We got the design out of a Sears Roebuck catalogue. We copied it exactly, as far as I remember.

Was this on Hollywood Boulevard? Yeah, it was down east of Hollywood Boulevard. And then we dressed the set, I remember, too. A good pop. That's what she's about to get. Nicely put. As the garish life, yeah. Who's there? Now she's doing the dumb dumb line. That's right, yeah. Sinister room. Yes, there's the older. Here we are with Bojack again.

Yeah, a little bit of Oriental eroticism. Yes, and the ratings board. Oh, yeah, didn't they cut that out? Yeah, they didn't want that in there. I don't know why. But anyone, any bookshop has those. In fact, I got them from a local bookshop on Oriental art. So Kit can wander in a bookshop and see them, but he's not allowed to see them on a screen, even for a few seconds, whereas in the bookshop, he can pore over them for hours on end if he wants. How many times did you have to recut the film to get it down to an hour? Like about five or six times? Yeah, and then it was taken away finally and cut by the projectionist and the company lawyer, as far as I remember. It looked like it, too. So this is the original? This is the original. This is your cut. Gosh, that lighting is good. I'd forgotten how good it was.

It's all part of her fantasy now. We worked on the script for some time, and as new ideas came, we fed them into the... Yeah. And, uh... Barry's found a computer brain. Yeah, and it was a great experience. Directors don't respect the written word as much as you do, most directors. Yeah, but most writers don't write the written word as well. The dialogue's brilliant in this. I think it's some of the most brilliant dialogue of any film of its type. It's absolutely fabulous. And the actors were pretty good about keeping to the script. They did. I don't think there was any ad-libbing at all. I don't remember any. Not that I'm against it if it's good, but they didn't need to because they couldn't do better. Did you rehearse? You didn't rehearse that much. No, I don't believe in over-rehearsing. It gets stale. I really do find that. I mean, it's important to work out the choreography of where they're standing, where they're going, but to keep on... Especially with... I mean, it depends on the actors, but these were terribly good actors. Yes. Do you remember how we came to get Kathleen? Remember? Well, you showed... I showed you, yeah. You told me to see The Man with Two Brains. Well, first it was Body Heat, and you thought she was good in Body Heat, but the one that sold you was The Man with Two Brains. Two Brains, yeah. Because of her ability with comedy. Exactly, yeah. I mean, she was funnier than... What's his name? Who was it? Steve Martin. Yeah, I thought she was funnier than Steve Martin. I mean, he... I had to look to his laurels in that film. She was much funnier, more subtle. I'm sorry I'm late, honey. I had to finish up. I ate with the kids. Well, I brought dessert. Thanks. You know I'm on a diet. Open it. Ta-da! Did you find that we had any problems working on a limited budget? Well, I remember on the first day, this was the first day, I think, we fired the continuity girl because the clock was at different times. I can't even see a blinking clock there now. So that didn't get off to a very good start. But it was a very low-budget film. We couldn't afford the best, could we? No. So working under sort of pressure and... The actors took less than their normal salaries to do it. Did they? Yeah. I think the sound man was stoned and had the sound machine set on automatic. Some of the sound was distorted. I know he had problems with that. But there are new technical things. You can overcome them in the end. You can do post sync and looping and everything else.

At the point that you were to do this film, you had been working on a Vita for a while, hadn't you? And then that didn't come together. How did you end up getting this started? Well, I don't know. I think I wouldn't accept the actress they wanted to play a Vita. That is, Robert Stig wouldn't go. And so I withdrew from the project. I'd come over to see my agent, who'd never got me much work, and he gave me, I don't know, about five scripts to read on the plane going home. And I remember the time I got off the jumbo at Heathrow, London, I got on to him and said, we have to do Crimes of Passion, forget the rest. They should be consigned to oblivion, but here we've got a potential masterpiece. And he started, you know, seeing what he could do. That's right. Yes. Then did you come to England? Well, no, what happened, I remember, because my agent had said, we were the same agency, ICM. Oh, so we were, yeah. And my agent had said, what about Ken Russell? I said, what about Ken Russell? Are you crazy? It's like one of the five directors in the world I would kill to have direct a script of mine. So she got it to your agent over there. That's right. And that's how they got it to you. And that's right. That's how it all came together. And then I came over to England. Right. And we did some work. there on the script. And then back in this country, it was touch and go for a while because there was a new regime at New World and they were, you know, they weren't sure whether they were going to move forward on it because it was such a controversial subject. Yes. They must have changed their mind because they did. Because we did. Then we had a lot of trouble at the end, didn't we? Well, with the ratings, you mean. Yes. Yeah. Where's the wine? OK. Yeah, well, I mean, the point is they... I had the same trouble with the Devils. The company accepted the script exactly as it was. Many thanks. We didn't change a thing, you know, and then they're very surprised when they see it, you know, on the screen. Yeah. And the reason is that they're morons. They don't understand. They don't... They cannot visualise scripts. They cannot... I suppose they read the printed word themselves in their own mundane, monotonous voices, and they can't realize the reality that can come off the page. And so they're always surprised, even though they know it backwards. It's bizarre. I think we're coming up to the video soon, aren't we? Yes, that's right, we are. That was added afterwards. Afterwards, yeah. Yeah, I shot it in England, the video. And it's only a truncated version, I think, although this may be longer than it originally was. I'm not sure. I must say, looking at the film, this is the DP's best work he ever did. Yeah, or Dick Bush's work. Dick Bush, yes. I mean, it really is. I've forgotten how good it was. It's absolutely impeccable. And it's really an interesting contrast, seeing these shots of Grady at home and the naturalism of it. Yeah, yeah. A warm mellow sort of, instead of the harsh reality of whoredom. Is the offer still good? No problem. I could use the money. You do? Terrific. No, no, that's great. You didn't think I had the nerve, did you? Neither did I. I guess it just comes with poverty. So there he is on the phone getting a job that's going to lead him to meet our heroine. Into a web of mystery. Oh, yes. I thought she was terribly good. I could never fathom whether she was really like this or acting like mad or natural, which is a very good sign. Annie, yes. Annie Potts. I think it's good for the imagination. Theirs or yours. Now, here comes the video, I think. Yeah. My daughter, both my daughters are in it, Molly Russell and Victoria Russell. Victoria Russell's the bride and Molly is the bridesmaid. That was shot in England. With Rick Wakeman, I think he's in it too. Yes. So, yeah, they're getting ready to see it.

Yeah, this actually wasn't in the script, this video. Was it not? No. Well, it was... What were they doing? But it was... Here they go. Yeah, here we go. That's my daughter and her boyfriend at the present time. That was the local stage. That's my other daughter. That's Molly, yeah. Now, who was the singer? An English rock star, I can't remember the name. Yeah, I can't remember the name. This is about matrimony and there was Rick Wakeman. I love this shot. That's very good, there they go. All materialism consigned to the pool but the man is after the materialism and so is the bride. Now she's off to save her symbolic loves. And there he is with his silver. And there she is with two no birds. And there's my daughter with two drowned doves. There they are. A decent burial. And then they'll go on watching television for years wedded to their possessions, you see. That's the symbolism of it all. That's what they see. And just their hopes turned into tiny coffins on the TV screen. But he's not getting the message because he wants a bit of nookie. Walt Pearson speaks very highly of you. I have a lot of respect for Wolfe. His word's good enough for me. Well, I'm damn good at what I do, Mr. Bateman, but I'll only take a job if I can do it right. That was shot in downtown L.A. It was. That's the heart of the... Was it noisy? I can't remember. Textile. Not particularly, no. I think we did it there because we wanted the view from the window. We wanted the realism. We could have actually painted a black cloth, couldn't we? Yeah. Because I remember all officers are always held to shooting. You have to hide the lights. There's less space. You've got 60 people standing around the camera and you've got to hide them all. No reflections. But it worked out all right. Oh, yeah, so now here we are with Joanna. No, this is the other side of her, the public persona. Never guess she was a whore by night, would you? I wonder which she enjoyed best. I have an idea. I think we did about 20 takes of this. I can't remember why. It was a bit awkward. Yeah, it was because you ran it all in one take, I remember. Oh, and he fluffed a bit. Yeah. Well, an actor's note has to be in one take. I'm sure he could have done it generally speaking. The end always got a bit undynamic, I remember. Yeah, oh, that's right, because he's got a hand with the gun. Yeah, that's right. There was a problem with the gun. Never mind. Got it in the end. What the hell is this? You think she's that dangerous? It depends on what you discover.

That's another, the New World Symphony again. I don't think a symphony's ever been used as theme music like this in a film, has it? I can't, you're the expert, I would. Not in, only in its symphonic form, not as pop, not in a pop style. I love that building, I've known it nearly for years. It's like a fantasy castle. It's a fairy tale castle, which is a fitting place for the heroine to live, actually. And there's our private eye, watching her every move. I can't get over the quality of this. It's really superb. But I've probably never seen it on such good stock before. Now, that book was significant. The French Lieutenant's Woman, because it's about a man obsessed with a woman with two identities. And she's going off to work.

And the flute mirrors every drop of urine from his penis. Which was six. Six drops. You'd have to reshoot it though, huh? Now we are downtown again. Yeah, the music took on like a more dramatic effect. Here's Grady.

She really has that mysterious quality. Yeah, yeah. And she is ready for business. Nice little bit coming up with Tony Perkins, I seem to remember. Oh, and it's black and white. Yeah.

They worked so well together. They got on well. They had good respect for each other. They could have become a great team, like Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Much more interesting. Yes.

I like that line. Onward Christian soldiers, I think they're playing. Oh, I like that. A nice little cameo.

What do you want? I want to help you. Admit you need it. I need it. With conviction. Make me believe. Oh, please, Reverend. You're so good and wise and strong. Please, please help this sick... I'd like to know why you feel the film has developed this kind of cult valor, why it has endured. Well, I think... Well, I think... I think... Some of my films, not all, are ahead of their time. And I think if The Devils was generally released again in its original form, that would become a cult movie. You had a similar problem with the ratings on The Devils too. Didn't it get an X rating in this country? Yeah, yeah, yes. Yes, religion often gets an X rating. Yeah, yeah. This is a religious film. In my book, you see, I'm a lapsed Catholic and... I suppose I can't sort of get it out of my system. It's all, you know, the Catholicism is about redemption. And it's also about love a lot, you know. And I paid a few tributes to it. I've seen a bit later with the nun, isn't there? Yes, yes. And gosh, look at those legs. I mean, those legs are very good. And some of the fantasies I remember. There was one of a tick, and I think I put in myself, and that was the Air Hostess. Yes. You had a very good line during that, you know, some more T-W-A-T. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, yeah, I mean, those, they don't do it so... Yes, they do have short skirts, and when they bend over in front of you and... show their g-strings when they're pouring coffee for the next passenger down the list you know it's i don't know if one's supposed to feel any sort of erotic sensations but um i certainly did from time to time that's a great shot where he is the private eye outside the window all three of them yeah between the two of them yeah yeah She's totally unaware. A lot of the shots I notice are almost metaphorical in a way. Yes, they are. The way you've placed these actors in this frame. It's very good dialogue. Forgive me, Lord. I speak not in vain, but this little bitch provokes me so. Oh, Jesus. At least I can stay in character. That's all on the set, isn't it? Yeah. Tell me, what did you... You know, it's years since we made the film. I mean, what point were you trying to make in the script? Well, we were really dealing with the hypocrisy and the facades and the mirrors that people live by, both him and his marriage, which is as fraudulent and hypocritical as... the fantasies that they're putting out. It's really, you know, common. And ultimately the morality of the film is, you know, it's a plea for honesty to be. Yes. Yeah, absolutely. And I find particularly in this country, I mean, I think hypocrisy is sort of, is a common disease the world over. But I really do feel in America and particularly in Los Angeles that everyone wears a mask. And this film's about, you know, its mask. It's about the persona that I think we have to wear to, in a way, survive. Because one has to be really tough. And I suppose the easiest way is to be someone else. Because one is so vulnerable oneself. One knows one doesn't really stand a chance. And you can't... You can't show yourself to be vulnerable or weak because you'll be trashed and you'll be thought to be nothing. It'll be taken as a sign of weakness. Yes. That's what I feel. Yes, and this is a woman, obviously, who is very insecure and frustrated and has gone through a lot of bad relationships which have left her pretty isolated and alienated. And this is her way of achieving whatever false version of intimacy... She can lie to herself about it. I suppose, you know, if you do pretend to be somebody else, you lose yourself, don't you? You lose your inhibitions. Exactly. And then, in a way, you're more honest. And it's his character as well, that he's a man who's frightened for whatever reasons he has, who dons this facade and ultimately sees... himself in her, and knows that it's too late for him, but that maybe he can save her, so that by the end of the film, what happens is ultimately a noble act on his part. And that Grady, through the interaction of watching these two and the interaction with her, sees the dishonesty and hypocrisy that he's living through and breaks through that. But it would only have happened with each of them coming into contact with the other. so it's because also within with even within the thing there's still its facades on top of facades isn't it because they're not really they're defending themselves and attacking and they're changing chameleon like the whole time yeah yeah

It was funny, too, because I remember in the very early draft of the script, I had written a backstory for the Tony Perkins character, where he was a shoe salesman. Remember when he spent his days trying on shoes at women's... He was at women's feet all day, and he needed to assert his power through this facade. And you felt, no, we shouldn't specifically say what he is or where he's coming from, but you wanted the audience more to imagine what his... That's right. ...his background was, which I think is a smart choice. Ultimately, that... Because he's such a bizarre character who has a life of his own. Exactly. Isn't there a porno, a bit of a porno melody? I think... Yes.

It's very funny.

Of course, these images also show that she's an intellectual. She's... That she's not just, you know, her eroticism, you know, her sensibility of art and sex, if you like, because that's what she's peddling, isn't it, in a way? I mean, she's an artist. She's an actress. You know, I mean, she is... She's not just... And I know a call girl in England who dresses up as all sorts of things, including Blanche, no, not Blanche, in Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. And her customers like to be beaten by Scarlett as they scrub her bathroom floor. I mean, it's a weird scenario, but... It's obviously fulfilling. We go so into the psychology of sex. Do you think, I don't know, in sex, that people really do what they want to do with their partner? Well, it depends how much trust the other has. And again, I think a lot of people feel that by dying these facades, not being who you are, you have that ability to go all the way in terms of your fantasies, I think. it's kind of a release, it's kind of an unleashing. And there's obviously a need to do it. It is a release, as you say. Yeah, yeah. But ultimately, you know, and I think what the movie makes is that it's as exciting and titillating and provocative as it may be, it's still ultimately not satisfying. Not as satisfying as reaching that kind of honesty and intimacy that these characters do achieve. But the movie is basically an exploration of the psychology of sexuality. And I love how you just framed these two characters in terms of their beds, with her lying in this big bed, totally isolated. And it's cold. It's a blue light. It's lonely. Having just come from Grady, who has been spurned by his wife. Exactly. Why didn't you come to me, Phil? I would have loaned you the money. Hell, I would have given you the money. Goddamn pride. What about jail? No pride in there. Oh, thanks. Cooper offered me a fortune for the patterns. I lost control. Please, Lou, I'll work for nothing. Anything you want. This is very harsh, all this stuff, because it's a cold, light day.

So this is where we're presenting him as basically a decent, down-to-earth, honorable guy. Give the guy another chance. Exactly. So purity is about to clash with perversity. Exactly. And we'll see which one wins. I can't remember whether... Did I operate this or did Dick Bush? There's a lot of stuff you did operate on your own. I don't recall in this scene, though. I think I did it old. It's possible, yeah. We were at this location for a few days, I remember. Were we? Yeah. Because we had to shoot all... It was one factory that we'd rented out because we had to shoot all her stuff there. I don't know what's right or wrong anymore. Did you really believe it was her? So I'm a lousy guesser. What'd you get on her? Not much. She stayed home all night. Is that you, Joe? You free? No, but I'm one hell of a bargain. I'm in. Are you available, you know, for action? Action? Actually, he's better than I thought he was. Yeah, he's good in it. It's a difficult... In a way, he's got the most difficult role. Yes. Being the straight man, it's not always easy, is it? It's really... And also incredible. A lot of the stuff that was cut, that you cut, the first cut ran so long, was taken away, the stuff with he and his wife. Was it? Yeah, because... I think you... What was your thinking in doing that, basically? Well, I think... I don't know. I would imagine it's that you got the message pretty quickly. You know, I mean, it was just reiterating the theme of disintegration. Yeah. I know what it was. It was a lot of Annie Potts' stuff that came out because... I think her... I mean, she was meant to be a real pain in the arse, but, you know, you can establish that without too many scenes. And I think it was sort of... gilding the lily a bit there was a scene where she's trying to say well i've been uh i know i've been you know uh bitchy to bobby and i and i feel badly about it and i'm frustrated and all that but i remember at the time we were talking about it he said well you know it's really not her movie i mean she's there to yeah the yeah the life that he's coming from yeah and i think she objected to that i mean she wasn't Did we cut it before we shot it or did we shoot it? No, we cut some of it before we shot it and then we shot it. And you looked at it and you said, well, you know, something's got to go. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, films have to be a certain length. Most films are too long. Yeah, but unfortunately you ultimately have to make these choices. Indeed. And some certain characters have to suffer as a result. But I don't think the character suffered as such because... I mean, I don't think his frustration with the sort of life he was leading was jeopardised in any way. I mean, it's so many people's story, isn't it? Yes, it really is. And not that many people are totally satisfied with it. They want something else. They want adventure. Yeah. What excitement. And why shouldn't they have it? That's right. And you can have it at home. You know, you can. But somehow or other, it gets lost. Yes, you need to make the effort. Yeah. Oh, here comes the airline hostess. Oh, the air hostess. Yes, right. Yes. Yes, you had a good time with that. I remember you said, ingenious idea, doing the airline hostess.

My ideal air host. She just loved doing these fantasy sequels, one after the other. And she did them so well. Yeah, she did. Extraordinary. I don't know anyone who could have done it better. Do you? No, no. I think she did a remarkable job. I mean, not many would do that anyway, Hollywood stars, would they? No, it's such a bold and daring performance. And she was a huge star at the time. To actually undertake this part was so brave of her. And I remember she taught us some of the positions. She won the LA Film Critics Award for this as well. No, she's tremendous in it. Yeah.

This was also a very controversial sequence, as we'll see. We had a lot of problems with the ratings board. But you didn't have any problems with the actors shooting these scenes, did you? No, she was very cooperative. As I said, there's a scene in the moment where shadows go on the wall in various positions. And... She said, let's try this one and that one and the other one. Both Grady and I were rather surprised, I remember. And what about him? Did you have any problems with him? No, no, he would do anything. Well, you can't blame him, can you? He never had it so good in his life.

And it's very beautiful, isn't it? I mean, it looks sensual, is the word. Not necessarily erotic, but it's very sensual. I remember this bit. We had to get him to wash his feet several times. I don't think this is being seen. I mean, it's innocuous enough. Not too many toe-sucking scenes in American movies. No, I don't think so. I mean, it's quite erotic. Did you choreograph these beforehand? Yeah. No, he worked. Yeah, we worked on them. And did she have a lot of ideas, a lot of thoughts? Quite a few, yeah.

That's an interesting choice of music there, too, to underscore all that. Yeah, and the more I see this, the more I'm surprised she... how little she seemed to be inhibited. Yeah, well, that's to her credit as an actress. But it was very necessary. I mean, it's not gratuitous. Now, these are the... Remember, these were the scenes. Yeah, the solos, yeah. Her input was...

The reason for doing this, apart from the creative artistic reason, was also the fact that you wonder whose point of view it is. When you're seeing an image, you're seeing it from someone's point of view. And no one could be in this position, because it would be by the window. But I got over that, as you will see shortly, by a sort of cheat, I suppose. But you'll see that the reasoning for this position is that the peeping Tom is on the other side of the wall. So that's why we were looking at the wall. Because on the other side, there's none other than the frustrated preacher.

Well, I should tell you that Ken Russell is no longer with us. I don't mean that in the cosmic sense, but he had to catch a plane back to London. So here I am on my own to convey my thoughts. What you just saw was an interesting intercut of various paintings and drawings that Ken wanted to juxtapose into the film for either shock value or to make a comment on the blindness, for example, in the one you just saw, of people to the truth, to the reality of their lives. And as obviously evinced by these three particular characters. Shane, the Reverend Shane, played by Tony Perkins, is always observing, is always looking, is always... That's his way of assimilating into the world. He's not a... He's a person whose weakness and ineffectuality prohibit him from being part of... society of humanity. So he's always looking at things and he's right now seeing these two characters trying to relate. Now as we see these two characters are having their problems relating. It's his vision, it's his view of the problems they're having that allows him to relate to them and to see her and to see her... her need. I've tried to create an intersection, interconnection and intersection of all three of these characters. And now here you see his attempt to... reach out to her. Desperate, pathetic though it may be, but...

This actually is probably my favorite sequence in the movie. He's trying to come off as very cool and very wise and knowing. He's just seeing her vulnerability and seeing her own desperation. So he feels a certain power right now.

She's just, her wounds have been exposed in a way. She's no longer able to play the game quite as powerfully as she could before. I think Grady has gotten to her, has penetrated something, that shell around her, and she knows it. And she's having great doubts. And now she's, oh, this is Ken's favorite moment. His favorite fantasy. Obviously it harkens back to what we were talking about earlier about the religion. And it's pretty outrageous. But I guess, you know, if you're gonna do this movie, the two of the actors just went for it. And... quite amazingly so. Yeah, so now he's revealing the one shred of humanity that he's allowing himself to feel. And now we're revealing the fantasy within the fantasy on her part. that she's tried to one-up him in their continual power game. So now he's just been had, so he's got to get back at her one better. It's this continuous struggle for power between the two of them that really creates the tension in their relationship. He makes up in diction what he lacks in dick. Lesson for today. I've written you a poem. Would you like to hear it? Behold this wicked woman. She falls, she mends, she crawls, she bends. She sucks it, fucks it, picks it up and licks it. You can whip her, beat her, maul her, mistreat her. Anything you want as long as you don't touch her. This was, I remember, was one of Tony's favorite scenes as well. He loved playing that moment of savaging her verbally and exposing her. He's in his own twisted way. It's his ability to relate to her by seeing her vulnerable because he sees himself in her. And she's now torn between what he's bringing out in her, what Shane is bringing out in her, the truth of her facade, and the vulnerability and the... and the humanity that Grady is bringing on her by his attempt to reach out to her. And then she sees, at the same time, his own vulnerability. And China Blue now is seeing herself in Grady, just as Shane saw himself in China Blue. Thanks for the help just then. Or the attempt, anyway. Yeah, we're not all out to get you. Now go on home to your wife. Oh, this is a key line. I wish I could tell her the way you made me feel. She'd say it was part of my imagination. She says it was. It was.

It's just a great performance. You can see all the conflict in her eyes. Can I have another pancake? No, you cannot have another pancake. You had two already. Fat girls do not get married. Bobby, are you okay? What? Yeah. I'm fine. Did you do something to your hair? It looks different. Yeah. I cut it last week. Glad you noticed. Excuse me. Here you go, Dad. When are you going to fix my garbage disposal? I'll have a look at it. It might need a plumber. You can fix it, Dad. Daddy, will you teach me how to plant a garden? Why me, kiddo? Your mom will teach you. Daddy doesn't know how to plant a garden. Amy, it's really not that hard. Honey, honey, easy. You know I don't like maple syrup. Of course you like maple syrup. What do I know all this time if you know me like maple syrup? I don't want to argue with you. What's arguing? Dad, what's trying to annoy me? It's a term for radioactive fallout. He asked me, Amy. I didn't think you'd know what it is. Of course I know what it is. What is it? It's a term for radioactive fallout. That's brilliant. Isn't your daddy brilliant? What does the 90 mean? Yeah, and what does the 90 mean? Tell us, Daddy. You're the expert. It means that you have 90 days to get an antidote or you die. I think you better ask your teacher, Jimmy. Get to work. Daddy left food on his plate. His daddy doesn't follow the rules. He only makes them. Goodbye. Daddy kiss.

He wanted, again, seeing a growing isolation here, just seeing this empty street on a Sunday afternoon, seeing the world that we've known this night, now seeing the same world in the raw light of day.

Yeah, and there he is, ever lurking, ever present and on the prowl. As he's sinking deeper into his own fascination with her, into the web of China blue.

The lady on the right is Louisa Rell, who has since then become a very popular daytime soap opera star. I believe Days of Our Lives, she starred on Santa Barbara. She's become quite a major soap opera player. I had great fun with this scene. Kathleen had a great time doing it, too. She always played for the humor in these fantasies, and she's very funny. The humor was, to a large degree, the defense and a way of perhaps rationalizing the twisted nature of her activity. Speaking of twisted, here we have Reverend Shane. This was, Ken didn't want any overt act of violence in the film. You'll notice there's not an act of, you don't see up until the end, you don't see an act of bloodshed of a murder. I mean, the violence is psychological. We're living with characters who abuse each other psychologically. In the script, there was an actual murder, but he really didn't want this to be a film dealing with murder. It was about the complexity of psychosexuality. So he used that dummy as kind of a poetic imagery. We're going back to the lighting, to the visual look of the film, what Ken was going for in contrasting this garish neon underworld of China Blue and Shane, contrasted with this very kind of bright naturalistic suburbia that we see in the home of of Bobby and Amy and Donny and Sheila Hopper, their friends, who've come to visit for a typical barbecue in the land of suburbia. And these characters have their own verbal sparring and their own attempts to wound the other, which are really not all that different from the conflict of China Blue and Reverend Shane. Ken always preferred the scenes with China Blue and Shane. I think he really enjoyed getting into that very subversive very perverse arena, that whole underbelly world, rather than the more conventional naturalism of the suburbia. Unfortunately, one of the elements that was cut from the movie was the friendship between these two guys. They're good buddies dating back from high school days. Oh, this is an interesting sequence. This is the old HP. This was something that I recall in my college days at the fraternity house. I used to do this as kind of a stunt. And it was something that It's quite vivid in my memory. So I thought at some point I always wanted to incorporate it into a film and it fit in well here because it was in a way Grady's attempt to relive his childhood or his youth by this kind of juvenile act, which serves three purposes. It is an act of anger against his wife at this point because she so obviously detests it, as you can see. And it's a reversion back to his youth. And it's also obviously the phallic symbolism here of what he's going through. And clearly what he's not getting home is we're about to find out. This is an interesting shot. I remember this is a five or six minute sequence that's all done in one take. And it speaks to the skill and talent of Andy Potts and John Laughlin. They were able to sustain this all in one take. I remember we shot three takes, and I believe this was the first one that Ken used. If it was the first take, Ken used the first take, and we see the whole breakdown of their marriage, certainly in the context of the physical aspect of the marriage, contained within this one interaction, this one conflict.

Again, what we were discussing earlier with Ken, that one of the dimensions that's missing from the final film is the other side of the Annie Potts character and her own frustration and her own sense of isolation and alienation in the marriage, which she... voices to Sheila in a scene that we had to cut from the film. So it does in a way give a certain balance to her character so she doesn't come off as a total shrew. We kind of understand her own frustration, her own inability to deal with confrontation and with her disenchantment with marriage and with her life. At one point she even says to Sheila, I'm taking it all out on Bobby and I really don't mean to. And it does temper that character a bit. I was sorry to lose it, but as we said earlier with Ken, you know, when you have a two hour and 40 minute first cut and you've got to cut, you know, 45 minutes out of it, something has to go. And he felt, I know it was a difficult decision, but he, you know, felt the money was on China Blue and her relationships with the two men. And he felt he really wanted to focus on that. which I felt was a wise decision, but unfortunately at the expense of the Annie Potts character. And she was so good in those scenes too, so it's always painful to have to cut scenes where actors are so good. And it did offer that other side to her character, which gave the character that other dimension.

It's an interesting lighting effect with the leaves coming through the tree. It was shot in broad daylight on a sound stage, but to give the night effect. But Ken was trying to give that shadowy image, give a certain sad, almost... frightening effect, I suppose. See, Grady's now evolving in terms of his attempt to reach out and come to some form of truth and honesty in his marriage.

And it's through his interaction with China Blue that's allowing him, I think, this growth. Because, of course, he sees the identity. He's coming to her from the Joanna identity and seeing the facade of China Blue. So it's through that awareness and that...

that realization that allows him to... to open up to her this way. In some of the early test screenings the audience is very... had a difficult time with some of this dialogue, because obviously it's very personal and it's very strong for movies. And I think because of the nature of it, a lot of people, there was uncomfortable laughter in certain areas, in this scene especially. But on the other hand, you're trying to deal with the boldness of sexuality in marriage, you have to deal with it in that kind of impact. Here, this admission by her makes sense from the scene that was cut out of the film where we see that she is coming to the similar conclusion that he is. You know, this is... She realizes now she's been exposed, that he knows the truth of both her identities now. I don't want to make any trouble. I promise. I have to go to work. It won't take long. Please. Thank you. See, I think the beauty of her performance is that we see so much tension beneath the surface whenever she's Joanna Crane. She's this tightly coiled barrage of frustration and tension and insecurity. What Cam was saying earlier about her proclivity to art and to the Oriental artwork is manifested in her own apartment. Ken was very conscious of the color coordination of her apartment. We had to change the set a couple times because he didn't feel the color coordination really reflected the psychology of that character. He was very specific. Well, in most of his films, he's very conscious of the texture and the color schemes and how they reflect the people in the scenes. I can't think of a better way to start a friendship. We haven't met. I'm Bobby Grady. Joanna Crane. I saw it on the mailbox. What are you, about 30? Still call yourself Bobby? I'll grow up when I'm ready. Oh, I think you're ready. Are you alone? Aren't we all? It's interesting framing of that shot. The two of them from a distance. And they're both going through their own... isolation and they're grappling with the fears and needs of intimacy. He's shit in my hand. Well, I better get going because you're going to be late for work. It's okay. I'm used to breaking rules. I'm a criminal at heart. You meant you have one. Thanks a lot. I'm sorry for busting in on you like this. I really appreciate you listening, and I won't bother you again. Uh, Bobby, if you, um, if you ever really need me, talk whenever I'm here. I know. Answering the phone to Anna Crane speaks to her, um, the, uh, her very constrained, very businesslike approach to, uh, to her life, again, as an avoidance of intimacy.

Mom said you moved out. Well, your mom and I have to be on our own for a while. I swear to you, that doesn't mean that we've stopped caring about you and Lisa. Dad, if Mom gets married again, I'm gonna have to call the other guy Dad, do I? Oh, Jimmy, no matter what happens, I'm always gonna be your dad.

Why'd you have to go? Promise you won't bring any trouble to your mother. So a lot of groups, religious morality group, have objected to the depiction of the breakup of the family in this movie, that he was leaving the family to go off with this woman. When in truth, it's not about the breakup of the family. It's about a man coming to terms with his own sense of duty and honesty. He's going through a lot of pain in having to cut those ties, as we just saw in that scene with his son. Ken had a great time doing that scene with the dummies. It's pretty spooky with the shadows. I know he spent hours trying to light that particular shot within the elevator. just to get the right effect, which you'll see with the Tony character. Hello, Joanna. What are you doing here? You have no right to be here. I had to. See, now you see her own growing sense of terror at being discovered now by Shane as well. So now both these men that she's played these power games with, these facades with, have both discovered the reality of her identity. And it's now escalating into panic on her part. She's finally been found out. But you see both these men are trying to reach out to her. And that's part of the whole ambivalence that she's going through, that they need her. They need her to come to terms with their own integrity. And she knows it, but she doesn't feel secure enough to be able to afford them that at this point in her life. As a result of her flight from both of them, particularly from Shane, she's about to suffer the consequences. But see, now she can't bear to be found out, so she must return to her... the one thing that gives her strength and security and... and, um, power. And, uh... At this point in her life, she's never been more in need of that. And as we see where she's about to reach that point of realization that will manifest itself into this epiphany through her interaction with this cop in the fantasy, which is not played for laughs, which is life-changing for her. See, this is a part of their ritual game. It's obviously something they've done before.

and she thinks she's now returning to her facade of power, that she's safe, but she's not safe. This whole sequence had to be cut for the, to get an R rating, which the studio insisted on, which is too bad because it's very much the key to her whole transformation.

And without this scene in the movie, there's no point of epiphany from which to change. So it's one of the injustices of the rating systems, I suppose, that impose this on filmmakers having to cut their films to get a certain rating, that you ultimately lose very important character elements.

But you see, I mean, she's just gone too far now. I mean, she's now taking out all her rage and all her frustration and all her need and pain. And she's allowed the fantasy to escalate to the point of that it's gone too far. It's now gone into the realm of reality, which terrifies her. There's ivory soap in the shower. It's 99 and 44, 100% pure. Isn't that funny? Remember in the script originally, she was going to have a kind of a fit where she just goes nuts trying to expel this rage. But Kathleen had a very good instinct that she wanted to do something much quieter. more internal in trying to put her makeup. And I think this is a remarkable moment for this character and clearly in the performance. That she just can't bring herself to go back to China Blue in a way. Yet she knows she has to, yet Even that now starts to frighten her, because she knows she can no longer keep the facade going, that the fantasy has been broken by the reality of these men exposing her. And then finally, what will impact upon her most profoundly is the sequence she's about to experience.

Peggy Fury plays that woman. She died a few years ago, but she was a great acting teacher in Los Angeles. A lot of remarkable actors studied under her. You know the cost? I'm the hardest piece of life on this street. It'll cost you a hundred bucks if you've got a hundred bucks. I'll drive you there and bring you back. Ten minutes on the expressway. I just need someone to be with him. Again, the way Ken frames that image of China Blue sitting in the back alone, pressed against the back of the car to convey her isolation. But since I found out, I haven't been able to go near him. He needs me so badly, and I just can't do it.

I don't want you to make him feel like a man again. Again, she's called upon to create a fantasy by the wife of a man who's dying of cancer, who can't cope with the reality of his own life. So she now has been purchased for him to escape. But what happens is going to transform them both. My wife takes her guilt very seriously. I'm sure she told you I'm sick. Yes. I didn't want her to do this. I haven't been with another woman in 28 years. Gerald O'Loughlin is a terrific character actor who's just been in a lot of movies, was just really He threw himself into this. Charity really does begin at home. My God, you're lovely. What's your name? China Blue. I see. Image and all, eh? Well, China Blue. My body's not in the greatest shape, as you know. But I'll try and not make it too painful for you. And this was a sequence that was very unsettling for a lot of people because... for obvious reasons. I mean, the man is very sick and... You know, the movie is unsettling for a lot of people, but... I think it's important to shake people up to achieve certain dramatic points.

Please, I want you so bad. Don't. All right. Well, your wife got you the best, and the best there is. She's trying every fantasy she knows to try to reach him, try to turn him on, try to move him in some way to responding, and nothing's working. Oh, no, Ben, don't. Finally, he breaks down, and...

And it's this one moment that finally hits that nerve in her that makes her see the facade that she's been living with. At least you stopped pretending. At least you stopped pretending, yeah, that's the key line. Well, so long, China Boo. Joanna. Joanna.

It's a tough sequence to shoot. I mean, it was obviously draining dramatically. And that always takes its toll on the actors. A lot of attention on the set that night, I remember. But ultimately, you know, if the scene works, that's all that matters.

Again, framing her from a distance. Look, I'm sorry. I know it's late. But remember when you said, if you need me, I'm here? Well, I need you. Come on in. Yes, now she's facing him as Joanna. And it's, we'll see whether or not she can deal with that. Intimacy. First time Amy and I made love. She can't even face him. Notice how Ken has positioned her. Or maybe it was Kathleen's instinct to position herself that way. Well, it's all over. Come on, sit down. Do you want some coffee? No. That kid used a shot of morphine. You got it. Yeah, she can't even prove herself to face him at this point. Well, she wants to, but she's afraid to.

ken stages a lot of uh the two actors in one long shot he does that consistently throughout the film it's interesting psychological approach to um to their conflict what the hell is the point joanna i mean you work so hard at getting these people to want you when it's not even you that they want well i do you're the one that said when are you gonna grow up Well, I think it's about time that we both did. It's so hard, Bobby. No man's ever given me that kind of faith before, that kind of respect. That hotel is the safest place in the world. I can do anything there. I can be anything I can dream of because it's not me. Don't you see? I'd only end up disappointing you. I can chance it. I'm tough. I'm not. Wait a second. The original script, I remember they try to get it on here, and it doesn't work. She just can't bring herself to do it. And then they split up, and they come back, and then the next time they try it. But Ken felt, and I think correctly, that this is where they needed... He just felt instinctively that this is where they... they needed to connect physically as each other. Both of them had reached their points in their own growths and transformations as characters to warrant this kind of sexual intimacy.

And it's an interesting contrast to the first time they had sex in the Paradise, in China Blues' Room of the Paradise, which was very lurid and very graphic and very pure, physical, carnal, lustful sex. And this is much more sensual and much more tender and much more

Euphoric, really. Again, the artwork to reflect on the scene, which kind of added after, well, not that particular shot, but some of the artwork kind of added after we finished the shoot. Intercutting it. And here we see Shane.

who's reaching a point of near breakdown in his own metamorphosis, where he's torn between his need for her and his rage at her for rejecting him. And he's about to take it out on her. That essentially, in dramatic terms, was the end of act two. I mean, both these characters have achieved this union, and now they've come to new discoveries about themselves, as we'll see with Grady, as he's confronting his wife now, who wants him back. However, he's a new man. I want to talk to you. About what? obviously carrying his own burdens of anger. You used to have a funny painting on that wall. Yeah, I took it down two years ago. Now what's up? Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I think I made a mistake. I'd like us to... to give it another try. Women, I give up. This was a little bit more understandable in terms of her own change through the scenes that were cut where she was so in conflict with whether to leave and whether to stay, wanting to feel her own independence, yet at the same time frightened to, and wrestling with... the idea of being on her own and living this marriage, which clearly wasn't working. And now that she's been on her own, she feels she can't take it. She wants him back. But he's just going to the point where he can't come back to the lie.

really need a mother and a father. For what? To watch them murder each other and... teach about it? Hate? How about teaching them responsibility? What about letting them learn it for themselves? You only learn if you're taught. Oh, yeah? We were taught everything. And we didn't learn shit. I happen to think there's still a few values left to believe in. That's great, Amy. You just keep believing. I can't anymore. What was so wrong with the way we lived? You know what scared me the most during our whole marriage? Do you? It's not the mortgage. And it's not this shop. It was just it. admitting I was scared, and letting you and the kids down. You've met somebody, haven't you? Of course you have. I can smell her all over you. I am so dumb. Who is she? One of those swinging singles boobs out to here? The morals of a bitch in heat. It may come as a shock to you, but sex is one hell of a way to show what you feel. It's no crime to enjoy it, Amy. It's only a crime when you're lying about it. Well, I think you just better get yourself out of that bed of roses and remember the responsibility you have to your wife and your children.

You have to make a very tough decision. And I suggest that you think very hard about the things in your life that really count. I understand, Bobby. It's your family. If you can't stay, you can't stay. I'm going to dinner. That's all. It doesn't mean I'm not going to be back. No matter what Amy says, I can't go back to that life. Not now. Now he's pushing her buttons, her own fears of abandonment. She's getting very defensive. And again, the framing of that character, I mean, the stance of that character looking away from her, not being able to face her, which seems to be consistent throughout the film. that these characters have trouble facing each other. Sheila told me a good one the other day. She says the secretary says to the boss, so could I use your dictaphone? And he says, no, use your finger like everybody else.

See, here's a man who's torn between his obligation to his family and his feeling that he's got a duty as a husband and father. Yet at the same time, the China blues push buttons on him which make him come to terms with his own needs to be true to who he is.

I was gonna say this until later, but... I don't think he says a word in the scene. I think it's just that we see the torment in his face. Why don't you go on? Open it. Oh, this is an interesting moment. It's one of my favorite moments where he opens it and... she's giving him a present. And what is the present? It's, uh... It's an old football jersey. Again, she's trying to rekindle the past, trying to bring them back to a point of happier, more deluded, happier, more deluded point in their relationship. But he sees it as an act of desperation, which it is. Yeah, John doesn't say a word. It's all conveyed through his... his attitude and his action. Closing the book on the past. Ah, and about to have the final confrontation where these characters rip their souls wide open To finally get to the truth. Last rights. Lovely apartment. What do you call it? Paradise lost? The Reverend's gonna save you tonight, once and for all. Who are you? You son of a bitch! Don't fight me, child. I'm the messenger of God, and I want to heal you. Heal thyself, pimp shit. You're opposing me, Joanna. You have to trust me. Ken worked very hard to get the lighting just right for this sequence, to create the right spooky look with the reflection in his glasses. and the different angles to try to create terror and reflect her own fear. Good. I believe you'll find this game unique. It's one you've never played before and never will again, so make the most of it. It's known as Exercising the Demons. In my calling, it's the ultimate salvation and its ends. my sacrosanct. With my ecclesiastic gift, plus the grace of God and a little help from Superman here, I shall bestow upon you the supreme humanitarian blessing and give you your freedom. You, uh, you do want that, don't you? I knew you would.

What's the game, Reverend? It's quite remarkable on Tony Perkins' part, this whole sequence, because he goes through such a range of emotions and reactions and impulses here that keeps you guessing what his real motives are, which will ultimately be revealed. I know the cure, and I know how desperately you need it. and only I can give it to you. See, on the surface, it seems that he's being very abusive, clearly, but he has a different purpose. The only thing I have left to give. You refused it once, but... But she doesn't know it yet. Getting into the part, my love? I know I am. Go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself? Not a very nice thing to say to a man of the cloth. Remember, scumbag, I'm here for your benefit, got that? See, again, I can see what the character is in frame, where the camera's positioned, where he's at a distance in the shadows as the camera moves along with him. And, uh... We don't know quite what he's up to. Which is interesting in terms of the way he plays it. I mean, we think certain moments he's very lucid, other times he's mad as a hatter, but he's got a clear set of intentions in this sequence.

Yeah, we went through about three songs before we were able to get the rights to an old standard. And we finally ended up with this song, which absolutely works for the sequence. But it was Tony's idea at that point to burst into that kind of wild, outrageous melody. But you're never quite sure what he's up to again. Here we go.

Don't waste any time. Kill me, Joanna. Give my life value. Give me something to die for. Save me. You are me. One of us has to die so the other can live.

Kill me, you worthless cunt. I'm all the men who ever hurt you. I love that framing. Him in the forefront and her standing over him. It's just a very powerful image. Too late.

The first time we showed this movie to an audience, they had no idea what was going on in this scene, where it was headed. Strip, bitch. Character going down a long hallway. Camera from a distance. Come on! Joanna?

The final intertwining of these three characters now, where she's broken through, through her interacting with both of these men to her own truth. And as Shane has sacrificed himself to allow her to do that, and now she's free to experience an intimate relationship as herself, as Joanna. And he now has come to his own growth, as we're about to see. He's come to accept his own honesty and his own reality. That's right. Me, the boy scout. I just never had the guts to admit the truth that Amy and I had just stopped loving each other. This was a sequence we went back and we didn't go back. We shot after the first preview, as Kenneth indicated earlier, that we needed some kind of closure to this character to get a sense of some hope or some future. We're together now. Basically ties things up. I'm not sure if it's going to work out. Yeah, I'm not sure it's going to work out either, but at least it's a first attempt. The camera now for the first time is moving in on this character as we see the purity of who they are. and letting Amy down. Well, I can't pretend anymore. I was scared shitless to come back here. I told Joanna. And she took me in her arms, and she said, it's OK to be scared. I felt. stronger and freer and more like a man than I've ever felt before in my life. Then we fucked our brains out.

I'll put him to bed. You want to keep him up half the night with your stories? I think it's good for the imagination. Theirs or yours. I'm going to be doing some tracking for Walt Pierce himself. It means you can make room for that hot dog. You act like I forced you, and I don't even want it anymore. Well, what do you want, do you know? And you didn't force me. Maybe I'll, um, do the magic act at the party. You know, for laughs. What do you think? Whatever you want.

Robbie, come on, stop it. We just got the cable.

I will sing of mercy and judgment. Unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. I will walk within my house with a perfect heart, and I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. Not even this stupid douchebag is luring me into her rotten spell. Snatch can't fool me, Lord. I'm not like the others. I know her cowardly game. A fear of men so great, she can only feel strength behind her facade. Who so slandereth his neighbor will I cut off? I'll cut off, all right. I'll cut off her little tits. The kids hate this salad. Where are they? Oh, they're at my mom's. Guess who we just saw? Janie Durant. Remember, Amy? She beat you out for head cheerleader. What a slut. She's not a slut. She went to Ohio State. Every two years, they let a slut into Ohio State. Her timing was good. I sat next to her in biology. She was always dropping her frog. What's she doing now? She's a waitress out at Seafood Heaven. Didn't she marry Lenny Harris? That nerd. He sat behind me in English and tied mirrors to his shoes so he could look up my dress. Sheila, what are you talking about? That was me. I knew it was some nerd. It's okay. I've got one. Isn't it flat? I like it flat. Oh, you never liked it flat when we were married? I never liked anything when we were married. Okay, team. Get it while it's hot. He thinks he's still in high school. All right, baby. You got mustard on her. Okay, everybody, look at me and smile. One or the other, we can't do both. It's his first public appearance.

It's a lovely life. It's a lovely life. 200 for a three-way. You got a radio? We've got whatever you want. Health insurance?

I should make him an offer at 14. He's got so much stock already, darling, he might cooperate. We can't go lower than 18. It's an insult. I refuse to pay that opportunistic bastard more than he deserves. It's a matter of principle. I'm still worried about Fenley coming through, though. The man has absolutely no sense of morality. Don't you agree, dear? Uh-huh. That was back in the second. I'd like to finalize this before Laurie comes home for vacation. Hope she isn't bringing that boy she's seeing. You know who I mean, the Jew. Not that I'm a bigot or anything. You know the work I've done for crippled children. But if he's Jewish, what are we gonna do with him? God knows we can't take him to the country club. Claudia, have you ever heard of a Jew who didn't play golf?

You have to be careful with these people. I don't know what kind of germs they could be carrying. Stop this crate! Close the deal quick before your tongue drops off!

painting on that wall. Yeah, took it down two years ago. Now what's up? Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking. And I think I made a mistake. I'd like us to give it another try. Women, I give up.

What do you mean, women? Who else? Amy, why? You love me so much, you can't stand being apart? Or are you having trouble getting a plumber? It's hard being alone, Bobby. Me in that big bed. Last night, I thought I heard somebody trying to break in. I'll rig up another alarm system. I don't want another alarm system. I don't want the damn hot tub, really. All I want is my husband. I understand, Bobby. It's your family. If you can't stay, you can't stay. I'm going to dinner. That's all. It doesn't mean I'm not going to be back. No matter what Amy says, I can't go back to that life. Not now. Well, maybe you better not come back here either. What's that supposed to mean? Maybe in a month or so, you'll start feeling guilty about leaving the kids. Maybe I'll start feeling crowded and trapped. Maybe you'll start resenting my past, the time I put in on my work. You'll want a good meal. I can't cook. I don't want to learn. Why don't you just go, goddammit? You don't know what it took, Bobby. How long I wanted and I hoped for somebody to care for, to let somebody care for me. I'll be back. Oh, yeah, you say that. I know that. But you're just so fucking honorable.