Desire Under the Elms Page #2

Synopsis: Ephraim Cabot is an old man of amazing vitality who loves his New England farm with a greedy passion. Hating him, and sharing his greed, are the sons of two wives Cabot has overworked into early graves. Most bitter is Eben, whose mother had owned most of the farm, and who feels who should be sole heir. When the old man brings home a new wife, Anna, she becomes a fierce contender to inherit the farm. Two of the sons leave when Eben gives them the fare in return for their shares of the farm. Meanwhile, Anna tries to cause some sparks by rubbing up against Eben.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director(s): Delbert Mann
Production: Paramount Pictures
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.6
NOT RATED
Year:
1958
111 min
256 Views


- 25-year-old... greenhorn.

- I hope she's a she-devil.

I hope she makes Pa

wish he was dead, in hell.

Amen.

"I'm gonna learn God's message

to me in the spring," he says.

Go thou and chase yourself a woman.

The stinkin' old hypocrite.

- Well, it's done.

- It's done us.

It's done us.

There's gold in California.

If we stay here...

Just what I was thinking.

Might as well do it first as last.

- Let's leave this morning.

- Suits me.

- You must like walking.

- Lend us wings and we'll fly.

You'd like riding on a boat better,

wouldn't you?

- If you sign this paper, you can.

- What?

This is something I got in writing

in case you wanna go.

What's it say?

It says that for $300 to each of you,

you agree that your shares in the farm

are sold over to me.

$600. Where'd you get

that kind of money, anyway?

I found out where the old man hid it.

Ma showed me. It's her money.

Where's it hid?

- Where you'd never find it.

- What do you know about that?

If you've got so much money,

why not go yourself?

I'm never gonna leave here.

I'm gonna get what's mine,

if it takes forever.

Well, is it a deal?

- I don't know.

- Me neither.

If he's got hitched again,

we'd be selling Eben

something we'd never get anyhow.

Are you gonna sign?

Pa and his new bride

will be here any time now.

Let's see the colour

of the old skinflint's money.

Twenty-dollar gold pieces. Thirty of them.

- Six hundred dollars.

- Now sign.

- Thanks.

- Thanks for the ride.

We'll send you

a lump of gold for Christmas.

We ought to stay and see the bride,

make sure Eben ain't lyin'.

Till he comes, let's not do a lick of work.

Let's eat, sleep and drink liquor,

and let the farm go to blazes!

We earned a rest.

We're aiming to be lilies of the field.

We toil not and neither do we spin.

Sole owner until he comes,

and sole hand, too.

The cows are bellowing.

You'd better hustle to the milking.

- You'd better get to work.

- It's Ma's farm again. It's mine now.

I'd work my hands off

for a farm that's mine.

He's like his Pa. Hard and crazy.

- Dead spittin' image.

- Let dog eat dog.

This is solid comfort, for once.

- Get the jug, let's have a drink.

- Good idea.

To the she-devil.

Well, here we are, Anna. Home.

Home. Com' bella.

Beautiful.

It's hard to believe it's really mine.

Yours? It's mine.

Well, ours.

It's been Ionesome too long.

A home's got to have a woman.

A woman's got to have a home.

Yes.

Now, where is everyone?

Nobody out, workin' or nothin'?

Simeon?

Peter?

Eben?

Where are you?

- Why ain't you working?

- Waiting to welcome you home.

Give you our parting curse

and see what our new ma looks like.

- Well, this is her, boys.

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Irwin Shaw

Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: The Young Lions (1948), about the fate of three soldiers during World War II, made into a film of the same name starring Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, and Rich Man, Poor Man (1970), about the fate of two siblings after World War II. In 1976, a popular miniseries was made into a highly popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, and Susan Blakely. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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