A Matter of Life and Death Page #5
- PG
- Year:
- 1946
- 104 min
- 3,602 Views
Lexington, Concord.
You are good at history.|The American War of Independence.
- Oh, he was killed?|- By a British bullet.
Oh. He might be... prejudiced.
Hmm. He hates your guts.
And he hates the guts|of every Englishman.
And he hates this little affair|with the Boston-born girl.
It's not a little affair.
Ohh, a big affair he will hate even more!
- I'll appeal against him.|- No good!
We had to choose a good man.|Our honour is at stake.
Non, you must choose|a good man for yourself.
- As defending counsel?|- Precisely.
- Can I choose anybody?|- Anybody who's ever lived on earth.
Everybody is at your disposal.
- You can choose me.|- That would suit your book.
Do not waste time. Abraham Farlan|is piling up his case already.
You can choose Socrates, William Pitt,...
Oh, Madame Du Barry.
- She knows all about love.|- Rather a one-track mind.
You are a good chess player. Philidor.
I'll think it over.
By the way, I'd like to borrow this.
It's not mine, it belongs to the doctor.
- Oh, doctors.|- What about them?
They give me a great deal|of trouble in my job.
(bell rings)
- He was here! He tricked us!|- Yes, he was... here.
And these were on the floor.
Peter, sit down.
Now...
.. look up.
You've been doing some hard talking.
I have.
- You didn't give in to anything?|- No.
- That's the spirit.|- Can I stay overnight?
- Yes, I'll tell Mrs Tucker.|- I don't need much.
Now, let's see.
Hmm. I'll tell Mrs Tucker you're staying.
Dr Reeves, can I stay in here?|I want to be near these books.
Of course. I'll fix up a camp bed.
Great news, darling.
- I'm allowed to appeal.|- Really?
June, I don't want to leave you.
Darling, why should you?|Everything will be all right.
- If I can get a good counsel.|- Of course you will.
It's very important.|I don't want to lose you.
I don't intend to let you go.|No-one can take you. I won't let them.
A judgement against me|would be backed up...
.. by all the power of this world|and of the other.
Drink this.
- Peter's got the right to appeal.|- Splendid.
- Smell anything?|- Yes.
- Fried onions?|- Yes.
Good. Drink that up.
- Any headache?|- Mm.
Tell me tomorrow what he said.
No, he said...
- Good heavens!|- What is it?
- He got my Hundred Best Games.|- Alekhese's chess book!
- You sure?|- Certain. He had it in his hand.
- What a nerve!|- A bit cool.
- Now, get to bed.|- I want to talk to you first.
No, have a long sleep.|Tomorrow, you'll feel as fresh as a daisy.
- You don't believe a word I say!|- Of course we do!
My dear friend, here on Earth|I am your defending counsel.
As your counsel,|I believe everything you tell me.
- Dr Gaerlter.|- Hello, Dr Reeves.
You make your rounds the hard way.|Give me a coupe!
- Is Dr McEwen free?|- He's going to operate.
He hasn't started yet.|I imagine he'll see you in the washroom.
- Hello, Frank, what's new?|- Deterioration.
Impossible, we're swamped.|Sure of your diagnosis?
Certain. He had slight concussion|two years ago - no aftereffects.
The X-ray's inconclusive.
You know about these hallucinations|coupled with a sense of smell.
It points to arachnoid adhesions|involving the olfactory nerve.
A tricky op. I've never seen one.
I have - at the Hospital de la Piti in Paris.
I've made some notes for the surgeon.
It'll be Dr Leiser, a fine neurosurgeon.
- Leiser, good man.|- We can't manage tonight.
There's no crisis in such a thing.
- Any day will do.|- No, it won't.
I'll tell you why and why there is a crisis.
I'm afraid his brain|may be permanently affected.
Insanity?
- Yes.|- Why?
Because his trial is on for tonight.|He hasn't found anyone to defend him.
He spends all his time in my library.|He only sleeps when I drug him.
The boy has a fine mind but it's taxed.
That's the trouble, it's too good a mind.
A weak mind isn't strong enough|to hurt itself.
Stupidity has saved many a man|from going mad.
Yes, you're right there.
He's had several talks|with this heavenly messenger.
Hallucinations, but you never saw|such an imagination!
I've been taking tips on the other world -|law, system, architecture.
Interestingly, he never crosses|the limits of his imagination.
- I don't get you.|- Nothing he invents is fantastic.
It's invention, but logical invention.
The keystone to his invention|is that the trial takes place tonight.
He must win or lose his case tonight.
We ought to operate tonight.|No use shaking your head.
We need to find a counsel to save him|losing his case or we may lose him!
What about...
.. him?
Lincoln?
No, it's hardly fair to drag him in.|I don't believe he'd be prejudiced.
Plato.
How would you like|to be defended by Plato?
Nobody knew more about reasoning.
He was 81 when he died. He might be|too old to think love important.
Do you think so? Anyhow, Plato had|very elementary ideas about love.
Besides, didn't he quote Sophocles...
.. when someone asked him|if he could still appreciate a woman?
- What did the old boy say?|- "I'm glad to be rid of all that. "
"It's like escaping from bondage|to a raving madman. "
Tut!
These Greeks - cold as their marble.
If he had been French... Richelieu,|for example. Irresistible at 80!
How about Richelieu?
No, I never liked him much|in "The Three Musketeers".
(conductor) Solomon.
Solomon?
Non?
Mais, mon Dieu, who do you want?|You have only a few hours left!
It sounds a grand idea to have|all these great men to choose from,...
.. but what do they know|of our problems today?
True. Very little.
Besides,|I think it ought to be an Englishman.
Nobody famous, but somebody|with his head screwed on.
Screwed?
- Now, this Abraham... er...?|- Farlan.
Was he a famous man?
First American killed by a British bullet.
I mean, was he a great philosopher|or statesman?
- He was a schoolteacher.|- There, you see!
Now, Plato would probably talk about|perceptions and causations.
Pardon?
- Over your head, too?|- Definitely.
It's quite simple...
By the way, why are you so interested|in my winning my case?
I?
Yes, you!
And why am I being taken up|this... stairway?
I'm not being taken for a ride, am I?
- What a suggestion!|- Take that bit of barley sugar away.
I don't like it or your suggestions!|I'll go back before it's too late.
Peter! Peter!
Peter!
Peter...!
Peter!
Peter, come back!
Peter, Peter!
Peter!
Peter, Peter!
Come back!
- Peter!|- (June) Peter, come back!
(June) Peter, come back!
Peter! Peter, come back!
Peter! Peter!
Come back!
Peter, Peter, come back!
- (thunder)|- Peter! Peter!
Peter, my darling, come back to me!
He almost got me!
(thunder)
(thunder)
(wind howls)
He'll be all right in a moment.
Why isn't the ambulance here?|It was due half an hour ago.
Phone Dr McEwen, say we must|operate tonight. It's life or death.
Tell him about the ambulance.|Telegraph his mother and two sisters.
- Yes, Doctor.|- That's all.
Now, Peter...
- Where's June?|- Phoning. Back in a moment.
Translation
Translate and read this script in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Matter of Life and Death" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/a_matter_of_life_and_death_1966>.
Discuss this script with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In