The Danish Girl Page #5

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Einar’s breathing feels slightly laboured now. The dress

weighs heavily. His head moves slightly, feeling it brush at

his neck. His fingers curl involuntarily around the beaded

cuff. The SOUNDSCAPE becomes heightened: the creak of

Gerda’s easel, the jangling of her bracelets, the sound of

the harbour, the wind in the ships’ riggings. These combine,

fill his head... until:

ULLA (O.S.)

Well hello, there!

Einar starts... Ulla’s in the doorway, delighted, with a huge

bunch of lilies. She starts to LAUGH, and because it’s Ulla,

Gerda LAUGHS also. The dog YAPS, excited, confused. Einar’s

disoriented. Gerda sees this, stops laughing, but...

ULLA (cont’d)

Oh, don’t worry my darling...

She hands the flowers to him, kisses him:

ULLA (cont’d)

We’re going to call you Lili...

(CONTINUED)

26/11/15

12.

CONTINUED:

Einar manages to laugh now as the dog runs BARKING in

circles, Ulla’s delight banishing the day’s frustrations.

EXT. HARBOUR, NIGHT

There are lights on in the Widow House.

INT. WIDOW HOUSE, STUDIO, NIGHT

Gerda closes the book she’s been reading, looks up to see

Einar, working, engrossed. An almost trance-like state. She

watches him a while, then approaches, rests her head against

his back. He’s comfortable with this, but works on.

GERDA:

Such concentration. Sometimes when you’re

working, I think you’re going to slip

through the surface of the painting and

vanish.

He smiles a little.

GERDA (cont’d)

Sink into the bog. Like your friend’s kite

when you were a boy.

EINAR:

Hans. It was Hans’ kite I crashed.

Einar enjoys the memory for a moment.

EINAR (cont’d)

Poor Hans. He was so proud of it...

I couldn’t believe he even let me

have a turn...

GERDA:

He’s probably still sitting on a

rock, sobbing his heart out.

Einar sets down his brush, turns toward her, away from his

work, smiles.

EINAR:

He’s a dealer in Paris, peddling

Old Masters to rich Americans.

GERDA:

Oh. So we don’t need to worry

about Hans.

EINAR:

No we don’t.

He takes her in.

(CONTINUED)

26/11/15

13.

CONTINUED:

GERDA:

I didn’t mean to disturb you.

EINAR:

That’s okay. I’ve finished.

He kisses her.

EINAR (cont’d)

And don’t worry, I won’t disappear into the

bog.

He widens his eyes, surprised at his own realisation:

EINAR (cont’d)

The bog is in me, silly.

She pushes him off, LAUGHING.

INT. WIDOW HOUSE, BEDROOM, LATER THAT NIGHT

Einar’s in bed. Gerda pulls off her dress, looks round to

see him watching her as she lays her stockings over the chair

beside her dressing table.

GERDA:

What?

EINAR:

Can’t a man watch his wife get undressed?

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