END OF THE MEMORIES OF THE CHURCH WATCHMAN
EXT-VILLAGE CHURCH GARDEN-SUMMER DAYTIME, THE TEACHER’S MEMORIES
BEGINNING OF THE MEMORIES
The teacher and the church watchman talk in the church garden
TITLE: 1852
TEACHER
(sits down on the bench and adjusts the collar with his hand)
Do you think the snake bit Nettie?
CHURCH WATCHMAN
(painting a cross)
No, the snake bit Countess.
TEACHER
How could a snake get into the castle?
CHURCH WATCHMAN
(painting the cross)
From the jewel box that the old devil had brought with him.
(pause)
Don’t go to the lake.
TEACHER
Who told you that I was going to the lake?
CHURCH WATCHMAN
(throws the brush and takes off the gloves)
Where else could you dirty your boots, mud is everywhere, completely ruined.
END OF THE TEACHER’S MEMORIES
INT-ROOM IN THE VILLAGE INN – SAME NIGHT
Karl Ivanovich puts the notebook on his knees
TITLE: 1912
KARL IVANOVICH
(sorting the sheets)
Here is another interruption.
HARRY
(slouches in the armchair)
Time for bed.
Captain Wright snores in his armchair.
EXT – WITCHES” VALLEY – SAME SUMMER NIGHT
YOUNG MAN, a villager, staggers from the lake in the direction of the village.
He takes some steps and falls dead. He holds a rose-nenufare in his hand. There are drops of blood on his shirt.
EXT – CLEARING IN THE WOODS – SUMMER DAY
During the hunt Smith, Harry, James, Captain Wright, Karl Ivanovich and Georges have a picnic in a clearing under a wide-branching tree. They eat ham from big plates and drink wine out of bottles.
There are hunting trophies and guns next to them. Saddled horses graze nearby
SMITH
(pours out wine by glasses)
Mr. Harry, whole stories are told about you.
Harry lies and chews a grass blade
HARRY
Well, what kind of?
JAMES
(gives Harry a glass of wine)
They say, you’ve got a whole kingdom in America and you are a descendant of Montezuma.
Harry spits out the grass blade and takes the glass from him
CAPTAIN WRIGHT
(puts a piece of ham into his mouth)
Where did you get such information?
JAMES
The villagers say so.
He chews the ham and takes a sip from his glass of wine
HARRY
Have you already been to the village?
Harry takes a piece of ham from the plate, brought to him by Smith
CAPTAIN WRIGHT
James and I walked there in the afternoon.
He lights up a cigar
SMITH
Mr. Harry is the owner of the local castle, so they talk about him.
He sits down on the grass next to Harry and eats a piece of ham
HARRY
Karl Ivanovich will help me to become its owner.
He takes another piece of ham from Smith’s plate
KARL IVANOVICH
(wipes his hands with a napkin)
I haven’t found missing documents yet in the archive, but I have got interesting letters.
He leans back against the tree trunk and gets a batch of letters out of his bag
HARRY
These are letters from the Hunting House, we will live there until I get the castle.
KARL IVANOVICH
(unties the ribbon, which ties the letters)
The letters have an evident connection with the teacher’s diary.
INT – LIVING ROOM OF THE VENETIAN MANSION – DAYTIME
BEGINNING OF GROWN-UP CARLO’S MEMORIES
A hand of a young aristocrat writes a letter
TITLE: 1852
CARLO’S VOICE
(behind the scenes)
Dear Alf! I am able to return to my motherland, which I left as a seven-year-old boy. I still don’t know the reason for my exile from my parents’ castle.
EXT-TERRACE OF CARDIE’S CASTLE – SUMMER EVENING
BEGINNING OF YOUNG CARLO’S MEMORIES
Everybody gathered on the terrace: YOUNG CARLO (7 years old), his sister LUCY (5 years old); COUNT FREDERICK (41 year old): adult, calm, with noble manners; COUNTESS MARIA (25 years old): beautiful, graceful blonde with noble manners; PETRO (39 years old), Count Frederick’s younger brother.
Countess’ favourite greyhound, NETTIE, lies right here.
SEBASTIAN (40 years old), the servant, enters
TITLE: 1832
SEBASTIAN
An elderly gentleman wishes to speak to the Count.
COUNT FREDERICK
Call him.
Sebastian leaves
The old grey-haired gentleman, seemingly 80 years old, AMERICAN SERVANT (aka American Grandfather) enters the terrace.
AMERICAN SERVANT: seemingly 80 years old, aristocratic bearing and manners, tall, thin-faced, is a bit haughty. He has got reddish eyes and crimson lips on the pale face. He wears a long religious habit.
The American servant bows to the count and countess.
Nettie jumps, bristles up and rushes at him.
The old man drives her away with a crutch, which he holds in his hands
COUNTESS MARIA
Nettie has never behaved like this before!
COUNT