Scripts: Rear Window (final draft, 01/Dec/1953) - part 5
FADE IN: INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAWN - CLOSEUP A big head of Jeff. He is still in his wheelchair, sound asleep. The CAMERA PANS off his face, out through the window. The rain has stopped, and the general light of dawn is coming up. The CAMERA COMES TO REST on the salesman's apartment and corridor, which is still dimly lit by the electric lights. We see the salesman emerge into the corridor, pause a moment to allow a woman to proceed him. Her back is to the CAMERA and we do not see her face. They move away, down the corridor. The CAMERA PANS BACK into Jeff's sleeping face. FADE OUT: FADE IN: EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - LONG SHOT It is now mid-morning. The sun is shining. Miss Torso is practicing her dance to the sound of ballet music. We can hear the song-writer at work, but the thing that attracts our attention mostly, is some action that emanates from the fire escape where the couple sleep at night. On a long rope, the woman is lowering an open wicker basket in which sits a small dog. When is reaches the yard below, the CAMERA PANNING DOWN, the dog steps out and runs off to explore the yard. The woman pulls up the basket, and leaves it on the fire escape. The CAMERA PULL BACK into Jeff's apartment where Stella is busy massaging Jeff's back at he lies face down on the divan. STELLA You'd think the rain would have cooled things off. All it did was make the heat wet. Stella hits a sore muscle in Jeff's back. He jumps. JEFF That's a stiff one. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - MEDIUM SHOT A low camera has Jeff's head on the foreground, with Stella just behind him, at work on his back. She attacks the sore muscle vigorously. STELLA The insurance Company would be a lot happier if you slept in your bed, not the wheelchair. JEFF (Between clenched teeth) How did you know! STELLA Eyes bloodshot. Must have been staring out the window for hours. JEFF I was. STELLA (Massaging harder) What'll you do if one of them catches you? JEFF Depends one which one. She stops massaging, reaches for the oil. JEFF Now Miss Torso, for example -- Stella hits his back with a palmful of cold oil. It takes his breath. STELLA Keep your mind off her. JEFF She's real eat, drink and be merry girl. STELLA And she'll end up fat, alcoholic and miserable. JEFF Speaking of misery, Miss Lonely Hearts drank herself to sleep again. Alone. STELLA Poor girl. Someday she'll find her happiness. JEFF And some man will lose his. STELLA Isn't there anyone in the neighborhood who might cast an eye in her direction? JEFF Well, the salesman could be available soon. STELLA (Interested in the scandal) He and his wife splitting up? JEFF It's hard to figure. He went out several time last night, in the rain carrying his sample case. STELLA (So?) Isn't he a salesman? JEFF Now what could he sell at three in the morning? STELLA (Shrugs) Flashlights. Luminous dials for watches. House numbers that light up. JEFF He was taking something out of the apartment. I'm certain. She helps him to a sitting position. STELLA His personal effects. He's probably running away -- the coward. JEFF Sometimes it's worse to stay than it is to run. STELLA (Looks at him) But it takes a particularly low type of man to do it. Jeff turns his head away for a moment. She helps him into the chair. Hands him his shirt, which he proceeds to put on. The back of his chair is to the window. STELLA (Putting oil and power away) What about this morning? Any developments? JEFF No. The shades are still drawn in their apartment. STELLA (stops) In this heat? (Turns, looks over his shoulder) They're up now. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - SEMI-CLOSEUP He quickly turns his wheelchair around to the window until he is in profile. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT The salesman, having just raised the shades in the living room, is now looking out the window. It is not a casual look, but a long, careful, searching appraisal of all the apartment house windows in his neighborhood, starting from his left to his right. His eyes move closer toward Jeff's apartment. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - MEDIUM SHOT Jeff in his chair, facing the window, Stella beside him. Jeff nearly knocks the startled Stella off her feet with his arm. JEFF Get back! Out of sight! Quick! He propels his chair backward quickly, and Stella moves to the side with surprising agility. They are both in shadow. STELLA (A startled whisper) What is it? What's the matter? Jeff keeps his eyes trained on the window. JEFF (Quietly) The salesman's looking out his window. Stella relaxes, gives Jeff a disgusted look, and starts to move out of the shadows. STELLA A Federal offense. JEFF (Sharply) Get back there! He'll see you! She moves back into the shadows. STELLA I'm not shy. I've been looked at before. JEFF (Still peering toward window) It's not an ordinary look. It's the kind of look a man gives when he's afraid somebody might be watching him. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT The salesman completes his searching glance at the neighborhood. Then something directly below his window catches his attention. He looks sharply downward, his body visibly tensing. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - MEDIUM SHOT Jeff, with a restraining hand to Stella, begins to edge his chair cautiously forward so that he can see what the salesman is looking at. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT THE CAMERA MOVES FORWARD, and as it reaches the edge of the window, PANS DOWN and shows us what the salesman is looking at. The little dog that was lowered in the basket is sniffing at the salesman's personal flower bed. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - CLOSEUP Jeff's eyes move up quickly to look at the salesman. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT The salesman leans forward and grips the window sill as he watches the dog. The CAMERA PANS DOWN and we now see that the old lady with the hearing aid is leaning over the fence admonishing the dog. We can faintly hear her voice saying something to the effect that he'll get into trouble. The dog turns to glance at her and apparently taking heed, moves away. The old lady is wearing a faded house-robe. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - CLOSEUP Jeff is amused at the dog incident. Behind him, Stella moves to the center of the room, saying: STELLA Goodbye, Mr. Jefferies. I'll see you tomorrow. JEFF (Grunts) Uh-huh. She begins putting her equipment back into her black bag. Jeff's eyes lift to the salesman's apartment, and the amusement drains from his face. He leans forward a little, tensely. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT The salesman has his aluminum case on the table near the center of the room. He is carefully wiping out the interior with dust cloth. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - SEMI-CLOSEUP Jeff watching intently. Stella putting the last of her things into her bag. STELLA And don't sleep in the chair again. Jeff continues to what the salesman, his face showing a great concentration of thought. JEFF Uh-huh. Stella picks up her bag, stares at Jeff's back a moment, then starts for the door. STELLA Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Great conversationalist. Jeff swings half-way around in his chair just as Stella reaches the top of the steps. JEFF Stella. She turns around. Jeff points to a coat-stand near the door. JEFF (Goes on quickly) Will you take those binoculars out of the case and bring them to me. She puts down her bag, reaches for the binoculars, takes them out the case. She comes down the stairs, brings them to him. He immediately swings to the window, and lifts them to his eyes. Stella sniffs, then goes to the door, as she says: STELLA Trouble. I cam smell it. I'll be glad when they crack that cast, and I get out of here. As Stella goes out the door, the CAMERA MOVES IN until Jeff's head, and the binoculars, are filling the screen. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT The salesman has completed his cleaning of the case. He is in the act of placing it on the floor. He turns and again glances out of the window. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - CLOSEUP Jeff quickly lowers the binoculars and edges back a few inches. He watches a moment, then cautiously lifts the binoculars again. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - SEMI-LONG SHOT - (DAY) The man is now moving out of the living room, and the binoculars PAN him though to the small kitchen which is seen through a side window. The man starts to busy himself in this kitchen with his back to us, but the image is very unsatisfactory. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - SEMI-CLOSEUP Jeff lowers the binoculars and there is an expression of exasperation on his face. He throws the binoculars down, and then looks about him. He backs his chair up quickly toward the main cabinet on his left. He leans down, opens a cupboard door and takes out a long-focus lens. Then from a shelf above he takes a small Exacta camera. He quickly takes off the existing lens and puts on the telephoto lens in its place. He wheels himself back to the window and raises the camera to his eye. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - CLOSE SHOT Through the view-finder of the camera, we are now brought into close proximity with the salesman in his little kitchen. His back is still to us. He half-turns and takes a used newspaper. He spreads it open, along the drainboard. From the sink he takes out a large butcher's knife, and a long, narrow saw. They disappear from sight as he lays them on the newspaper and proceeds to wrap them up. Having completed his job, he emerges from the kitchen carrying the newspaper- wrapped parcel. For a moment he is lost behind the wall that separates the kitchen recess from the living room. He does not reappear for a moment. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - CLOSEUP Jeff lowers the camera for a moment, and watches tensely. Suddenly he puts it up to his eye again. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY - CLOSE SHOT Half of a man's body is now seen in the living room. Then the salesman turns and moves to the center of the room. He is not carrying anything. He sits down on a couch, with a display of fatigue. He yawns and stretches out of sight at full length on the couch. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - DAY - CLOSEUP Jeff lowers the camera. He watches the living room for a moment. Then his eye travels briefly back to the kitchen; then return to the living room. His brow knits a little as we: FADE OUT: FADE IN: EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - CLOSEUP The thermometer outside of Jeff's window, registering 83 degrees. The CAMERA PANS OFF to the left until it comes to rest on the song-writer's studio. He is dressed only in bathing trunks, and is vigorously cleaning his rug with a carpet sweeper. In the middle of his sweeping, he stops, hurries a step or two to the piano. He plays a couple of notes with one hand, while he stands. Listens, plays them again. Decides they are no good, and returns to his carpet sweeping. THE CAMERA PANS FARTHER LEFT to the salesman's apartment. There are no lights burning behind the drawn shade of the bedroom, but the living room and the kitchen are lighted. There is no sign of the salesman. THE CAMERA CONTINUES ITS PAN to the left, to include the couple who sleep on the fire escape in the hot weather. We now get an opportunity to examine these people more closely. The man is balding, and middle-aged. He is wearing striped pajamas. He is in the act of laying out the mattress. His wife is slightly younger, peroxided, faded show girl type. Also wearing pajamas, with a fluffy handkerchief in the left pocket, the wife is leaning over the railing holding onto the rope which leads to the dog's basket now on the floor of the courtyard. Having been a one-time siffleuse, her call to the dog is clarion and melodic. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT The little dog emerges reluctantly from the shadows, and steps into the basket. It begins to move upward, and THE CAMERA FOLLOWS it. When the basket reaches the fire escape, THE CAMERA PANS ON to the apartment of Miss Torso. She is in the bathroom brushing her long hair, while her thoughts seem to be far away. THE CAMERA DROPS DOWN to the apartment below, occupied by the elderly lady with the hearing aid. For the first time we see something of her activities inside the apartment. She wears a short smock, although her legs are still bare. She is hard at work on a piece of abstract sculpture. It takes the form of a piece of mahogany through which a simple hole has been carved. THE CAMERA MOVES ON much farther to the left, and eventually comes to rest on the newly-weds' apartment with the shade still drawn. It MOVES ON and at last passes though Jeff's window, and comes to rest on the two bid heads of Jeff and Lisa. Her lips are brushing lightly against his cheek as she speaks: LISA How far does a girl have to go -- before you notice her? Jeff moves his eyes slightly to something outside the window. JEFF If she's pretty enough, she doesn't have to go anywhere. She just has to "be". EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT The salesman's apartment, just as we saw it a moment ago. The shades drawn and lights out in the bedroom, the shade up and lights on in the living room and kitchen. Still no one in sight. LISA Well, "ain't I?" -- Pay attention to me. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - TWO SHOT We are now able to see that Jeff's apartment is in darkness, only faintly lit from the distant light of the neighbors' window. By her position, Lisa is seated on Jeff's sound knee, her arms around his neck. JEFF I'm not exactly on the other side of the room. LISA Your mind is. And when I want a man, I want all of him. She starts kissing him. JEFF Don't you ever have any problems? LISA (Murmurs, kissing him) I have one now. JEFF So do I. LISA (Kissing) Tell me about it. JEFF (Slight pause) Why would a man leave his apartment three times, on a rainy night, with a suitcase? And come back three times? LISA He likes the way his wife welcomes him home. JEFF Not that salesman's wife. And why didn't he go to work today? LISA Homework. It's more interesting. JEFF What's interesting about a butcher's knife and a small saw wrapped up in a newspaper? LISA Nothing, thank heaven. JEFF (Looking again) Why hasn't he gone into his wife's bedroom all day? LISA I wouldn't dare answer that. JEFF (After pause) Lisa -- there's something terribly wrong. She gives up trying to interest him in romance, and moves back from the embrace. THE CAMERA PULL BACK. LISA And I'm afraid it's with me. Lisa stands, straightens out her dress, stretches a little then she turns to the divan, apparently not too interested in his observation about the salesman's life. JEFF (Looks at Lisa) What do you think? LISA (Without returning his look) Something too frightful to utter. Jeff is thoughtful for a moment, then he relaxes and smiles a little. He turns to the window to look out again. Lisa exits the picture. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT Lisa stretches herself out on the divan. Her head rest on the cushion at the far end, and she instinctively falls into an attractive pose. However, her expression is disturbed as she watches Jeff. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP He stares intently out the window. JEFF He went out a few minutes ago -- in his undershirt -- and he hasn't come back yet. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP Lisa weighs this information, trying to make some sense out of it. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP Jeff turns his eyes from the salesman's apartment, and looks down reflectively. He looks up again, and then his eyes catches sight of something. He leans forward slightly. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT Miss Torso is lying, face down, on her divan bed. The only light in the apartment is from a reading lamp. She is reading a book held in one hand, while eating a sandwich in another. Her back is bare, and all she wears is a pair of brief dark blue shorts. At one point, she lifts her torso up slightly to brush crumbs out from beneath her. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP He looks away from Miss Torso, thoughtfully. JEFF You know -- that would be terrible job to tackle. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP Lisa leans forward and looks out the window to see what Jeff is referring to. She turns back to him with a blank stare. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CLOSEUP Jeff turns and looks at her, quite unaware of her surprise at his comment. JEFF How would you begin to cut up a human body? INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - MEDIUM SHOT Lisa sits bolt upright on the divan. She reaches back quickly and pulls on the overhead light. At that moment the songwriter returns to his composing. We can see him over Lisa's shoulder. He is beginning his song again, and it has taken on new fullness and melody. Although it is not complete, it is farther along then before, and he plays his theme a number of different ways, trying to move it note by note to its completion. Lisa just stares at Jeff for a moment. LISA Jeff -- I'll be honest with you -- you're beginning to scare me a little. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP Jeff is staring out of the window again. Over this we hear Lisa's voice: LISA (Quietly insistent) Jeff -- did you hear what I said? You're beginning to -- Jeff puts out a restraining hand. JEFF (Interrupting) Be quiet! Shhh! (Pause) He's coming back! EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT At last the salesman is seen coming along the corridor. He does not wear shirt, but only an undershirt. Slung over one shoulder, with his arm through is, is a large coil of sturdy rope. He goes through the living room into the bedroom. He does not put on the bedroom lights. INT. JEFF'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - SEMI-CLOSEUP Jeff reaches quickly for his binoculars, and trains them on the salesman's apartment. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT - SEMI-LONG SHOT As seen though the binoculars, the salesman comes out of the bedroom, to the kitchen, where he gets a carving knife. He turns around and goes back to the bedroom. The lights go on behind the draw shades, after a short moment. The dim shadow of the salesman is seen moving around the room.
...continue to part 6