Ken Russell's Dracula (11 page)

INT. COMPARTMENT. DAY.

DR. SEWARD lowers the window and
talks across to MINA in the opposite carriage.

DR. SEWARD

Mina, what is all this

about? Start from last

night.

MINA

(
flustered
)

After you’d gone I found her

in the rose garden. I think

she’d had a little too much.

She’d cut herself on one of

the shrubs - nothing much,

(
she points at her
throat
)

Just there. She’d been

dancing with her lover,

she said.

DR. SEWARD

(
alarmed
)

Her lover?

Mina knows she is making the case
sound totally implausible and finishes off lamely.

MINA

I know it sounds silly,

But you did ask.

DR. SEWARD

(
exasperated
)

Lucy sounds as if she’s

Got an almighty hangover,

and you’re acting as if

you’re still tipsy - how,

otherwise could you have

left her alone?

MINA

(
urgently
)

I didn’t leave her until

she was safely in the

ambulance with a nurse.

Please, you must believe me.

It’s serious. Jonathan’s

back home. I have to see

him. His mother telephoned

early this morning - most

upset, she wouldn’t say

what was wrong, but ...

The rest of Mina’s shouted message
is lost in the cacophony of her departing train. Dr. Seward turns on hearing
Van Helsing’s voice.

VAN HELSING

Is this how you diagnose

all your patients, my boy;

from a moving train?

And now their train is moving.

DR. SEWARD

(
apologetically
)

Oh Professor, forgive me,

please. Are these yours?

STATION PLATFORM. DAY.

VAN HELSING staggers a little as he
lands, but is saved from falling by DR. SEWARD who is becoming increasingly
embarrassed by the indignity he is causing his esteemed Professor.

DR. SEWARD

I am sorry. She’s gone

Completely scatty.

VAN HELSING

Pretty all the same.

(
archly
)

Pity her Jonathan’s come

back so soon.

DR. SEWARD

Professor, I hardly know

the girl.

VAN HELSING

Aha! One of those brief

encounters. What’s her name?

DR. SEWARD

Mina! I was at a party last

Night given by a friend.

VAN HELSING

And you were seeing them

off. The friend, I did not

see ...

DR. SEWARD

By now Lucy should be in

bed at the sanatorium.

He bites his lip, seeing that he is
getting into deep water and being totally misunderstood by the Professor who
starts acting like a Dutch Uncle.

VAN HELSING

Pretty girls, parties in

the sanatorium all night

long. You invited your old

Professor all the way over

from Amsterdam to play

nursemaid to your madman,

this Renfield, while you

have a good time, ya?

DR. SEWARD

Lucy is one of my patients,

Professor, and as for

parties on the premises,

it’s simply ...

VAN HELSING

(interrupting with

a chuckle
)

I know, I know. Whatever

else, you could never be

guilty of misconduct.

Not only were you my

brightest pupil, Martin,

you were also the least

frivolous, ya?

A little deflated by Van Helsing’s
remark, Dr. Seward nevertheless replies with a wry smile.

DR. SEWARD

Yes, I’m afraid it’s still

the same old “serious

Seward”. It was very good

of you to come, Professor.

VAN HELSING

Not at all. Your Popsy

Interests me as much as

your madmen.

Laughing, Van Helsing takes his arm
and hurries him toward the station exit.

INT. SANATORIUM CORRIDOR.
DAY.

Quiet, except for the voice of
Renfield singing a hymn, and deserted save for a MALE NURSE pushing a trolley
containing a corpse covered with a sheet towards a pair of swing doors at the
end of the corridor. As they bump through and disappear from view one of the
ward doors opens a little revealing a patient gazing surreptitiously about her.
It is LUCY looking very pale and feverish in a nightdress with a chiffon scarf
around her throat. Convinced the coast is clear, she walks unsteadily towards
the sound of Renfield’s voice. Pausing for breath at his door she whispers
urgently through the grill.

LUCY

Renfield, Renfield, quickly,

I want to speak to you.

CLOSE SHOT: Peephole: Renfield’s
eye staring at Lucy.

RENFIELD’S VOICE

(
accusingly
)

You are the Doctor’s girl.

LUCY

(
protesting
)

I am nobody’s girl. But you

and I; we share something

in common.

RENFIELD

Yes, we are patients of

Doctor Seward.

LUCY

No, Renfield, we owe our

allegiance to another

master. He who brings the

kiss of peace which is life

eternal... Where is he,

Renfield? (
urgently
)

I must see him, I must.

There is an ominous pause followed
by Renfield ranting and raving at the top of his voice.

RENFIELD

All over! All over! He has

deserted me. There is no

hope for me, Master. Master,

why hast thou forsaken me?

I am doomed. Without the

blood there is no life.

The blood is life, etc.

As Renfield’s cries echo down the
corridor, Lucy looks around in alarm and not without reason, for already a
female NURSE is hurrying around the corner towards her. Lucy panics, and starts
running back to her room only to collapse with exhaustion. The worried nurse
kneels down and attempts to revive her.

NURSE DANVERS

Oh Miss Weber, what are you

doing out of bed? I said you

were not to move until you

had the Doctor’s permission.

She is about to drag Lucy back to
her room when suddenly DR. SEWARD and VAN HELSING appear, attracted by
Renfield’s shouts as are TWO MALE NURSES who arrive from the other direction.

DR. SEWARD

(
furiously to the nurse
)

What is going on, Nurse

Danvers?

Without waiting for a reply he
turns to the Male Nurses.

DR. SEWARD

Get a stretcher - no don’t

bother. Stay with Professor

Van Helsing.

(
to the Professor
)

Renfield’s in there,

Professor.

VAN HELSING

Now is a good time to

examine him while you take

care of your Popsy.

Dr.Seward picks Lucy up in his
arms, considerably disturbed by her condition.

DR. SEWARD

Oh Lucy, Oh Lucy, my dear

sweet girl.

Nurse Danvers attempts to excuse
herself as she leads Dr. Seward towards Lucy’s room.

NURSE DANVERS

She was sleeping peacefully

when I left her Dr. Seward.

I was only...

DR. SEWARD

(
interrupting
)

What’s her pulse rate?

NURSE DANVERS

Sixty-five, Doctor.

DR. SEWARD

And her temperature?

NURSE DANVERS

Two degrees below normal,

Doctor.

Their voices die away as they enter
Lucy’s room and Van Helsing is admitted to Renfield’s cell.

INT. RENFIELD’S CELL. DAY.

As soon as he realizes the presence
of authority, Renfield’s ravings cease and by the time the Professor enters he
is calm and reasonable.

VAN HELSING

(
affably
)

Would you like some sugar

to get your flies round

again... ?

RENFIELD

(
laughing
)

Not such! Flies are poor

things, after all!

VAN HELSING

And spiders?

RENFIELD

Blow spiders! What’s the use

of spiders? There isn’t

anything in them to eat

or dr...

(
he checks himself on

the word ‘drink’ which

does not go unnoticed
)

... Chicken-Feed! I’m past

all that sort of nonsense.

You might as well as well

ask a man to eat a molecule

with a pair of chopsticks

as try to interest me in the

lesser carnivores when I

know what is before me.

VAN HELSING

(
blandly
)

I see. You want bigger

things to sink your teeth

in. How would you like to

breakfast on an elephant?

RENFIELD

(
with dignity
)

Coming from an individual

who has revolutionized

therapeutics by his

discovery of the continuous

evolution of brain matter,

that remark, Professor,

is anal.

Somewhat put out by Renfield’s
aplomb, the Professor too, becomes more composed.