PARTISAN REVIEW
49
is held for several seconds. Then, as we hear the sound of a door
opening, the camera moves slightly to the right - enough to show
the whole bed. Now we see that Carl is there. He is lying on his
side, perhaps in a fetal position, wearing his baggy pants and over–
large wool shirt or his grey pajama tops. His eyes are open, vacant.
He doesn't move on the sound of the door.
Full shot from Carl's viewpoint, of Lena standing in the cabin
doorway.
LENA:
It's warm here.
Medium shot of Carl. Now he seems frightened. He stands up
on the bed, his back against the wall, breathing noisily.
Full shot of Lena. Perhaps the camera is behind her, just out–
side the door. She approaches Carl.
LENA:
You think I don't like you. That's not true.
She reaches out and touches Carl's face. He flinches.
LENA:
Let me. You know you like it.
Carl's breathing becomes quiet. Lena sits on the bed. The cam–
era tilts down with her. Now we see Carl only from the waist down.
Lena looks up at him.
LENA:
Sit. Sit next to me.
Hesitantly, Carl lowers himself, keeping his back against the
wall, until he comes to a sitting position on the bed behind Lena.
She turns. She undoes the buttons on his shirt and takes it off. Carl
makes no move to stop her. Then she reaches for his fly. Carl stands
up abruptly, in the same position (again we see him only from the
waist down). Lena continues what she was about to do, almost with–
out pause. When, from this position, she pulls down his trousers,
Carl offers no resistance. But when she then reaches up for his under–
pants, he stops her.
Close-up of Carl's hand on Lena's. She takes her hand away.
Full shot of another wall of the room. Lena stands up (into
the shot ) and quickly undresses down to her underpants and bra.
Full shot, high angle, of Carl lying back on the bed (from
Lena's point of view). Lena, coming into the shot, gets in bed beside
him and pulls a blanket over them both. She embraces him, which
he allows passively. But when she tries to kiss him, he turns his face
away. Then she lies on top of him. He becomes a little animated.
