the password for the house?
BILL is stuck. He takes a deep breath..
ELEGANT MAN
Won't you be kind enough to
tell me
the password of the house?
This time it sounds like a threat.
BILL can't think of anything to say. He shakes his head and shrugs.
BILL
Sorry. It looks like I must
have
forgotten it.
The elegant man walks to the middle of the room and raises his
hand.
Everything gradually comes to a stop.
Blindfolded, Nick stops playing when someone places a hand on
his
shoulder and whispers something
to him.
With all eyes on him, the two men walk back to BILL.
ELEGANT MAN
It is four o'clock in the morning.
BILL, now changed back into his own clothes, enters his apartment.
Everyone is asleep.
He goes into his study and locks the costume and tux in a closet.
In order not to wake ALICE, he undresses before going into the
bedroom.
BEDROOM
ALICE is asleep, lying with her
arms folded under her head
Her lips are half open and painful shadows surround them.
It is a face BILL does not know.
He bends down over her, and at once her forehead becomes lined
with furrows, as though someone
had touched it, and her features
seem strangely distorted.
Suddenly, still in her sleep, she laughs so shrilly that he becomes
alarmed.
BILL (involuntarily)
Alice.
She laughs again, as if in answer, in a strange, almost uncanny
manner.
BILL
Alice?
She opens her eyes, slowly and with difficulty.
She stares at him, as though she does not recognise him.
BILL (softly)
As she wakes up, an expression
of fear, even of terror comes into her
eyes.
Half awake, and seemingly in despair, she raises her arms.
BILL
What's the matter?
ALICE stares at him, still frightened.
BILL
Alice, it's me.
ALICE breathes deeply, tries to smile, drops her arms on the blanket.
ALICE (in a far away voice)
Is it morning yet?
BILL
It will be very soon.
It's a little past
four o'clock. I've just come
home.
She nods but barely seems to have heard or understood him.
She stares into space, as though she can see through him.
He bends over and touches her forehead.
She shudders slightly.
BILL
What's the matter?
She shakes her head slowly and he passes his hand gently over
her
After a while he raises his head
on his arm and looks at her for a long
time, as though he can see much
more than just the outlines of her
face.
BILL
Tell me about your dream.
Bill says this, once more, as if she had been waiting for his
invitation.
She holds out her hand to him, he takes it, and as he had often
done
before, he holds it and plays
with her slender fingers, more absent-
mindedly than tenderly.
ALICE sighs and begins to speak uncertainly.
ALICE
I think it started in
my parents house.
They weren't there. I
was alone. That
surprised me because our wedding
was
the next day and I didn't
have a
wedding dress.
Then you and I were floating above a
ancient city. It was a
kind of crazy mix
of ancient architectural
styles.
Oriental, Egyptian, Greek and
Roman
architecture. And it was completely
deserted. The streets were
empty - no
people, no animals. And I
remember
thinking, so this is our honeymoon.
Then it was night and the sky was so
when I woke up.
Neither of them moves or says anything. Any remark at this moment
would seem futile.
BILL realizes he is still holding ALICE'S hand.
She remains silent and motionless.
Ready as he is to hate her, his feeling of tenderness for these
slender,
cool fingers is unchanged except
that it is more acute.
Involuntarily, he gently presses his lips on the familiar hand
before
he lets it go.
ALICE'S eyes are closed and there is the trace of a happy, innocent
smile playing about her mouth.
He feels an incomprehensible desire to make love to her.
He rolls over and puts his arm
around her but then checks himself.
He stretches himself out beside ALICE, who now seems asleep.
As he closes his eyes, he thinks:
V.O.
Whore of her dreams.
There is now a sword between us.
We are lying here like mortal enemies.
Eyes Wide Shut screenplay: next page
(7)
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